"The Big Broadcast" Live Sunday 1/31 7-11pm est

"The Big Broadcast is a Sunday night tradition for families throughout the WAMU listening area. Each week, Big Broadcast host Ed Walker offers listeners priceless recordings of popular radio programs from the '30s, '40s and '50s. Priceless, especially, for a man whose first sentence as a child was, 'Turn the radio on.' "

Happy Sunday Night. Classic Radio Time.

07:00 p.m. Johnny Dollar
10/15-16/56 Phantom Chase Matter Pts. 1-2 (Sus.)(CBS)(27:28)
07:30 p.m. Dragnet
07/06/54 #255 Big Search (AFRS)(24:15)
08:00 p.m. Gunsmoke
06/05/60: #426 Fabulous Silver Extender (Multiple Sponsors)(CBS)(28:52)
08:30 p.m. Fort Laramie
01/29/56 #02 Boatwright's Story (Sus)(CBS)
09:00 p.m. Nero Wolfe
10/27/50 #02 Case of the Careworn Cuff (Sus.)(NBC)(29:12)
09:30 p.m. Nightwatch
06/18/54 #09 Kenny Narco and Headplate (Sus.)(CBS)(26:42)
10:00 p.m. MGM Theater
1949-50 #14 Crossroads w/Wm. Powell, Hedy Lamarr & Basil Rathbone

I love that these guys seem to have a thing for Fort Laramie. It was short-lived but a very good Western.

Evening, Vision.

Am not familiar with it.

A chilly Baltimore Sunday to you.

January 31 (WARNING: Contains Spoilers)

07:00 p.m. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
10/15-16/56 "Phantom Chase Matter" Pts. 1-2 (Sus.)(CBS)(27:28) Bob Bailey, (First five episodes:) Virginia Gregg (Lola Chase), Michael Ann Barrett (Connie), Lawrence Dobkin (Pat McCracken), Forrest Lewis (George Emerson, Freddy Quintana), Peter Leeds, Barney Phillips, Tony Barrett, Victor Perrin ; (Last four episodes:) Michael Ann Barrett (Connie), Jack Edwards, Ben Wright (Inspector Witset), Virginia Gregg (Lola Chase), Don Diamond, Forrest Lewis (George Emerson), Richard Crenna (Thomas James Chase) ; Writer - Robert Ryf ; Producer/Director - Jack Johnstone ; Musical Supervisor - Amerigo Marino ; Announcer - Roy Rowan ; Expense Account Total = $ 1723 ; Nine part series ; "Ever chase a phantom? Well, believe me I have. And I will next week in the Phantom Chase Matter." Pat McCracken, Universal Adjustment Bureau, Hartford, calls Dollar about 38 year old Thomas James Chase who embezzled $120,000 from his high class New York City investment brokerage company, Emerson & Chase, and has now jumped bail. The 42 year old senior partner, George Emerson, is reluctant at first to believe Chase is guilty, and put up the bail money. Chase's wife is beautiful Lola, and the marriage seemed ideal. She says that Tom liked jazz music, and he had been working late at nights, and that he had sent her alone on a vacation to Martha's Vineyard, saying at the last moment that he couldn't go. George Emerson comes across a newspaper article about New Orleans jazz with a picture from a jazz bar called Ace's Castle, and he is sure that he sees Tom Chase in the background. Johnny heads for New Orleans. At Ace's Castle Johnny talks to blind trumpeter Pops Harker, who can provide no help. Then, a fellow named Freddy Quintana says he can tell Dollar where Tom Chase is hiding for $500. Quintana says Chase is going under the name of Tom James, and provides a sample of handwriting that Johnny verifies is authentic. Pops Harker tells Johnny that Quintana is a mean, bad actor. Lola Chase surprises Johnny by showing up at his hotel door. Quintana, in Lola's presence, tells Johnny to be at his apartment at midnight to get Chase. Johnny tells Lola she can go with him. They arrive 10 minutes early and wait a long time, but no one shows up. Johnny takes Lola back to her hotel. Then he goes back to Ace's castle. Lieutenant Lefevre, New Orleans police, sidles up to Dollar at Ace's Castle. He takes Dollar out in the alley to see Quintana's dead body. Chase looks to be the likely suspect for the murder. Lefevre calls Johnny with the news that they had found Chase's rooming house. In the waste basket they find a partially burned letter on Emerson & Chase stationery, with some legible numbers, 12 and 23. Dollar talks to Roger Carliss, rental agent for the rooming house. He says the room was rented a month in advance in cash for "James" by a very beautiful woman. Johnny sees the newspaper showing the harbor news and he wonders if maybe the numbers meant that a ship was departing pier 23 at 12 o'clock. Lefevre verifies that "The Caribbean Star" did leave pier 23 at 12 o'clock, bound for Trinidad, via Havana, and Haiti. A Tom James is booked among the passengers. Dollar gets to Haiti, and breaks into "James" room. It is empty. The purser tells Johnny that James left the ship in Havana, two days ago, heading for the airport. A Havana policeman, Lieutenant Escobar, tells Johnny that James booked a flight to Barbados, British West Indies. Johnny goes to Barbados. A woman, identifying himself only as Connie, approaches Dollar and says she knows about Tom Chase. She is his girlfriend and she wants out. For money, she will turn chase over to him. She says to be at the "Trade Winds Bar" in the rough waterfront district. As Dollar is approaching the bar, someone follows him and saps him. It is Tom Chase. A night watchman saves Johnny. Connie calls and says that she waited for Dollar to show. He agrees to meet her in the lobby. When he gets to the lobby she is gone. A clerk says that she left the lobby right after the phone call with a man that fits Chase's description. Dollar goes to the Colonial Police and meets with Inspector Witset. Next, Johnny goes back to the Trade Winds bar. Dollar makes eye contact with Connie, who immediately ducks out. Dollar catches up with her. She says that she is really not Chase's girl. She met him two days ago in Barbados. She is broke, stranded in Barbados and wants to get back to the States. She was hoping to get some money. She said that Chase talked for a long time to a fisherman on the waterfront. She takes Johnny to him. He says he was up all night with a passenger with lots of provisions to deserted Largos Island, three hours from Barbados, with one abandoned house. Lola Chase shows up in Barbados and gets a hotel room at Merisol Beach. Dollar calls Emerson who says that he is going to immediately come to Barbados and take Lola back to New York City. Johnny rents a boat , with radio call letters 6X3, to go to Largos Island and finds Lola stowed away on board. Johnny and Lola reach Largos Island. As they trudge toward the house shots ring out. Chase circles around and gets to Dollar's rented boat and takes it out to sea, stranding Dollar and Lola. They are rescued by Inspector Witset in a police boat. Back at Barbados, they see the boat Chase had taken from them - so he came back to Barbados. Dollar talks to George Emerson. Back at his hotel room Tom Chase is waiting. He says it is the end of the line for Dollar. He has a gun and he means business. Lola calls. It disorients Chase and he saps Dollar. He comes to with Lola and George Emerson tending to him. Later, Lola says that Chase wildly confronts her, and then heads into the mountains. She says he was acting crazy, saying that he wanted to see her one time "before". Johnny and Lola go after him. They see his car at the edge of a cliff. His dead body is smashed on the rocks below. Chase is buried in Barbados. Where is the money? Dollar checks Chase's last residence. He compares the writing of Chase with the sample given to him, and then he calls Pat McCracken for some information. Dollar has figured that instead of going to Martha's Vineyard Lola had gone to New Orleans to rent a room. Chase has been dead for two weeks. She killed Quintana. Emerson was the embezzler of the $120,000. Emerson says he is backing out, and fires a shot that wounds Lola, but Dollar overpowers him. The embezzled money was in a New York City safe deposit box. The real Tom Chase was buried on a deserted spot on Long Island.
07:30 p.m. Dragnet
07/06/54 "The Big Search" (AFRS)(24:15) Program #255 Jack Webb (Joe Friday), Ben Alexander (Frank Smith) ; Writer - John Robinson ; Announcer-George Fenneman ; Bunny Moran, a thirteen year old girl has disappeared, her cocker spaniel has been beaten to death. An unusual kidnap story.
08:00 p.m. Gunsmoke
 06/05/60: "Fabulous Silver Extender" (Multiple Sponsors)(CBS)(28:52) Program #426 William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester Proudfoot), Howard McNear (Doc Adams), Georgia Ellis (Kitty Russell), Vic Perrin, Jack Moyles, Joseph Kearns, Harry Bartell ; Producer/Director - Norman Macdonnell ; Writer - Vic Perrin ; Music Composed and Conducted - Rex Koury ; Announcer - George Walsh ; While Matt is heading for Hayes City with Scaglow, his prisoner, Chester is left in charge. No sooner is Matt out of town when than Chester is approached by Albert Cramston, a man who claims to be a professor of metallurgical research and in terrible danger. The silver syndicate has placed a $10,000 price on his head and no fewer than eight assassins are stalking him because he claims to have unvented a machine that extends silver in size and weight in multiples of ten. If Cramston puts a silver dime in the funnel, counts to three, cranks it four times, adds three drops of mercury, turns the spigot and pulls the lever, out pops a silver dollar. Chester, Wilburt, Gatsby and Mr. Dergin witness the results of the "Fabulous Silver Extender" and are astonished. The men are then drawn into a scam that results in deception and death.
08:30 p.m. Fort Laramie
 01/29/56 "Boatwright's Story" (Sus)(CBS) Program #2 Raymond Burr (Lee Quince, Captain of Cavalry), Vic Perrin (Sergeant Gorce), Harry Bartell (Lieutenant Seiberts), Bob Sweeney, Sam Edwards, Jan Arvan, Joe Cranston, Jack Moyles, Lou Krugman ; Producer/ Director - Norman Macdonnell ; Writer - John Meston ; Sound Patterns - Bill James & Ray Kemper ; Musical Supervision - Amerigo Marino ; Lee Quince, Captain of Cavalry, takes out a patrol to stop the sale of Henry rifles to Yellow Knife.
09:00 p.m. The New Adventures Of Nero Wolfe
 10/27/50 "Case of the Careworn Cuff" (Sus.)(NBC)(29:12) Program #2 Sidney Greenstreet (Nero Wolfe), Lamont Johnson (Archie Goodwin), Peter Leeds, Lamont Johnson, William Johnstone, Wilms Herbert, Jane Webb ; Creator- Rex Stout ; Producer/Director - J. Donald Wilson ; Announcer - Don Stanley ; Nero Wolfe is offered $1000 to drop a client named Miss Dorothy Spencer by a musician, Charles Porter, even though Wolfe never heard of her. Porter claims he is being blackmailed by Spencer. Wolfe accepts the money, but he never had a client named Dorothy Spencer. After Porter leaves Wolfe tells Archie Goodwin that Porter is lying about being a musician, because his right coat cuff was more worn than his left. Archie calls the Windsor and learns that porter is a pianist there. Wolfe now says that the man presenting himself as Porter was an impostor. Archie calls Porter and talks to Sergeant Stebbins who says that porter was just shot to death. Archie goes to Porter's place and Stebbins tells him that porter's girlfriend is there, Dorothy Parker. Archie tells Dorothy to meet with Nero Wolfe at 601 W. 35th Street. She shows up. She says she was engaged to Porter. She has a very expensive engagement ring. Wolfe observes that Spencer is half Porter's age and twice as attractive. The doorbell rings. Wolfe hides Spencer. It is Inspector Kramer who is looking for Miss Spencer. After he leaves Wolfe instructs Archie to put Dorothy up in Hoboken. Next Wheeler shows up looking for Dorothy.
09:30 p.m. Nightwatch
 06/18/54 #09 "Kenny Narco and Headplate" (Sus.)(CBS)(26:42) The first call is about a woman who has been given a marijuana cigarette. Donn Reed's tape recording causes the suspect to confess! The second case is about a shooting in a motel room that turns out to be a suicide. The man's suicide note is read on the air! Donn Reed (police recorder), Sterling Tracy (producer), Jim Headlock (producer), W. L. Hildebrand (Police Chief Of Culver City). 28:26. Audio condition: Very good to excellent. Incomplete.
10:00 p.m. The MGM Theatre Of The Air
 1/13/50 #14 "Crossroads" w/Wm. Powell, Hedy Lamarr & Basil Rathbone Program #14. WMGM, New York City origination, MGM syndication. "Crossroads". Commercials added locally. The date above is possibly the first date of broadcast on WMGM, New York City. A well-done story of blackmail and amnesia. Rex Harrison, Howard Dietz (host), Welborn Kelly (adaptor), Eric Dressler, Ed Stokes (announcer), Marx B. Loeb (director), Joel Herron (composer, copnductor), Raymond Cass, Joan Wetmore.

Thanks.

Give it a try. Raymond Burr played the lead character, a Cavalry captain. This was about a year before he broke big as television's Perry Mason . . .

I will.

Thanks again.

These bastard gun runners need to be brought to justice...

Sniff. That was a sad one.

Yes it was.

Would you like on the ping list?

Gosh, no one’s ever asked me if I wanted to be on a ping list before. Okay! I always see the thread and tune in. Then John Batchelor comes on and I try to listen to both. Tricky, but worth it.