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Father Knows Best was a situation comedy built around the Anderson family and life on Maple Street in the fictitious Midwestern town of Springfield. Robert Young starred as Jim Anderson, head of the household, husband of Margaret, and an insurance man by occupation. The couple had three children. The weekly radio script, although played for laughs, offered words of wisdom and “recipes for domestic happiness” that American families could identify with. Jim’s understanding wife Margaret was the picture of domesticity as mother to Betty (aged 18), Bud (16), and Kathy (10).

Created by Blake Edwards (of Pink Panther fame), Richard Diamond, Private Detective came to NBC radio in 1949 starring film actor and crooner Dick Powell. Powell had recently played Philip Marlowe in the popular RKO film Murder My Sweet and jumped at the chance to play a suave detective on radio. Richard Diamond was a light-hearted New York-based private eye who enjoyed ribbing the cops and singing songs to his millionairess girlfriend, Helen Asher (played by Virginia Gregg). Its theme “Leave it to Love” was whistled by Powell at the beginning of each episode.

Broadway Is My Beat was a dark, gritty radio crime drama that ran on CBS from 1949 until 1954. The series was originally broadcast from New York with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Police Detective Danny Clover. Produced by Lester Gottlieb, it was directed by John Dietz. By the thirteenth episode, the series moved to Hollywood (still set in NYC) with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast with scripts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin (the duo that would later write and develop TV’s popular secret-agent series I Spy).

Let’s all visit 79 Wistful Vista, the home of Fibber McGee and Molly, who each week invited millions of listeners to tune in to their comedic, family-friendly radio adventures. Few radio programs were more beloved than Fibber McGee and Molly, and even fewer play as well more than a half century later.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, came to NBC radio in 1930 starring Richard Gordon. By 1939, Basil Rathbone was heard as Holmes with Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. The duo were simultaneously starring in a popular series of Sherlock Holmes features for Fox, and later for Universal. By the end of the feature run in the mid 1940s, Rathbone was eager to separate himself from the radio show to avoid being typecast. Tom Conway took over with Nigel Bruce continuing as Watson (in this pairing Nigel Bruce received top billing).

Groucho Marx is your quizmaster and host to one of the funniest and most popular quiz shows from radio and television, You Bet Your Life! Created by John Guedel, You Bet Your Life was one of the best-loved quiz shows to air on both radio and television. It was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. It debuted on radio in 1947 and lasted until 1960. For much of this time it was also seen on television.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were a comedy duo seen in movies, on TV, and heard on radio. Their comedy routine “Who’s on First?” helped make them a national sensation. The duo started in Vaudeville, and by the fall of 1942, Abbott and Costello had their own weekly radio program and topped the popularity polls of Radio Daily and Radio Guide. The Abbott and Costello Show ran for seven years until the summer of 1949. Enjoy 16 of the best comedy broadcasts of Abbott and Costello.

Radio westerns were aimed at kids until 1952 when Gunsmoke hit the radio airwaves. Produced for adult listeners, the stories were grim, the deaths brutal, and life on the plains was harsh. Radio audiences had never heard anything like Gunsmoke, and they made it the number-one western on radio. It soon made a successful transition to television, becoming the longest-running dramatic series in TV history. Join William Conrad (US Marshal Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Deputy Chester Proudfoot), Georgia Ellis (Kitty Russell), and Howard McNear (Doc Adams) in these 16 episodes.

Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was a popular character appearing regularly on The Fibber McGee & Molly Show. On August 31, 1941, the character landed his own situation comedy show, The Great Gildersleeve, becoming radio’s first spin-off. Gildy moved from the town of Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where he raised his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie (originally played by Lurene Tuttle and followed by Louise Erickson and Mary Lee Robb) and Leroy (Walter Tetley). The household also included a cook named Birdie (Lillian Randolph).

Horatio Black was known to friend and foe as Boston Blackie - an ex-jewel thief and safecracker constantly suspected of crimes he did not commit and forced to play the role of detective to clear his name. His girlfriend, Mary Wesley, assisted Blackie from time to time, as did his pal Shorty. Forced to defend himself against the accusations of New York Police Inspector Faraday, Blackie always managed to stay one step ahead of the cops in solving a crime. The wisecracks exchanged between Blackie and Faraday made the program an enjoyable mix of comedy and mystery.

This 16-episode collection includes the greatest comedy teams of the Golden Age of Radio and includes Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Abbott and Costello, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Fibber McGee and Molly, Baby Snooks and Daddy, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, and Phil Harris and Alice Faye. You’ll laugh till your sides ache at these great comedy duos!

Created by Blake Edwards (of "Pink Panther" fame), Richard Diamond, Private Detective came to NBC radio in 1949 starring film actor and crooner Dick Powell. Powell had recently played 'Philip Marlowe' in the popular RKO film "Murder My Sweet" and jumped at the chance to play a suave detective on radio. Richard Diamond was a light-hearted New York-based private eye who enjoyed ribbing the cops and singing songs to his millionairess girlfriend, Helen Asher (played by Virginia Gregg).

Created by Irving Brecher, the popular family sitcom The Life of Riley featured the comic misadventures of Chester A. Riley, an inept blue-collar factory worker and father of two, played by screen actor William Bendix. Riley’s wife, Peg, tried in vain to prevent her hotheaded husband’s interventions, which usually ended in an embarrassing revelation. With a tendency to try and solve nonexistent problems, Riley sought advice from his best friend, Gillis, but this only led to misunderstandings.

Radio westerns were aimed at kids until 1952 when Gunsmoke hit the radio airwaves. Produced for adult listeners, the stories were grim, the deaths brutal and life on the plains was harsh. Radio audiences had never heard anything like Gunsmoke and they made it the #1 western on radio. It soon made a successful transition to television becoming the longest-running dramatic series in TV history. Join William Conrad (U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon) 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.”

Like its predecessor Dragnet, Tales of the Texas Rangers adapted actual police case files for its broadcasts. Leading each week's investigation of an actual Texas Ranger case was the same Texas Ranger, Jayce Pearson, portrayed by movie star Joel McCrea. Because the stories were set in present day, Pearson used the latest scientific techniques to identify criminals. Unlike Joe Friday, Pearson didn't have a regular partner, typically working with the local sheriff instead.

Reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart’s character Rick Blaine from Casablanca, Rocky Jordan was banished by enemies from St. Louis and relocated to Cairo, Egypt. Now living in Northern Africa, Jordan owns and operates his gin joint (the Café Tambourine) and finds an assortment of mystery and intrigue while unwillingly moonlighting as a crime fighter. Cairo’s Police Chief, Sam Sabaaya, is an Egyptian Muslim who strictly adheres to the law. Often times, when a crime is committed, Jordan is the prime suspect - forcing him to solve the crime so he can clear his name and save his neck.

The Golden Age of radio had incredible detective shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear their favorite Hollywood stars voicing fiction’s most famous gumshoes. This collection includes Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday on Dragnet; Richard Kollmar as “enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend” on Boston Blackie; Larry Thor as New York Detective Danny Clover on Broadway Is My Beat; Les Damon as The Falcon; and much more.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, came to NBC radio in 1930 starring Richard Gordon. By 1939, Basil Rathbone was heard as Holmes with Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. The duo was simultaneously starring in a popular series of Sherlock Holmes features for Fox, and later for Universal. By the end of the feature run in the mid 1940’s, Rathbone was eager to separate himself from the radio show to avoid being typecast, and even though the show’s sponsor (Petri Wines) offered him generous pay to continue, he decided to move on.

Like its predecessor Dragnet - Tales of the Texas Rangers adapted actual police case files for its broadcasts. Leading each week’s investigation of an actual Texas Ranger case was the same Texas Ranger, Jayce Pearson, portrayed by movie star Joel McCrea. Because the stories were set in present day, Pearson used the latest scientific techniques to identify criminals. Unlike Joe Friday, Pearson didn’t have a regular partner, typically working with the local sheriff instead (who was usually portrayed by Parley Baer).

Fibber McGee & Molly had a long and successful run on radio (1935-1959). The program showcased terrific comic and musical talent, headlined by its creators and stars, married couple Jim and Marian Jordan. Living in the fictional Midwestern town of Wistful Vista, Fibber was an American teller of tall tales and a braggart, usually to the exasperation of his long-suffering wife Molly. Life in Wistful Vista followed a well-developed formula but was always fresh. Fibber's weekly schemes would be interrupted, inspired by, and often played upon the people of Wistful Vista.