Ron's Amazing Stories

On this episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories we have a story from Afghanistan and a bright star in the form of Fred MacMurray.  One does not flow into the other.

Our story for this episode comes from Bright Star.  This comedy-drama series had a short run in syndication from 1952-53. The storyline followed the misadventures of Hillsdale Morning Star editor Susan Armstrong and her idealistic ace reporter George Harvey. What you will hear is Fred MacMurray and Irene Dunne work together as they attempt to keep the struggling newspaper in business despite continual financial problems. The episode is called The Oil Swindle and was the very first one.  Since this series was released in syndication it’s difficult to determine its original air date. I can tell you that it happened sometime in 1952 probably as a summer replacement.

Program Note: This is the very first comedy-drama we have had on the program. I hope that you like it and please let me know if you would like to hear more like this. - Ron

This time on Ron’s Amazing Stories we have a real round up for you.  Mike McNeff is here to help us introduce a classic western episode of GunSmoke.  We also have a few emails and horse race you will not want to miss.

We do have a western for our story and it comes from one of the best adult western dramas of the golden age of radio.  When is an Indian pony not an Indian pony? That’s not just rhetorical question when it comes our tale.  It is called The Indian Horse and is from the second season of Gunsmoke. It first aired almost 61 years ago on May 15, 1954.

Mike McNeff joins us today to introduce our story and talk about the old west.  Born in San Angelo, Texas to an U.S. Air Force family, his early years saw much travel across the U.S. and the Far East. Mike attended Arizona State University and Arizona State College of Law (now Sandra Day O’Connor Law School). He began his law enforcement career in 1969 with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. He has worked patrol, criminal intelligence, narcotics, and has been a SWAT team leader and commander as well as a hostage negotiator. Mike retired from law enforcement in 2009 as a Police Legal Advisor and an officer with the Chandler Police Department in Arizona. He has also been a Deputy County Attorney for Maricopa County, AZ and the Prosecuting Attorney for Okanogan County, WA. He is an experienced trial attorney in both criminal and civil cases. Mike started writing as a third career after he retired. His novels, GOTU, Necessary Retribution and Hard Justice published by Booktrope Editions, have been well received. Mike is married, has four grown children and seven grandchildren. He likes to cruise on his boat, fish, crab, bike, play guitar, shoot and of course write.

Mike’s Facebook Page - Mike’s Twitter Page - Mike's Amazon Author Page

On this program we have a tribute, a couple of murders and some exciting news.  As always I hold myself responsible for what you hear and you can never be sure what that might be. 

The story comes from Rocky Fortune, which appeared on NBC during 1953-1954. The lead character, Rocko Fortunato, was played by Frank Sinatra. In our story Rocky manages to get himself into trouble by betting he can find a murder. The tale is called, Incident in a Bar and first aired on March 9, 1954.

The big news for this week is I have finally got the show listed with Tunein Radio.  So, now you can enjoy Ron’s Amazing Stories on that great application.  You can find the link for it here or search under Tunein’s podcast tab for Ron’s Amazing Stories. One of things I like about the service is that they have a follow function similar to Twitter’s. So, if you are a listener, take a moment and follow us.

On this episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories you will hear Viking curses, deadly villains and a real life desert battle.  It doesn’t get any better than that. So join us for the fun. You won’t regret it.

It has been a while since we have heard from the Shadow and I thought that it was high time that we do so. If you don’t know who the Shadow is well let me give you a hint. 

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!

The shadow has entertained us from the 1930s pulp novels all the way up to present day. He knows all, tells all and you can’t hide anything from him. What you will hear today comes from the radio series starring Bret Morrison.  It is titled Death and the Crown of Oldalph and It first aired on January 2, 1949.

Listen to this episode right here! 

Special Music:  "Fast Talkin" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

For this episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories we have an adventure, but with a twist. It comes from the series A Man Called X. The twist?  This is an espionage radio drama, which meant it aired to boost troop morale and confuse the enemy. It ran on CBS and NBC from 1944 to 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in exotic places.

The story is told in the film noir format, but still has that sense of adventure you get from thoughts of colorful locations.  It is called Five Ounces of Treason and first aired on January 15, 1951.

Listen to this episode right here! 

Special Music:  "Fast Talkin" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

On this episode we have another amazing story from a listener and an old one from times past.

Himan Brown of Inner Sanctum fame returns with odd tale that will have you on the edge of seat, flipping sideways and trying to figure out where it’s all going.  It is classic called No Rest for the Dead and first aired on August 24, 1952.

Also on the program Ann sends in her tale of sinkholes, bloody nail guns and even a barking dog. So come and listen won’t you?

Don’t forget that the brand new RASarchives is up and running.  Here you will find the first 70 shows produced by Ron’s Amazing Stories.

You can listen to the this show right here.

On this podcast we head into the world of comics to present a super hero. Not only do we have great story, but we have an expert here to tell us about what we are listening to. This is first for us on the RAS and hopefully just a beginning. I hope that more of you want to come on and share your skills, storytelling and expertise.  

Jacob Edwards is on the show and he joins us from Time Tunnel Comics & Toys in Hickory, North Carolina.  Jacob is here to introduce our story for today, but also tells us about the main character and comics in general. 

The story for this show comes from the 1940’s OTR serial The Blue Beetle and is broken into two parts. It is called The Underworld Goes Underground and first aired in syndication on August 14, 1940.

This week I went on the lookout for a new source of stories.  While I didn’t fine one I did fine the very last episode of a series that only one episode survived.  I would love to say that this is yet another OTR classic, but I suspect it wasn’t. You see the show was canceled. I don't know anything about this short-lived program from the forties, except that it featured a New York private detective whose name was Michael Piper. He was accompanied on his adventures by his wife, Kitty, and his best pal Doc Felix.  Now you know everything I do. It is called The Erie Basin Murder and it aired on the NBC Blue Network, February 6, 1942. 

We also have a story from a listener whose television turned on him during the Patriots play-off game. The very thought of that is frightening!  So tune in to this show and find out what happened.

Well, I am back, feel much better and for the most part I survived the flu. My thanks to all of you that sent your well wishes. It was much appreciated. Also, a special thank you to Mike McNeff for his suggestion for last week’s program.  On the show today we have another story submission from you guys and a classic science fiction tale called Universe.

We do have a classic today. It comes from the pen of Robert A. Heinlein. The story is presented by Dimension X and was created by Fred Wiehe.  Although DX only ran a short time, some of the best Sci-Fi stories can found there. What we will hear today is from one the last episodes and is of excellent quality.  Only the first 13 shows were produced live. The remainder were all prerecorded, which in our chase is… a good thing.  It is called Universe and first aired on August 2, 1951.

We also have the good fortune to hear another tale from you the listener.  The Emily Reece’s story is one you have to hear and will not soon forget. So join us and listen to her summer of 1963.

Well, a new year is upon us. Who can tell what 2015 will bring. I hope for you and your families it carries joy, surprises and happy days. This January marks the start of the fifth year of Ron’s Amazing stories. I want to thank-you for joining me each week. You are the reason I do this.  What do you say we make 2015 the best podcast year ever?  How do we that?  With your continued support, ideas and stories.

Our tale this week comes from the old west and has a New Year’s theme. It is from the epic western series Gunsmoke and was one of its most requested episodes.  The story is called Pucket’s New Year and first aired on January 1, 1956.