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August 20, 2010
Brighten Up the "Dogs Days" of August with Great Entertainment from RadioArchives.com!
* Our Latest Old Time Radio Release: Dragnet, Volume 4
* Your Treasure Chest Bonus: Get Dragnet for Just 99 Cents!
* New in Pulp Fiction: Doc Savage Volume 39 and The Shadow Volume 40
* Also New in Old Time Radio: The Adventures of Marco Polo, Volume 1
* New on DVD: A Festival of Lum & Abner Favorites
* Relive the Adventure with the Origins of Two Iconic Pulp Heroes
* Did You Know: Letters, We Get Letters
Our Latest Old Time Radio Release: Dragnet, Volume 4
 In a radio schedule packed with dangerous dames and gat-toting gumshoes, "Dragnet" was a strikingly different and innovative program that took an inside look at the everyday work of police officers. Deliberately understated and low-key, the series was created by and stars Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday, an average cop who spends his days - and often his nights - working with his colleagues to investigate serious crimes. Setting aside the slam-bang dramatics that were a staple of most detective shows, "Dragnet" took a semi-documentary approach to police work and, in the process, established a format that still resonates in today's television dramas. As a busy radio actor himself, Jack Webb frequently employed the same veterans who highlighted so many of the top programs from that time - people like Herb Butterfield, Harry Morgan (before he became Webb's partner in the 1968 TV revival of the series), Stacy Harris, Virginia Gregg, Raymond Burr, Art Gilmore (often heard as Friday's superior officer or "skipper"), and Georgia Ellis - and, in a stroke of casting genius, brought in Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero, Friday's drawling and laconic partner in investigation. Yarborough, who appeared on the series from its inception through his untimely death in December of 1951, proved the perfect contrast to Webb's flat, no-nonsense delivery. The result was a truly timeless series that remains provocative and, surprisingly, still very relevant and very adult in its content.
"Dragnet" is an undeniable radio classic - and in this six-CD set, priced at just $17.98, you'll enjoy twelve engrossing episodes, fully restored to outstanding fidelity by the RadioArchives.com team of experts. Combine this new set with our three previous volumes and you'll have an impressive personal library of "Dragnet" programs that you'll want to play over and over again - these shows are just that good.
Your Treasure Chest Bonus: Get Dragnet for Just 99 Cents!
 Normally, "Dragnet, Volume 4" sells for $17.98 - but, thanks to the Radio Archives Treasure Chest, you can bring these engrossing and suspenseful detective stories into your home for just 99 Cents!
How can you take advantage of this great deal? Simple! Just add "Dragnet" to your shopping cart, and then add $25.00 or more worth of additional merchandise to your cart as well. Before checking out, be sure to enter the coupon code BONUS to get the new Dragnet set for just 99 Cents. If you prefer, you can always place your order over the phone toll-free by calling 800-886-0551.
But remember: this special Dragnet Bonus Offer may expire at any time! Another great Treasure Chest deal will take its place, but this new six-CD set will once again be priced at $17.98. That's still a great deal for so much engrossing entertainment, but why wait and pay more? Don't miss out - visit RadioArchives.com and place your order right away!
Be sure to stop by RadioArchives.com often to see what's there waiting for you in the Treasure Chest. There are impressive bargains to be had each and every day of the week!
New in Pulp Fiction: Doc Savage Volume 39 and The Shadow Volume 40
Brand new double novel reprints featuring Doc Savage and The Shadow are now available from RadioArchives.com! We're sure you'll want to add these exciting new titles to your collection right away!
  Thrill to the legendary pulp exploits of DC Comics' newest superstar as the Man of Bronze returns in "Doc Savage, Volume 39" ($14.95)
featuring two thrill-packed novels by Lester Dent writing as Kenneth
Robeson. First, Patricia Savage's disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle
leads the Man of Bronze to "Poison Island" to rescue his beautiful
cousin and recover stolen gold. Then, in "They Died Twice", Doc Savage
returns to Hidalgo's Valley of the Vanished, the locale of
his first adventure, to help Princess Monja defeat a criminal cabal
attempting to loot Mayan treasure. This classic pulp reprint showcases
the original color pulp covers by Emery Clarke, Paul Orban's classic
interior illustrations, and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer
of seven Doc Savage novels.
"Who
knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The 80th
anniversary of The Shadow's radio debut is celebrated in "The Shadow, Volume 40" ($14.95)
featuring two special novels by Walter Gibson writing as Maxwell Grant -
plus a lost radio thriller! First, a locked room murder and the theft
of a priceless diamond set the Knight of Darkness on the trail of the
infamous supercrook known as The Jackdaw in "The Crime Clinic", a rare
1933 pulp thriller that was later adapted to The Shadow radio series.
Then, The Shadow hunts an infamous master criminal who leaves mystical
"Cards of Death" at his murder sites. BONUS: "The Red Macaw," a radio
script by Edward Hale Bierstadt from Orson Welles' second outing as The
Shadow. This instant collector's item features both classic pulp covers
by George Rozen, the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and
Edd Cartier, and commentary by popular-culture historians Anthony Tollin
and Will Murray.
Radio
Archives offers the largest stock of pulp reprint classics available
anywhere - including each and every current and back issue of Doc
Savage, The Spider, The Shadow, The Whisperer, and The Avenger. Make RadioArchives.com your source for the best in thrill-packed entertainment!
Also New in Old Time Radio: The Adventures of Marco Polo, Volume 1
 Created and produced in Australia by the legendary and highly prolific George Edwards Productions, "The Adventures of Marco Polo, Volume 1" ($17.98) relates the remarkable journey which Marco Polo, his father, and his uncle took to Persia and China in the late 1200s. These Venetian businessmen risked their very lives to establish trade relations with countries that, at the time, were thought to be uncivilized, dangerous, and possibly deadly. Their treacherous journey, as well as the riches, action, and intrigue they found when they arrived in the Far East, makes for thrilling entertainment that's strongly reminiscent of the adventure stories of famous authors such as Rudyard Kipling and H. Rider Haggard. In this brand new six-CD set from Radio Archives, you'll travel right alongside these intrepid explorers as they encounter a beautiful princess, such modern marvels as a water clock and the Great Wall, and meet the all-powerful ruler of the Chinese empire, the great Kubla Khan.
"The Adventures of Marco Polo" is just one of over 300 radio series and serials produced by George Edwards over the course of his twenty year career in radio. Though little known outside of his native Australia, longtime radio enthusiasts rank his work right alongside such prolific American producer/directors as Carlton E. Morse and C. P. MacGregor - and here's a rare chance to experience one of his most popular serials in a brand new and never before released CD set.
In this collection, you'll thrill to 25 sequential episodes of "The Adventures of Marco Polo", all fully restored to sparkling audio fidelity. Every sound, word, every nuance is crisp, clear, and vibrant - almost as if these exciting adventures were aired yesterday rather than over seventy years ago. If you've enjoyed the adventure shows featured in our other compact disc collections - "The Shadow of Fu Manchu", "Rocky Jordan", or "The Adventures of Frank Merriwell" - you're going to love "The Adventures of Marco Polo" from RadioArchives.com.
New on DVD: A Festival of Lum & Abner Favorites
 During radio's "Golden Age", there were two two-man teams that dominated the airwaves with their combination of humanity, hijinks, and comedic situations. The first was Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll with their classic series "Amos 'n' Andy", but the second was a down-home pair of rural rustics known as "Lum 'n' Abner". Created, written by, and starring Chester "Chet" Lauck and Norris "Tuffy" Goff, "Lum 'n' Abner" told the continuing story of the two checker-playing, bickering, and ever-loyal owners of the Jot 'Em Down Store in Pine Ridge, Arkansas. Bearing a close resemblance to later television towns like Hooterville and Mayberry, Pine Ridge's eccentric inhabitants included the amiable Cedric Weehunt, son of the local blacksmith; Grandpappy Spears, a cantankerous old codger who delighted in beating Abner at checkers; Dick Huddleston, the postmaster; and Squire Skimp, the town's personal Scrooge, who delighted in conning the boys out of every dime they could make and a few pennies more in the bargain.
In a time when much of America was still rural, "Lum 'n' Abner" struck a chord with listeners; many a fan would tune in each day and recognize something familiar from their own lives also happening in Pine Ridge. Whether it was the latest get rich scheme the boys had come up with, Lum's series of shy romances with local spinsters, a phone call from a nearby town, or just the aimless but amusing conversations that often took place between the leading characters, from 1931 thru 1948, "Lum 'n' Abner" was a fixture in the lives of millions of listeners who tuned in to laugh, to sympathize, or just to spend a few minutes catching up with the residents of a small town that had gradually become as familiar as their own.
 With double features dominating movie theaters in the 1930s and 1940s, it was almost inevitable that "Lum 'n' Abner" would eventually come to the silver screen - and, in 1940, they did. Chet (aged 38) and Tuffy (aged 34) donned old-man makeup, honed their acting skills, and appeared before the cameras of RKO Radio Pictures in "Dreaming Our Loud", a low-budget second feature that brought Pine Ridge's Jot 'Em Down Store and its various inhabitants to vivid life. Booked primarily into small-town theaters, at the box office, "Dreaming Out Loud" often outperformed the main features it was designed to support, which led to a "Lum 'n' Abner" movie series that, between 1940 and 1956, would eventually result in a total of seven films. None were classics, of course - no one would ever mistake a "Lum 'n' Abner" film for "Citizen Kane", after all - but for those who enjoyed a taste of down-home family entertainment mixed with slapstick comedy, they were just the ticket. And they were both heartwarming and very, very funny.
Luckily, for longtime fans of radio's favorite old codgers, four of Lum 'n' Abner's best movie outings are now available on DVD - and RadioArchives.com has got them! New to our catalog this month, each is priced at just $5.98 and all give you the chance to "see what's happening in Pine Ridge":
In "Dreaming Out Loud" (1940), a tragic hit-and-run accident involving little Emmy Lou (Sheila Sheldon) quickly turns the homespun proprietors of the Jot 'Em Down Store into crusading social activists as they campaign to bring a mobile first aid unit to Pine Ridge. The boys face the opposition of miserly, rich town dowager Jessica Spence (Clara Blandick) and find an ally for reform in Doc Walt Barnes (Frank Craven). Regrettably, it takes the good doctor's untimely stroke to illustrate the necessity for affordable and accessible health care. The film also features appearances by bandleader/comedian Phil Harris and vocalist Frances Langford.
 In "The Bashful Bachelor" (1942), Lum is actively courting a sweet lady named Geraldine (ZaSu Pitts). Their attraction is obvious, but they are both too shy to express their true feelings, so Lum proposes a cockeyed plan to his friend Abner: if they stage several phony emergencies and he is able to rescue Abner in each one of them, the fair Geraldine will fall for him when he finally gets up the gumption to offer his hand in marriage. The plan goes hilariously awry as Lum and Abner's adventures lead them to realize that the most heroic trait of all is modesty. "The Bashful Bachelor" was directed by veteran comedy director Mal St. Clair and features such well-known Hollywood character actors as Grady Sutton (as Cedric Wehunt), Irving Bacon, Oscar O'Shea (as Squire Skimp), and Benny Rubin.
 In "So This is Washington" (1943), while the battles of World War II rage in Europe, Lum and Abner hold down the home front in Pine Ridge. The duo do their duty by performing the wartime tasks of operating the local Draft Board, Ration Board, Tire Inspection Bureau, and also serving as the town's Air Raid Wardens. But when a politician named Chester W. Marshall (Alan Mowbray) of the Civilian War Effort Office puts out a nationwide plea for the common man to come forward with any inventions that might aid the war effort, Abner reckons that his homemade licorice is a form of synthetic rubber and he and Lum head for the nation's capitol to contribute their invention to the war effort.
In "2 Weeks to Live" (1943), Lum & Abner inherit a rusty old railroad and believe themselves to now be transportation tycoons. Borrowing money from friends, they head off to claim their inheritance - but it isn't long before hope turns to despair when not only is the railroad proven to be worthless, poor Abner Peabody is mistakenly diagnosed as having two weeks to live! In a desire to repay their debt, they hit upon the idea of volunteering the condemned Abner for all sorts of dangerous stunts designed to pay them big money - including drinking a bizarre Jekyll and Hyde potion, staying overnight in a haunted house, and even signing on for a rocket trip to Mars.
If you've enjoyed Lum 'n' Abner's adventures on radio, remember with fondness such TV favorites as "The Beverly Hillbillies" or "The Andy Griffith Show", or just enjoy a good old fashioned belly laugh, you'll have a good time with two old friends in these four new DVDs from RadioArchives.com. And, while you're on our website, be sure to check out the many other family friendly films available there as well. You may just find a few forgotten favorites awaiting you!
Relive the Adventure with the Origins of Two Iconic Pulp Heroes
 Late summer is often a quiet time. The weather remains hot and sticky, so activity slows down to a crawl. Some days, all you want to do is pour yourself a cool glass of lemonade, find a shady tree to sit under, and indulge yourself in a good story.
As summer winds down and you relax your way through the Dog Days of August, why not take an imaginative trip into the past and learn about the fascinating origins of two iconic pulp heroes: Doc Savage and The Shadow. Thanks to Nostalgia Ventures and Sanctum Press, the origin stories of these groundbreaking characters come to vivid life in two books that tell how they began their quests to fight crime, right wrongs, and pursue high adventure. Accented with impressive cover art, interior illustrations, and a wealth of special features, the novels contained in these two issues will grab your imagination and set it soaring with thrills, chills, and excitement!
 In "Doc Savage, Volume 14" ($12.95),
the Man of Bronze's origin story is revealed and his 75th Anniversary celebrated with the classic Lester Dent novels that launched the
superhero genre. First, in "The Man of Bronze", the mysterious death of
his father leads Doc to the Central American republic of Hidalgo where
they discover a lost Mayan empire in the mythical Valley of the
Vanished. Can Doc defeat the Feathered Serpent and the Red Death and
free King Chaac and the beautiful Princess Monja? Then, in "The Land of
Terror", Doc Savage trails the murderous master villain Kar, who
controls the deadly Smoke of Eternity, to prehistoric Thunder Island
where Doc and his men fight for their very survival against terrifying
dinosaurs. In honor of the Man of Bronze's 75th anniversary, this
special commemorative edition reprints the classic James Bama cover
painting that launched the 1960s Doc Savage revival, interior
illustrations by Paul Orban, a never-before-published foreword and
autobiographical essay by Lester Dent, and commentary by popular culture
historian Will Murray.
Who knows what secrets lurk in The Shadow's mysterious past? In "The Shadow, Volume 15" ($12.95), the Dark Avenger's enigmatic origins are revealed in the first-ever reprint of one of the rarest Shadow pulp magazines. In "The Shadow Unmasks", the real Lamont Cranston's whereabouts become front-page news, and the Dark Avenger is forced to resurrect his long-buried true identity of Kent Allard, missing aviator and former spy. Then, while investigating a Miami crime ring, Kent Allard is framed by "The Yellow Band" and must revert to his Lamont Cranston alter ego in order to clear his name. This special edition showcases George Rozen's spectacular pulp covers and all the original interior art by Edd Cartier and Tom Lovell. As a bonus, Walter Gibson and Will Murray reveal behind-the-scenes revelations about The Shadow's origins, while Anthony Tollin examines the bizarre saga of Colonel P. H. Fawcett, the legendary explorer whose real-life exploits inspired Kent Allard's creation.
Together, the two impressive issues in this ongoing series of collectible pulp reprints will reward you with many hours of stimulating entertainment - and, if you've never enjoyed a pulp fiction novel before, we're sure they'll whet your appetite for more!
Did You Know: Letters, We Get Letters
Each day, our e-mail address - Service@RadioArchives.com - brings us nice comments from our customers. Sometimes brief, sometimes lengthy, folks just love to comment on the quality of our old time radio collections, our pulp reprints, our customer service, and our rapid delivery of their packages. Here are a few samples we've received over the past few months - with many thanks to the nice people who sent them!
 Bill Quraishi writes:
Today I received my order of "Dragnet" volumes 1, 2, and 3. I was thoroughly impressed by the overall quality of these collections. It was easy to recognize the dedication and hard work that was put into producing these fine products. As you know, "Dragnet" is quite possibly the greatest radio show of its time. Therefore, I humbly request that additional volumes of this series be produced and released for the enjoyment of OTR fans like myself. Keep up the great work.
Joe Mittleman writes:
I'm in the middle of listening to "Music of the 1930s, Volume 1" and I had to stop to tell you what a marvelous album this is. I can't wait till you do a volume 2. The music of the 30s has always been my favorite, so I hope it will be soon!
 Charlie St. George writes:
"The New Adventures of Michael Shayne" is an outstanding presentation. The sound recordings are magnificent and the original music is awesome. I am so glad I have both volumes in my collection. You've done an outstanding job for the preservation of our great American Radio History.
John Roach receives his copy of "The Adventures of Marco Polo, Volume 1" and writes:
I'm sitting here listening to this incredibly restored radio show and, once more, find myself in awe that, after waiting for over 30 years, a company has arrived on the scene that more than lives up to their claim in quality and value. George Edwards did two other radio serials that I have had the privilege to listen to entitled "Frankenstein" and "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde". Unfortunately they were hardly restored, which made listening extremely hard. Now a George Edwards production in Radio Archives' beautifully restored techniques is not only thrilling, but puts this listener in high hopes that the others will not be far behind!
You can read more of the comments we've received on our website; just click on "Testimonials" on the lower left hand side of our home page at RadioArchives.com. And, of course, many of our products also feature individual comments from customers as well, allowing you to read what others have thought of a particular CD set, pulp reprint, or DVD before deciding to purchase it for your own personal library.
Best Wishes for Late Summer Sunshine from your friends at RadioArchives.com, offering the very best in classic entertainment!
We always welcome your questions, suggestions, or comments! Send an e-mail to Service@RadioArchives.com or call us at 800-886-0551.
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