"The Big Broadcast" Sunday 12/18 7-11pm est Live

"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
12/16/56 #518 The Missing Mouse Matter (Sus.) (CBS) (29:48)
07:30 p.m. Dragnet
12/22/53 #227 The Big Little Jesus (NBC) (28:14)
08:00 p.m. Gunsmoke
12/20/59 Beeker's Barn (Multiple Sponsors) (CBS) (29:10)
08:30 p.m. Fibber McGee & Molly
12/24/46 Fixing Toys (Johnsons's Wax) (NBC) (29:18)
09:00 p.m. Jack Benny
12/22/51 Christmas Shopping for Cuff Links (CBS) (24:40)
09:30 p.m. Father Knows Best
12/24/53 Stranded by a Snowstorm (Post Brand Flakes) (NBC) (29:40)
10:00 p.m. Have Gun Will Travel
12/21/59 Hanging Cross (CBS) (Multiple Sponsors)
10:30 p.m. Columbia Workshop
12/21/46 They Day They Gave Babies Away (Sus.) (CBS) (29:50)

Thanx again, Vision !

December 18, 2011 (WARNING: These Raw Notes Contain Spoilers)

7:00 p.m. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
12/16/56 "The Missing Mouse Matter" Matter #518 Bob Bailey, Mary Jane Croft (Marian Gillis), Howard McNear (Jeddiah Gillis), Parley Baer (Bert Glazer), G. Stanley Jones (George Reed), Bill James, Lawrence Dobkin (Harry McQueen), Richard Beals (Bobby Nieves) ; Writer - Charles B. Smith ; Producer/Director - Jack Johnstone ; Musical Supervisor - Amerigo Marino ; Announcer - Dan Cubberly ; Expense Account Total = $38.20 ; CBS Radio Network ; One cute tiny little (singing) mouse almost scares a big insurance company (Floyd's of England) out of business. George Reed of Floyd's of England, Hartford, Connecticut, calls Johnny on a case of Mr. Jeddiah Gillis' friend Bert Glazer's missing mouse. Johnny travels to Providence, Rhode Island. A $50,000 singing mouse named Gulliver has been kidnapped. Theatrical agent Harry McQueen is the likely suspect, according to Gillis. Harry says that Glazer is a master ventriloquist. Keep your eye on the big yellow cat named Rama! A delightful Christmas show!r (Sus.) (CBS) (29:48)
7:30 p.m.Dragnet
12/22/53 "The Big Little Jesus" Program # 227 Jack Webb (Joe Friday), Ben Alexander (Frank Smith) ; Writer - Richard Breen ; NBC : Christmas Story . Working the day shift out of burglary division, Friday and Smith are assigned to find a statue of baby Jesus stolen from the oldest church in Los Angeles dating from 1781, The Old Mission Church at Sunset Boulevard and Main. They meet at the Church with Father Rojas and get the details. Next, they go to a pawn shop run by Mr. Flavin. Then they meet with alter boy Joe Heffernan. He gives them a lead on Claude Stroop. Jesus is finally returned by a little Mexican boy who had taken him for a ride in his brand new red wagon. Rebroadcast as Program #373 on 12/25/56 (28:14)
8:00 p.m. Gunsmoke
 12/20/59 "Beeker's Barn" Program #402 William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester Proudfoot), Georgia Ellis (Kitty Russell), Howard McNear (Doc Adams), Ralph Moody (Jethro Beeker), Vic Perrin (Will Ross), Virginia Gregg (Harmony Ross) ; Director - Norman Macdonnell ; Writer - Les Crutchfield ; Editorial Supervision - John Meston ; Music Composer/Conductor - Rex Koury ; Announcer - Roy Rowan ; Sound Patterns - Tom Hanley & Bill James ; The weather is freezing and the snow is falling around Dodge City as America grows west in the 1870s. Miss Kitty invites Matt and Chester for a drink. Jethro Beeker comes to Matt demanding that he arrest a couple who have taken over his barn. He claims that they entered during a blizzard and shot at him. It turns out that the "couple" happens to be his 21 year old daughter Harmony and her husband Will Ross. Jethro disowned Harmony when she married Will two years ago and Jethro wants Matt to treat them "like any other criminals". Matt reluctantly goes to evict the young couple. Will says they were on their way to Dodge when they sought shelter from the weather in the barn. He is determined to keep his pregnant wife sheltered during the snow storm. She is expecting any minute. Matt sends Chester to get Doc. Doc arrives in time to help in the delivery of a baby boy. Jethro is still adamant about having the couple thrown off his property, but he melts when it finally sinks in that he now has a grandson. He shakes hands with Will. It is 4 A.M. when Matt, Chester and Doc leave for the Long Branch where Matt is sure that Kitty is waiting to share that drink with them. (Rebroadcast of 12/23/56) (Multiple Sponsors) (CBS) (29:10)
8:30 p.m. Fibber McGee & Molly
 12/24/46 "Night Before Christmas" Program #496 Jim Jordan (Fibber McGee), Marian Jordan (Molly McGee), Bill Thompson (Wallace Wimple), Bea Benaderet (Mrs. Millicent Carstairs), Gale Gordon (Mayor La Trivia), Harlow Wilcox, Arthur Q. Bryan (Doc Gamble), The King's Men, Billy Mills Orchestra ; Writers - Don Quinn, Phil Leslie ; Sponsor - Johnson's Wax ; AKA "Fixing Toys" ; NBC ; Fibber is repairing toys for needy children for Christmas. Mr. Wimple stops by with his Bird Book. Wellsley grad Mrs. Carstairs stops by and plays trumpet. Mayor La Trivia injures his back trying to pick up a sled that Fibber accidentally nailed to the floor when he used nails that were too long. Teeny sings "Twas the Night Before Christmas" with the King's Men. (29:18)
9:00 p.m. The Lucky Strike Program Starring Jack Benny
 12/02/51 "Christmas Shopping for Cuff Links" Program #786 Jack Benny, Don Wilson, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Mary Livingston, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, Mel Blanc (cuff link clerk), Joseph Kearns (clerk), Artie Auerbach (Mr. Kitzel), Frank Nelson (clerk), Sheldon Leonard (Santa Claus), ; AKA "Jack Buys Don Cuff Links for Christmas" ; Sponsor - Lucky Strike Cigarettes ; CBS ; Jack and Mary go Christmas shopping. Jack initially selects a $40 pair of cuff links and has them engraved for Don Wilson. The store Santa Claus is the racetrack tout from Santa Anita. (24:40)
9:30 p.m. Father Knows Best
 12/24/53 "Stranded by a Snowstorm" (29:40) Robert Young (Jim Anderson), Ted Donaldson (Bud Anderson), Rhoda Williams (Betty Anderson), Jean Vanderpile (Margaret), Helen Strom (Kathy), Jeanette Nolan (Maggie Terell), Herb Butterfield (Tom Terell); Creator - Ed James; Writer - Paul West & Roswell Rogers ; Announcer - Bill Forman ; Sponsor - Instant Sanka & Post 40% Bran Flakes ; Transcribed in Hollywood ; NBC ; The Anderson kids all have individual plans for Christmas. Jim wants to instill some simple, old-fashioned, traditional Christmas. He takes the family 50 miles away to the woods of pine Mountain with the idea of cutting down their own tree. However, a heavy snow storm causes the car to get stuck. The family walks back about a quarter mile to a country store they had seen. It is run by an old couple, Tom and Maggie Terell. Their children, Judy and Bill, are grown and no longer share Christmas with them. They offer the Anderson's to spend the night because they are going to be snowed in. Bud goes back to the car and gets the presents that were intended for others and gives them to the Terells. Together the two families decorate a Christmas tree, and share other aspects of the Christmas tradition. Kathy sings, "O, Little Town of Bethlehem". Betty thanks her father for her first real Christmas.
10:00 p.m. Have Gun Will Travel
 12/21/58 "The Hanging Cross" John Dehner (Paladin), Ben Wright (Hey Boy), Vic Perrin, Jess Kirkpatrick, Roy Woods, Dick Beals, Anne Morrison, Virginia Christine, John James, ; Creators - Herb Meadow & Sam Rolfe ; Producer/Director - Norman Macdonnell ; Writer - Gene Roddenberry ; Radio Adaption - John Dawson ; Announcer - Hugh Douglas ; Sound effects - Bill James & Tom Hanley ; CBS ; Sponsor - Kent Cigarettes ; Paladin tries to prevent a battle between Matt Beecher and the Pawnees, caused by a small boy claimed as the son of both Matt Beecher and the Indian Chief. A good Christmas story. The script was used on the "Have Gun, Will Travel" television show on December 21, 1957.
10:30 p.m. Columbia Workshop
 12/21/46 "The Day They Gave Babies Away" Ben Cooper, David Anderson, Joan Lazer, Bess McCammon, Henry Nealy, Neill O'Malley, Madeleine Pierce, Edgar Stehli, Gladys Thornton, Agnes Young ; CBS ; Sustaining ; Author - Dale Eunson ; Radio Adaptation - Margaret Lewerth ; Music Composer/Conductor - Alexander Semmler ; Director - Werner Mishel ; Announcer - Don Baker ; A Christmas story about six orphans many years ago in New England. The script was subsequently used on "The Cavalcade Of America" on December 25, 1951 (29:50)

Evening all. GO TEBOW! If I remember correctly, the “The Missing Mouse Matter” is one of the lamest episodes ever but Gunsmoke and Jack Benny look good.

I’m not sure when I last told you you were good, but you are good!

How is Christmas shaping up?

The Lucky Strike Program Starring Jack Benny

Best part of this program is Mel Blanc spends the entire program cracking Jack Benny up.

GO TEBOW, INDEED!!!

Hello, Friends!

Vision, we watched Dodsworth yesterday—rented it streaming online from Amazon. It was an amazing picture, probably quite edgy for 1936! Great acting, and I thought Mary Astor was so beautiful! I really liked the picture. Thank you for recommneding.

Hi Gina. I'm glad you liked it. Wish I could have watched Dodsworht with you. Bitterswett but so good.

Here is a link to a Tebow video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grM2sb7VYSs

Thanks for the ping. Loooking forward to ‘Father Knows Best.’

Merry Christmas Doc!

I'm pretty sure Paladin has the distinction of being the first program to have started on TV first, before becoming a radio show.

Probably the only drama to do so.

Hi everybody. Dodsworth was great.

The broncos are fumbling the game away.

Ah, the opening bittersweet scene! He had to be sad to sell out his company.

Lovely! Merry Christmas, Dr. Scarpetta!

Thanks for that, Vision -— not sure what for though. Christmas is shaping up on schedule.