Tonight, June 29, 2025, from 8 to 10 pm, we give in to David Kenney declaring it JUDY GARLAND DAY with her appearances on MAIL CALL with Groucho Marx and Betty Grable, and with EDGAR BERGEN & CHARLIE McCARTHY. We also will hear a never broadcast episode of SUSPENSE written by GUNSMOKE sound effects man Tom Hanley and starring William Conrad, right after our weekly episode of GUNSMOKE.

Tune in to WBAI-NY 99.5 FM at 8pm, or listen to the stream at wbai.org for THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO, produced by Max Schmid.

GUNSMOKE from CBS (via the AFRTS) on August 04, 1957 #278 "Big Hands.” Martha Rudker brings her husband's body into Dodge, murdered by a man with big shoulders. Bull Logan is new in town, and he does have big shoulders! With William Conrad, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Vic Perrin, produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, written by Les Crutchfield, script supervisor John Meston, SFX by Tom Hanley & Bill James, announcer George Walsh.

SUSPENSE from CBS, intended for broadcast on Sept 28, 1958 (but never broadcast) “Misfire.”

This is a curious drama-only recording that has an interesting backstory. The recording has been in circulation for many years, and it seems like a broadcast. Decades ago, a collector patched the opening of the 1957-10-06 recording onto it, editing out the mention of that episode’s guest, Jack Carson. That patch led into a marvelous production with William Conrad as narrator. It’s not that Jack Carson did a bad job, it’s that William Conrad was an exceptional talent, whether it be acting or narration.

Collectors were confused about the recording. The “patch” was an innocuous attempt at restoration that seemed to be appropriate in its time. We have much more information today that allows richer historical context. We know that the Robson era was using separate recordings of drama as its main practice, and recording other broadcast elements separately. Only the drama portion of this episode was finished, but the recording never had the other components, such as the George Walsh introductions and the William N. Robson monologue, were likely never done.

Because it was never broadcast, it still appropriate that it has a date. It is a good assumption that the episode was actually planned for 1958-09-28. It is believed that this broadcast was to be a “victory lap” and offer of congratulations for sound effects artist Tom Hanley, author of the script. It was his first, and won an award from the Writer’s Guild. Fellow practitioners Gus Bayz and Ross Murray wrote many scripts, but Hanley’s rookie outing earned a recognition they did not have.

To read the complete backstory on this episode, please visit https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2025-06-23T05:00:00-04:00&max-results=7

SUSPENSE from CBS, preserved by the AFRS. Intended for broadcast on Nov 30, 1958 "Misfire." A well-written story (by CBS sound effects man Tom Hanley) about an atomic-bomb test that fails to detonate because of a small wrench caught in the door. The program closing was never recorded. The program was previously produced on "Suspense" on October 6, 1957. Narrator William Conrad, John Dehner, produced and directed by William N. Robson, written by Tom Hanley, announcer George Walsh.
 

MAIL CALL from the Armed Forces Radio Service on Jan 09, 1943 #19. Judy Garland sings "I Never Knew," then teaches Jose Iturbi to swing. Betty Grable appears as Groucho's mother! M.C. Groucho Marx, with Betty Grable, Judy Garland, Jose Iturbi, Phil Silvers, Rags Ragland, announcer Bill Goodwin.

THE CHARLIE MCCARTHY SHOW from NBC on June 21, 1942 for Chase and Sanborn Coffee. Judy and Charlie go shopping for a Father's Day gift for Bergen. Judy's first song is "I Never Knew." Pierre Le Snerd, the French chef. Costello tells Abbott about the animals down on his farm, and his horse. Starring Edgar Bergen, Judy Garland, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Ray Noble and His Orchestra.

Our current Thank-You Gifts!

JEAN SHEPHERD 2023 – Flash Drive or Download $75

from the Dictaphone Collection

YUSA Volume 8 – Flash Drive or Download $75

70 2-Hour episodes from May 2018 to capacity!