Radio Retropolis

Liz and George have their pictures taken for their Christmas cards, but then can't agree on which shot to use.  Commentary on why I Love Lucy only did one holiday episode, plus we look at series sponsor Sanka.

A jewelry salesman is slugged and robbed of 20-thousand dollars in precious stone.  Friday knows who did it. He just needs to prove it. Commentary on the brilliant writing and performances and why this is a standout episode.  Plus, a rare Jack Webb blooper and the long, difficult road transitioning to television.

Superman and Bucky arrive at the former concentration camp where Bucky buried his father's letter to keep the Nazis from finding it only to discover it is now gone.  JR comments on his personal experience while visiting the concentration camp in Dachau.

Peter Lorre here plays an unattractive comedian in love from afar with his best friend's fiancé, and through an odd series of circumstances involving murder, with a twist, that leads him to act in a way he would never have otherwise contemplated.  In this version, the man who introduces our host Raymond just happens to be Peter Lorre.  Commentary on the dramatic twists upon twists in this episode.

A convict on death row asks to see The Shadow before he goes to the chair. He confesses how his crooked lawyer is planning an insurance scam. The Shadow goes after the attorney, but becomes trapped by an electric photo beam in a death chamber. Commentary on Johnstone's performance so far and the fact that this version of The Shadow tries to distance itself from the Welles' version.

Edward G. Robinson plays a man named Homer J. Hubbard who wants to solve a really, really big problem and believes the only way he can solve it is if he was...Edward G. Robinson!  JR comments on the star himself and the process of recording dual roles with one actor at that time.

Bucky, who was close to being drowned, decided to stall his fate by agreeing to reveal what the man without a face wants to know.   In the meantime, Superman races along the French coast upon getting his tip in Germany to where young Bucky might be.  JR comments on how the US alliance with Russia was coming to an end.

Liz decides that she needs a hobby, and the proprietor of the local arts & crafts store convinces her she's a natural artistic genius when it comes to sculpting clay. Special podcast where all commercials were left in including a special recipe for Jello Mincemeat. 

A woman kills herself after her fiance', a serial swindler, has disappeared with her $10,000. Commentary on this being the first broadcast in which Dragnet experienced technical difficulties.  Listen for the announcement and then the show in progress.  Plus, the Dragnet phenomenon from 1950-1970 and if the LAPD used the series as a propaganda tool to dispel complaints of brutality which eventually...

Superman is led to the Russian headquarters in Germany to get more information on "the man without a face" to track down Bucky who is being held captive and tortured by this same man in France as he refuses to give up the location of the letter that exposes the group looking to destroy The World Peace Organization.  JR speaks on post-World War II anxieties about fascism and global peace that inspi...

A woman is a suspect in a murder case in which three men have been strangled and pushed over a cliff.  Commentary on Mary Astor's wild backstory.  Plus, silent superstar Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's  scandalous trial of rape and murder that cost him his career.

While an old church is being repaired, a ghostly monk begins to murder the church committee. Commentary on the character choices the writers made in the Shadow with Bill Johnstone as well as the darker tone of the series.

Suspense breaks format with two lead narratives each recounting their versions of the events leading up to murder. The story revolves around a 1929 true life story of murder-suicide that occured in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  Commentary on stars Robert Young and Viginia Bruce.  Plus, the disappointing ending of what started off as a gripping tale.

Phillipe was reported to be in a warehouse on the docks.   Kent, as Superman, races to the location hoping to find him and Bucky Taylor.  JR speaks on the streaming results of Superman 2025 and news of its upcoming 2027 sequel Man of Tomorrow.

Liz and Iris decide to teach husbands  a lesson about looking like slobs, but ended up taking it a little too far. Commentary on the short final season leading to the creation of I Love Lucy.  Plus commentary on the real adaptation of My Favorite Husband to television and finally we discuss this new rising star Liz and Iris are very excited about -Marlon Brando.  

A woman reports her brother missing and although it's only been just two days, his disappearance was in an unusually suspicious way. Friday's investigation comes to a startling revelation. Commentary on the inflation crisis of 1951 and how the recession of 1953 was created from this inflationary period.

After Kent and Calkins place the sketch of the possible perpetrator behind the missing boy and Phillippe in the French newspaper, Kent receives a call the next night from someone who recognized the man in the sketch.  JR compares the Superman films from 1978 and 2025.

A gypsy violinist warns a newly betrothed woman of a melody she must not hear as bad luck or she must hear it forever and be forced to do what the music tells her to do.  Even kill.   Commentary on sponsor Palmolive Soaps, gas rationing during WWII, Mussolini and Hitler, and the #1 song on this day.

The 1938 -39 season begins with the departure of the two main stars with one new star and one returning favorite. Tonight, Sanitarium patients are mysteriously dying and being drained of their blood. Lamont Cranston and Margot Lane are summoned by the head doctor.  But when they arrive they find him murdered.  Bill Johnstone stars as The Shadow and Agnes Moorehead returns as Margo Lane. Commentary...

A simple hitch-hike turns into something much more sinister as a friendly game of "license plate poker" turns into a deadly life or death situation.  Commentary on star Gregory Peck.  Plus, why the ending betrays the basic style of drama which underlines the Suspense series.

Kent suspects that Phillipe may have left a clue elsewhere and was led by Dorio to a trunk in the cellar.   Just then, an explosion was set that took out all in that room-except for the fact that Kent, as Superman, is there to thwart it.   Does he do so in time?  JR speaks about the adult appeal of the Superman radio series.

After embarrassing them at a local night club, the girls decide the boys should take dancing lessons.  Commentary on guest star Veola Vonn.

Friday and Jacobs are in court as a suspect for robbery and murder is put on trial. But they are concerned the case has too many loose ends that may result in acquittal.  Commentary on the brilliance of Dragnet with sound, realism, and showing us who represents the audience in the cast.

Kent discovered Herbert Calkins was the man bound, gagged, and semi-conscious at the French address left on that note by the murdered correspondent which means Kent is on the right track.   But what brings Herbert Calkins from Scotland Yard into the mix?    JR speaks about Calkins reminding Kent he's not quite convinced he's not Superman.

A homeowner fears he may have disturbed an old, cursed Indian burial ground when he uncovers a skull on his property that seems to follow him around the house.  Commentary on why episodes as great as this are really special in the Inner Sanctum series.  Plus a discussion of the advantage of radio over television including a rare soundbite from our host Raymond from 1972.