Enjoy two horror episodes of Lights Out! w/ Boris Karloff

A) 4/26/39 The Devil’s Due w/ Arthur Kohl

B) 7/16/47 Death Robbery w/ Boris Karloff

Lights Out! was the brainchild of Wyllis Cooper. Originating out of the studios of WENR in Chicago, Cooper presented a late-night horror program - heard only in the Midwest - seething with vampires, invisible monsters, evil beings, and survivors of an atomic apocalypse. Several fan clubs sprang up and in 1935, NBC decided to expand its coverage nationwide. A year later, Wyllis Cooper went to Hollywood to pursue a screenwriting career, leaving the program in the capable hands of playwright Arch Oboler. Oboler wrote, directed and hosted the series confining most of the casts to two or three players. His favorite cast members included Lou Merrill, Bea Benaderet (who would later voice “Betty Rubble” on The Flintstones), Joseph Kearns, Mercedes McCambridge and Hans Conried. Oboler employed elaborate sound effects with the stark reality of no music, using only a gong sound for scene transitions. Under Oboler’s guidance, the show broadcast psychological chillers with stream-of-consciousness narrative, each featuring an element of classic horror – from giant worms and haunted houses to monsters from outer space. Announcer Frank Martin would often banter with Oboler after the story inquiring as to Oboler’s motivation for writing it. The Sterling Drug company was the sponsor (Ironized Yeast tablets and Energine Shoe polish) for the 1942-43 seasons, hosted by Oboler from Hollywood. In the summers of 1945, 1946 and 1947, Wyllis Cooper returned to the fold. His career in Hollywood never really panned out, so he chose to return to his roots. Lights Out! made a transition to television in 1949 hosted by Frank Gallop as a disembodied head introducing and closing each creepy episode.

Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet

A) 4/18/52 Baseball Team w/ Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard

B) 4/25/52 $5 Too Much Change w/ Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is one of the longest-running radio and television sitcoms in history, spanning 32 years on the air. Looking to supplement his earnings as a Rutgers law school graduate, Ozzie Nelson took up the baton as a bandleader in the 1930s, playing a circuit of hotel ballrooms, dance halls and school proms. Record deals and radio were contributing factors to his career jump. It was through his profession that Ozzie met Harriet Hilliard, an Iowa beauty queen and vocalist. Harriet was booked for the floorshow at the Hollywood Restaurant when Nelson was seeking a vocalist for his band. According to Ozzie himself, the decision to hire her took only thirty seconds. The business proposition soon blossomed into a marriage proposal. Ozzie and Harriet performed for numerous radio programs in the late '30s and early '40s. By the mid-forties, Red Skelton hired the couple to not only supply musical numbers for his program, but also provide a comic interlude once a week. This eventually led to a radio program of their own, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, beginning in 1944 for sponsor, International Silver. Variety reviewed the program two days after the premiere as "the surprise show of the season.” At the start, the Nelson boys were played by professional actors, Tommy Bernard and Henry Blair. The couple's sons Ricky and David eventually replaced the child stars on the radio show in 1949. In 1952, about the same time the radio program was making the transition to television, Universal-International theatrically released a motion-picture, Here Come the Nelsons. This served as the pilot for the proposed television series.

Enjoy two free detective episodes of Richard Diamond, Private Detective

A) 7/5/50 The Mike Burton Case w/ Dick Powell

B) 2/8/52 The Eddie Burke Case w/ Dick Powell

Richard Diamond, Private Detective may have bounced around on three different networks in five years but its creator, Blake Edwards, could be relied on to add a brilliant twist to an old genre. And it also starred Dick Powell, fresh from the movies, as Richard Diamond. The wisecracking, carefree gumshoe had an eye for a trim ankle, a penchant for getting mixed up with underworld characters, and smoked Camels, the brand of one of the show’s sponsors. Diamond also had a fine set of vocal chords as did Dick Powell, who started out as a professional singer, and he performed a song at the end of most broadcasts. In essence, this was a lighthearted detective series so if you took the program too seriously you missed most of the fun. Homicide lieutenant, Walt Levinson, bore the brunt of Diamond’s put-downs and Otis Ludlam, the dim-witted desk sergeant, added more humor. Sex appeal came courtesy of the red-headed Helen Asher, Diamond’s wealthy girlfriend, who always offered solace after a long day of violence. It came to radio in 1949 and lasted until 1953. In 1957, Richard Diamond, Private Detective made the transition to television starring David Janssen in the lead and produced by Powell’s television company. For a while, the beautiful legs of Diamond’s secretary were provided by Mary Tyler Moore.

Enjoy two free true-crime episodes of Gang Busters

A) 10/4/47 The Case of the Kidnapped Paymaster w/ Joseph Julian

B) 6/10/50 The Case of the Inside Track w/ Barbara Weeks

When Phillips H. Lord created Gang Busters, the crime rate was high and confidence in law enforcement was low. Crimes were highly publicized and their perpetrators were sometimes glamorized in Hollywood movies. With most radio crime programs dramatizing pulp-fiction stories, Lord decided to portray the procedure and practices of real-life law enforcement officers, basing his dramas on court records and police files. Official guest speakers, including Lewis J. Valentine, the former Commissioner of Police of New York City, further enhanced the program’s authenticity and credibility. At the close of the program, nationwide “clues,” consisting of descriptions of suspects and contact information for the relevant police force or FBI, were given out. Later, popular TV programs, such as America’s Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries, would make use of this same device. By May 1942, nearly 300 criminals had been apprehended as a result of the clues on Gang Busters, reinforcing the series’ central message – the futility of crime. The series premiered in 1935 under its original title, G-Men, and consisted of stories from official FBI case files that Lord adapted and dramatized. When FBI head J. Edgar Hoover attempted to gain control of the series, Lord revised the program to focus on local law enforcement and changed the name to Gang Busters. Soon, there was a craze for “true crime” and both Shirley Temple and Babe Ruth were ardent fans of the program. Universal Studios released a cliffhanger serial adapted from one of the episodes and DC Comics produced a series of comic books based on the radio program. In 1952, NBC premiered a television series of the same name that alternated with Dragnet on a weekly basis. Despite its higher ratings, Gang Busters was dropped in favor of Dragnet. The graphic descriptions of crime in the radio program may not have gone down well with the Parents and Teachers Association, but listeners were enthralled by narrator Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf, a former New Jersey State Police superintendent, who didn’t hold back “…and so this desperado ended his career with his bullet-ridden corpse stretched out in the mud and filth of a backstreet gutter. Crime does not pay.” It lasted on radio until 1957.

Enjoy two free musical/variety episodes of The Bing Crosby Show

A) 3/21/54 w/ Bing Crosby and guest, Frank Sinatra

B) 12/11/52 w/ Bing Crosby and guests, Rosemary Clooney and Joe Venuti

Bing Crosby was “discovered” in June of 1931 by William S. Paley, president of CBS, who was on a ship crossing the Atlantic. After listening to the crooner’s rich chords on record, Paley negotiated a deal for regular radio broadcasts before the voyage was over. Sponsors began expressing an interest and Crosby would soon become one of the hottest commodities at CBS. Until his semi-retirement in 1958, Bing Crosby worked steadily on radio and had a sizeable number of chart singles over two consecutive decades. Among the most popular was The Kraft Music Hall, starring Al Jolson and the Paul Whiteman orchestra. Crosby soon replaced the long-standing Jolson as the weekly host and the crooner was given a free hand with the content. The show was jam-packed with entertainment: Crosby sung a song or two, participated in verbal banter with celebrity guests, and joined in on the fun with a comedy sketch. Crosby’s radio success led Paramount Pictures to make The Big Broadcast (1932) and the studio quickly offered him a long-term contract. By one estimate, his movies were the most profitable in the studio’s history throughout the 1940s. In a number of Road pictures, Crosby and fellow radio star Bob Hope took potshots at one another – a successful comic device that carried over into their radio broadcasts. In 1946, at the height of his career, the Oscar-winning Crosby demanded that his sponsor, Kraft, allow him to pre-record multiple radio broadcasts in a single day, rather than broadcasting “live” and on schedule week after week. Through shrewd investments, Crosby had become very wealthy, but made just $6 per radio broadcast after taxes. Kraft duly released Crosby from his contract and the singer invested his own money into a new recording system on Ampex reel-to-reel tape recorders. The entertainment industry quickly saw its potential and radio broadcasting forever changed. Now, free to record shows around his schedule, he starred in The Bing Crosby Show for sponsor General Electric. Although his movie appearances began to decline, Crosby appeared on radio for the Ford Motor Company in 1956 and then joined forces with Rosemary Clooney, staying on the air until 1962.

Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Bickersons

A) 3/30/47 w/ Don Ameche and Frances Langford

B) 4/13/47 w/ Don Ameche and Frances Langford

The characters of John and Blanche Bickerson were created by Phil Rapp. They lived up to their name, exchanging verbal crossfire that was sharp, quick, and always hit the mark. A radio comedy consisting of a married couple arguing in short skits fared well and provided comic relief on a variety programs. Initially heard as brief sketches, The Bickersons eventually evolved into a weekly half-hour sitcom. With real bite in the dialogue and the husband usually getting the short end of the stick, the battle of the sexes was never more fun. John, a bowling-ball salesman by occupation, was a member of the Bourbon of the Month Club and suffered from a chronic case of snoring. Blanche, an insomniac, usually managed to wake him in the small hours and the familiar arguments would begin: Blanche wanted a baby, John didn’t; Blanche suspected John of cheating; John enjoyed “bachelor” parties organized for his friends. John and Blanche were introduced to radio audiences in 1946 on The Drene Show, starring Danny Thomas. Don Ameche and Frances Langford would play the bickering couple for a brief sketch and on a number of occasions, Thomas also played the role of Blanche’s obnoxious brother Amos. A year later, the warring pair starred in The Old Gold Show, named for its sponsor, Old Gold cigarettes. Subsequently, Blanche and John became a weekly feature on The Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy Show, with Hollywood actress Marsha Hunt temporarily replacing Frances Langford. The characters returned in 1951, starring Lew Parker as John with Frances Langford as Blanche. Attempts to adapt the characters for television were unsuccessful but some experts believe that Married With Children was based on The Bickersons.

Enjoy two free western episodes of Gunsmoke

A) 3/21/53 Pussy Cats w/ William Conrad

B) 4/18/53 Bum’s Rush w/ William Conrad

Around Dodge City and in the territory on West, there’s just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers and that’s with a U.S. Marshal and the smell of … GUNSMOKE! In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a fan of the Phillip Marlowe radio series, asked his programming chief to develop a hardboiled Western series. Several attempts were made but the project was shelved until three years later when Norman Macdonnell and John Meston were brought in. Produced for adult listeners, Macdonnell and Meston set Gunsmoke in Dodge City, Kansas, during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Few radio westerns gave any inkling of how brutal the Old West was in reality. On Gunsmoke, the stories were grim, the deaths violent and life on the plains was harsh. Radio audiences had never heard anything like Gunsmoke and they made it the #1 western on radio drawing critical acclaim for unprecedented realism. The dialogue was often slow and halting, and due to the outstanding sound effects, listeners had a nearly palpable sense of the prairie where the show was set. The effects were subtle but multilayered, giving the show a spacious and authentic feel. Gunsmoke soon made a successful transition to television (with a completely different cast) becoming the longest-running dramatic series in TV history. Many times, the radio scripts were adapted for the television show. Join William Conrad (U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Deputy Chester Proudfoot), Georgia Ellis (Kitty Russell) and Howard McNear (Doc Adams) in the continuing story of the violence that moved west with young America and the story of a man who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal.

Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Jack Benny Program

A) 3/26/50 w/ Jack Benny and guest, Bob Hope

B) 4/27/52 w/ Jack Benny and guest, James Stewart

Born in Chicago, February 14, 1894, Benjamin Kubelsky would later become known as Jack Benny. As a boy, he was encouraged by his Jewish immigrant parents from Poland to become a concert violinist. He learned to play quite well and hit the vaudeville stage, where he played popular songs and honed a suave-but-fragile personality, telling self-deprecating jokes. Benny guested on Ed Sullivan’s radio show March 19, 1932 and was an instant success. Canada Dry signed him to a contract that same year and soon Jack Benny was broadcasting each week on CBS. His radio career included a long run on NBC and then a return to CBS through his final radio days. His all-star supporting cast included his wife Mary Livingstone, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson, announcer Don Wilson and The Sportsmen Quartet. As Jerry Seinfeld would emulate years later on Seinfeld, Benny’s cast received the best jokes – many pointed at the show’s star. Expert scripts constantly reminded listeners of Benny’s portrayal of himself as a lovable, vain, miser, concerned about his receding hairline and insistence that he was no older than 39. His sponsors over the years included Canada Dry, Chevrolet, Jell-O, Grape Nuts Flakes and Lucky Strike. The Jack Benny Program made a successful transition to television with his entire supporting cast in tow. Benny’s radio and television shows ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as the high-water mark in 20th century American comedy.

Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Jack Benny Program

A) 3/26/50 w/ Jack Benny and guest, Bob Hope

B) 4/27/52 w/ Jack Benny and guest, James Stewart

Born in Chicago, February 14, 1894, Benjamin Kubelsky would later become known as Jack Benny. As a boy, he was encouraged by his Jewish immigrant parents from Poland to become a concert violinist. He learned to play quite well and hit the vaudeville stage, where he played popular songs and honed a suave-but-fragile personality, telling self-deprecating jokes. Benny guested on Ed Sullivan’s radio show March 19, 1932 and was an instant success. Canada Dry signed him to a contract that same year and soon Jack Benny was broadcasting each week on CBS. His radio career included a long run on NBC and then a return to CBS through his final radio days. His all-star supporting cast included his wife Mary Livingstone, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson, announcer Don Wilson and The Sportsmen Quartet. As Jerry Seinfeld would emulate years later on Seinfeld, Benny’s cast received the best jokes – many pointed at the show’s star. Expert scripts constantly reminded listeners of Benny’s portrayal of himself as a lovable, vain, miser, concerned about his receding hairline and insistence that he was no older than 39. His sponsors over the years included Canada Dry, Chevrolet, Jell-O, Grape Nuts Flakes and Lucky Strike. The Jack Benny Program made a successful transition to television with his entire supporting cast in tow. Benny’s radio and television shows ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as the high-water mark in 20th century American comedy.

Enjoy two free episodes of The Adventures of Nero Wolfe, Detective

A) 1/19/51 The Case of the Calculated Risk w/ Sydney Greenstreet

B) 2/16/51 The Case of the Party for Death w/ Sydney Greenstreet

Among the colorful cast of private and not-so-private-eyes who populated the airwaves over the years, perhaps the most unusual was Nero Wolfe. The radio program was loosely based on Rex Stout’s novels and numerous incarnations of the character featured on network radio. J.B. Williams played the part for just three months, Santos Ortega for more than a year, and even silent-screen actor, Francis X. Bushman, found work behind the microphone as Wolfe. But no one was more suited to the gargantuan gourmet than Sydney Greenstreet, former Warner Brothers contract player. Greenstreet, despite his advanced years, was a smooth operator in the sleuthing business. His clipped, thunderous tones had an authentic ring and reflected Wolfe, the man, and his hobbies. Here was a gumshoe who solved mysteries from his armchair, leaving the legwork to his assistant, Archie Goodwin. Wolfe was the undisputed master at tracking down killers, conspirators, and assorted accomplices. Author Rex Stout said on one occasion that of all the actors in the role, Greenstreet came the closest to the character he had created. Yet the NBC series lasted just one season and the cause is still unclear. At the time, radio was a saturated market so advertising money may have been scarce. However, Greenstreet’s harsh treatment of his co-stars resulted in many cast changes and a frustrating search for replacements by director J. Donald Wilson. Greenstreet, indispensable and with a cast-iron contract, was suffering from Bright’s Disease – a possible reason for his aggressive behavior toward his fellow cast members. The exasperated producers may have finally called time on the program, but for the legions of whodunit fans, Greenstreet’s Nero Wolfe was in a class of his own.