M Radio SIG

Best Plays - On Borrowed Time

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 08 May 2006 07:55:28 GMT

Originally aired June 15, 1952 Paul Osborn's play from a novel by Lawrence Edward Watkin, an old man traps death so that he can take care of his orphaned grandson. Starring Parker Fennelly, Mildred Natwyck, Agnes Young, David Anderson, Peter Cappell, Teri Keene, Louie Van Rootin, Carl Webber, and Bill Griffith Aging, wheelchair-ridden Julian Northrup and his wife Nellie have custody of his grandson Pud. After Nellie dies, Julian has to face the efforts of Nellie's shrewish sister Demetria Riffle to gain custody of Pud. But then Mr Brink, the angel of death, appears to take Julian. But instead Julian tricks Brink into picking an apple from the tree in his yard and then traps him up there. When Julian starts talking about Mr Brink, who nobody else is able to see, Demetria seizes upon the opportunity to have him declared insane. But with Brink trapped in the tree, nobody else in the world is able to die except when they touch the tree, and the cunning Julian uses this to his advantage. As others discover what has happened they try to persuade Julian to free Brink and restore Death, but this mean he will have to allow himself to be taken.

It's a Funny Game 010

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 08 May 2006 07:13:10 GMT

by Daniel Gilmore

It's a Funny Game 009

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 08 May 2006 07:11:58 GMT

by Daniel Gilmore

It's a Funny Game 008

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 08 May 2006 05:57:32 GMT

by Daniel Gilmore

It's a Funny Game 007

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 08 May 2006 05:56:15 GMT

by Daniel Gilmore

It's A Funny Game 006

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 08 May 2006 05:55:04 GMT

by Daniel Gilmore

It's a Funny Game 005

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 08 May 2006 05:14:55 GMT

By Daniel Gilmore

Dragnet - Homicide Maniac Murder

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 07 May 2006 13:57:40 GMT

First Nighter - Speak Ever So Gently

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 07 May 2006 09:39:10 GMT

Originally aired July 20, 1952

Boston Blackie - The Rockwell Diamond

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 07 May 2006 09:28:22 GMT

Originally aired June 23, 1944 Boston Blackie came to radio beginning 23 June 1944 as a summer replacement for Amos 'n'Andy, featuring Chester Morris and announcer Harlow Wilcox. Richard Kollmar took over as Blackie in a syndicated series that ran from 11 April 1945 through 25 October 1950. Boston Blackie was created by Jack Boyle, a hard-drinking opium addict who served three prison terms (including two in San Quentin). While in prison, Boyle began writing true-crime confession stories which were published in The American Magazine under the byline 6006, his convict number. Upon his release from prison, Boyle began writing crime fiction for Ray Long, editor of Redbook. Long asked Boyle to "write us some stories about real crooks. Give us their personalities and their psychology. ..He did. He wrote, I would say, the best crook stories that were ever put on paper." In moving toward acceptability over the years, like the Saint, Blackie on radio and television evolved from crook to crimefighter.

NBC University Theater - Heart of Darkness

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 07 May 2006 09:47:06 GMT

Originally aired May 15, 1949 Novel by Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness is a novella (published 1902) by Joseph Conrad. Before publication, it appeared in a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine (1899). This highly symbolic story is actually a story within a story, or frame tale, narrated by a man named Charlie Marlow to a group of men on a ship at dusk and on into the evening. It details an incident earlier in Marlow's life, a visit up what we can assume is the Congo River (although the name of the country Marlow is visiting is never specified in the text) to investigate the work of Kurtz, a Belgian trader in ivory in the Congo Free State.

Welcome

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 19:09:45 GMT

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If I can do this, anyone can. Send in your reading today. And of course, please leave your comments. Words Are Spoken Here A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in some cases a sound and a few words can convey a thousand unspoken feelings. And that is the whole idea behind the listening of stories, plays and poetry instead of just reading them. The art of story-telling is being practiced at local libraries, on public radio, at story-telling guilds and clubs. Radio dramas are recreated locally and in ever expanding national venues. Imagine, for example, the difference between reading the line "Who knows what danger lurks in the hearts of men?" as opposed to hearing it spoken in a dramatic tone accompanied by a dark, evil laugh. The sound version is surely more potent, which is why audio drama and its close cousin, "spoken word," got started in the first place. No wonder it is called the theater of the mind. Ever since such popular shows as "The Shadow" drew people to radios in the 1930s and '40s, audio drama -- or plays and vignettes performed vocally with no visual aspects -- have held a place in American culture. And spoken word -- or poetry that is "performed" by speaking it dramatically -- has claimed cultural turf since Socrates or even earlier when ancient hunters sat around the fire and recounted the day’s hunt. Spoken word and audio drama continue to play a part in today's culture, but not in the same way as in their heydays. During the past few decades, the overwhelming popularity of film and television has displaced these dramatic forms. How often does your family sit and read or tell stories to each other? While you may read stories to young children, has the practice continued to adulthood? Amazingly, however, an unlikely medium -- the Web -- has reinvigorated these classic art forms and is making them increasingly more popular. Thanks to the Web, people who already love the spoken-word form can easily find hundreds of free sites dedicated to the topic and can play on-demand, download or even stream files for listening. Fans can also hear audio drama streamed, or played live, from some radio stations' Web sites. And people who may have never encountered these art forms can discover them more easily as they browse large sites where audio drama, audio books, or spoken word is sold in increasing quantities. While it takes more effort to happen across a spoken-word performance in person, it isn't at all difficult to click on a link leading to a spoken-word category on a Web site. A critical part of the phenomenon is peoples' ability to easily stream, or listen to spoken word on their computers, MP3 players, or ipods. Another reason for the popularity spurt is that the Web allows geographically far-flung segments of a small art community to connect and create a larger niche.

Mike Hammer - The Saddle Shoes

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 08:11:32 GMT

Originally aired April 7, 1953

Johnny Modero, Pier 23 - Who Is

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 07 May 2006 08:54:35 GMT

Originally aired June 19, 1947 The plots were not intricate and served mostly to lead to Modero's one-liners, delivered in that patented deadpan delivery that Webb was perfecting. In solving cases, Modero usually consulted Father Leahy, a waterfront priest, played by Gale Gordon. With a staccato delivery, Modero always had a chip on his shoulder and a snappy comeback...thanks to writers Richard Breen, Herb Margolis, and Lou Markheim.

Damon Runyon Theater - The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown.

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 08:03:46 GMT

Originally aired February 6, 1949 Damon Runyon was a legendary reporter who's rise to fame was based on tales of gambling, racing and the criminal world of 30s New York. Most today will know him for Guys And Dolls, a Broadway musical adapted from Runyon's work by Abe Burrows. Guys and Dolls was based on his short story The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown which is presented as the 6th installment of this warm series of dramas.

The Casebook of Gregory Hood - South of the Border

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 07:57:19 GMT

Originally aired July 15, 1946 Gregory Hood was a globe-trotting antiquities importer whose various acquisitions inevitably had interesting histories that were associated with a current-day mystery for Hood to solve. He was aided at times by his attorney, and friend, Sanderon "Sandy" Taylor. The Casebook of Gregory Hood was initially a summer replacement for Sherlock Holmes in 1946 and had much in common with the series for which it was a temporary replacement. It shared the same writers (Boucher and Green) and the curious feature of the announcer discussing the case with one or more of the lead actors. Starring Gale Gordon as GREGORY HOOD (later played by Elliot Lewis, Jackson Beck, Paul McGrath, Martin Gable, and George Petrie) with Bill Johnstone (and later Howard McNear) as Sandy

Christopher London - Pattern for Murder

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 07:46:40 GMT

Originally aired May 29, 1950 Starred Glenn Ford as Christropher London.

The Green Lama - The Man Who Never Existed

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 07:38:10 GMT

Originally aired July 5, 1949 A multi millionaire college student, Jethro Dumont, travels to Tibet for postgraduate work. After years of meditation he become a priest, which grants him the powers of The Green Lama! He returns to America to do good as a crimefighter. He has superhuman strength and invulnerability. Is able to fly. He gets his powers through chanting the Tibetan phrase "Om Manu Padme Om"

The Thin Man - The Passionate Palooka

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 07:29:05 GMT

Originally aired July 6, 1948

Mr. Moto - The Kurloff Papers

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 07:24:01 GMT

Originally aired July 13, 1951

Phyl Coe Mysteries - The Double X Mystery

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 07:15:20 GMT

The Phyl Coe Mysteries was a syndicated radio series that came out in 1936, with the lead character's name designed to reflect the sponsor, Philco Radio Tubes. PHYL (short for Phyllis) COE is described as the "beautiful girl detective". She was a private investigator who was smart, aggressive, and a "take-charge" lady. In one episode where a magician is shot on stage, Phyl, who is attending the performance, with her boy friend, leaps to the stage, barks orders to theatre personnel, and solves the crime before the cops even get there. In other mysteries, she identifies the thief of a famous painting, solves the mystery involving a new death-ray gun, and solves a murder aboard an aeroplane. Cast and crew have not yet been identified. None of the solutions to each episode appear in it, since the original listeners were supposed to send in their answers to Philco and win cash prizes. About 12 episodes are known to be in circulation. At the heigth of its popularity about 250 radio stations throughout the U.S. were airing this 15 minute program. The contest was run by Geare-Marston, Inc of Philadelphia.

It's A Funny Game 004

Tom Ferguson — Fri, 05 May 2006 19:37:11 GMT

by Daniel Gilmore

It's A Funny Game 003

Tom Ferguson — Fri, 05 May 2006 19:36:03 GMT

by Daniel Gilmore

It's A Funny Game 002

Tom Ferguson — Fri, 05 May 2006 19:34:40 GMT

by Daniel Gilmore

Mike Hammer - The Laura Fenton Case

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 06 May 2006 19:20:49 GMT

1953 was a big year for Spillane and Hammer --That Hammer Guy made its radio debut. On air, Mickey Spillane's hard-boiled detective obviously couldn't engage in the violence and sexual escapades that excited the millions of readers of the paperback novels. In fact, Spillane didn't even write the radio scripts; Ed Adamson did, but Ed managed to convey the gritty realism of Hammer's world, within the confines of network broadcasting. The series debuted on January 6, 1953 and only ran until October 5, 1953. It was an excellent show of its type but since it arrived after television, it failed like many other fine radio shows. Larry Haines made a perfect Mike Hammer, having previously been the lead on Treasury Agent as well as Manhunt. When he spotted "a sexy dame wrapped around a bar stool" or threatened a punk with "I'll wrap your head around this bed post", the listeners believed this guy was for real. Hammer's daily arena of crummy dives, back alleys, and bourbon soaked flop-houses was the stuff of this radio series. At least once in most episodes, "smoke swirled up from the nose of a gun." Jan Miner provided the voice of most of the hip-swinging broads Hammer encountered. Richard Lewis was the director; he had also directed The Falcon and Murder and Mr. Malone. Even the sponsors for this Mutual Network series seemed to fit: Esquire Magazine ("...this month's issue has a revealing sexual expose: Call Girls and Fall Guys..."), Camel Cigarettes (every character smoked on this show) and Kix cereal ("Food For Action!"). A total of seventeen episodes have survived and are in trading currency today.

Nick Carter - The Glass Coffin

Tom Ferguson — Fri, 05 May 2006 10:09:30 GMT

Originally aired September 27, 1943

Lux Radio Theater - Maisie Was a Lady

Tom Ferguson — Fri, 05 May 2006 10:00:59 GMT

Originally aired November 24, 1941 Spunky Maisie gets hired by a wealthy son and helps him, his sister, and their father to revitalize their lives. Inebriated Bob Rawlston (Lew Ayres) causes Maisie Ravier (Ann Sothern) to lose her job as a headless woman in a carnival. She won't ride with him; so he lets her borrow his fancy car. She is arrested for driving without a license, and the judge orders Bob to give her a job for two months at $25 a week. She discovers that sober Bob is a kind man, and she agrees to be a maid. She sees that he lives in a mansion, and his butler Walpole (C. Aubrey Smith) advises Maisie how to behave like a servant. Maisie meets Bob's sister Abby Rawlston (Maureen O'Sullivan), who shows her fabulous jewelry her father sends her, because he can rarely be with her. Maisie treats those gathered for Abby's engagement party with scorn for their superficiality. She is particularly perturbed by the advances of Link Phillips (Edward Ashley) in the hallway. This romantic comedy brings home the theme that wealth does not buy happiness when love is missing.

Maisie - The Room Clerk

Tom Ferguson — Fri, 05 May 2006 09:31:37 GMT

Originally aired February 2, 1950 Maisie was a wonderful gal, and played by Ann Sothern, the series was a spin-off of the famous Maisie series of Movies she made for MGM. Mr. Mayer told her once, "You make up for the money we lose on other things." so she kept on making the movies, ten of them in all, and became famous and well-known to Americans from coast to coast. Maisie was a sassy brash blonde with a heart of gold. She had a boy-friend but never married on the series. This gave her the freedom to get involved in a great many hilarious sketches, adventures and experiences. Included in the cast for The Adventures of Maisie were such well known actors and actresses as Hans Conreid, Sheldon Leonard and Bea Benadaret. The shows each warmed our hearts with emotion, romance and laughs...a pretty unbeatable combination. The ten Maisie movies and the complete radio series made Ann Sothern known around the world. Her natural warmth and charm reached to us all and will continue to reach listeners to the radio series, "The Adventures of Maisie." Warmly recommended for the whole family.

Radio City Playhouse - King of the Moon

Tom Ferguson — Thu, 04 May 2006 15:01:05 GMT

Originally aired September 6, 1948 Starring Ian Martin (Michael); Andrea Wallace (Margaret); Grace Keddy; Roy Irving. A loveable and loving couple, Michael and Margaret, living in Dublin, Ireland have had a pleasant married life, but like to dream. The dream includes a flashback to the days when Michael was courting Margaret. In those days, Michael dreamed of owning plantations and diamond mines - of being "King of the Moon." Now, he sits in his garden and thinks maybe his son will place his name in the "King of the Moon" category.

Quiet Please - The Other Side of the Stars

Tom Ferguson — Thu, 04 May 2006 14:49:26 GMT

Originally aired May 8, 1949 Aliens from Alpha Centauri. Quiet Please was unique in the world of radio drama. Was it a horror show? Was it a suspense show? Was it maybe even a comedy? The answer was....yep, sure was!!!! It was, and still is, all of those things, and maybe even more. It could be extremely scary (The Thing on the Fourable Board is often voted by OTR hobbyists as the scariest Radio show of all time), it often offered nail biting suspense, occasionally delivered with a cock-eyed sense of absurdness. Quite often the episodes were rife with tear-jerking pathos. Sometimes the shows bordered on the profound, but always the man who spoke to you created a complex world that drew you into it. The man who wrote and directed all the Quiet Please episodes was Wyllis Cooper who was born January 26, 1899 and died June 22, 1955. Mr. Cooper also was the creator of the long running and very popular radio series Lights Out. Wyllis Cooper turned out each week half hour servings of tour de force writing. The structure of Quiet Please, all first person narrative, demanded that the writing be first class - it all depended on your acceptance and immediate involvement within that stream of consciousness dialogue and Wyllis Cooper delivered week after week. One can only echo the catch-line of "where did he get his ideas"? Each week Mr. Cooper created worlds that were clearly defined with fully developed characters and complex situations with only a few words and a very short time to do it. Although Mr. Cooper worked in radio, movies and television, Quiet Please will probably be his best remembered, or crowning, project with his name immediately associated with the show by the public. The man who spoke to you each week was Ernest Chappell, born in 1903 and died July 4, 1983. Mr. Chappell was a successful East Coast announcer and program host, however, Quiet Please appears to be his only major acting credit...and what an acting job it was too!!!! Each week Ernest Chappell put on the skin of another denizen of Wyllis Cooper's fertile imagination, and wore it flawlessly. The same professional voice took us into the character's head while he described, or experienced, his encounters with space aliens in out-of-the-way bars, while he asked us in for a meal with his unconventional wife or dealt with a singing caterpillar. Hero, madman, time-traveler or common working class stiff - it may have taken a few moments for you to catch up to whom you were listening to this time, but once you knew, you knew he was truly that person. Support actors were there for not much more than to provide a different voice inside his head. Each week's story was that single character who related the events to you first hand.....in first person as "The man who spoke to you".

Tarzan - Valley of the Talking Gorillas

Tom Ferguson — Thu, 04 May 2006 14:40:04 GMT

Starring Lamont Johnson in the 1951 Tarzan series. “From the heart of the jungle comes a savage cry of victory. This is Tarzan, Lord of the jungle! From the black core of dark Africa... land of enchantment, mystery and violence comes one of the most colorful figures of all time. Transcribed from the immortal pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs—Tarzan, the bronzed, white son of the jungle!”

Nick Carter, Master Detective - Case of the Careless Employee

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 07 May 2006 04:29:45 GMT

Originally aired February 2, 1947 Nick Carter, Master Detective was one of the first hit detective radio shows, and in it, Nick was a pretty typical private eye of the time, although there were some distinctive touches. The opening for the show was particularly memorable, and really grabbed you. An increasingly urgent knocking (pounding) on Nick's office door. A startled Patsy, his assistant (now a female secretary) opens the door and says, "What's the matter? What is it?" A male voice says, "Another case for Nick Carter, Master Detective!"

First Nighter - Something in the Air

Tom Ferguson — Thu, 04 May 2006 06:38:42 GMT

Originally aired March 11, 1948

Maisie - The Nightclub

Tom Ferguson — Wed, 03 May 2006 04:04:19 GMT

Originally aired September 28, 1950

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar - The First Helper

Tom Ferguson — Tue, 02 May 2006 16:27:04 GMT

Escape - A Shipment of Mute Fate

Tom Ferguson — Tue, 02 May 2006 14:39:37 GMT

Originally aired October 15, 1947 Escape is one of radio's best respected adventure shows. It lasted seven years, which is especially remarkable in light of the fact it changed time slots 18 different times and often without notice. It had a small budget and never had any long lasting commercial backing (Dunning, 233). Despite these handicaps-- or perhaps because of them-- it cranked out some of the most imaginative and memorable radio stories of the era. The distinctive deep voice that opened the series (and occasionally starred in it) was actually three different people: William Conrad (the voice of Sheriff Matt Dillion in the radio version of Gunsmoke), Paul Frees (the voice of Boris in the Bullwinkle cartoons), or Lou Krugman. The host would sometimes ask a question tied to current events, like "Did you lose an election bet yesterday?" Then it would ask the same rhethorical question it did every week: "Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all?" The answer for regular listeners was always "YES!" And so began 30 minutes of excitement and Escape.

Sergeant Preston of the Yukon - The Tell-Tale Bullet

Tom Ferguson — Wed, 03 May 2006 02:23:00 GMT

Originally aired October 28, 1943 The program was an adventure series about Sergeant William Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police and his lead sled dog, Yukon King, as they fought evildoers in the Northern wilderness during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. Preston, according to radio historian Jim Harmon, first joined the Mounties to capture his father's killer, and when he was successful he was promoted to Sergeant. Preston worked under the command of Inspector Conrad, and in the early years was often assisted by a French-Canadian guide named Pierre.

Lux Radio Theater - The Razor's Edge

Tom Ferguson — Wed, 03 May 2006 04:01:51 GMT

Originally aired October 18, 1948 Well-to-do Chicagoan, Larry Darrell, breaks off his engagement to Isabel and travels the world seeking enlightenment, eventually finding his guru India. Isabel marries Gray, and following the crash of 1929, is invited to live in Paris with her rich, social climbing, Uncle Elliot. During a sojurn there, Larry, having attained his goal, is reunited with Isabel. While slumming one night Larry, Isabel and company are shocked to discover Sophie, a friend from Chicago. Having lost her husband and child in a tragic accident, Sophie is living the low-life with the help of drugs an abusive brute. Larry tries to rehabilitate her, but his efforts are sabotaged by Isabel who has tried in vain to reignite Larry's interest in her.

Best Plays - Of Mice and Men

Tom Ferguson — Tue, 02 May 2006 12:21:11 GMT

Originally aired May 8, 1953 Starring Burgess Meredith and Anthony Quinn Of Mice and Men is a John Steinbeck novel set in the 1930s telling the story of migrant ranch workers. The story focuses on two main characters, Lennie and George, who travel together. Lennie is a large, strong, mentally challenged man, while his friend, George, is small-framed and intelligent. Of Mice and Men is a profoundly moving story of people caring for each other during a very difficult time in American history. The last time I saw this as a play was at least 25 years ago with George Segal as George and James Earl Jones at Lennie. The best movie adaptation is the 1939 version with Burgess Meredith as George and Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater - An Occurance At Owl Creek Bridge

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 01 May 2006 16:44:46 GMT

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a short story by Ambrose Bierce originally written in 1886. It was first published in the 1891 collection Tales of Soldiers and Civilians. The story of Peyton Farquhar, a man sentenced to death by hanging.

21st Precinct - The Restraint

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 01 May 2006 14:58:06 GMT

Nero Wolfe - Dear Dead Lady

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 16:50:36 GMT

Let George Do It - The Prairie Dog

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 14:57:04 GMT

Lux Radio Theater - The Lemon Drop Kid

Tom Ferguson — Mon, 01 May 2006 06:32:33 GMT

Sam Spade - The Lawless Caper

Tom Ferguson — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 04:00:56 GMT

Originally aired August 29, 1948 About Dashell Hammett: Dashiell Hammett did not pen many novels, but the few he did pen have had a profound effect upon the crime-drama/mystery genre. His character Sam Spade, was the original "hard-boiled" detective and became the basis for such other characters as Philip Marlowe, and Mike Hammer. Hammett was born and raised in St. Mary's County, Maryland. At age 13, he dropped out of school to become a courier. He then worked as a long-shoreman and from there became a Pinkerton detective. As an investigator he looked into Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's alleged involvement in the rape and murder of actress Virginia Rappe, and into the activities of notorious gambler Nick Arnstein. Hammett wrote his five mystery novels between the late 1920s and early 1930s. Three of those books became novels, the most famous being the 1941 film noir classic The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet (an excellent earlier version of the story was made in 1931). The Glass Key (1935, 1941) and the Thin Man, which became the basis of a five-film series between 1934 and 1947, were the other two that made it to film. Hammett became a story writer for Paramount in 1931. His first and best known such story was that of City Streets (1931). He also wrote screenplays such as Watch on the Rhine. Hammett's career was destroyed by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951 when they identified him as an active communist. Hammett did not cooperate during the hearings and spent six months in jail. Later the Internal Revenue service accused him of tax delinquency and Hammett never wrote again. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Cisco Kid - The Red Demon

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 10:01:17 GMT

Originally aired October 13, 1953 The Cisco Kid came to radio October 2, 1942, with Jackson Beck in the title role and Louis Sorin as Pancho. With Vicki Vola and Bryna Raeburn in supporting roles and Michael Rye announcing, this series continued on Mutual until 1945. It was followed by another Mutual series in 1946, starring Jack Mather and Harry Lang, who continued to head the cast in the syndicated radio series of more than 600 episodes from 1947 to 1956.

NBC University Theater - An American Tragedy

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 08:11:38 GMT

Originally aired October 10, 1948 by Theodore Dreiser starring George Montgomery A tremendous bestseller when it was first published in 1925, An American Tragedy is the culmination of Theodore Dreiser's elementally powerful fictional art. Taking as his point of departure a notorious murder case of 1906—one among the many that he studied in preparation for the novel—Dreiser immersed himself in the social background of the crime to produce a book that is both a remarkable work of reportage, a monumental study of character, and a stunning complaint about the delusions and inequities of American society. Dreiser set out to create an epic character and, in the form of Clyde Griffiths in An American Tragedy, he succeeded. Griffiths is just a Midwest kid, the son of a preacher in Kansas City, who tastes a little sophistication and then hits the road seeking pleasure and success. He has his moments, conducting more than one romantic affair, until that ill-advised pursuit ensnares him. Then he reads about an "accident" of a young woman and ponders a dastardly deed ... Dreiser spins these scenes with the eye of a master in control of his form. An American Tragedy stands as an American masterpiece.

Night Beat - Julie the Jukebox Girl

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 07:39:02 GMT

Maisie - Quackenbush Universal Elixar

Tom Ferguson — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 21:10:15 GMT

Originally aired May 10, 1951

Pat Novak For Hire - Little Jake Siegel

Tom Ferguson — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 14:12:22 GMT

Originally aired June 25, 1949 Please leave comments about your favorite shows, I'll try to post them. Do you want shows posted randomly (surprises are nice) or on a regular schedule (remember there are hundreds of different shows and thousands of episodes)?