Showing results by narrator "Old Time Radio" in All Categories

Unsettling accounts of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances, the weight of which carry them to an inevitable fate, are presented here by the grim-voiced Father Time. This omniscient and ominous host, portrayed by both Charles Webster and William Conrad, lends the proceedings an appropriate atmosphere of foreboding. The Clock brings you the desperate obsessions, investigations, attractions, nightmares and violence of the underhanded, the unsuspecting, and the insane.

Chester A. Riley: A husband. A father. A lovable, working-class bumbler with the proverbial heart of gold. William Bendix stars as this simple (and sometimes simple-minded) man who starts out with the best of intentions, and ends up making a big mess of things. Scaling the mountainous molehills alongside him are his patient wife Peg (Paula Winslowe), his typical American kids, and his eclectic aggregation of friends, including Gillis and Digger O'Dell, the friendly undertaker - both played by John Brown.

Hit the road, Jack! Take a train, a plane, or even a ship! Wherever he goes, and however he gets there, Jack Benny is always good for a laugh. Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Dennis Day, and Don Wilson come along for the ride in 16 travel themed adventures in this collection. Climb aboard for coast to coast clowning, with special appearances by the infamous racetrack “tout” (Sheldon Leonard) and the reliable railway announcer (Mel Blanc). “Train leaving on track five for Anaheim, Azusa, and Cuc-amonga!”

A favorite recurring feature of the Burns and Allen radio program involved George's fruitless efforts to defend himself against the schemes of the Beverly Hills Uplift Society, "an organization of women…for women…by women. This gathering of gossipy females embark on ill-advised escapades - from matchmaking to hijacking the show - all to George's dismay. The society sweethearts are played by Bea Benaderet and Elvia Allman, with jocular gentlemen Mel Blanc, Hans Conried, Elliott Lewis and Gale Gordon as part of an ensemble that set a benchmark for character acting in radio comedy.

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.

Welcome to The Lineup, "where under the cold, glaring lights pass the innocent, the vagrant, the thief, and the murderer". This tightly scripted radio series traced the activities Lieutenant Ben Guthrie (Bill Johnstone) and his Sergeants Matt Greb (Wally Maher) and Peter Carger (Jack Moyles). Ride along with the squad and follow the parade of arrests they make, through witness identifications, subsequent investigations, and the apprehension of additional criminals - all eventually culminating in the cracking (and closing) of the day's case.

Hilarious Hollywood spoofs were a beloved feature on many classic Jack Benny radio shows. Regular cast members and guest stars alike were recruited to send up cinema classics like Casablanca, High Noon, and Sunset Boulevard. Celebrities could count on large laughs - and, looking good next to Jack’s lovably vainglorious and miserly self - while poking fun at their most famous films. A treasure trove for both Benny-philes and film fans, this set includes 12 digitally restored and remastered episodes, performances by the likes of Bob Hope and Edward G. Robinson.

Here comes the cowboy hero who took 1950 by storm - thundering across the West of your own wild imagination! Dressed in his famous black suit and riding his trusty horse Topper, it’s Hopalong Cassidy in 16 original radio adventures! William Boyd stars as Hoppy, with Joseph Duval as California Carlson. Though most of their adventures are in the general vicinity of the Bar 20 ranch, our heroes do venture out on occasion for exploits in the wider world. Listen in as they encounter scoundrels and schemes from the frontier to the formidable streets of New York!

On a cold, rainy night in the darkest shadows of your imagination, fate is waiting for you...in the form of The Whistler! Join him for 20 excursions into the realm of those nameless terrors of which we dare not speak! Bill Forman plays the role of the omniscient storyteller, offering terrible tales from the perspective of the very culprits themselves. Yet somehow, even though you know who’s guilty, there is always a shocking twist at the end!

Two radio stalwarts, Ted DeCorsia and Ben Wright, give voice to the dignified, professional, and persistent Peter Black. Once on a case, he never relents until the suspect is behind bars. Black’s boss, Chief Inspector Harkness, is portrayed by Bill Johnstone - who also sets the tone each week as the powerful narrator of the series. Skillfully directed by William Robson and Elliott Lewis, and taughtly written by masters of the craft Antony Ellis, Morton Fine, and David Friedkin, this series is sure to capture your imagination.

Phil Harris and Alice Faye are back in 20 new digitally remastered episodes - including 18 episodes available for the first time anywhere. As we join Curly and the Mrs., spring is in the air, but the show is on thin ice with its sponsor RCA Victor and its president Clyde Scott (Gale Gordon). Amid contract worries, battles with writers, family outings, sorority girls, and selling television sets, the show takes a dramatic turn - and chaos and hilarity follow!

Celebrated authors John Dickson Carr and Bret Halliday are the hosts of Murder by Experts. This scintillating series was crafted by the suspense specialists who also brought Mysterious Traveler, The Sealed Book, and Strange Dr. Weird to radio: David Kogan and Robert A. Arthur. Each tightly-woven thriller has been selected by an elite member of the Mystery Writers of America. And, whether the plots of these tales play out on an isolated island, in the snow-swept surge of a blizzard, in a locked room, or in the warm bed right beside you, they all lead to just one place...murder!

When last we left our pals from Pine Ridge, they were involved in considerable intrigue. They were receiving reports from the Masked Muskrat, threats from the Black Pelican, and a baby from a melancholy mother. The further adventures of Lum Edwards and Abner Peabody find them confounded by one commotion after another. At the Jot 'em Down Store, there is much bother about the baby, a mystery about a coat-of-arms, and mischief about ghosts, gunshots, and gold mines.

Molle Mystery Theatre, the program that brings you “the best in mystery and detective fiction”, is presented here in eight digitally restored and remastered episodes, including rare recordings. The brilliant Bernard Lenrow plays the role of your host “Geoffrey Barnes” - a connoisseur, criminologist, and expert on crime, suspense, and detective fiction - guiding listeners through superior adaptations of mystery classics and original stories by the best radio writers. These exciting episodes will keep you riveted and tense.

Laughs come in twos with America's favorite comedy team! Here comes George Burns and Gracie Allen in 16 illogically logical half hours featuring a parade of guest stars, including Frank Sinatra, Clark Gable, and Cary Grant! Bill Goodwin, Tobe Reed, and Meredith Willson are on hand as George and Gracie find themselves tangling with madcap matters of crime, competition, money, and matrimony. This collection features rare episodes and rare talent!

What's more entertaining than a witty, snappy-talking detective? How about two witty, snappy-talking detectives? Publisher Jerry North and his always inquisitive wife Pamela are sophisticated sleuthing spouses who solved cases everywhere from magazine fiction, to novels, the stage, movies, radio and television. In these eight digitally remastered episodes from their long running radio series, the Norths can't seem to avoid mysteries and murders. In spite of Jerry's best attempts to put aside corpses and confessions - even quiet evenings at home and romantic ocean cruises turns deadly!

Larry Thor, a staff announcer turned actor with an expressive and powerful voice, played the role of Detective Danny Clover. His beat was Broadway, and each week he narrated a new tale of nighttime drama along the Great White Way. Writers Morton Fine and David Friedkin delivered scripts of elegant intricacy that turned routine description into near poetry. Three soundmen worked in unison to create one of the densest soundscapes on radio - capturing the chaotic buzz of the New York night as a counterpoint to the music and dialogue. It was the most lyrical crime show on the air.

The boys from Pine Ridge get quite an education when the town finds itself in need of a new school teacher. The candidate they hire is eminently qualified - and not at all what president of the school board, Lum Edwards, had in mind! Professor Sloane, tireless in the pursuit of knowledge, spearheads ambitious plans for an observatory, a rocket ship, and a trip to Mars - manned by none other than Lum and Abner! With financial backing from the unscrupulous Squire Skimp, the duo declares themselves "scientifics" and set their sights on the stars.

Fanny Brice described Snooks as “my kind of youngster, the type I like. She has imagination. She’s eager. She’s alive. With all her deviltry, she still is a good kid, never vicious nor mean”. Perhaps, but Daddy and Robespierre may beg to differ. Neither Daddy’s time, pet projects, nor peace of mind are safe from Snooks’ reliably relentless intrusions. As for how she treats her younger siblings and what she thinks of them...well, the fact that she tries to trade them for cats pretty much says it all!

Phil Harris was brash, egotistical, and charming as hell. Alice Faye was regarded by George Gershwin and Cole Porter as the best female singer in Hollywood. Together, they starred in one of the most uninhibited and funny comedy series on radio. Benefiting from the likeability of its stars, a wonderfully cast group of supporting players, and one of the most prolific and clever writing teams of the mid-20th century (Ray Singer and Dick Chevillat), The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show is a complete delight. This collection features 20 digitally remastered programs.