Showing results by author "CBS Radio" in All Categories

Suspense went through several major phases characterized by different hosts, sponsors, and director/producers. Formula plot devices were followed for all but a handful of episodes: The protagonist was usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation; solutions were "withheld until the last possible second"; and evildoers were usually punished in the end.

My Favorite Husband hit the CBS Radio airwaves in 1948, starring Lucille Ball and Richard Denningas Liz and George Cugat - who later became Liz and George Cooper when confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change. Set in the fictitious town of Sheridan Falls, the show follows the happily married couple, residents of 321 Bundy Drive, through mischief and various predicaments, from faked illnesses to trouble with exes.

Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman auditioned for the roles of a married couple in a radio pilot for a new comedy, My Favorite Husband, based on the novel Mr. and Mrs. Cugat by Isabel Scott Rorick. The concept was very well received and within a few weeks the weekly sitcom was established. Bowman was replaced by Richard Denning and during the first season, the Cugats were renamed the Coopers, who lived “in a little white two-story house” in the bustling, small suburb of Sheridan Falls.

Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors, and director/producers. Formula plot devices were followed for all but a handful of episodes: The protagonist was usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation; solutions were "withheld until the last possible second"; and evildoers were usually punished in the end.

First heard on network radio in 1948, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar chronicled the adventures of freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar, "the man with the action-packed expense account". For 14 years, it was one of the most popular detective shows on the air, lasting until the final days of network radio drama in 1962. Each story started with a phone call from an insurance executive calling on Johnny Dollar to investigate an unusual claim.

Many of these episodes, which included both original stories and adaptations, centered on a protagonist facing a life-or-death situation. Numerous actors made appearances on the show, including Elvia Allman, Eleanor Audley, Parley Baer, Harry Bartell, William Conrad, Ted de Corsia, John Dehner, Sam Edwards, Virginia Gregg, Lou Merrill, Howard McNear, Jeanette Nolan, Alan Reed, Bill Johnstone, Marvin Miller, Frank Lovejoy, Berry Kroeger, Vic Perrin, Elliott Lewis, Jack Webb, Peggy Webber, and Will Wright.

Every week, Inner Sanctum Mysteries told a story of ghosts, murderers, and lunatics. Taking its name from a popular series of mystery novels, Inner Sanctum Mysteries debuted over NBC radio's Blue Network in January 1941 and featured one of the most memorable and atmospheric openings in radio history, as an organist hit a dissonant chord, a doorknob turned, and a creaking door slowly began to open.

It's on-the-job training for your nerves as Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Thrills takes a look at crimes and calamites in the workplace! Listen to the "Man in Black" as he introduces you to corrupt colleagues who are responsible for more than the bottom line. But don't worry. You're in the hands of professionals with Van Heflin, Ronald Colman, Joseph Cotten, Elliott Lewis, Joseph Kearns, William Conrad, and Richard Widmark.

Arthur Godfrey, The Romance of Helen Trent, Our Gal Sunday, The Goldbergs, President Roosevelt's Address to Congress, Amos 'n' Andy, Joe E. Brown, Major Bowes, Louis Prima, and more all in a row! This is a recording of a full broadcast day, remastered (from the National Archives transcript disks) by Joe Bevilacqua.

Getting away with murder? Don't bet on it! Sometimes even the careful get caught. Sometimes revenge leads to regret. Sometimes we wade through dark thoughts and dark water, through evil and espionage to...suspense! Radio's outstanding theater of thrills dishes up a dose of tension-packed drama in this collection of 20 engrossing episodes, featuring performances by Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Red Skelton, Ginger Rogers, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, and more!

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs, airing from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. The Whistler was an ominous narrator who opened each episode with, "I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak."

Dive into the thrilling world of "Yours Truly Johnny Dollar Daily," a podcast that breathes new life into the classic radio detective series. Each episode features daily adventures of Johnny Dollar, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Immerse yourself in intriguing mysteries and complex insurance frauds solved with wit and grit. Ideal for fans of vintage radio shows and detective stories.https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free!

Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors, and director/producers. Formula plot devices were followed for all but a handful of episodes: The protagonist was usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation; solutions were "withheld until the last possible second"; and evildoers were usually punished in the end.

Fort Laramie was an adult-oriented Western radio series that aired Sunday afternoons on the CBS radio network in 1956. Produced and directed by Gunsmoke's Norman Macdonnell, this realistic Western drama depicted life at Fort Laramie, an important stop on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails as well as a staging point for various military excursions during the 19th century.

For its premiere episodes, The CBS Radio Workshop aired a two-part adaptation of Brave New World, featuring its author, Aldous Huxley, as narrator. The musical score was created by Academy Award-winner Bernard Hermann, whose film credits included Psycho and Citizen Kane.

In this collection of sixteen detective episodes, you’ll hear Frank Sinatra as amateur detective Rocky Fortune, Dick Powell as Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Alan Ladd on Box Thirteen, Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday on Dragnet, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson on The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, William Gargan as Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator, Vincent Price as Simon Templar aka “The Saint” and many more!

Our Miss Brooks was a highly popular radio sitcom that was eventually adapted for both television and film. It starred Hollywood film and New York stage veteran Eve Arden, who specialized in playing the wisecracking friend. She often did it better than anyone else, receiving an Oscar nomination for the 1945 film Mildred Pierce. Since her skill with the wicked one-liner was beginning to lead to typecasting, Arden signed on for the lead in radio's Our Miss Brooks to find a new image.

Nostalgia radio had incredible comedy, mystery, detective, western, sci-fi, musical, and drama shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear their favorite Hollywood stars in fully-dramatized broadcasts that entertained millions.

Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Thrills seldom stayed in one place for long. Over the course of its 20-year run, Suspense presented stories that spanned the entire Earth. From the four corners of the globe come tales of shock and tension! Distant lands, exotic settings, and the mystery of the unknown all converge to bring you outstanding tales of... Suspense!

Radio Westerns were strictly for kids until 1952, when Gunsmoke hit the radio airwaves. 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 the radio. It soon made a successful transition to television, becoming the longest-running dramatic series in television history.