Showing results by author "Black Eye Entertainment" in All Categories

Night Beat followed Randy Stone, a hard-nosed Chicago Star newsman and his quest for the human-interest story behind the headlines. Hollywood actor Frank Lovejoy voiced the role of Randy Stone, who brought the character to vivid life thanks to expert scripts written by Russell Hughes, E. Jack Neumann, John Michael Hayes (who would later write the Hitchcock film classics "To Catch a Thief" and "Rear Window"), and Larry Marcus.

The Lux Radio Theatre was one of the most prestigious and longest-running shows from radio's Golden Age. It featured the greatest stars in Hollywood appearing in hour-long radio adaptations of their biggest motion pictures. Cecil B. DeMille was the host (from 1936-1945) for a lavish production of what was to become a veritable checklist of many of Hollywood's best films from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s. The stars of the movie usually appeared in their audio counterparts. The productions were broadcast live, with a full orchestra, in front of a large studio audience.

The golden age of radio had incredible Western shows that kept Americans glued to their sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear Western heroes catch the bad guys and save ladies in distress. This collection includes Gregory Peck in an hour-long episode of The Gunfighter on the Screen Director's Playhouse; James Stewart as Brit Ponset, a.k.a. "the Six-Shooter"; William Holden in The Virginian on General Electric Theater; William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy; William Conrad as US Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke; and many more!

Created by S.S. Van Dine, Philo Vance was quite popular in books, movies, and on radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, very intelligent, and cultured private detective - an Americanized Sherlock Holmes - working out of New York. Not that Vance needed any help solving a crime, he did work closely with his secretary and right-hand woman Ellen Deering and his pal John Markham, New York County District Attorney. First heard for a brief time on NBC radio in 1945-46, it enjoyed success in syndication beginning in 1948 starring Jackson Beck.

Have Gun-Will Travel followed the adventures of Paladin, a soldier of fortune-turned-hired gunfighter, played by John Dehner. Paladin preferred to settle problems without violence, yet, when forced to fight, excelled. He lived at the swanky Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where he dressed in formal wear, ate gourmet food, attended the opera and enjoyed the company of beautiful women. When working as a gun-for-hire, he dressed in all black, used calling cards and wore a holster, decorated by a characteristic chess knight emblem.

The CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956 through September 22, 1957 and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop which aired from 1936 to 1943. Creator William Froug launched the series with the powerhouse two-part adaptation of "Brave New World" and booked author Aldous Huxley to narrate his famous novel. "We'll never get a sponsor anyway…," CBS vice president Howard Barnes explained to Time, "…so we might as well try anything."

This collection contains episodes of The Jack Benny Program, The Aldrich Family, Gunsmoke, Suspense, Fibber McGee & Molly, Dragnet, Have Gun - Will Travel, Mystery in the Air, The Kraft Music Hall, Escape, and many others. Relive the best radio shows from yesterday and the legendary stars that made them amazing in this incredible collection.

As Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball brought a tomboy’s enthusiasm and a scatterbrained quality to the long-running I Love Lucy (1951-61) television program. She was the wacky wife making life difficult for her loving but perpetually irritated husband, Ricky Ricardo (played by Ball’s real-life husband, Desi Arnaz). Long before I Love Lucy, Ball worked her way up Hollywood’s ladder with appearances in films and in many radio shows, including dramatic roles where she could really show her acting chops.

Versatile actor John Dehner had a long career (1940-1989) playing countless roles in all media. He appeared in more than 250 films and in thousands of radio and television shows. He began his career as an animator for the Walt Disney Studios, but his love for performing found him work at KFWB in Los Angeles. Dehner possessed a deep, resonant voice and soon became one of the most sought-after actors during The Golden Age of Radio. Presented for your enjoyment are 12 of John Dehner's finest radio performaces, carefully selected for this exciting collection.

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was radio’s top detective program. Raymond Chandler's celebrated hardboiled private eye, Philip Marlowe, made his radio debut in 1945 on The Lux Radio Theatre with “Murder My Sweet” starring Dick Powell. Two years later, NBC would bring the character to the air in his own weekly series starring Van Heflin in The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe. The series was short-lived, ending September 9th, 1947. CBS revived it in 1948 with The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr. This is the second collection.

This collection contains 12 of the greatest shows ever broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio – including episodes of The Jack Benny Program, Burns & Allen, Gunsmoke, The Amos ‘n' Andy Show, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Suspense, Dimension X, The Whistler, Sherlock Holmes and more. Radio’s finest actors perform before the microphones, including: Jack Benny, Tom Conway, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Nigel Bruce, Chester Morris, Dick Powell, Howard Duff, George Burns, Gracie Allen, William Conrad, John Dehner and many more.

Detective series Let George Do It came to radio in 1946. It starred Bob Bailey as ex-G.I. and detective-for-hire George Valentine. Clients came to Valentine’s office after reading a newspaper carrying his classified ad: Personal notice: Danger’s my stock in trade. If the job’s too tough for you to handle, you’ve got a job for me, George Valentine.

Fibber McGee & Molly had a long and successful run on radio (1935-1959). The program showcased terrific comic and musical talent, headlined by its creators and stars, married couple Jim and Marian Jordan. Living in the fictional Midwestern town of Wistful Vista, Fibber was an American teller of tall tales and a braggart, usually to the exasperation of his long-suffering wife Molly. Life in Wistful Vista followed a well-developed formula, but was always fresh.

In 1949, NBC brought mustachioed Irish-American actor Brian Donlevy to the radio microphones as international troubleshooter Steve Mitchell in the spy series Dangerous Assignment. Mitchell worked for an un-named US government intelligence agency; whose boss The Commissioner dispatched him to world trouble spots. Mitchell’s assignment was to solve problems in record time, and in accordance with US interests.

Crime Classics was a radio docudrama that aired over CBS from June 15, 1953 until June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by Elliott Lewis, the program was a true crime series, examining crimes and murders throughout history. It grew out of Lewis’ personal interest in famous murder cases and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages and feel of the times. Very little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration.

The Cisco Kid was a popular film, radio, television and comic book series loosely based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his short story, “The Caballero’s Way”, published in 1907 in the collection Heart of the West. “The Cisco Kid” came to radio October 2, 1942, and 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 with more than 600 episodes from 1947 to 1956.

Groucho Marx is your quizmaster and host to one of the funniest and most popular quiz shows from radio and television, You Bet Your Life! Created by John Guedel, You Bet Your Life was one of the best-loved quiz shows to air on both radio and television. It was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. It debuted on radio in 1947 and lasted until 1960. For much of this time it was also seen on television.

The Golden Age of radio had incredible mystery shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear their favorite Hollywood stars in spine-chilling radio mystery and horror. In this collection of 16 episodes, you’ll hear Lights Out! with Arch Oboler; three episodes of Suspense starring Joseph Cotten, William Powell, and Herbert Marshall; Mystery in the Air starring Peter Lorre; Studio One starring Glenn Ford and Mercedes McCambridge; and many more!

This collection contains 15 of the greatest science fiction broadcasts from the Golden Age of radio, including episodes of X Minus One, Dimension X, Suspense, The CBS Radio Workshop, Escape, The Lux Radio Theatre, and others. Radio’s finest actors perform before the microphones in adaptations from the past masters of science fiction. Relive the best radio sci-fi shows from yesterday and the legendary stars that made them amazing in this incredible collection.

On March 19, 1928, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll introduced Amos ‘n’ Andy, which went on to become one of the most popular and longest-running programs in radio history. During the height of its popularity, almost the entire country listened to the 15-minute, Monday-through-Friday adventures of Amos ‘n’ Andy. Department stores piped in the broadcasts so shoppers wouldn’t miss an episode, and movie theaters scheduled their features to end just prior to the start of Amos ‘n’ Andy so they too could pipe it in.