Old Time Radio Listener – Details, episodes & analysis

What does “have your cake and eat it too” mean? Having your cake refers to keeping it with you. This means you want to preserve the cake for the future. But you also want to eat it. This is contradictory. The moment you eat your cake, you can’t have it because it is finished. Conversely, if you decide to have or keep your cake then you can’t eat it. This proverb highlights a very valuable lesson which is that you cannot have it both ways. When you are presented with two choices that are mutually exclusive, you have to choose one. You cannot choose both. Either you have to eat the cake or have it. If we examine the wording, we find that ‘eat your cake and have it’ sounds more logical.

With Lon Clark in the title role, the series commenced 11 April 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Between October 1944 and April 1945, it was heard as a 30-minute program on Sunday afternoons at 3 pm, sponsored by Acme Paints and Lin-X, with a 15-minute serial airing four or five times a week in 1944 from April to September. In April 1945, the Sunday series moved to 6pm, continuing in that timeslot until June 1946, and it was also heard in 1946 on Tuesday from March to August. Sponsored by Cudahy Packing and Old Dutch Cleanser and later Acme Products (makers of such home-improvement chemicals as Kem-Tone paints and Lin-X floor-cleaning waxes, a near-rival to the more-popular Johnson's Wax products heard on numerous NBC Radio shows at the same time), the series finally settled in on Sundays at 6:30 pm for broadcasts from August 18, 1946 to September 21, 1952. Libby Packing was the sponsor when the drama aired on Sundays at 6pm (1952–53). In the last two years of the long run (1953–55), the show was heard Sundays at 4:30 pm. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright. Walter B. Gibson, co-creator/writer of The Shadow pulp novels, was fired when he asked for a raise in 1946, and then became head writer for the Nick Carter radio series. Oddly enough, he never liked to write scripts for the radio version of The Shadow, though both characters were published by Street & Smith. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1945; then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer) was Nick's contact at the police department. The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. The series ended on September 25, 1955.

At about 3 o’clock Johnny Modero started down Post Street when he spotted the new auction House. It was small with enough dough changing hands to buy back Manhattan Island. Inside it was packed and a bald headed guy on a wooden stand was selling everything but his suspenders so Modero sat at the back and noticed a girl standing up against the wall. She walked over to Modero and asked him to do her a favor. A black leather suitcase was to be auctioned off that belonged to her and she wanted it back at any price. She offered Modero $50 to bid for her as she didn’t want someone there to know she was there.

Duration: 28:32

Starring: Jack Webb

Broadcast Date: Not known

You learn the tragic wartime story of one man out of four who betray the location of thirty-seven refugees fleeing from fallen Singapore and if you are anything like George Valentine you’d like to meet the writer who wrote that story particularly when you see that his note book contains the words of that same telegram. The only trouble is, the writer’s dead. . . 

Duration: 29:47

 Starring: Bob Bailey, Frances Robinson, Wally Maher, Joe Forte, Robert Griffin, Mark Lawrence, Betty Moran, Martha Wentworth 

Broadcast Date: 19th September 1949

Includes a public notice by Bulldog Drummond on inflation (boy does that ring true today) and war bonds. 

Out of the fog. . . out of the night. . . and into his American adventures. . . comes. . . Bulldog Drummond! Champion of lost causes, amateur detective, the most celebrated soldier of fortune of the screen and radio Bulldog Drummond comes to you with more of his baffling and intriguing mysteries. 

The story began when two men known as Barnaby Mullans and Spike Saunders were arrested for hijacking trucks. 

Duration: 27:36 

Starring: Ned Wever, Luis Van Rooten 

Broadcast Date: 23rd April 1945

What starts out to be the first well-organized New Years Eve in the history of the Anderson family ends up becoming a mixed-up shambles. When Kathy’s plans fall through they have to get a sitter for her. When the sitter turns out to be a handsome young man Betty called off her date with Ralph and now Jim is upsetting Betty’s little scheme by letting the sitter go home.

 Duration: 29:03

 Starring: Robert Young

 Broadcast Date: 31st December 1953

rnes motive for killing Marvin Rice was quite commonplace, fear, hatred, envy but the part he found fascinating was the crime itself. It was so original and amazingly clever, there wasn’t the slightest chance in all the world that it would fail, it didn’t fail; yet downstairs in the prison courtyard they are testing a gallows built especially for Barnes. . . 

Duration: 23:05 

Starring: Elliott Lewis

 Broadcast Date: Not Known

It’s raining this morning in Spring Field one of those steady downpours that looks like it’s going to last all day. And out in the white-framed house on Maple Street the head of the Anderson family parts the curtains at the front window, surveys the weather and then makes a pronouncement, like this. . . 

Duration: 29:13 

Starring: Robert Young

 Broadcast Date: 25th March 1954

Written by Anthony Wain Something In The Air is a farce which promises a half hour of hilarious entertainment. Olan Soule and Barbara Luddy head the all-star cast. Mr Soule plays Ted Brisedale a man who’s sure of his girl but not sure of his mother’s blessing and Miss Luddy takes the part of Anne Brown Ted’s fiancee the ´ girl in question. Also in the cast Parley Baer as Homer and Luis Van Rooten as Mr Brown.

 Duration: 30:50 

Starring: Barbara Luddy, Olan Soule 

Broadcast Date: 11th March 1948

This classic stars Loretta Young and William Holden.

Merry Christmas.   I wish I could find a description for this holiday show.   But sadly I haven't found anything expect the above sentence.