Breaking Walls

On the July 5th, 1950 episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr, Donna Rollins has hired Marlowe by special delivery letter. The letter includes $50. He's to find out where Arnold Latimore went. When Marlowe is unable to locate Latimore he goes to Donna Rollins to return her $50. Marlowe is alarmed and put off when Ms. Reed is now unconcerned about Latimore, but nervous about something else.

On the Independence Day, 1948 episode of CBS' high-adventure drama, Escape, "you are spurring a lathered horse through darkened streets, trapped by two hostile armies, with a kit of magic in your pocket, and the American revolution in the balance."

"A Tooth for Paul Revere" is a short story written in 1942 by Stephen Vincent Benét, who was born on 22nd July 1898 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It's a humorous look at a Yankee farmer's point of view of how the American Revolution really started.

Escape debuted on CBS radio on July 7th, 1947 and on Sunday, July 4th, 1948 it aired at 10:30PM eastern time.

This episode features names you will recognize: Harry Bartell (Lige Butterwick), Parley Baer (Paul Revere), Berry Kroeger (Narrator + Tavern Keeper + British Soldier), Gil Stratton, Jr. (Boy + William), Peggy Webber (Aunt + Boatshed Proprietress), Ann Morrison (Martha Butterwick + Customer), Dick Ryan (The Barber + Soldier + Horse Man), Paul Frees (Neighbor Williams + British Soldier No. 2), Bill Conrad (Loyalist + Signature voice), David Light (Special effects [sound]).

Actor Parley Baer was interviewed in the mid 1970s for a Gunsmoke radio documentary by WAMU's John Hickman. During one of their conversations Baer told a funny story about a running gag the Gunsmoke radio cast shared during their recording days.

On the July 2nd, 1955 episode of Gunsmoke, Marshall Matt Dillon arrives back in Dodge to discover a new bank has opened in town. The owner is Drew Holt (voiced by Vic Perrin), a man he has never heard of. Shortly thereafter, a General Parsley Smith (voiced by John Dehner) of the third Illinois Cavalry comes to see Dillon. Smith tells Dillon that the new bank owner, Drew Holt is a thief and a former double agent from during the Civil War. Smith wants Dillon to look into the matter.

On the June 30th, 1957 episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, George Reed from Floyd's of England (like Lloyd's of London) calls Johnny to investigate a client. This client has paid his latest premium, $4500 USD ($43,109.52 today). The problem is, every single one of the hundred dollar bills used for payment is counterfeit. Sounds like the perfect job for the man with the action packed expense account!

This episode originally aired on Sunday 6/30/1957 at 5:30PM Eastern Daylight Time. It features Virginia Gregg and John McIntire in the cast.

In late 1972, Vincent Price sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full interview here - https://www.goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-32.html).

During the course of their conversation, Price spoke about being accepted by the regular radio character actors even though he came to radio from Broadway.

In Breaking Walls episode 117 we blast off with NBC in the fall of 1955 and spotlight its premiere science fiction series, X Minus One. We’ll listen to episodes, hear interviews with those involved, and find out why this series continues to be a favorite among listeners today.

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Highlights:

• The Beginning of the End for Network Radio Drama

• Ernest Kinoy: NBC Staff Writer

• Ray Bradbury’s Radio Memories

• New York’s Radio Actors

• Dimension X Leads to the Launching of X-Minus-One

• In Late 1955 CBS is Radio’s Top Network

• Mars is Heaven

• Radio’s Vital Factor

• Nightfall on X-Minus-One

• Looking Ahead By Gassing Up

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The WallBreakers:

http://thewallbreakers.com

Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.

To support the show:

http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers

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The reading material used in today’s episode was:

On the Air - By John Dunning

Articles from:

Broadcasting-Telecasting Magazine

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On the interview front:

• Jackson Beck, John Gibson, Larry Haines, Mary Jane Higby, Joseph Julian, Mandel Kramer, Jan Miner, Arnold Moss, and Guy Sorel, spoke with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. Hear these full interviews at Goldenage-WTIC.org

• Himan Brown and Nelson Olmsted were with SPERDVAC. For more information, go to SPERDVAC.com

• Bob Hastings spoke with Chuck Schaden. Hear this full chat at SpeakingOfRadio.com

• Ernest Kinoy was with both Fran Stoddard for PBS and Walden Hughes for Yesterday USA

• Ray Bradbury spoke with Jerry Haendiges

• Santos Ortega was with Richard Lamparski

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Selected music featured in today’s episode was:

• Ill Wind — By the John Buzon Trio

• Rock Around the Clock — By Bill Haley and the Comets

• Satan Takes a Holiday — By Jack Malmsteen

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Special thanks to:

The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

https://www.ghoulishdelights.com/

Twelve Chimes, It’s Midnight

https://www.twelvechimesradio.com/

Terror on the Air

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUbviBTC1CamzamykVCqN0A

https://soundcloud.com/terrorontheair

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/terror-on-the-air/id1477581905

https://open.spotify.com/show/63o0AY4Zhv5hQsjGVbMbLk?si=YN_vUk3yTgqvOw73u59BtQ

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Subscribe to Burning Gotham—the new audio drama set in 1835 New York City. It’s available everywhere you get your podcasts and at BurningGotham.com.

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A special thank you to Ted Davenport, Jerry Haendiges, and Gordon Skene.

For Ted go to RadioMemories.com, for Jerry, visit OTRSite.com, and for Gordon, please go to PastDaily.com.

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Thank you to:

Tony Adams

Steven Allmon

Orson Orsen Chandler

Phil Erickson

Briana Isaac

Thomas M. Joyce

Ryan Kramer

Gary Mollica

Barry Nadler

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

Chris Pilkington

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WallBreakers Links:

Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers

Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

On November 12th, 1976 Frank Sinatra was a guest of Johnny Carson's for an interview about his life and career, which preceded a surprise visit from Don Rickles and a Sinatra performance. During the course of the conversation, Johnny Carson asked Frank about some of the high points in his career. This was Frank's response.

On February 7th, 1982, Bob Bailey's daughter Robert Goodwin Bailey joined John Dunning on 71KNUS for a chat about her father's life and career. Bailey was famous on radio for playing the lead in Let George Do It and later Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. When his radio career ended in 1960, Bob Bailey struggled with alcoholism and although he recovered, eventually had a stroke.

In the last interview of his life on October 9th, 1985, Orson Welles appeared on Merv Griffin's TV show for a wide-ranging conversation about his life and career. During the course of the chat Orson spoke about the prime-time soaps of the 1980s and how they differed with the prime time radio Welles' was at the helm of early in his career.

After the show, Welles had dinner with his (unauthorized) biographer Barbara Leaming at Ma Maison in Los Angeles. A man named Patrick Terrail joined Welles after Leaming had left their table. “He was happy about everything that night”, said Terrail. “He was happy about the Griffin show because he thought it went well. Everything was going his way, and he was in a good mood. He was just in good spirits all the way around.”

Welles finished his dinner, went home, and died.

He was 70 at the time of his death. He is estimated to have died about three hours after the taping of the show. Welles was discovered by his driver, Fred Gillette, the next morning lying on a bed on the second floor of his home.