Henry Aldrich- another comicbook story

drawn by Bill Williams

from  Henry Aldrich #7 (August-September 1951)

Old Time Radio~ Weird Circle~

The Weird Circle was a radio program recorded out of RCA's New York Studios, and almost immediately licensed to both NBC-Red/RCA [WEAF] and the Mutual Broadcasting System [WOR and W-G-N], It ran for two seasons, 78 shows in 1943 and 1944. It was mostly adaptations of classic horror stories. Noticeably absent was any music. Not using any organ accompaniment helps the show seem less dated now, but it also diminishes the atmosphere that effective music provides a good story, especially if its timeless music of an orchestra or even a piano.

It was usually delivered to individual stations on transcription phonograph discs. Here is the label from one.

    

 

 
 
  Farr Ice Cream sponsored The Weird Circle locally over Texas stations.

 
Here is an episode from 17 Dec 1944

The Blue Beetle (Radio Drama)

The exploits of Dan Garrett, a rookie patrolman who, by wearing bullet-proof blue chain mail, transformed himself into the mysterious Blue Beetle, a daring crusader for justice.

The Blue Beetle was created by Charles Nicholas. The character made his first appearance in August of 1939 in the comic book Mystery Men #1, published by Fox Features Syndicate.

The Blue Beetle radio serial aired from 05-15-40 to 09-13-40 as a CBS 30 minutes, syndicated series. Actor Frank Lovejoy provided the voice of the Blue Beetle for the first thirteen episodes. Later episodes were uncredited.

After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garrett joined the New York Police Department, but soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work.

With the help of his friend and mentor, pharmacist and drug-store proprietor Dr. Franz, Dan acquired a costume of bullet-proof chain-mail-like cellulose material, and began a second life, fighting crime as The Blue Beetle.

His calling card was a small beetle-shaped marker that he left in conspicuous places to alert criminals to his presence, using their fear of his crime fighting reputation as a weapon against them. For this purpose he also used a "Beetle Signal" flashlight. The Blue Beetle's reputation was not his only weapon -- he carried a revolver in a blue holster on his belt, and was sometimes shown wearing a multi-pouched belt after the style set by Batman. Also in the Batman vein, the Blue Beetle had a "BeetleMobile" car and a "BeetleBird

some episodes: (Click to hear)

Drug Ring 

Sabotage And Liquidation 

Murder For Profit 

Blasting The Dynamite Gang

Pete Kelly's Blues~ Dr Budd

PETE KELLYS BLUES was a early 1950s radio drama with Jack Webb. It was very "noir" , but much more understated than its contemporaries PHILLIP MARLOWE and othe detective types. Webb plays a 1920's "hot jazz" (sort of dixieland) musician in the bad end of town who gets mixed up with gangsters. Things don't end up all nice and tidy as in most radio dramas of the day.
Six episodes are all the exist, none with very good audio qualities. I think they are worth hearing. Here is my favorite of the group.
From Sept 19 , 1951

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Midwestern Hayride

click for high def version

I remember this being a big deal when I was a kid. Broadcasting was more regional then, and some great TV and radio originated from WLW in Cincinnati.  Midwestern Hayride was first broadcast before 1937 and was carried live on the radio each Saturday evening through the early 1970s.

It began as a radio show called BOONE COUNTY JAMBOREE (reportedly inspired by a similar show in Shreveport, LA)

The show moved to television in 1948.

 

At the show's peak there was a one-year waiting list for tickets to be in the audience (100 people was the limit for each weekly show).

In 1951, Midwestern Hayride was picked up by NBC-TV as a summer replacement for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows. NBC aired it each of the following summers through 1956, except 1953. ABC-TV then carried it during the summers of 1957–59. For much of its television run MH was hosted by Dean Richards, lead vocalist of The Lucky Pennies, a local singing group. Richards also introduced a "Polka Time" segment (geared to Cincinnati's German heritage and its local breweries) aired near the program's close until 1969, when he was replaced by Henson Cargill riding on the success of his hit song "Skip a Rope".

Other hosts over the years were Paul Dixon, Willie Thall and Bob Shreve, all Cincinnati mainstays , all part of the Boomer Experience.

 some of the performers over the years:

Dolly Parton
Red Foley
Shug Fisher
Porter Wagoner
Herb & Kay Adams
Vic Bellamy
Bobby Bobo
Skeeter Bonn
Phyllis Brown
Brown's Ferry Four
Slim Bryant
Jerry Byrd
The Country Briarhoppers
Cowboy Copas
Hugh Cross
Lazy Jim Day
The Delmore Brothers
The DeZurik Sisters
Little Jimmy Dickens
Smokey Duvall
Too Slim Bobby Simpson
Clay Eager
Louie Ennis
Sonny Fleming
Betty Foley
Whitey Ford
Geer Sisters
Charlie Gore and the Rangers
Otto Gray
Rudy Hanson
Ted "Gas House" Hensley
Billy Holmes
Salty Holmes
Homer and Jethro
The Hometowners
Louie Innis
Rome Johnson
Tommy Jackson
Grandpa Jones
Lee Jones
Judy and Jen
Junior Kentucky Briarhoppers
Harpo Kidwell
Bradley Kincaid
Slim King
John Lair
Freddie Langdon
Dixie Lee
Ernie Lee
Freddie Langdon
Bonnie Lou
Pa and Ma McCormack
Clayton McMichen
Joe Maphis
Sleepy Marlin
The Mid-Westerners
Carl Moore
Natchee the Indian Fiddler
Jay Near
Willie Nelson
Mattie O'Neil
Jimmy Osborne
Hank Penny
Judy Perkins
Prairie Ramblers
Kenny Price
The Kentucky Boys
Riley Puckett
Rangers Quartet
Brownie Reynolds
Dean Richards
Jerry Richards
Tex Ritter
Kenny Roberts
Jack Rogers
Mimi Roman
Buddy Ross
Helen and Billy Scott
Coleen Sharp
Billy Strickland
Swannee River Boys
Garry "2 Tall" Grammell
Willie Thall
The Lucky Pennies
The Three Ks
The Trailhands
Merle Travis
Red Turner
Zeke Turner
Tommy Watson
Tex Walls
Penny West
Joy Whitaker
Willis Brothers
Dom Rockin Horse Mason
Jim Wood
Helen Diller
Chuck Wright
John "Gut Bucket" Halcomb
Zeke and Bill
Jeannie Hogan

The ORIGINAL original Land Of The Lost

Almost anyone reading this will think of stop-motion dinosaurs on Saturday morning TV when asked about THE LAND OF THE LOST, unless you only know of that horrible crapfest with Will Ferrell.
  In the 40s, there was a radio program by that title about the adventures of two children who traveled underwater with the fatherly fish Red Lantern. Written and narrated by Isabel Manning Hewson,  the radio series aired from 1943 to 1948 on the Mutual Broadcasting System and ABC. Art Carney was the voice of Red Lantern.

EC comics published a comic book series, which lasted for nine issues, beginning in 1946. It was illustrated by Dayton Ohio native Olive Bailey.
Here is a story from the first issue:
(click twice to enlarge)