Showing results by author "Original Radio Broadcast" in All Categories

Jack Webb and Barton Yarborough star as Joe Friday and Ben Romero - just a couple of cops doing their job. Follow them step-by-step through 20 true-to-life cases, drawn from the files of the Los Angeles Police Department. Their dialogue was never clichéd or exaggerated, and their cases never relied on jumped-up action sequences to deliver impact. Whether they were on the trail of a car thief with violent tendencies, a fast-moving gang of safecrackers, a kidnapper, a mail thief, or a murderer, their job was the same: Get 'em.

From the darkest, foggiest, most rain-swept streets of your imagination come The Great Radio Private Eyes! Detectives, investigators, shamuses all - here's a legion of radio's best-remembered gumshoes taking on all comers in a wide-ranging collection of thrill-packed cases of crime. They're all here! From Bulldog Drummond to Candy Matson, from the urbane world of The Falcon to the grubby dockside world of Pat Novak - get set for classic radio drama at its most compelling!

Romance is in the air down in Pine Ridge! Lum is distracted by the new schoolteacher, and Abner is desperate to retain the affections of his fed-up wife Elizabeth! And that's not all. In this collection of 36 consecutive serialized episodes, Pine Ridge pauses to celebrate a wartime Thanksgiving and rolls out the welcome mat for touring war bond spokesperson Barbara Stanwyck! Every day is a new laugh with Lum and Abner! Chester Lauck and Norris Goff star in these shows from the fall of 1944.

Come to 221B Baker Street for 15 incredible capers from the world's only consulting detective - presented in full-cast audio! Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and dramatized by noted British writer M.J. Elliott, these absorbing adventures star John Patrick Lowrie as Holmes and Lawrence Albert as Dr. Watson. Also heard in these sterling stories are Dennis Bateman, Rick May, David Natale, Jeffrey Hitchen, Rachel Glass, Hugh Hastings, Louise Moore, and Jim French himself!

Dragnet was radio's most successful police procedural series, and by far its most influential, shaping an entire generation's view of law enforcement, and bringing police work to life in carefully-documented detail. Never sensationalistic, but always a gripping listening experience, Jack Webb's signature creation remains the standard against which crime dramas are judged. Webb, who produced and directed the series, stars as Sergeant Joe Friday in gritty dramas of unprecedented realism.

Presented here are Western stories of unparalleled realism and uncompromising emotional complexity. Marshal Matt Dillon (William Conrad) doesn't revel in violence, but he uses it because he lives in a violent place at a violent time, where only the violent can survive.

Jack Benny's supporting cast - his "gang" - was the heart, soul, and success of his radio program. Mary Livingstone, Don Wilson, Phil Harris, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Dennis Day, Frank Nelson, Mel Blanc, Artie Auerbach, and Ronald and Benita Colman delivered many of the best jokes - and earned biggest laughs - on the show. Many members of this talented ensemble went on to star in programs of their own - always with Jack's support. This collection includes some of the gang's best work - both on and off of Benny's program.

When great stars (like Kirk Douglas and Ava Gardner) took their talents to the radio microphones, it was always a treat. But when these accomplished actors worked under the masterful direction of William Spier, it was radio's outstanding theater of thrills. You'll hear Angela Lansbury, Donald O'Connor, Gloria Swanson, José Ferrer, and more in well-crafted tales of doubt, double cross, and death. Steady your nerves for 20 classic tension-packed thrillers from 1947!

When Howard Duff, radio’s regular Sam Spade, was dropped from the show, Steven Dunne donned the trench coat. Finding his own brash and boyish style with the role, Dunne’s Spade was much like creator Dashiell Hammett himself - a grown-up teenager who loved a put-on, but could be depended on to be loyal and true despite his own troubles. In these digitally remastered capers, Hammett’s hard-boiled hero delves in to the domains of daytime serials, journalism, the waterfront, and international intrigue.

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar debuted in 1948 and endured for 14 years as one of the most popular programs of latter day radio drama. In fact, it became the last network drama when it ultimately signed off the air in 1962. An eminently appealing character, Dollar was pragmatic, flirtatious, and sympathetic (to a point) - better at reserving judgment than he was at restraining his impulses. This set brings you the voices of all eight men who took on the role of "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator" - from the well-known to the obscure.

Who's that bear? And what's he doing in Jack Benny's basement? It's the famous Carmichael—guarding the vault and getting laughs! Dish up the Jell-O for Mary Livingston, Phil Harris, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Dennis Day, and Don Wilson in twenty classic prewar episodes—and be sure to leave a plate for you-know-who downstairs!

Once again, the game's afoot! Out of the fog-shrouded night comes the world-renowned consulting detective and his ever-faithful amanuensis to battle the crimes, solve the mysteries, and reveal all that could ever possibly be known. Here are Holmes and Watson at their best. John Patrick Lowrie stars as Sherlock, with Lawrence Albert as the good doctor in 17 elegant adaptations of original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Produced by radio legend Jim French, these 19th-century tales are told in a 20th-century style, with 21st-century audio technique.

Nero Wolfe is "a gourmet who never walks when he can sit and never sits when he can lie down." Join Rex Stout's reclusive, overweight, orchid-loving super-sleuth as masterfully portrayed by Sydney Greenstreet in this exciting radio series. Ever in search of a perfect meal and a cold bottle of beer, Wolfe often sends Archie Goodwin, his secretary and operative, in his stead. Learn the logic of this armchair detective extraordinaire as he presides over 18 digitally remastered cases of treasure maps and love triangles, carelessness and con artists, bad business and bad medicine.

Box Thirteen is your address for radio mystery at its best! Alan Ladd stars in sixteen intriguing episodes as former newspaper reporter turned freelance fiction writer Dan Holiday. His excursions into mystery and crime for the characters in his books lead him to thrill-packed adventures all his own! At his side is a scatter-brained secretary named Suzy (played by Sylvia Picker), and in his way is the gruff Lieutenant Kling (portrayed by Edmund McDonald) and Inspector Black (Luis van Rooten).

With a quick mind and a quicker tongue (occasionally planted firmly in cheek), Dashiell Hammett's daring detective takes the case, takes a few punches, takes the dough (when there is any), and takes advantage of Effie's...good nature, in eight digitally restored and remastered capers.

From the imaginative radio mind of writer/producer Jim French comes the tough-but-thoughtful private eye who roams the rain-swept streets of the Pacific Coast in search of crime, adventure, and enough dough to keep the office lights on for another month - Harry Nile! It's modern radio drama produced in the classic style, with stories set in the golden age of private-eye drama. Phil Harper stars as Harry in high-powered, hard-luck radio adventures! The 21 episodes featured here include the last show of the character's 1970s run, and the first 20 episodes of his glorious return in 1990.

There are no black hats or white hats in Dodge City, Kansas. Gunsmoke gives you Western stories for grown-ups, with hard-hitting tales set against the rugged majesty of the American frontier. Producer/director Norman Macdonnell and writer/editor John Meston bring you gripping accounts of folks who have come to Dodge to leave the past behind…and those who come to Dodge because they can’t. William Conrad stars as US Marshal Matt Dillon, with Parley Baer as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty in 20 half-hours of radio drama at its best.

Wherever there’s trouble - there’s Paladin. He is called on to find missing people, to find a way to protect those who have been targeted by the unscrupulous, to find criminals, and to find a resolution. John Dehner stars as the peripatetic champion of justice in twenty taut, thrilling tales of Western adventure from 1959. Ben Wright co-stars as Hey Boy, with Virginia Gregg as Miss Wong, in this series produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell.

Tough, hardboiled, and with a dry sense of humor, Jack Webb stars as Jeff Regan, doing the leg work for his not-always-agreeable boss, Anthony J. Lyon. Regan takes on hard and difficult assignments as he investigates counterfeiters, embezzlers, and encounters general mayhem, and most of all murder, in these 16 classic radio episodes. Joining Webb is a cast of many of radio’s finest supporting actors, including Herb Butterfield, Lawrence Dobkin, Barry Kroeger, Lurene Tuttle, Ed Begley, Wilms Herbert, Betty Lou Gerson, and many more.

Headless monks, disappearing scientists, demon barbers, and clever killers abound when Sherlock Holmes is on the case! Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are the World's Greatest Detective and his doughty sidekick in this collection of 16 classic episodes! Journey back to those foggy days in London Town when, at the slightest provocation, "the game's afoot"! Let yourself be led by the legendary pipe-smoking, cap-wearing genius who solves the mystery, saves the day, and even seems to come back from the dead!