Orson Welles revived the character of Harry Lime (who dies at the end of the film “The Third Man”) in the radio series “The Lives of Harry Lime.”  In the radio show, Harry is a ne’er do well con man, as opposed to a cold-blooded killer.  In tonight’s episode, he’s conning some young lovelies with a fake painting.  Then, Lucille Ball stars as Liz Cooper, the proto-Lucy Ricardo, on “My Favorite Husband.”  In classic Liz / Lucy style, a simple request to some neighbors balloons into a classic fiasco.

The Lives of Harry Lime

October 29 1952

“Art is Long and Lime is Fleeting”

2:52

My Favorite Husband

June 27, 1949

“The Television Suit”

34:14

“Candy Matson” was one of the few solo female private eyes of radio’s Golden Age.  Based in San Francisco, she may look like a pinup and have the most sultry voice on the airwaves, but she’s smart, tough, and fast-talking.  In this episode a Hollywood movie company is filming near her apartment, and it’s not long before a corpse turns up.  Then it’s time to visit “Duffy’s Tavern.”  It may not be the place where everybody knows your name, but close enough.  Manager / bartender Archie falls for a get-rich-quick scheme to patent electricity.  It’s a little-known fact (so to speak) that Benjamin Franklin meant to, but accidentally patented the kite instead.

Episodes

Candy Matson

August 29, 1950

“The Movie Company”

3:56

Duffy’s Tavern

February 23, 1949

“Archie Wants to Patent Electricity”

36:24

On “X Minus One,” a man continually wakes up from dreams of an explosion to find that every day is June 15th.  But this is no wacky “Groundhog Day”; it’s a tense drama in which he slowly learns that the things around him are copies and he’s being watched.  Based on the classic short story by Frederik Pohl, get ready to explore “The Tunnel Under the World.”  Then on “The Bob Hope Show,” Bob broadcasts from a Marine base in Barstow, California.  Along with joking about military habits, Bob tries to get glamorous movie star Claudette Colbert to hire him as the leading man in her next picture.

Episodes 

X Minus One

March 14, 1956

“The Tunnel Under the World”

2:03

The Bob Hope Show

April 1, 1952

Guests: Claudette Colbert and Jo Ann Greer

31:04

“The Romance of the Ranchos” was one of the more unusual series to be broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio.  Each episode traced the history of a certain district of Southern California, from the Days of the Ranchos – when everything was still owned by Spain and Mexico in the 1700s – up to then-contemporary times, the 1940s. Tonight, the vignettes center on Newhall, Saugus, and Santa Clarita.  Then, on “The Jack Benny Show,” the gang tells their own version of Old California, complete with rancho, Jack as a wealthy Mexican land-owner, and Don Wilson as 500 head of cattle.

Episodes

 The Romance of the Ranchos

November 26, 1941 

“The Newhall Region and the Rancho del Valle”

4:16

The Jack Benny Show

May 16, 1943 

“Rancho Benny”

34:13

“Vic and Sade” is the driest of domestic comedies.  We present two 15-minute visits to “the small house half-way up on the next block.”  Young Rush wants to host a party that will make you swallow your shoes (so to speak) and Sade gets the guys to move two tons of coal from a neighbor’s cellar to theirs.  Then, on the dramatic anthology show “Family Theater,” the cast of a radio crime drama are moving to television as part of a summer replacement experiment.

Episodes

Vic and Sade

March 3, 1938 

“Official Host”

July 5, 1939 

“Two Tons of Coal #1”

02:08

Family Theater

December 1, 1954 

“Summer Replacement”

28:42

Monty Woolley, the actor, writer, radio and movie star, is probably best known as the star of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”  But he also headlined his own radio comedy, “The Magnificent Montague.”  He played Edwin Montague, once the leading light of the legitimate theatre, now reduced to acting in a radio melodrama.  In these two episodes Montague goes to Hollywood.  He’s supposed to star in a film version of “Macbeth,” but neither Tinseltown nor he are ready for each other.

Episodes

The Magnificent Montague

January 19, 1951

“Lost in Hollywood”

3:22

The Magnificent Montague

January 26, 1951

“The Screen Test”

34:21

"Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" ran 15 minutes a day, five days a week.  The tales of the freelance insurance investigator, who had an action-packed expense account, were full of action, cleverness, and style.  In this binge-listen of a full week’s adventure, Dollar is hired to protect a very special laird, one with four legs and a tail.

April 9-13, 1956

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar

“The Laird Douglas-Douglas of Heatherscote Matter”

3:11

Eve Arden returns, or perhaps premiers, in “Our Miss Brooks,” as we present the very first episode of that comedy classic.  There’s a new principal, and Miss Brooks just can’t stop bumping into him.  Then on “Gunsmoke,” Marshal Matt Dillon tries to help a family from being unfairly run off their land.

Episodes

Our Miss Brooks

July 19, 1948

“The First Episode”

2:07

Gunsmoke

October 24, 1952

“The Mortgage”

33:00

This month marks the 124th birthday of radio legend Fred Allen.  Though best known for his “feuds” with fellow comedian Jack Benny, Allen had a long and prolific career.  We present tonight a classic episode of “The Fred Allen Show.” First, Fred takes us on a walk down Allen’s Alley to meet the colorful characters who live there, then Frank Sinatra drops by songs and laughs.  Then, on “Information Please,” Fred starts out as a contestant and ends up as host.

Episodes

The Fred Allen Show

October 21, 1945

“Hillbilly”

5:15

Information Please

February 15, 1943

“Guest: Fred Allen”

34:10

First up on “You Bet Your Life,” Groucho Marx interviews a female Air Force sergeant and the parents of triplets.  Then on “Dragnet,” a brightly-colored car leads detectives Friday and Romero all around Los Angeles, from its mean streets to an amusement park.

Episodes

You Bet Your Life

June 27, 1951

"The Secret Word is Table"

1:47

Dragnet

November 30, 1950

“The Big Car”

31:52