Enjoy two free western episodes of The Cisco Kid

A) 4/17/58 Stage to Silver City w/ Jack Mather and Harry Lang

B) 1959 Robbery on the Railroad w/ Jack Mather and Mel Blanc

O. Henry’s outlaw followed a trail that led sometimes to adventure, often to danger, and always to beautiful senoritas. On the silver screen the Cisco kid was a sensation -- on radio his bandit characteristics were toned down for a younger audience. Riding through the Tex-Mex borderlands, the Cisco Kid dispensed justice in the manner of a Mexican Robin Hood. Like the English outlaw, the kind-hearted champion of the poor and downtrodden aimed to right wrongs and restore law and order. The Kid’s cheerful, rotund sidekick, Pan Pancho (Cisco called him “Chico”), was a master of the bullwhip and a hilarious misuser and mangler of the English language. The Cisco Kid came across as something of a bad-guy when the series was first broadcast from the studios of New York City in 1942, with Jackson Beck playing the title role. This cowboy Casanova seemed to spend more energy pursuing glamorous senoritas than punishing the mean-spirited hombres. The Cisco Kid’s second incarnation in 1946 proved not only more popular but also a landmark in radio broadcasting. Between 1946 and 1956 (airing longer through syndication), a total of 636 episodes of The Cisco Kid were produced and an unusual contract clause ensured the highest quality in the live broadcasts. This stipulated that should the episode fall below par, the cast was required to perform it off-air a second time (without additional pay) to meet syndicated recording requirements. The Cisco Kid’s audience share was as big as that of The Lone Ranger and Hopalong Cassidy. And of all the programs produced and syndicated by Frederick W. Ziv, from Boston Blackie to Bold Venture, none was more financially successful than this children’s western.

Enjoy two free adventure episodes of Bold Venture

A) 6/11/51 The Tears of Siva w/ Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

B) 8/13/51 Sunken Spanish Gold w/ Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

Humphrey Bogart and his wife Lauren Bacall were pitched radio program ideas by ad agencies, networks, sponsors and syndicators on a regular basis.  One of those pitches included an adventure series set in Cuba reminiscent of Key Largo, called Bold Venture.  Beginning in 1951, Bogart played the role of “Slate Shannon,” the proprietor of a small, quasi-respectable hotel in Havana, inhabited by a motley, shifting cast of characters.  Shannon’s motorboat, the Bold Venture, was on stand-by, ready to roar to the rescue of a friend or track down an enemy.  Bacall played “Sailor Duval,” ostensibly Shannon’s ward and given a seductive edge by the glamorous actress. With its exotic Cuban background and Latin-American flavor, the weekly seafaring adventure program was loaded with gunfights, pirates, questionable characters and romantic intrigue.  The Bogarts’ busy schedule demanded that the series be pre-recorded, so mega-producer Frederick W. Ziv funded a syndicated series with a big operating budget ($12,000 per episode) with a fees-plus-royalties deal for each broadcast. Written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, Bold Venture was produced by the Bogart’s picture company, Santana Productions (named after a boat they owned) and recorded in Ziv’s Hollywood studio.  The series made a fortune and was syndicated to more than 400 radio affiliates, but after a season and a half, Bogart sank it … “I got tired of it.  I never listened to it, but Betty did.”

Enjoy two comedy episodes of My Friend Irma

A) 1/3/49 The Double Date w/ Marie Wilson

B) 3/7/49 Will Al Marry Irma w/ Marie Wilson

Some might remember My Friend Irma as a 1949 movie that served as the launching pad for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Others recall a television show of the same name but My Friend Irma originated as a radio sitcom, created by Cy Howard, that aired on CBS from 1947 to 1954. Talented comedienne Marie Wilson became synonymous with the character of Irma Peterson, the archetypal “dumb Dora.” Dragging her roommate, the sensible and often exasperated Jane Stacy (played by Cathy Lewis and later by Joan Banks), into a series of hilarious misadventures, Wilson managed the role with the skill of a Gracie Allen. Irma worked as a stenographer for a lawyer, Mr. Clyde (played by Alan Reed), and was fired on many occasions … but always re-hired within hours because the filing system made no sense to anyone other than Irma. Irma’s scatterbrained character was certainly a source of comedy but she had a warmth and openness that endeared her to radio audiences. Irma’s boyfriend, Al (played by John Brown), was the deadbeat most mothers preferred their daughters to avoid at all costs, but Irma was crazy about him. Jane dated her millionaire boss, Richard Rhinelander III (played by Leif Erickson), and dreamed of one day marrying him. The radio sitcom was popular enough to warrant a motion picture starring Marie Wilson and Diana Lynn, produced by Hal Wallis, followed by a sequel, My Friend Irma Goes West (1950). A newspaper comic strip (scripted for a time by Stan Lee of Marvel fame) and a series of comic books soon followed. It also made a transition to TV (1952-1954).

Enjoy two free episodes of The Screen Director’s Playhouse

A) 3/3/50 The Paleface w/ Bob Hope and Jane Russell

B) 11/11/49 Body and Soul w/ John Garfield

In 1948, CBS launched what are now considered “the notorious talent raids” on NBC’s highest-rated comedians, convincing them to switch networks in exchange for lucrative contracts. In a counter offensive, executives at NBC created multiple in-house programs, produced and owned by the network. Among these was the Screen Director’s Playhouse, a weekly drama anthology featuring Hollywood actors reprising their screen roles ‘a la Lux Radio Theatre. The primary focus of the program was the original movie’s director, who not only served as a guest host but also participated in an interview towards the end of the broadcast. Unlike Lux, which featured Cecil B. DeMille as a regular host, the Screen Director’s Playhouse had a different director every week. NBC poured a considerable amount of money into the productions. On one particular week, John Wayne and Claire Trevor reprised their screen roles in an adaptation of Stagecoach, with director John Ford chatting about his experiences making the movie. Tallulah Bankhead came back to star in Lifeboat, with director Alfred Hitchcock at the helm – rather surprising when you consider the two never got along well during filming. Edward G. Robinson revisited his role in The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Dick Powell replayed his part in Pitfall, and in this episode, Dorothy McGuire reprised The Spiral Staircase. The program was an immediate success and the most profitable of the network’s ventures during the two years NBC and CBS were vying for ratings. After 18 months, the program was extended from 30 to 60 minutes, which gave the network more time to sell sponsorship.

Enjoy two free western episodes of Fort Laramie

A) 2/11/56 The Woman at Horse Creek w/ Raymond Burr

B) 6/24/56 The Loving Cup w/ Raymond Burr

Fort Laramie aired on CBS radio for just one season in 1956.  It starred Raymond Burr as Lee Quince, captain of the cavalry at Fort Laramie, on the Wyoming frontier during the 19th Century.  The fort had 400 troops in all but they had to keep their eye on a nearby Indian reservation with 4,000 Cheyenne camped there.  Producer/Director Norman Macdonnell saw Fort Laramie as “a monument to ordinary men who lived in extraordinary times” with their enemies being “the rugged, uncharted country, the heat, the cold, disease, boredom, and, perhaps last of all, hostile Indians.”  Men died at Fort Laramie: some died of drowning, some of freezing, some of typhoid and smallpox “but it’s a matter of record that in all the years the cavalry was stationed at Fort Laramie, only four troopers died of gunshot wounds.”  The stories focused as much on atmosphere and mood as on violence and action.  Macdonnell made it clear to his writers that historical accuracy was essential to the integrity of the series.  Correct geographic names, authentic Indian practices and true military terminology was insisted upon. Macdonnell relied on John Meston and Les Crutchfield, his Gunsmoke writers, for the Fort Laramie scripts.  Vic Perrin was Sgt. Gorce, Harry Bartell was Lt. Seiberts and Jack Moyles was Major Daggett.  Supporting roles were voiced by John Dehner, John McIntire, Virginia Gregg, Parley Baer and Barney Phillips.

Enjoy two espionage episodes of I Was a Communist for the FBI

A) 5/11/52 Card Game in the Clouds w/ Dana Andrews

B) 6/7/53 Fifteen Minutes to Murder w/ Dana Andrews

In 1941, the FBI asked American citizen Matt Cvetic to work undercover for the United States Government by joining the Communist Party and report back on their activities. After emerging in 1950 to testify before congress about his experiences, Cvetic’s exploits were soon chronicled in magazines, on the silver screen, and in a taut and entertaining radio series based on his real-life adventures. The 1951 film I Was a Communist for the FBI starred Frank Lovejoy. The success of the film spawned a radio series starring Dana Andrews which ran from April 23, 1952 until October 14, 1953. The film and radio show are, in part, artifacts of the McCarthy era, as well as a time capsule of American society during the Second Red Scare. The purpose of both is partly to warn people about the threat of Communist subversion of American society. The tone of the show was ultra-patriotic, with Communists portrayed as racist, vindictive, and tools of a totalitarian foreign power, the Soviet Union. The radio series was syndicated by Frederick W. Ziv to more than 600 radio stations and had the cooperation of the FBI. Real-life undercover agent Matt Cvetic dealt with great stress as he covertly infiltrated a local Communist Party cell. There were many personal and family problems cause by his being a Communist, as well as a certain amount of mental torment. Cvetic worked tirelessly to uncover Communist plans, and to help the FBI thwart them, while avoiding the snares the Party set for informants within their ranks.

A) 10/5/51 w/ guest, Dinah Shore

B) 5/26/53 w/ guest, Debbie Reynolds

In 1949, NBC turned their eye toward Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis as a Summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show. Dean and Jerry were popular nightclub performers with sold out crowds everywhere they played. NBC offered them Bob Hope’s vacated timeslot and committed to one of the biggest build-ups ever given to a pair of newcomers to radio comedy. Dean and Jerry didn’t disappoint and proved that they could dish out their distinctive brand of zanyism over the airwaves in a big way. The Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Show was more than just Martin’s golden voice and Lewis’ “kidding-on-the-square.” The network insisted on a weekly celebrity guest which included Dick Powell, Henry Fonda, Bing Crosby, John Garfield, Vincent Price, Jane Russell and even Bob Hope himself. The weekly budget was a pricey $10,000, but after a short while, the series attracted a sponsor and executives at NBC patted themselves on the back for establishing a hit show that also became a financial success. With that kind of budget, NBC could afford Norman Lear, the comedy genius later responsible for All in the Family and Sanford and Son, as writer. The success of the radio series led to Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis also appearing as monthly hosts for NBC’s Colgate Comedy Hour, a highly-rated television show. NBC used the television program to cross-promote the radio program, even recycling some of the radio sketches for the television counterpart. Film producer Hal Wallis jumped on the Martin & Lewis bandwagon signing the boys to a multi-picture film contract. Their film comedies were box office gold catapulting them to mega-stardom. With meteoritic success on radio, TV and films, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis proved they were masters of all three commercial media.

Enjoy two free detective episodes of Michael Shayne w/ Jeff Chandler

A) 6/27/48 The Case of the Crooked Wheel w/ Jeff Chandler

B) 7/2/49 The Pursuit of Death w/ Jeff Chandler

Michael Shayne, "the reckless, red-headed Irishman" was a popular hard-boiled detective created by crime novelist Brett Halliday. Mike settled in Miami just after WWII, making crime pay by fighting it with a license and an attitude. Like Mike Hammer and Philip Marlowe, Shayne was a loner.  The back-story on Mike is that he was happily married, but suddenly his wife is tragically murdered, and that hit him hard. Grief-stricken, Shayne loses himself in his work as a private eye, prowling the dark streets of Miami seeking out his style of revenge on injustice. The radio version of Mike's exploits debuted as Michael Shayne, Private Detective in the fall of 1944 with Wally Maher in the title role.  In 1948, Mutual radio debuted The New Adventures of Michael Shayne starring movie star Jeff Chandler. Others to portray Shayne on radio included Donald Curtis and Robert Sterling. Richard Denning, who had starred for years on the radio comedy series My Favorite Husband opposite Lucille Ball, portrayed Mike Shayne in a 1960’s TV version.

Enjoy two free science-fiction episodes of Dimension X

A) 6/3/50 The Embassy w/ Joseph Julian

B) 9/29/51 Nightfall w/ Cameron Prud'Homme

Hosted by Norman Rose, Dimension X was one of radio’s first adult science-fiction series and made its mark by adapting short stories by acknowledged masters in the field, including: Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Fredric Brown, Robert. A. Heinlein, Clifford D. Simak, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and William Tenn. The original stories were adapted by scriptwriters, Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts, who also contributed their own original scripts. At the start of every broadcast, host Norman Rose promised us “adventures in time and space, told in future tense!” You knew you were about to be transported from your everyday existence to somewhere completely different … maybe even a distant planet. Radio was a fertile medium for science fiction. It was easy to visit other planets, interact with aliens or fly in a rocket ship simply by using your imagination. Dimension X debuted April 8th, 1950 and completed its run September 29th, 1951 including a 5-month hiatus in the middle.

Enjoy two free comedy episodes of Duffy’s Tavern w/ Ed “Archie” Gardner

A) 1/5/51 w/ guest, Vincent Price

B) 2/9/51 w/ guest, Shelley Winters

Managing a fly-infested dive-of-a-tavern that had pretensions to be something much more was a weekly struggle for Archie the barkeep of Duffy’s Tavern. His unhappy conversations with his boss, Duffy (who was an absentee owner) occurred over the telephone at the beginning of each episode. Miss Duffy, Duffy’s man-hungry daughter and would-be singer, warned the gullible Archie of the evils of get-rich-quick schemes and made fun of his attempts to compete against other taverns in New York City. The resulting sitcom was hilarious and hugely popular. Created by Ed Gardner, who also played the role of Archie, the weekly comedy featured Eddie Green, a wisecracking black porter who often managed to get the upper hand. Other tavern regulars, including the dim-witted Finnegan and Clancy the cop, proved that intellectual discussions would never get beyond first-grade level. Writer Abe Burrows (whose son James Burrows created the sitcom Cheers) gave Archie license to misuse and mangle the English language in every episode, as well as deliver brilliant malapropisms. The highlight of the show, and what helped make it so successful, was the weekly guest spot. Hollywood celebrities would, for various reasons, drop in from time to time to discover that the rumors were true: the tavern was beyond any assistance. Exchanges were peppered with offensive barbs and no celebrity was immune to Archie’s sarcasm. Listeners tuned in each week (from 1940 until 1951) just to hear their screen favorites insulted on the air.