Showing results by author "Black Eye Entertainment" in All Categories

Initially launched as Barrie Crane, Confidential Investigator on NBC in 1951, the series soon made a name change to Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator. It starred movie and film veteran William Gargan as hard-boiled New York-based private eye Barry Craig. Gargan had been playing Martin Kane, Private Detective on both radio and TV. In the summer of 1951, Gargan cleared the decks for his role as Barrie Craig. Gruff, blunt and sardonic but with a good sense of humor, Gargan was perfect for the genre and in the role of Barrie Craig.

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).

X Minus One was a half-hour science fiction radio series broadcast from April 24, 1955 until January 9, 1958 over NBC. Initially a revival of NBC's Dimension X (1950-51), X Minus One is widely considered among the finest science fiction dramas ever produced for radio. The first 15 episodes were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainders were adaptations by NBC staff writers, including Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts, of newly published science fiction stories by leading writers in the field.

James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok was a folk hero of the American Old West known for being a lawman, gunfighter, gambler, and showman. He earned a great deal of notoriety in life and in death. His life has been depicted numerous times in literature, radio, television and film. His death is also quite notable - he was shot and killed while playing five-card stud. He was holding two pairs, black aces, and black eights, which has become known as "Dead Man's Hand".

When real life husband and wife George Burns and Gracie Allen worked together in vaudeville, George was the comic and his wife Gracie had the straight lines. They switched their roles upon discovering that Gracie's delivery got a bigger laugh than George's punch lines. The duo became a big hit on Vaudeville and in films so when radio beckoned, they delivered. Their first regular radio work was as supporting players on CBS's The Guy Lombardo Show in the 1930s.

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.

Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll made their radio debut January 12, 1926, as the comedic, blackface characters Sam 'n' Henry. On March 19, 1928 they introduced Amos 'n' Andy, which went on to become one of the most popular and longest running programs in radio history. During the height of its popularity, almost the entire country listened to the 15-minute, Monday through Friday adventures of Amos 'n' Andy.

Taking its name from a popular series of mystery novels, Inner Sanctum Mystery debuted over NBC's Blue Network in January 1941. Inner Sanctum Mystery featured one of the most memorable and atmospheric openings in radio history: an organist hit a dissonant chord, a doorknob turned and the famous "creaking door" slowly began to open. Every week, Inner Sanctum Mystery told stories of ghosts, murderers and lunatics. Produced in New York, the cast usually consisted of veteran radio actors.

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947, until September 25, 1954. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with this introduction, as intoned by Paul Frees and/or William Conrad: Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you...Escape!

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 15 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.

The CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956, through September 22, 1957, and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop which aired from 1936 to 1943. Creator William Froug launched the series with the powerhouse two-part adaptation of Brave New World and booked author Aldous Huxley to narrate his famous novel. Enjoy 12 of the greatest episodes from this award-winning drama series.

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955. Sponsored by the Signal Oil Company, The Whistler (Bill Forman) was an ominous narrator who knew the killer's every move even before they did. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone by their own missteps.

Our Miss Brooks was a situation comedy show heard on radio and seen on television and films. It starred Hollywood film and New York stage veteran Eve Arden, who had specialized in playing the wisecracking friend to the heroine. Arden's skill with the wicked one-liner and acid aside was beginning to lead to typecasting so, to find a new image, Arden signed on for the lead in radio's Our Miss Brooks.

"This Is Your FBI" was a fact-based radio series that dramatized FBI cases from the agent's point of view. Producer/director Jerry Devine had experience with pro-law enforcement radio drama having brought us "Mr. District Attorney." Crackdowns on organized crime, and well-known criminal cases of the day were featured. Because the series shined a glorious light on the FBI and vilified criminals, it received the full endorsement of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who even appeared on the first episode.

Night Beat followed Randy Stone, a hard-nosed Chicago Star newsman and his quest for the human-interest story behind the headlines. Hollywood actor Frank Lovejoy voiced the role of Randy Stone, who brought the character to vivid life thanks to expert scripts written by Russell Hughes, E. Jack Neumann, John Michael Hayes (who would later write the Hitchcock film classics "To Catch a Thief" and "Rear Window"), and Larry Marcus.

The CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956, through September 22, 1957, and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop from the 1930s and 1940s. Creator William Froug launched the series with this powerhouse two-part adaptation of Brave New World and booked author Aldous Huxley to narrate his famous novel. The CBS Workshop regularly featured the works of the world's greatest writers, including Ray Bradbury, Archibald MacLeish, William Saroyan, Aldous Huxley, Lord Dunsany, and Ambrose Bierce.

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).

The golden age of radio had incredible comedy shows that kept Americans in stitches for decades. Families gathered around their living room radios to be entertained by the greatest names in Hollywood each and every day. This collection includes Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Eve Arden as Connie Brooks on Our Miss Brooks, Jim & Marian Jordan in Fibber McGee & Molly, William Bendix as Chester A. Riley on The Life of Riley, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Fred Allen, Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx, Ann Sothern as Maisie, and many more!

This collection contains 16 of the greatest shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio - including episodes of The Jack Benny Program, The Abbott & Costello Show, Burns & Allen, Gunsmoke, The Amos 'n' Andy Show, Philip Marlowe, Gang Busters, Suspense, X Minus One, Our Miss Brooks, Sherlock Holmes, and many others. Relive the best radio shows from yesterday and the legendary stars that made them amazing in this incredible collection.

Created by S.S. Van Dine, Philo Vance was quite popular in books, movies, and on radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, very intelligent, and cultured private detective - an Americanized Sherlock Holmes - working out of New York. Not that Vance needed any help solving a crime, he did work closely with his secretary and right-hand woman Ellen Deering and his pal John Markham, New York County District Attorney. First heard for a brief time on NBC radio in 1945-46, it enjoyed success in syndication beginning in 1948 starring Jackson Beck.