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May 27, 2022
Five new products and Three featured products from Radio Archives in this newsletter!
All new and featured products are discounted 50% for the next two weeks in all three versions.
We are continuing to sell Audio CDs of all of our products, packaged in paper sleeves instead of plastic storage cases. The price remains the same and now includes FREE shipping and the MP3 download version is included FREE with the Audio CDs. We now offer Wavfiles of all of our Old Time Radio sets and Pulp Audiobooks. For ordering information Click Here.
Featured: previously released
Volume 1
A precedent-shattering radio landmark that became a national institution -- its influence is with us yet. And now Radio Archives is proud to take you back to the very beginning, with an exciting collection of broadcasts from the very first season of Jack Webb's police procedural classic "Dragnet."
When "Dragnet" premiered in 1949 it was a breath of fresh air. No wisecracks, no impossibly exaggerated characterizations, no too-purple-for-belief dialogue, just a dedicated law enforcement officer, determined to do his job as completely and as thoroughly as possible. Joe Friday is one of radio's great Everyman figures -- just another workaday guy in a cheap suit, trudging thru his daily routine -- but in Webb's hands, the characterization takes on a fascinating edge of realism. The deliberately-low-key direction and the stylized flat-voiced delivery of the supporting cast adds to this downbeat, it's-really-happening style, giving "Dragnet" a feeling and a mood unlike that of any other radio program of its era.
Programs included in this collection are from first six months' of the program's run, beginning with the second broadcast of the series. Although Walter Schumann's famous theme music doesn't appear until Episode 3, the essential feel of the series is there from the very beginning of the run: the quiet byplay between Friday and his partner Ben Romero (expertly played by radio veteran Barton Yarborough), the meticulous documentation of the unfolding case, and the careful pacing of each episode as it builds slowly but steadily to a climax. The supporting players are drawn from the ranks of top radio talent, including such performers as Frank Lovejoy, Parley Baer, Hans Conried, and Raymond Burr, and the production values -- layering sound upon sound -- are of astonishing proficiency.
It's a collection that shows you just how powerful, just how creative, and just how fascinating American radio drama could be when it found itself in the hands and mind of a master.
10 hours
Featured: previously released
"Wake Up, America! It's Time to Stump the Experts!"
Dan Golenpaul was a man with a mission. Having spent most of the 1930s trying to talk radio network executives into raising the level of broadcast entertainment above the mentality of the average twelve-year-old child, Golenpaul had lately set his sites on a venerable radio feature: the quiz show.
Quiz shows had been around since the early 1930s, when the "man-on-the-street" program "Vox Pop" had started asking passersby a few simple questions, then rewarding them with token prizes donated by sponsors. By 1936, CBS introduced the first authentic audience participation program (network lingo for game shows), "Professor Quiz" with Dr. Craig Earl. The program, featuring the jolly, rotund, and highly intelligent star, became quickly popular and spawned a series of similar shows, cast largely from members of their studio audiences. The dreams contestants had of winning prizes and cash soon paled, however, when genial hosts spent the majority of their time having fun with the presumed ignorance of the average man -- an ignorance that made for great superiority and glee on the part of listeners, but not much enjoyment for the hapless contestant.
After spending a few evenings listening to these programs, Dan Golenpaul was appalled -- but also inspired. What if, he thought, the tables were turned? What if it was the contestants asking the questions, rather than the hosts? Who would feel foolish then? From this simple notion came a brainstorm that would soon lead to the creation of "Information Please," one of the most popular, award-winning, and consistently entertaining programs in radio history.
Armed with Clifton Fadiman, a team of experts, $100.00 in prize money, and NBC staff announcer Milton Cross, "Information Please" hit the airwaves at 8:30 PM on Tuesday, May 17, 1938 over NBC's Blue Network. From the beginning, "Information Please" showed signs of being an innovative program. Since the show was largely spontaneous - only the introductions, the closing, and the questions were written in advance - NBC agreed to record the program for rebroadcast to the west coast time zones. (This explains why, unlike so many network programs of the time, a great number of "Information Please" broadcasts still exist today.) Likewise, listeners used to the typical personality-based musical and comedy shows of the late 1930s were surprised to hear authentic wit over the airwaves - surprised and pleased, since, though the questions were usually difficult, the experts were both amazing and charming when they answered a question and, more importantly, authentically human and funny when they couldn't. It was said, in fact, that "Information Please" was really at its best and most entertaining when the brains of the "brain trust" failed them; Fadiman never hesitated to gently chide them when they missed an answer. During the contemplation following a question, he was frequently heard to say to the listeners "I can see their brains spinning away, folks" and "Come, come, gentlemen - everyone knows that" was a common response to a muffed question. (Fadiman and many of the panelists shared a love of puns - the older and more groan-inspiring, the better - and many a broadcast features low-end wordplay that would put any baggy pants comedian to shame.)
The twenty programs in this collection come from the first few months of "Information Please's" twelve-year run and demonstrate that, with only a few minor changes in format, the program from the start displayed all of the elements that would eventually lead to its long-running success. An early attempt to literally have the audience quiz the experts by having those who submitted the questions actually ask them, live and on the air, is soon dropped in favor of the more erudite (and comprehensible) Fadiman relating the questions. We also have the chance to hear the debuts of two other experts who would soon become series regulars: New York Times sportswriter and columnist John Kieran and piano virtuoso and composer Oscar Levant. Kieran, with a soft Bronx accent that belied a broad knowledge of sports history, nature, and ornithology, and Levant, with his musical background, caustic wit, and knowledge of movies and entertainment, would add their own personal touches to "Information Please" in the years to come - years which would eventually find the series rated among the top ten programs on radio, with a regular listening audience of over nine million people.
So, as Milton Cross would say, wake up, America! It's time to stump the experts!
#7 The Case of the Black Magician
by G.T. Fleming-Roberts
Read by Roger Price
Magic meets mystery as George Chance battles crime as the Green Ghost! Thrills, legerdemain, and suspense — all courtesy of the most extraordinary man-hunter the world has ever known!
When sudden death stalks, the Master of Illusion blazes a clever path to halt a ruthless, mysterious murder plot! Follow the exploits of George Chance, the Green Ghost, as he pursues a wily King of Crime!
In many ways, The Green Ghost was the standard pulp hero. Driven to fight crime, George Chance, a stage magician by trade and a criminologist by hobby, dons an eerie mask and goes after criminals and murderers under a scary name. He also, as many pulp types do, doesn’t fight this battle alone. Chance comes fully equipped with a supporting cast that is in many ways stereotypical to the pulp hero, but also stands out in some ways as well.
The fact that Chance’s secret identity is known to at least six people is rather unique in Pulp fiction. Usually the heroes who put on a mask may have one or two, sometimes even three people who know their true name, but not six. This adds to the more realistic feel, if such can be said for pulp stories, that the Green Ghost tales have. To carry on the crusade that George Chance undertakes would be nearly impossible for a man all on his own, so it only follows that he would have a group behind him, people who work behind the scenes and even contribute as much as he does when called on.
Obviously Commissioner Standish and Robert Demarest, being police commissioner and medical examiner, assist in the actual crime solving throughout the Green Ghost stories. Although it isn’t the first time a Commissioner has been, willingly or not, an assistant to a pulp hero, it is rather unique that the Medical Examiner is not only aware, but also complicit in this vigilante’s mission.
The Case of the Black Magician was originally published in the pages of The Green Ghost Detective magazine in the Summer of 1941 and is read with mysterious and magical force by Roger Price.
5 hours
Featured: previously released
Read by Milton Bagby
Follow the quest of Curtis Newton, wizardman of science, as he scours the worlds of tomorrow in the hunt for the greatest interplanetary outlaw of all time! A creeping menace invades the galaxy in a sweep of interplanetary conquest—and Captain Future meets his most powerful enemy... the Space Emperor!
Thrilling Publications editor-in-chief Leo Margulies and his main SF man, Mort Weisinger, attended the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York back in 1939. Impressed, Margulies blurted out, “I didn’t think you fans could be so damn sincere!” Huddling, they concocted Captain Future on the spot.
That was the legend. In reality, Margulies and Weisinger had been brainstorming the concept for many months. Conceived as a Doc Savage of the future, Curt Newton was at first called Mr. Future. After the death of his parents, Newton was raised by a trio of surrogate parents—Grag the robot, Otho the android and Simon Wright, a scientist whose brain was kept alive after his body failed. These three reared up Curt in a secret laboratory on the Moon. His mission: to protect planetary peace.
Weisinger turned to the most popular SF writer of his generation, Edmond Hamilton, whose well-received novel starring The Three Planeteers had kicked off the first issue of Startling Stories months before. Hamilton reimagined the new hero as Captain Future, basing the series on The Three Planeteers. The action was set in the far future—the 1990s!
Given his own magazine, the Ace of Space debuted in The Space Emperor, a rollicking romp that raced from the Moon to Jupiter. Backed up by his trusty proton pistol and his three nonhuman aides, Captain Future patrolled the known planets in the Comet, a supercool spaceship that camouflaged itself as a fiery comet.
Rocket into science fiction adventure and discover new worlds. Ripped from the pages of the Winter 1940 issue of Captain Future magazine, “The Space Emperor” is read with wonder and excitement by Milton Bagby.
5 hours
Radio Archives Pulp Classics
The Ghost! To men of crime, the name sends stabs of terror along their spines. Only six people know that George Chance, professonal stage magician, is in reality the crime fighter, the terror of the underworld, The Ghost! His assistants are Glen Saunders, his near-twin, Joe Harper, man about town, Tiny Tim Terry, a midget, and Merry White, his on-stage assistant and off-stage sweetheart. They know the secret of The Ghost. Ned Standish, Commissioner of Police and Robert Demarest, keen-eyed Medical Examiner are also "in the know." The following year, George Chance added a ghastly green glow to his death's-head features, and became widely known as The Green Ghost.
The Ghost first appeared in the January 1940 issue of "The Ghost, Super-Detetive" published by Thrilling Publications, responsible for such other fare as The Black Bat, Captain Danger and The Phantom Detective. He had a total of fourteen adventures published over the next four years. Mystery and magic — thrills and excitement — legerdemain and suspense — you’ll find them all in the Ghost’s repertoire. Now, The Ghost, sometimes called The Green Ghost, returns in these vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format.
Radio Archives Pulp Classics
Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
A complete book-length murder mystery novel in each pulp magazine... that's the basic concept that Thrilling Publications offered in Detective Mystery Novel Magazine. This magazine went through several name changes, as pulps were known to do. It began in 1935 as Thrilling Mystery, a weird menace magazine. As the public's tastes changed, so did the content of the pulp. The shudder tales were replaced by detective mysteries, and in Winter 1945 the title was changed to Thrilling Mystery Novel Magazine. It lasted thirteen issues under this title, then changed to Detective Mystery Novel Magazine, a subtle but distinctive difference. Nine issues later, with the Winter 1949 issue, it became 2 Detective Mystery Novels Magazine. It closed after five more issues. During its "mystery novels" phase, it published some of best murder mysteries on the market. It outlasted its sibling publication, a similarly named Detective Novel Magazine, by two years, ceasing publication with the Winter 1951 issue. Detective Mystery Novel Magazine returns in these vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format.
Radio Archives Pulp Classics
Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
"Boom! An explosion of pain roared through me, blasted me all the way to my shoestrings. Klieg lights made pinwheel patterns in my glims, an atomic bomb took my grey cells apart, and I plunged into a deep black well of unconsciousness. For me it was the end of a chapter." Those inimitable words from Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective, came from the pen of famed author Robert Leslie Bellem. His colorful slang was to influence hard-boiled dicks for decades. Turner was a shamus who made Tinsel-town his stomping grounds. Crime amongst the glitter. The character made his debut in 1934 as a short story in Spicy Detective magazine. It continued there, one of the most popular recurring characters. In January 1942, publisher Culture Publications spun it off into its own magazine. There were 59 issues of the series, until the final issue in October 1950. Hollywood Detective returns in these vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format.
 Radio Archives Pulp Classics
Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
Range Riders Western was a mix of a western with a mystery — a most satisfying combination. Three buckaroo trouble-shooters, Steve Reese aided by his two pals Hank Bell, and Dusty Trail worked for the Cattlemen's Protective Association. And when they received the call to action, they strapped on their six-guns and busted leather to hit the trail. Follow the trio as they take up the cudgels for peace and justice! This long-running western series began with the December 1938 issue, coming from Thrilling Publications, AKA Better Publications or Standard Magazines. It immediately struck a chord with its reading audience. The magazine title changed slightly — with the Fall 1940 issue Range Riders became Range Riders Western. And thus it stayed until the final issue in April 1953. All told, there were 75 issues of rip-roaring action published. Range Riders returns in these vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format.
Radio Archives Pulp Classics line of eBooks are of the highest quality and feature the great Pulp Fiction stories of the 1930s-1950s. All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub and Mobi formats for the ultimate in compatibility. If you have a Kindle, the Mobi version is what you want. If you have an iPad/iPhone, Android, or Nook, then the ePub version is what you want.
Check out all the bargains in the Bargain Basement!
Comments From Our Customers!
Matt Kolata writes:
Hello! Long time customer here and I first wanted to thank everyone at Radio Archive for the outstanding service and product you have offered over the years. I consider your collections of old time radio shows to be the gold standard on how to present historical broadcasts. The sound quality has always been top notch and I am glad to see you are going to continue to offer CD versions of your collections.
Michael Moore writes:
Thank you for the wavfiles, These are Great. Keep up the wonderful work to preserve the programs of yesteryear.
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