It's Sunday night again. Warm up the tubes for another 4 hours of classic radio programs.
Listen Live
Info
"The Big Broadcast is a Sunday night tradition for families throughout the WAMU listening area. Each week, Big Broadcast host Ed Walker offers listeners priceless recordings of popular radio programs from the '30s, '40s and '50s. Priceless, especially, for a man whose first sentence as a child was, 'Turn the radio on.' "
9/24-28/56 "The Meg's Palace Matter" Bob Bailey, Virginia Gregg (Meg McCarthy), Jack Kruschen (Bill "Willie" Morgan), Byron Kane (Byron Kay), Forrest Lewis (Tim Beasley), Bert Holland, Stan Jones, Bob Bruce, Austin Green, Harry Bartell ; Writer/Producer/Director - Jack Johnstone ; Announcer - Roy Rowen ; Musical Supervision - Amerigo Marino & Carl Fortina ; Expense Account Total - $221.60 ; One of the biggest, toughest, loudest characters I've ever met, a real two-fisted terror - and her name is Meg McCarthy. Byron Kay, Intercoastal Maritime and Life Insurance Company, Boston, calls Johnny for help. Meg McCarthy's restaurant, Meg's Palace Cafe, is on the waterfront of Cod Harbor, Massachusetts. Her restaurant is insured for $15,000 and her life for $25,000. Several written threats have been made to burn down her restaurant, above which she has her residence. When Dollar arrives at Meg's Palace he finds Meg and a sailor named Bill "Willie" Morgan, captain of the fishing boat Lilly-Ann, in a knock down-drag out verbal fight. After Willie leaves Meg speaks of him in fond terms. He is the beneficiary of her life insurance policy. Meg suspects that all of her restaurant competitors are responsible for the attempts to burn down the Palace. They include Clem Harris of the Silver Plate Cafe, Ernie Turner of the Manor House, and Tony Fortina of Irving's Chop Suey. Johnny receives a threatening phone call, telling him to leave or he will be killed. Johnny takes a room above the Palace, and orders six fire extinguishers through Byron Kay, and then interviews local law enforcement head Tim Beasley, who is self-appointed both as mayor and chief of police. Clem Harris is his cousin and he doesn't seem too anxious to help. Back at Meg's Palace, Captain Billy Morgan is ordering his sailors around as they clean up the restaurant they had recently trashed. Dollar goes for a walk and sees someone sneaking around in the shadows, and then he gets knocked out by someone who comes out of the side door of Meg's Palace. Tim Beasley finds him and returns him to Meg's Palace. The person who knocked Johnny out had to be one of Morgan's crew, since they were the only people in the Palace. The crew includes Montgomery, and Charlie Buttons. The next morning Johnny goes out fishing with the crew of the Lilly-Ann, during which he gets pushed and thrown overboard by powerful arms. He gets ripped up by the propeller and knocked out. Dr. Lionel Champion bandaged Dollar and splinted his right leg. The splint is soon removed, it was just the doctor's ruse to make Dollar rest a bit. Charlie Buttons has left to visit his sister, Sally, in Barnesboro. Dollar goes there. Buttons admits that he killed a man once, and that he was blackmailed into throwing Dollar overboard. Before he can tell Dollar who it was he gets shot to death by someone through the window. Johnny calls the Barnesboro Police Chief Walters to pick-up Charlie Buttons' body. Dollar and Chief Walters return to Cod Harbor and find the back of Meg's Palace in flames. It is obviously arson. Captain Billy and his crew are fighting the fire. The front of the Palace is so far untouched. Dollar goes in and finds Meg unconscious, with a bruise on her head. He saves her, but passes out with a burn on his left arm. He comes to with Meg at Clem Harris' place. Meg says she was struck from behind. Chief Walters arrests Captain Billy Morgan for arson and murder. Morgan's handwriting matches that on the threatening notes to Meg. Morgan confesses. He owed quite a bit on his boat and he was scheming to get that money to pay it off. Johnny admits to Meg that he had not seen any handwriting. It had been a bluff. (Meg McCarthy returns on 11/10/57, in "The Alkali Mike Matter")
10/27/42 "The Suggestion Box"
Art Van Harvey (Victor Gook), Bernadine Flynn (Sade Gook) ; Writer/Creator - Paul Rhymer ; Announcer - Ed Roberts ; Sponsor - Ivory Flakes ; aka "Suggestions for Boss' Christmas Present" ; Vic checks the contents of the box he put up for employee suggestions for the boss' Christmas present. Vic asks Sade for help with a project at home, the problem of the Christmas present for his boss, Mr. J. K. Ruebush. Sade says that she saw Rishigan Fishigan of Sishigan, Michigan. Vic is to compile the employees' suggestions on what to get the boss for Christmas. Employees including Miss Olive Hammersweet, Old Funny Joe, Irvin (the smart aleck office boy), Lolita Di Rienzi, submit suggestions. Included in the suggestions are personal notes.
5/11/54 "The Big Look" Program #247
Jack Webb (Joe Friday), Ben Alexander (Frank Smith) ; Writer - John Robinson ; robbery Woman is Badly Beaten Up.
3/13/60 "Unloaded Gun" Program #414
William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester Proudfoot), Howard McNear (Doc Adams), Georgia Ellis (Kitty Russell) ; Director - Norman Macdonnell ; Writer - Marian Clark ; Music Composed and Conducted - Rex Koury ;
10/3/48 "The Persian Slippers" Program #2
Gerald Mohr (Phillip Marlowe), Virginia Gregg (Madame Jeannette), Larry Dobkin (Pier Gilliam), Luis Van Rooten (Carl Delaney), Jeanne Bates (Norma Delaney), Gil Stratton, Jr. (newsboy), Frank Richards (barkeeper), Tony Barrett (Pinky), Jeff Corey (Lieutenant Ybarra); Creator - Raymond Chandler; Producer/Director - Norman Macdonnell; Music Conceived and Conducted - Ivan Ditmars ; Announcer - Roy Rowan ; Marlowe heads into the Hollywood Hills to meet Carl Delaney whose wife, Norma, disappeared 36 hours ago. Delaney fears that she might have committed suicide. A picture of Hazel reveals strange hazel eyes and soft black hair. Marlowe's rate is $25/day plus expenses. There is a horoscope on Norma's desk. The only clue Delaney can offer is that someone named Madame Jeanette called yesterday and asked for Norma. Marlowe learns that she is a fortune teller. Marlowe finds her in a bar, celebrating the fact that she is leaving for the East on the midnight train. When Marlowe tries to get information out of Madame Jeannette she gets angry and has the bartender throw Marlowe out. A guy named Pinky sells, for $5, Marlowe the information that the Madame made a call to CRenshaw 1929. Marlowe calls the number and asks for Norma. The guy who answered agrees to meet with Marlowe. His name is Gilliam and he admits that he used to be friends with Norma, but he hasn't seen her. He says that she drives a powder blue coupe. Marlowe and Gilliam get into a fight. After Marlowe punches him out he heads for the Madames place, and the powder blue coupe is there. Carl is murdered.
