Radio Recap: Defense Attorney

"Ladies and gentlemen: To depend upon your judgment and to fulfill mine own obligation, I submit the facts, fully aware of my responsibility to my client and to you, as defense attorney."

Defense Attorney was a half-hour dramatic program about attorney Martha Ellis Bryant (Mercedes McCambridge) that aired on ABC from August 31, 1951 to December 30, 1952. It was originally sponsored by Clorets, later by Goodyear. The series' other regular was the character of Jud Barnes (Howard Culver), a newspaper reporter who would assist Martha on her cases and try to date her (but she always put her career first).

I'm a little surprised there's so little about Defense Attorney out there, considering in 1952 Mercedes McCambridge won the Radio/TV Mirror magazine award for "favourite dramatic actress." It certainly doesn't help that it aired on ABC, whose old-time radio archives are quite possibly the poorest of all the major networks.

The audition program (at which time the series was called the Defense Rests) lifted its plot (and lot of dialogue) directly from the 1948 movie Call Northside 777, only with attorney Martha replacing the film's reporter protagonist.

I find Defense Attorney to be an interesting program but it's not quite my speed; I think Mercedes McCamrbidge was one of radio's most talented performers but along a narrow range. Her voice was so bright and youthful I find she lacked the toughness that would have made the character of Martha a credible lawyer. Too often when Martha launched into impassioned courtroom speeches I found her delivery too gentle.

You can hear the 13 surviving episodes of Defense Attorney at the Old Time Radio Researchers Library at this link.

Guy de Maupassant in Old-Time Radio!

Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was a prolific author of short stories whose works were frequently adapted to the radio. I've blogged many times about adaptations of his short story "the Horla" (including Ernie Colon's adaptation in Inner Sanctum and Guillaume Sorel's Le Horla). "The Horla" adaptation on radio's Mystery in the Air was my introduction to Maupassant. I wound up reading English translations of all of his short stories based on how much I'd enjoyed "the Horla." Very little of his work could be considered horror; there was a lot of dark comedy in his writing and his works tended to be rather cynical. How faithful, then, could radio adaptations of his works truly be? I recently re-listened to all the old-time radio adaptations that are available of his works.

"The Coward" (1867) A man eager to fight a duel faces his own cowardice.

• Sleep No More (February 6, 1957) with Nelson Olmsted
• The World's Greatest Short Stories (November 12, 1940) with Nelson Olmsted

Nelson Olmsted had one of those voices that could make the telephone book seem dramatic. Both of these dramatic readings are good and faithful to the original story.

"The Hand" (1883) A man keeps a severed hand chained to a wall - for his own good!

• The Weird Circle (October 14, 1943)

The Weird Circle was not very faithful in adapting stories - their adaptation of "the Hand" is pretty faithful to the horror of the original story but lacks the dark humour of Maupassant's original text.

"The Horla" (1887) The story of a man haunted by an invisible presence.

• Columbia Workshop (November 7, 1937) with Alfred Shirley
• Inner Sanctum Mysteries (August 1, 1943)
• Mystery in the Air (August 21, 1947) with Peter Lorre
• The Weird Circle (October 24, 1943)

Peter Lorre's performance on Mystery in the Air remains an utter delight and it's impossible to top a man whose range had no top, but the other adaptations tried their best. The Weird Circle and Inner Sanctum Mysteries both made the mistake of having the Horla speak; it's a heckuva lot more frightening without a voice. The Columbia Workshop has music by Bernard Herrmann that's very similar to the compositions he used in the Mercury Theater on the Air's adaptation of Dracula a year later.

"Little Louise" (1867) A postman finds the remains of a murdered child.

• Theatre Royal (January 16, 1954) with Laurence Olivier

This is a decent adaptation, although it negates the bleak ending of the original text, which is disappointing.

"Mademoiselle Fifi" (1882) A lone Frenchwoman stands up to German invaders.

• Family Theater (September 14, 1949) with Wendell Corey

Although this obviously had nothing to do with World War II when it was written, in 1949 it would have been on everyone's minds. It's an okay adaptation, but the original text is a bit too naughty for Family Theater.

"The Necklace" (1884) A woman borrows her friend's valued necklace and loses it, then ruins her life trying to replace it.

• Family Theater (June 29, 1949) with Edgar Barrier
• Favorite Story (October 7, 1947) with Hans Conreid
• Hollywood's Open House (June 17, 1948) with Martha Scott
• Railroad Hour (July 14, 1952)
• The Unexpected (1948) with Gerald Mohr
• Your Playhouse of Favorites (April 22, 1948)

This is easily the most beloved of Maupassant's stories and the adaptations are very faithful. I have to really highlight that Railroad Hour production as something different - the entire drama is sung as though it were an opera (music by Cesar Franck)!

"A Piece of String" (1883) A man pauses to claim a lost piece of string, setting in motion his downfall in society.

• Favorite Story (September 21, 1948) with Herb Butterfield
• Hollywood's Open House (August 12, 1948)
• Radio Hall of Fame (March 18, 1945) with Claude Rains
• Radio Reader's Digest (October 30, 1947 with Claude Rains

A very good story; the Favorite Story version is a bit padded but Claude Rains' two adaptations are very good as he covers the protagonist's mounting desperation perfectly.

"The Rope of Hair" (1884) A man searching for a diary encounters a ghost.

• The Weird Circle (May 5, 1944)

Some doubt whether Maupassant was the author of this story (as it wasn't published under his name) but it's widely considered to be one of his. This Weird Circle adaptation is okay, but takes such pains to explain everything that the supernatural goings-on are robbed of suspense.

My major take away from these adaptations is that Maupassant was a bit too saucy for the conservative radio shows of the 30s-50s. Still, most of the adaptations of "the Horla," "the Necklace" and "a Piece of String" were very faithful to the original text. I think Maupassant came off well more often than not in his adapted works.

Radio Recap: Box 13

Box 13 was a half-hour syndicated program from 1947 produced by Mayfair, starring Alan Ladd as Dan Holiday. In the series, Dan was a writer who sought inspiration for stories in an unusual manner - he placed an ad in the Star-Times: "Adventure wanted - will go anywhere, do anything - Box 13."

Initially Dan would check with the scatterbrained Star-Times receptionist Suzy (Sylvia Picker) to learn if there had been responses to his ad. After the first few episodes, Suzy became his personal secretary and remained in that role from then on; Suzy was there primarily for comic relief. Often episodes ended with Dan, exasperated, declaring: "Good night, Suzy!" It was a little too similar to how Effie was portrayed on the Adventures of Sam Spade - except Suzy was the dumbest of all Dumb Doras in radiodom.

Everything about Box 13 was very smooth and competant, with the supporting players all professional actors. However, despite the series' "do anything" premise (that it shared with Let George Do It), I personally find the series is mostly a beige haze with little to set one episode apart from another.

Yet some episodes stand out; in "Three to Die," Dan worked among sandhogs and was nearly murdered through the 'bends'; in "Death Is a Doll," Dan tackled a case involving voodoo! In "Find Me, Find Death," Dan was stalked by a psychopath who took Dan's advertisement as a personal challenge!

The Old Time Radio Researchers have a YouTube playlist containing every episode of Box 13!

Creator Credits for Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

In brief: We seem to have reached a state where, between this and Superman, super hero filmmakers are tired of retelling origin stories and would rather hit the ground running. Which, the film certainly does have a steady pace.

As always, this represents my attempt at providing credit to those comic book creators whose works were seen in a Marvel Cinematic Universe property. If you recognize something I missed, tell me in the comments. My master list of Marvel Cinematic Universe credits is right here.

Jack Kirby: creator of H.E.R.B.I.E., robot companion of the Fantastic Four; co-creator of the Fantastic Four, a team of four adventurers who attempted a space launch that ended disastrously when cosmic radiation granted them superhuman powers; of Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four with the ability to stretch his body to incredible lengths; of the Invisible Girl, Susan Storm, girlfriend of Reed Richards with the ability to render herself invisible; of the Thing, Ben Grimm, Reed's best friend and pilot, body mutated into orange, rocky form granting him superhuman strength; of the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, Susan's brother, with the ability surround himself in flames and fly, generating heat and flame as an offensive attack; of Johnny's love of high-speed racing; of the Mole Man, enemy of the Fantastic Four who considers himself an outcast, lives underground, wears protective goggles; of Giganto, an enormous green monster who serves the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #1, 1961); of the Fantastic Four wearing blue uniforms with a '4' on their chest; of the Fantasticar, flying vehicle used by the Fantastic Four; of the Thing and Human Torch having a squabbling relationship; of the Baxter Building, the Manhattan skyscraper which serves as the Fantastic Four's home; of the Human Torch shouting "Flame on!" and "Flame off!" as he uses his powers; of the Human Torch using the trails of his flame to create a giant '4' in the sky (Fantastic Four #3, 1962); of Dr. Doom, armored scientist garbed in green (Fantastic Four #5, 1962); of Dr. Doom wearing a green cloak; of the Thing visiting Yancy Street (Fantastic Four #6, 1962); of the Puppet Master, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #8, 1962); of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby being present within the Fantastic Four's adventures (Fantastic Four #10, 1963); of the Red Ghost and his Super Apes, a Russian spy with superhuman powers who battles the Fantastic Four with his superhuman ape companions; of the Fantastic Four visiting Earth's moon (Fantastic Four #13, 1963); of the Fantastic Four as celebrities with their own fan club (Fantastic Four #14, 1963); of the Mad Thinker, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #15, 1963); of the Invisible Girl gaining the ability to generate a force field; of the Thing going into battle yelling, "It's clobbering time!"; of Subterranea, the underground kingdom ruled by the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #22, 1964); of Diablo, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #30, 1964); of Susan and Johnny's mother dying in a car accident when they were teenagers, the incident traumatizing their father (Fantastic Four #32, 1964); of Galactus, immense cosmic being who devours planets, opposes the Fantastic Four when he attempts to devour Earth; of Galactus' spherical spaceship used for consuming planets; of the Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus, wields the Power Cosmic, flies through space upon a surfboard (Fantastic Four #48, 1966); of the Silver Surfer turning against Galactus and helping the Fantastic Four save their planet from being devoured (Fantastic Four #50, 1966); of Galactus' blue bodysuit (Fantastic Four #74, 1968); of Susan and Reed's son named as Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four #94, 1970); of Latveria, European nation (Fantastic Four Annual #2, 1964); of Reed Richards and Susan Storm being married (Fantastic Four Annual #3, 1965); of Susan announcing her pregnancy to her family (Fantastic Four Annual #5, 1967); of Susan giving birth to she and Reed's son (Fantastic Four Annual #6, 1968); of a female version of the Silver Surfer (Silver Surfer, 1978); of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962); of Galactus being the last survivor of the previous universe's existence (Thor #162, 1969)

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Fantastic Four, a team of four adventurers who attempted a space launch that ended disastrously when cosmic radiation granted them superhuman powers; of Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four with the ability to stretch his body to incredible lengths; of the Invisible Girl, Susan Storm, girlfriend of Reed Richards with the ability to render herself invisible; of the Thing, Ben Grimm, Reed's best friend and pilot, body mutated into orange, rocky form granting him superhuman strength; of the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, Susan's brother, with the ability surround himself in flames and fly, generating heat and flame as an offensive attack; of Johnny's love of high-speed racing; of the Mole Man, enemy of the Fantastic Four who considers himself an outcast, lives underground, wears protective goggles; of Giganto, an enormous green monster who serves the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #1, 1961); of the Fantastic Four wearing blue uniforms with a '4' on their chest; of the Fantasticar, flying vehicle used by the Fantastic Four; of the Thing and Human Torch having a squabbling relationship; of the Baxter Building, the Manhattan skyscraper which serves as the Fantastic Four's home; of the Human Torch shouting "Flame on!" and "Flame off!" as he uses his powers; of the Human Torch using the trails of his flame to create a giant '4' in the sky (Fantastic Four #3, 1962); of Dr. Doom, armored scientist garbed in green (Fantastic Four #5, 1962); of Dr. Doom wearing a green cloak; of the Thing visiting Yancy Street (Fantastic Four #6, 1962); of the Puppet Master, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #8, 1962); of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby being present within the Fantastic Four's adventures (Fantastic Four #10, 1963); of the Red Ghost and his Super Apes, a Russian spy with superhuman powers who battles the Fantastic Four with his superhuman ape companions; of the Fantastic Four visiting Earth's moon (Fantastic Four #13, 1963); of the Fantastic Four as celebrities with their own fan club (Fantastic Four #14, 1963); of the Mad Thinker, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #15, 1963); of the Invisible Girl gaining the ability to generate a force field; of the Thing going into battle yelling, "It's clobbering time!"; of Subterranea, the underground kingdom ruled by the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #22, 1964); of Diablo, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #30, 1964); of Susan and Johnny's mother dying in a car accident when they were teenagers, the incident traumatizing their father (Fantastic Four #32, 1964); of Galactus, immense cosmic being who devours planets, opposes the Fantastic Four when he attempts to devour Earth; of Galactus' spherical spaceship used for consuming planets; of the Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus, wields the Power Cosmic, flies through space upon a surfboard (Fantastic Four #48, 1966); of the Silver Surfer turning against Galactus and helping the Fantastic Four save their planet from being devoured (Fantastic Four #50, 1966); of Galactus' blue bodysuit (Fantastic Four #74, 1968); of Susan and Reed's son named as Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four #94, 1970); of Latveria, European nation (Fantastic Four Annual #2, 1964); of Reed Richards and Susan Storm being married (Fantastic Four Annual #3, 1965); of Susan announcing her pregnancy to her family (Fantastic Four Annual #5, 1967); of Susan giving birth to she and Reed's son (Fantastic Four Annual #6, 1968); of Shalla-Bal, an extraterrestrial woman whose world Zenn-La was threatened by Galactus, connected to the Silver Surfer; of the Silver Surfer's world Zenn-La threatened by Galactus, choosing to become Galactus' herald in order to spare the planet (Silver Surfer #1, 1968); of a female version of the Silver Surfer (Silver Surfer, 1978); of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962); of Galactus being the last survivor of the previous universe's existence (Thor #162, 1969)

John Buscema: co-creator of Franklin Richards having vast cosmic powers (Fantastic Four #130, 1973); of Shalla-Bal, an extraterrestrial woman whose world Zenn-La was threatened by Galactus, connected to the Silver Surfer; of the Silver Surfer's world Zenn-La threatened by Galactus, choosing to become Galactus' herald in order to spare the planet (Silver Surfer #1, 1968)

John Byrne: creator of the Fantastic Four wearing costumes with a white neck (Fantastic Four #256, 1983); of Susan Storm calling herself the Invisible Woman (Fantastic Four #283, 1985); co-creator of Yancy Street as Ben Grimm's original borough (the Thing #1, 1983)

Carl Burgos: creator of the Human Torch, a man with the ability to surround himself in a sheathe of flame, generating heat and flame and with the power of flight (Marvel Comics #1, 1939)

Jim Krueger: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

Alex Ross: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

John Paul Leon: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

Jonathan Hickman: co-creator of the Future Foundation, an organization run by the Fantastic Four to better the world (Fantastic Four #576, 2010)

Dale Eaglesham: co-creator of the Future Foundation, an organization run by the Fantastic Four to better the world (Fantastic Four #576, 2010)

Tom DeFalco: co-creator of the Invisible Woman's force field being so powerful it can repel cosmic beings (Fantastic Four #400, 1995)

Paul Ryan: co-creator of the Invisible Woman's force field being so powerful it can repel cosmic beings (Fantastic Four #400, 1995)

Brandon Choi: co-creator of the Excelsior as the name of the Fantastic Four's spacecraft (Fantastic Four #1, 1996)

Jim Lee: co-creator of the Excelsior as the name of the Fantastic Four's spacecraft (Fantastic Four #1, 1996)

Roger Stern: co-creator of the Mole Man's real name as Harvey Elder (Marvel Universe #4, 1998)

Mike Manley: co-creator of the Mole Man's real name as Harvey Elder (Marvel Universe #4, 1998)

Ron Wilson: co-creator of Yancy Street as Ben Grimm's original borough (the Thing #1, 1983)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962)

Karl Kesel: co-creator of the Thing being Jewish (Fantastic Four #56, 2002)

Stuart Immonen: co-creator of the Thing being Jewish (Fantastic Four #56, 2002)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of Franklin Richards having vast cosmic powers (Fantastic Four #130, 1973)

Radio Recap: Dragnet

"Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true; only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."

Dragnet is one of the best-remembered and still popular old-time radio shows of them all. It can be genuinely credited with altering not just the genre of police/crime radio dramas but the way in which radio drama was depicted from then on - to say nothing of the show's vast influence on television, particularly on Dick Wolf's Law and Order franchise. The original radio series was heard over NBC from January 1949 until March 1957 - although the show's final original episode was "the Big Close" (September 20, 1955) and all subsequent episodes were rebroadcasts.

The series originated with Jack Webb and Barton Yarborough as detective sergeants Joe Friday and Ben Romero, serving under chief of detectives Ed Backstrand (Raymond Burr), later Thad Brown (various actors). It's kind of amazing that a number of early episodes of Dragnet feature appearances by Harry Morgan as a variety of minor characters; nearly 2 decades later, he became famous as Joe Friday's TV partner Bill Gannon on the colour version of Dragnet.

The show hit perhaps its finest note when Barton Yarborough passed away during the show's 3rd season. Rather than eliminating the character of Ben Romero as though he'd never existed, it was written into the first episode following Yarborough's death- "the Big Sorrow" (December 27, 1951) in which Romero was killed and Friday must inform his family. Amazingly, that episode was also adapted to the Dragnet television show a year later.

Following Yarborough/Romero's death, Friday's new partner was Ed Jacobs (Barney Phillips), then Ben Romero's nephew Bill Lockwood (Martin Milner and Ken Peters) and finally Frank Smith who was portrayed by various actors until Ben Alexander took over the role in 1952 and held it through the Dragnet television series and feature film.

NBC was not known for giving a lot of rope to sustained programs (unlike CBS) but Dragnet wasn't sustained for very long; after it's successful run of summer shows in 1949, by the fall it was sponsored by Fatima cigarettes, who covered the series for many years to come; Webb performed in the commercials, giving testimonials about how fine Fatimas were.

Dragnet inspired a host of imitators, some I've written about before on the blog, most notably the Line-Up, 21st Precinct and Whitehall 1212. It set off a wave of programming that sought to find new angles on presenting crimes with authentic details; it's hard to imagine shows like Night Watch or Confession being greenlit had it not been for Dragnet proving there was audience interested in such programs. John Dunning noted in On the Air that Dragnet was also frequently compared to Gunsmoke, despite the differences in style and genre. Listeners recognized that both shows were striving for authentic-sounding realistic programming in genres that didn't always strive for such versimilitude.

Of course, Dragnet learned from its predecessors, improving upon the programming choices Calling All Cars and Gang Busters had made, kicking to the curb a lot of the tired old tropes of police dramas. But then, Dragnet itself became something that was seen as a bit tired and trope-y; certainly, you hear a lot of the same voices in each episode and also a lot of the same character types - the sullen youth, the indignant suspect, the gabby woman.

Television came upon Dragnet quickly; the series Chesterfield Sound Off ran a pilot for Dragnet on December 16, 1951 with the radio script from "City Hall Bombing" (July 21, 1949) and Webb and Yarborough reprising their characters. Their own television series debuted the following month but sadly, due to Yarborough's death, he only appeared in the first episode. The television version ran until the summer of 1959, during which Webb and Alexander also starred in the 1954 Dragnet feature film. Dragnet returned for a 1967-1970 run as a colour television program with Jack Webb starring opposite Harry Morgan.

Although Webb's particular clipped manner of speech had led him to being a subject of parody since all the way back to Pat Novak, for Hire, Dragnet's distinctive music, narration and performance style made it especially ripe for parody. Fortunately, Webb was usually a pretty good sport about that, giving his blessing to Stan Freberg for his comedy record "St. George and the Dragonet," even supplying Dragnet's musicians to supply the score for the sketch. Webb was also not above parodying Joe Friday himself in comedy sketches with Jack Benny and Johnny Carson on television.

However, the 1967-1970 Dragnet series brought in some less-than-affectionate parody, particularly because that series was essentially the same as the 1951-1959 series, only in colour. It was seen as hopelessly behind-the-times and out-of-touch, especially in its attempts to depict the ill effects of drug use (a long-time Dragnet staple), which tended to result in ridiculously hammy performances by the actors portraying addicts. Perhaps that's why the next time Dragnet was revived it was as a parody - the 1987 Dan Ackroyd/Tom Hanks comedy film (with Harry Morgan reprising his role from the '67-70 series). Of course, Jack Webb had died in 1982; he didn't see what had become of the franchise that made him famous.

Dragnet continued to be revived and for all I know, even as I type this, someone in Hollywood is trying to bring it back again. It came back in 1989 as a syndicated series starring Jeff Osterhage and Bernard White as brand-new protagonists; that series is mostly forgotten now. In 2003, Dick Wolf (whose Law and Order franchise had looked to Dragnet for inspiration) revived the series with Ed O'Neill and Ethan Embry as Friday and Smith; it lasted two very truncated seasons.

I'm particularly partial to the first year of Dragnet; the emphasis on action is a little bit stronger and I find Barton Yarborough to be Webb's best sidekick, his vocal twang being endlessly fun to listen to (I also appreciate hearing Raymond Burr in the majority of episodes). To me, the best of the early days include "the Werewolf" (June 17, 1949), the police impersonator in "the Red Light Bandit" (July 14, 1949), the mad bomber who tries to blow up city hall in "City Hall Bombing" (July 21, 1949) and the emotional Christmas episode ".22 Rifle for Christmas" (December 22, 1949).

The rest of Dragnet is good - the quality of the series' production values, writing and performances don't vary much across the years, even as Webb moved on to other partners for Joe Friday. Some episodes I enjoy include: Friday trying to prevent a suicide "the Big Jump" (January 11, 1951); the horrific fate of neglected children "the Big Children" (February 1, 1951); Friday and Romero interrogating a suspect who has a lot to say "the Big Cast" (February 8, 1951); Joe being injured, causing Ben to assume the lead and narration "the Big Ben" (March 15, 1951); an apparent suicide investigation "the Big Casing" (May 3, 1951); the two-part "The Big Mask" featuring an elusive masked bandit (December 28, 1952 and January 4, 1953; and the show's more heart-warming Christmas episode "the Big Little Jesus" (December 22, 1953).

I think it's a shame Webb decided at some stage that every episode should be "the Big"-something. It's harder to recommend Dragnet to fellow OTR fans when it takes so much work to figure out which of the 300+ episodes were the good ones; I think Webb wanted the titles to be stark, but they're also rather bland.

There are hundreds of Dragnet episodes online; some are network versions, others are clipped versions from the Armed Forces. Here's the Old Time Radio Researchers' YouTube playlist:

"But... we're so close to the miracle!" Usagi Yojimbo: Ten Thousand Plums review

Usagi Yojimbo: Ten Thousand Plums is the most recent entry in Stan Sakai's long-lived Usagi Yojimbo series. The series came back to Dark Horse Comics in 2023 but instead of an ongoing series, it's now a series of limited series.

However, Stan Sakai still writes Usagi Yojimbo the same way; although Usagi Yojimbo: Ten Thousand Plums is a five-issue mini-series, it is not a five-issue story! It's actually a three-issue story ("Ten Thousand Plums") followed by a two-issue story ("Tabo"). As before, Stan Sakai wrote, drew and lettered the series; Emi Fujii is the current colourist.

In "Ten Thousand Plums," Usagi, his cousin Yukichi and their friend Gen visited the Valley of Ten Thousand Plum Trees, where a massive grove of plum trees belonging to the shogun is kept. However, a supernatural fox who was wronged by the locals in the past plots vengeance by destroying the grove.

In "Tabo," Usagi and Yukichi travel with a number of pilgrims headed to a Buddhist shrine - but these pilgrims aren't Buddhists, they're Christians who believe the shrine is actually celebrating the Biblical Mary and that the shrine's statue can perform miracles. This brings up matters concerning Christians in feudal Japan that the Usagi Yojimbo series has visited before, as in Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden. And since this is a world where many supernatural things exist, the characters have good reason to believe in the miracles!

The most touching part of "Tabo," however, is the afterword, where Stan describes his brother, who had recently passed away and inspired the titular Tabo of his story.

Usagi Yojimbo remains one my greatest delights in today's comic books and I'm so happy Sakai has managed to keep the series running these 40 years!

A most honourable publication

Judge was a US humour magazine that ran from October 29, 1881 until October, 1947. It was a weekly publication for most of its history but during the Great Depression, it became a monthly series as of 1932. It started out as a 16-page publication but went to 24 pages in 1910 and up to 36 in 1919; Christmas issues were much larger (sometimes up to 84 pages). Typically the front and back covers were in colour along with the 2-page centerspread illustration; by the 1910s, more of the interior started to feature colour (and the centerspreads were phased out) but it remained mostly black and white.

Judge grew out of the humour magazine Puck and most of its original staff of cartoonists had previously been published in that magazine; Judge wound up outliving Puck by quite a margin. Comparing early Judge issues to contemporaneous issues of Puck, you'll find the layout and format are practically identical; Judge eventually found a format all its own (which Life then copied to some extent). Judge was initially fairly political; the centerspread cartoon and covers for the first few decades were usually a work of political commentary or satire, but the magazine seemed much less interested in political fare after World War I (though never entirely out of it).

I became interested in examining Judge because it contained a lot of cartoons and some of the names are still known to fans of early comic strips: Bill Holman, R. B. Fuller, C. W. Kahles, John Randolph Bray, James Montgomery Flagg, Milt Gross, Art Helfant, Marge, Percy Crosby, Frank Beaven, Art Young, John Held Jr., S. J. Perelman, Otto Soglow; there's also quite a lot of early work by Dr. Seuss (the book Just What the Doctor Disordered is still in-print and contains many of Seuss' cartoons for Judge).

Initially, the magazine's top cartoonist was Eugene Zimmerman (aka "Zim"). Zimmerman stuck with Judge for decades, up to 1931. Zimmerman had a huge influence on the look of the cartoons and it seems clear to me that cartoonist T. S. Sullivant deliberately tried to copy his style (R. B. Fuller's early work for Judge also looked like Zimmerman's, but he grew out of it quickly). Grant E. Hamilton was the magazine's art editor for the first few decades and also contributed a lot of art to the magazine. Bernhard Gillam contributed most of the early years' covers and centerspreads, with his brother Victor Gillam following in his footsteps.

I've looked at issues from every year of Judge's publication and the trends across time are interesting to observe. Throughout the years of Prohibition, Judge mocked it mercilessly; there were many, many cartoons celebrating liquor and noting that everyone was drinking it, regardless of the law. A more unusual trend were the jokes about automobiles from around 1900-1930; it was pretty common to see more than one cartoon per issue about a pedestrian being hit by a car.

Another interesting trend is that in the magazine's early years, from time to time they ran cartoons with talking animals, particularly by H. C. Greening, Gus Dirks and John Randolph Bray; in the early 20s, Charles A. Hughes even had a recurring feature called Hughes' Zoo. I noticed the talking animal cartoons mostly disappeared after Norman Anthony became editor.

Judge loved golf, so much so that in the 1920s they usually gave over 2 pages to articles and cartoons about golf. I was also amazed by the crossword puzzle phenomenon; I didn't realize crossword puzzles were such a big deal in the 1920s but Judge had entire theme issues about them!

It was also interesting to follow Judge's jokes about William Jennings Bryan. Judge was politically a Republican publication and always took aim at Democrats, but Bryan was the gift who kept giving, since he remained in politics for so many decades and unsuccessfully ran for President three times during Judge's publishing years. When Bryan immersed himself in the 1925 "Scopes Monkey Trial" (in what was the last year of his life) it proved to be one last gift to Judge, as they were able to mock him before a new generation of readers.

It was heartening to find Judge was very anti-Klan, especially in the 1920s when the Klan was at its peak; although Judge ran plenty of racist cartoons of Black people in their early years, they'd mostly grown out of it by the 20s and seemed to have no problem mocking the Klan. It's also interesting that while in their first few decades Judge loved to make jokes about the Irish, they never seemed to take much interest in cartoons about Asian, Jewish or Mexican people, who were frequent targets in other publications.

Judge frequently ran theme issues, particularly in the 1920s under editor Norman Anthony (Anthony brought a lot of great talent to Judge, including Dr. Seuss; he eventually left Judge to become editor of Life and later still Ballyhoo). The theme issues included issues where college students created most of the issue's contents (among them in one issue was Chester Gould, years before Dick Tracy!). Other theme issues were designed as mock-ups of other famous magazines like the Saturday Evening Post. A lot of the satirical content in these issues - especially the fake advertisements - point to how much Anthony must have influenced Harvey Kurtzman's Mad.

Of course, Harold Ross was also briefly an editor on Judge; supposedly it was his time on Judge that inspired his publication, the New Yorker, which has been credited with cannibalizing Judge's audience and leading to its demise.

Judge had a number of recurring features, the best-remembered of which was Nervy Nat, a full-page comic book story initially created by James Montgomery Flagg (later by Fred Lewis). Nervy Nat wound up starring in a collection of his Judge strips and was adapted into four short motion pictures. Another was Little Johnny and His Teddy Bears by John Randolph Bray, which started simply tying into the teddy bear crazy of President Roosevelt's presidency; when Taft took office Bray tried to keep it going as Little Johnny and His Taffy Possums (I'm serious) to considerable less success. Gus Dirks had a series of Bugville strips that eventually received their own books. In the early 1900s there were a lot of "In Topsyturvy Land" cartoons, usually by H. C. Greening.

One of the magazine's longest-running recurring features was Laughs from the Shows, which shared a few jokes from a popular Broadway comedy alongside caricatures of the performers. It was initially by Robert Patterson but Jefferson Machamer stuck with it the longest. Another running feature was Laughs from Other Lands (often altered into various similar titles) where they ran cartoons from other countries, often translated from German, Spanish or French.

There were also recurring features C. D. Russell's Pete (who got his own comic strip later on), Bruce Bairnsfather's Old Bill, C. W. Kahles' Yarns of Captain Fibb, Marge's Dotty Declares, W. G. Farr's In the Year 2000, R. B. Fuller's Scrambled History, and various features by Charles Forbell such as Unconventional Conventions, Club Life in America or In Ancient Times.

As a publishing entity, Judge also printed a number of books - not just collections of Nervy Nat and Little Johnny but also a publication called Caricature that featured a few hundred pages' worth of Judge text features and cartoons. There were also a few books of Eugene Zimmerman's cartoons and at least one of Flagg's. But Judge also published completely unrelated material, such as reprinting stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant and Robert Louis Stevenson.

I've enjoyed delving into Judge, it's been an interesting journey and I'll probably continue to sift through issues now and then -- the Internet Archive have a very good collection of Judge scanned from microfilm that's almost complete from the first issue up until the magazine changed ownership in 1940. Judge at the Internet Archive.

Columbo's Day

Over the last two years I slowly watched every single Columbo movie/episode, from 1968's Prescription: Murder to 2003's Columbo Likes the Nightlife. Columbo was a program I knew a little about - I knew it starred Peter Falk as a slovenly detective who seemed distracted and disorganized but was always working steadily to build a case against a criminal; I knew the "one more thing..." line; I knew the format would feature the murder at the beginning so that the audience was always aware of who the killer was (as I discovered, though, there were exceptions to the format). But I'd never actually watched a Columbo until I sat down and started with Prescription: Murder, way back at the beginning.

I suppose one of the questions I had about the series was how it functioned as a mystery program when the killer was always known at the top of the drama. As I discovered, that's the key to what makes Columbo interesting to watch - to guess at what vital mistake the killer made. Particularly during 1971-76, the period where Columbo was a regularly-scheduled program (as opposed to a now-and-then TV movie), the killer was often presented as the point-of-view character, with Columbo on the fringes (often Columbo wouldn't appear until after the first half-hour). Now, not every Columbo featured a great mistake on the killer's part; the lazy path was for Lt. Columbo to simply doubt the killer's alibi because of an unusual piece of evidence and then wear him down until he confessed; the best Columbo episodes, though, had a piece of evidence that was set up at the beginning that would come back at the climax in a satisfying way. The episode "Lovely But Lethal" had a particuarly great example of that.

Because the show often followed the killer's perspective, I did find myself strangely rooting for them to outsmart Columbo, even though I knew it was impossible (it's Columbo's show, after all). There are also many, many times I noted that if the killer had simply refused to talk to Columbo or insisted on having a lawyer present, Columbo would never have obtained the information he needed to force a confession (since Columbo usually had, at best, very flimsy circumstancial evidence). In the 70s, though, usually the killer's biggest problem would arrive in the last half-hour when they'd attempt to throw Columbo off their trail by committing another crime (even another murder) that would instead backfire big time.

I found the series at its weakest when it meddled with the format; there are some - particularly in the final years - where there isn't even a murder or where the murder isn't depicted on screen, which means the viewers weren't given all the information they were normally supplied with. Falk's always great in the role, but the 1989-2003 movies are a huge step down from what had come before. I cringed particularly while watching the final movie, Columbo Likes the Nightlife, which is painfully trying to be a hip 2003 program (with a soundtrack that sounded imitative of Run, Lola, Run) and the last thing Columbo, of all programs, should ever have tried to be was "hip." It's far more dated than most of the 70s episodes.

For my money, the best episodes of Columbo were in the 70s; my favourites are: "Blueprint for Murder"; "Dagger of the Mind"; "The Most Dangerous Match"; "Any Old Port in a Storm"; "A Friend in Deed"; "Negative Reaction"; and "How to Dial a Murder."

Throughout, there were a lot of familiar names I was happy to see; it was certainly a surprise that the first actual episode of the Columbo series was written by Steven Bochco and directed by Steven Spielberg! And I enjoyed seeing actors like Patrick McGoohan, Robert Vaughn, Dean Stockwell, Robert Culp, Roddy McDowell, Ray Milland, Leonard Nimoy, Martin Landau, Donald Pleasence, Johnny Cash, Dick Van Dyke, Ida Lupino and William Shatner to say nothing of before-they-were-famous appearances by the likes of Martin Sheen and Jamie Lee Curtis. Even in the show's twilight years I appreciated seeing the likes of Robert Foxworth, George Wendt, Richard Riehle and Billy Connolly.

I found I really enjoyed the "how catch 'em" variant to the whodunnit; I'd seen it done before in the play and film of Dial 'M' for Murder (note that John Williams played a very Columbo-like detective in the Hitchcock film version; Williams was also on a Columbo episode!) but Columbo did it so well that I went looking for other examples of the format in mystery fiction. It seems as though R. Austin Freeman's stories of Dr. Thorndyke from the 1910s might be the first stories told in that manner. I also sought out the short story "Prescription: Murder" was based on ("Dear Corpus Delicti" by William Link) and the first TV movie that was made from the resulting play Enough Rope. I definitely recommend the Dr. Thorndyke stories and, even if you've seen "Prescription: Murder" you should read the original "Dear Corpus Delicti" because it's got an amazing surprise ending that's different from the Columbo version.

I'm happy I took the time to watch the entire series, it was very rewarding.

Radio Recap: Dangerous Assignment

"Bagdad! Martinique! Singapore! And all the places of the world where danger and intrigue walk hand-in-hand! There you will find Steve Mitchell on another Dangerous Assignment!"

Dangerous Assignment was a half-hour espionage and adventure program that starred Brian Donlevy as the heroic Steve Mitchell, a government agent who would often pose as a journalist while journeying around the world. His boss was a commissioner portrayed by Herb Butterfield and Betty Moran played the commissioner's secretary (who was only heard in the earliest episodes). It was an NBC program and aired four years from July 9, 1949 until July 1, 1953. After the show wrapped up it was revived in Australia as a syndicated program with Lloyd Berrell as Steve Mitchell; the Aussie version ran 1954-1955.

Donlevy was supported by a number of familiar radio voices such as Paul Frees, Betty Lou Gerson, Stacy Harris, Peter Leeds, Virginia Gregg, Ben Wright and William Conrad.

Dangerous Assignment feels a bit similar to the Man Called X, another radio adventure series about a nation-jaunting secret agent duelling with communists but for my money, Dangerous Assignment has the edge thanks to Brian Donlevy's performance; he had a great tough guy voice but could also sound flummoxed and frustrated very well -- which Steve Mitchell so often was as he tried to solve each week's problem.

The Old Time Radio Researchers have about 100 episodes of Dangerous Assignment:

"We are also of the cloth." Superman (2025) thoughts

The last attempt to create a cinematic universe from DC Comics properties resulted in the pretty good film Wonder Woman in 2017 and, uh, a whole lot of forgettable detritus.

At this stage, having seen DC twice attempt to roll out a slow-burn universe that attempts to ground itself in realism, I'm definitely ready for a change. James Gunn's Superman (2025) is certainly a change; I knew from his Guardians of the Galaxy films that he had a unique take on super hero properties, but is he really the kind of creative person to help build up an entire interconnected universe of films? That answer is, thankfully, 'yes.' And can he front a super hero story around an old-school stolid property like Superman, the very character who started the genre? There the answer is, 'no,' which is why the film is peppered with people like Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho and Guy Gardner.

At this point, I think - as Grant Morrison did with All-Star Superman - that the story of Superman is well-trod and well-known so there's no need to repeat his origin story - which is Gunn's take. The harder part is to get his character correct; it's hard for me to pin down how well Gunn did in that aspect since Clark Kent is barely in the film (maybe that's because films usually spend more time on Clark than Superman) but he's absolutely the Superman of the comics, especially by the standard of All-Star Superman - that he's powerful enough to handle most problems but doesn't always know the best path for applying his power. And, of course, he cares deeply for people. David Corenswet has the right mix of earnestness and toughness.

As a launching point for DC's latest attempt at a shared universe of films, I like the idea of coming in with the universe already well-inhabited and with a rich history of existing super heroes and villains, to say nothing of the tropes particular to Superman (his folks are still alive; he has his Fortress of Solitude, Krypto and Supergirl; and, in a very rare development, the Daily Planet not only has Lois Lane and Perry White but also Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant, Steve Lombard and Ron Troupe, characters who are usually slighted by the films).

The film's version of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is a bit over-the-top - great for this film, but already possessing so many resources and such power that it's hard to see where he could go in any future films - it might actually be better to not revisit the character in this franchise. It's not the best interpretation of Luthor (Clancy Brown remains the standard) but again, it's recognizable as a version from the comics (All-Star Superman once more) and he has all the hubris of the best versions of Luthor; plus, he's loathsome, which creators sometimes forget is an important part in writing a villain.

I remain skeptical about the guest-starring heroes - they're fun and tell you something about how this time, the world is over-populated with heroes rather than totalling maybe a half-dozen guys. They distract from Superman, but they filled in some of the most enjoyable parts of the film. I am enough of a Mr. Terrific fanboy that I actually got excited when he donned a comics-accurate version of his leather jacket. And Nathan Fillion could probably make reading the telephone book entertaining, to say nothing of giving him one of comicdom's biggest jerks (Guy Gardner) to play around with.

I don't know if I'm interested in more stories set in this universe but I do know I like what I saw in this film and not against seeing more.

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 31: Eddie Bracken!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Today's Suspense episode is "Nightmare" (March 13, 1948) starring Eddie Bracken! Eddie Bracken was briefly a big comedy film star in the 40s and also starred in radio's the Eddie Bracken Show (1945-1947). This episode is from the era when Suspense was a full-hour program! This was also the third and final appearance Bracken made on Suspense (I blogged about both of them before: "The Visitor" and "Elwood").

Vince Hardy has a terrible nightmare one night where he's in a room surrounded by mirrors and kills a man with a knife. When he wakes up, he begins to suspect it wasn't a dream. Before long, he stumbles across the murder scene!

You might recognize this story; it was written by Cornell Woolrich (as "And So to Death") and was made into the 1947 film Fear in the Night with DeForest Kelley (his film debut). But beyond that, the story visits familiar tropes found in many of Woolrich's stories, such as a central character who can't trust their own memory (you'll possibly be reminded of another Woolrich story on Suspense: "The Singing Walls").

Thank you for following my Halloween 2025 posts celebrating comedians heard on Suspense! I hope to feature a series of similar posts next Halloween!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 30: Ginger Rogers!

Today's Suspense episode is "Vamp 'Til Dead" (January 11, 1951) starring Ginger Rogers! Ginger Rogers is best-remembered for being Fred Astaire's most beloved dancing partner, but she had a healthy solo career with dozens of great comedy films and an Academy Award for the dramatic film Kitty Foyle (1940). If you only know her for her musical/dance films, check her out in films like Bachelor Mother (1939) or Tales of Manhattan (1942).

Amy Watkins (Ginger) is secretary to a writer whose wife passed away under mysterious circumstances. It turns out Amy is the sister of the dead woman and she's there to expose the killer! "Vamp 'Til Dead" was presented on Suspense again on September 29, 1957 but without Ginger.

Tomorrow: Eddie Bracken!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 29: Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard!

Today's Suspense episode is "Too Little to Live On" (December 26, 1947) starring the husband/wife duo of Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard! This was the first of 3 Suspense episodes that starred Ozzie and Harriet. Ozzie and Harriet had been a bandleader and singer who made plenty of radio appearances together (most notably on the Red Skelton Show) then parlayed their success as bit players into headlining the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet on radio (1944-1954), film (1952) and TV (1952-1966).

The O'Connors are sick of their invalid Uncle Ed, who constantly taunts them about writing them out of his will, knowing they're only caring for him in the hopes of inheriting his money. One day he goes too far and they decide to speed up matters.

"Too Little to Live On" had previously appeared on Suspense on February 7, 1946 but without Ozzie and Harriet. Obviously, it wasn't written for them, so that makes their success in these roles so much the better; later Suspense programs would cast them as their sitcom selves (seriously, in one of them-- "Mr. Diogenes"-- they were literally Ozzie and Harriet) but this episode proved they had a bit of dramatic range too.

Tomorrow: Ginger Rogers!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 28: Gene Kelly!

Today's Suspense episode is "Thieves Fall Out" (November 16, 1943) starring musical comedy film star Gene Kelly! This was the first of 4 Suspense episode starring Gene Kelly (I blogged about one of them before: "To Find Help").

Kelly portrays Art Kramer, "a gentleman of most uncertain scruples"; that is, a black marketeer. Art wants to advance in his criminal organization but he's got some gambling debts to take care of. He decides to eliminate his boss McPhail and his debtor George, but his scheme hits a little snag.

This is one of the earliest Suspense episodes I've featured this month (it was before the show had a sponsor).

Tomorrow: Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 27: Eve Arden!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Well-Dressed Corpse" (January 18, 1951) starring Eve Arden! Arden had a lengthy film career in mostly comedy roles but was also a side player in plenty of radio comedies; she finally hit her most famous role as Constance Brooks in Our Miss Brooks on radio (1948-1957), TV (1952-1956) and film (1956).

Eve Arden plays Ruth Franklin, a woman who was named one of the "best dressed" women in the country; she strikes up a relationship with one of the "best dressed" men but he's not interested in marrying her. Incensed, Ruth turns to murder.

Arden's a very good dramatic lead - she could've done film noir if she'd wanted to! "The Well-Dressed Corpse" also appeared on Suspense on October 13, 1957, but without Arden.

Tomorrow: Gene Kelly!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 26: Danny Kaye!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Too-Perfect Alibi" (January 13, 1949) starring Danny Kaye! This was the first of two appearances on Suspense by Kaye. Kaye had briefly been a radio comedy star in the Danny Kaye Show (1945-1946) but did better in comedy films.

Danny Kaye plays Sam Rogers, "a prince of guy," whose best friend is getting married to the woman Sam loves; he resolves to murder his friend and arrange an alibi, as he's certain to be suspected. As the title suggests, his scheme works a little too well!

When you hear how downright goofy Danny Kaye was in his radio series - or his records, or nearly all of his films - you might be surprised to find he had some dramatic skills too and was capable of restraining himself; the plot could have been done on the Mysterious Traveler without any changes, but Kaye's performance elevates it.

Tomorrow: Eve Arden!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 25: Phil Silvers!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Swift Rise of Eddie Albright" (April 3, 1947) starring Phil Silvers! At the time, Silvers was slowly making his name as a comedy relief player in various films (such as the 1945 movie A Thousand and One Nights where he played Aladdin's best friend, a man who claimed he was born 1200 years too soon and used 1940s slang); TV would later make Silvers a big name.

Eddie Albright (Silvers) is a hotel elevator operator who likes to embellish his role to impress women. When he takes an elevator ride with some mobsters he has some legitimate news to share-- but with a reputation for "crying wolf" who will listen?

I think Silvers is perfect as an elevator operator, less so as a protagonist in a tense crime drama - he's a bit too easygoing to think he's ever in any real danger.

Tomorrow: Danny Kaye!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 24: Rosalind Russell!

Today's Suspense episode is "Consideration" (February 2, 1950) starring Rosalind Russell! Rosalind Russell performed in comedic and dramatic film roles but she's unquestionably best-remembered for Howard Hawks' comedy His Girl Friday (1940).

Ellen Forrester (Russell) has been using up their savings, upsetting her husband, who has been embezzling money. When he takes out a new insurance policy for them both, Ellen slowly grows convinced he's planning to murder her.

This was among the earliest episodes of Suspense I heard and I've always thought it was a very strong drama with an ending I didn't see coming.

Tomorrow: Phil Silvers!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 23: Red Skelton!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Search for Isabel" (November 3, 1949) starring Red Skelton! Skelton was a comedy star in films and in his own radio show (1941-1953). He was renowned for his ad-libs.

Dick Brown (Skelton) has a series of dreams about a woman named Isabel, a name Dick keeps hearing people ask for over the phone. Dick decides to find Isabel for himself to see if she matches his fantasies but discovers to find her, he has to through the mob.

I've never been too warm to Red Skelton's style of comedy but I think he's okay in this story; it's definitely a very light-hearted Suspense though, nowhere near as intense as other episodes I've featured this month.

Tomorrow: Rosalind Russell!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 22: Ed Gardner!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Palmer Method" (April 20, 1944) starring Ed Gardner! It seems appropriate that Gardner would appear on Suspense considering that of all the pilot shows featured in the first year of Forecast, only Suspense and Gardner's show Duffy's Tavern were picked up as series. Gardner played Archie the bartender on Duffy's Tavern through radio (1941-1951), film (1945) and TV (1954) and was better-known as "Archie" than as himself.

Gardner plays Joe Palmer, a forger who heads into the Spanish Civil War. He takes on the identity of another man but, as is so often the case in such stories, didn't know as much about his new identity as he should have.

Gardner's Palmer is very much the same type of person as Archie, if Archie went in for murder. The part suits Gardner, naturally.

Tomorrow: Red Skelton!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 21: Jack Carson!

Today's Suspense episode is "The One Millionth Joe" (June 22, 1950) starring Jack Carson! This was the 2nd of 5 Suspense episodes starring Carson. Carson's career was full of bit parts in comedy films, including Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). He also starred in his own CBS radio comedy show, the Jack Carson Show (1943-1950).

Al Jazant (Carson) is a public relations man who awards the 1,00,000th passenger at an airport an assortment of goods; the winner doesn't seem very interested in the prizes until he hears it includes a plane ticket out of the country. Al becomes interested in the unusual behaviour of the prize winner and starts to think he's running from the law.

This was originally a story told on the Philip Morris Playhouse, another series produced by William Spier. I find Jack Carson had a pretty broad performance style, even in drama, but the brash, big-mouthed publicity agent he plays here suited him.

Tomorrow: Ed Gardner!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 20: Mickey Rooney!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Lie" (April 28, 1949) starring Mickey Rooney! This was the first of 3 appearances on Suspense by Mickey Rooney. Rooney (much like Jackie Kelk and Jackie Cooper) was a child star trying to move past his squeaky-clean image; on the one hand, it never really worked out for him (Rooney was just too darn beloved for his Andy Hardy movies); on the other hand, the man always had work.

Rooney portrays a young good-for-nothing who's just been kicked out of college. Returning home, he finds his despised stepmother is dead and assumes his father killed her. He frames himself for the crime to spare his father-- but he might have been hasty in his assumptions!

The story is adapted from Cornell Woolrich's "Alibi of the Lying Son" from 1937. Rooney was very good in this episode, managing at portraying a character who on the one hand, is a privileged jerk and on the other, is a loving son.

Tomorrow: Jack Carson!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 19: William Bendix!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Gift of Jumbo Brannigan" (March 1, 1951) starring William Bendix! This was Bendix's fourth and final appearance on Suspense. Bendix's film career featured films of all types, but he was best-known for starring in the radio series the Life of Riley (1944-1951), which also became a feature film in 1949 and TV series from 1949-1958 (the first year starred Jackie Gleason in Bendix's role as Chester Riley). Although Bendix appeared in gritty films like the Glass Key (1942) and the Blue Dahlia (1946), he remained beloved for portraying the dim-witted yet well-meaning Chester Riley, possibly the originator of the "bumbling dad" trope in situation comedy.

While Bendix's other Suspense roles had a bit of comedy, this one is more in keeping with Bendix's film noir oeuvre. Bendix portrays the titular Jumbo Brannigan, who's just gotten out of prison and wants to reform -- but his criminal career has been idolized by his son, who's decided he's going to plan his father's future crimes!

Tomorrow: Mickey Rooney!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 18: Jackie Cooper!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Clock and the Rope" (May 9, 1946) starring Jackie Cooper! Cooper was famous as a child star, earning an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination for the 1931 film Skippy. Like most child stars, he struggled at proving himself as an adult performer; ergo, why not appear on Suspense to demonstrate his range?

In the story, Cooper portrays a man who was wrongfully accused of murder; as the tale unfolds, it's not clear whether you're hearing the story of how a man avoided execution... or a dead man telling you how he was executed.

Cooper came back to Suspense on December 5, 1947 to reprise "The Clock and the Rope." I think he's good in this story - he's comes across as guileless.

Tomorrow: William Bendix!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 17: Charles Ruggles!

Today's Suspense episode is "Suspicion" (February 10, 1944) starring Charles Ruggles! Ruggles had a film career that was a mix of dramas and comedies but he's best-remembered for portraying the big game hunter in Howard Hawks' Bringing Up Baby (1938); he also appeared in a lot of radio comedy shows, including the Texaco Star Theatre. Ruggles' first appearance on Suspense was also the program's first episode, "The Burning Court" (June 17, 1942); "Suspicion" was his 2nd appearance.

Mr. Mummery (Ruggles) is a newlywed who can't help but notice the stories of a poisoner going around - and wonders how well he trusts his new cook.

"Suspicion" was written by Dorothy L. Sayers, one of England's top mystery writers. Suspense presented it previously on August 12, 1942 and again on April 3, 1948 (but without Ruggles). For that matter, it also appeared on the Suspense television show and you might have seen it adapted on TV's Alfred Hitchcock Presents! Ruggles plays his part with a bit of humour but it suits Sayers' tale.

Tomorrow: Jackie Cooper!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 16: Donald O'Connor!

Today's Suspense episode is "Smiley" (August 14, 1947) starring Donald O'Connor, a musical comedy film star! This was the first of 2 episodes of Suspense starring O'Connor.

"Smiley" (O'Connor) is a young man who's very proud of his hands until an altercation winds him in prison. After he gets out, his mind has clearly snapped but no one seems to notice all the warning signs.

O'Connor's perfectly usettling as Smiley. His young, high voice, makes his character's mental breakdown all the more disturbing.

Tomorrow: Charles Ruggles!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 15: Jackie Kelk!

Today's Suspense episode is "Shadow on the Wall" (September 22, 1957) starring Jackie Kelk! This was the first of 3 episodes of Suspense featuring Kelk. Although Kelk had a wide and unusual career (starting as a child actor) he's best-remembered for potraying Homer Brown, best buddy of Henry Aldrich on the Aldrich Family; Kelk played Homer on radio and TV from 1940-1951.

In this episode, Henry (Kelk) murders his brother but is thereafter haunted by a shadow - which is to say, he's haunted by his guilty conscience. It's a bit like Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart" and Kelk is up to the material.

Tomorrow: Donald O'Connor!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 14: Milton Berle!

Today's Suspense episode is "Rave Notice" (October 12, 1950) starring Milton Berle! Berle had been a radio star in his own show from 1947-1948, then became television's first break-out hit comedy star in 1948.

1951 was a great year for Berle, as NBC signed him to a 30-year contract, believing that his tremendous TV success meant he'd be good for decades, just as the likes of Jack Benny, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope had; it turned out TV audiences were more fickle and he was basically washed-up just 2 years later but Berle spent the rest of his life mugging for cameras whenever possible; he was mostly hated by his peers because he would steal material and upstage co-stars.

Given all that, how did Berle pan out as a dramatic actor? Pretty good; Berle portrays an actor who murders his director. To keep himself out of the gas chamber, he tries to use his talents as a method actor to convince the police he's insane.

"Rave Notice" was presented again on Suspense on October 21, 1954 and June 1, 1958 but without Berle (the latter performance has Vincent Price).

Tomorrow: Jackie Kelk!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 13: Michael O'Shea!

Today's Suspense episode is "The Twist" (September 11, 1947) starring Michael O'Shea! By the 1940s, O'Shea had been primarily working in feature films in comedic roles. This was O'Shea's 2nd appearance on Suspense.

Gus Green (O'Shea) is a taxi driver who happens to pick up a comedy writer one day. This chance encounter leads to a him being hired to write gags for the radio. When the writer wants to call it quits and gets married, Gus comes up with a "twist" of an idea-- murder the fiancee and they won't break up the act!

O'Shea's character has a very light, breezy sitcom-like demeanor, which makes the dramatic turn all the more effective; O'Shea's very good in this episode.

Tomorrow: Milton Berle!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 12: Richard Crenna!

Today's Suspense episode is "Night on Red Mountain" (September 15, 1957) starring Richard Crenna! Crenna might be best-remembered to general audiences for his role in the Rambo film franchise but as a young man, he had a prolific career using his squeaky voice to portray a number of teenaged characters, most notably Walter Denton on Our Miss Brooks (1948-1957). He appeared on Suspense 8 times but not always in a leading role.

Walt (Crenna) is a former gangster trying to get away from the mob-- but when they discover his new identity they threaten he either rejoin the old gang or become their enemy.

The story (by William N. Robson) was originally presented on Suspense as "Nobody Ever Quits" (March 8, 1955). Crenna reprised his role again on Suspense on a January 11, 1959 broadcast. Crenna's good in this role and you could see it as an early indicator that he'd end up doing okay for himself when his comedy career came to an end.

Tomorrow: Michael O'Shea!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 11: Ethel Merman!

Today's Suspense episode is "Never Follow a Banjo Act!" (February 1, 1954) starring singer/comedian Ethel Merman!

Rosie Jones is a vaudeville performer whose new singing partner is a bit mentally unbalanced.

This is a pretty good showcase for Ethel Merman as a singer but I find it underwhelming as an episode of Suspense; the insane killer feels tacked-on, rather than driving the narrative.

Tomorrow: Richard Crenna!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 10: Dennis Day!

Today's Suspense episode is "Like Man, Somebody Dig Me" (August 16, 1959) starring Dennis Day, best-known for his singing and comedic roles on the Jack Benny Program but was also the star of his own radio shows (A Day in the Life of Dennis Day, 1946-1951 and the Dennis Day Show, 1954-1955).

This was a very late entry in the 20-year run of Suspense; it had previously been performed on May 25, 1958 but without Dennis Day. Day portrays a man called "the Tennis Shoe," a beatnik who goes hitchhiking then finds himself suspected of murder.

This is kind of like "Death on My Hands" (Day 2) in speedrun mode, complete with a lynch mob. In the prior show, Phil Harris was a jazz musician hated by small townsfolk; this time, Dennis Day is a beatnik.

Dennis' beatnik voice is actually kind of fun, it conceals the youthful voice he's better known for. However, I don't think this is the best version of the script-- the original version comes off stronger, especially at the dramatic moment when the Tennis Shoe exclaims, "won't someone dig me?" Day doesn't sell that line.

Tomorrow: Ethel Merman!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 9: Elliott Lewis!

Today's Suspense episode is "Joker Wild" (December 8, 1952) starring Elliott Lewis! Although he'd made plenty of dramatic appearances (many on Suspense), Lewis was also adept at comedy, performing on shows like the Jack Benny Program and being a top-billed star on the Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show. At the time, he was also the producer-director of Suspense.

The story was written by the team of Morton Fine and David Friedkin, two of Lewis' favourite radio scribes (they wrote for Lewis on Broadway Is My Beat, Crime Classics, the Line-Up, On Stage and Pursuit). Lewis' then-wife Cathy Lewis has the top female role in this episode.

Harry (Elliott) is a comedian who's tired of making people laugh; he wants to make them sad by committing murder (this is not me giving away a twist - that's the opening scene!).

I kind of hate this episode because it feels so mean-spirited. Later in life Lewis said he didn't care for his work as a comedian and I wonder if this episode (written by two of his favourite writers) was an attempt at lashing out. I find it a very miserable, sour program-- but it's worth hearing once, so you should definitely check it out:

Tomorrow: Dennis Day!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 8: Keenan Wynn!

Today's Suspense episode is "I Had an Alibi" (January 4, 1945) starring Keenan Wynn! This was the third of six appearances Keenan made on Suspense over the years (I blogged about one of them before: "The Walls Came Tumbling Down"). Keenan Wynn wasn't strictly a comedic performer, but being the son of comedian Ed Wynn, he came by his comedy bona fides legitimately.

Joseph Eichner (Wynn) is a reporter who sees a great scheme to make easy money by marrying a wealthy woman with a heart condition, then waiting for her to die. When nature doesn't seem to cooperate, Eichner decides to push matters forward.

This is a pretty good Suspense episode that unfortunately telegraphs the twist ending a bit too obviously. It's also a twist ending that hinges on an impossibly circumstancial set of events. But I think Wynn carries this story so well that I overlook its shortcomings.

Tomorrow: Elliott Lewis!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 7: Jack Benny!

Today's Suspense episode is "A Good and Faithful Servant" (June 2, 1952) featuring radio comedy star Jack Benny! This was the second of four appearances Benny made on Suspense.

Harold Fenton (Benny) is a meek, long-time sales clerk who claims to have been locked in the store vault while $50,000 was stolen. Actually, Fenton stole the money himself and has a near-perfect plan to keep it-- but one of his co-workers suspects the truth.

Benny's other Suspense appearances all have some element of comedy; I chose to feature this one because it offered Benny an entirely dramatic turn; he was actually good at drama when he was given a chance, but he had such a well-known comic persona that he seldom received opportunities to demonstrate.

Tomorrow: Keenan Wynn!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 6: Ralph Edwards!

Today's Suspense episode is "Ghost Hunt" (June 23, 1949) starring radio comedy host Ralph Edwards, best-known for the radio game show Truth or Consequences (1940-1957)! It's based on a supernatural tale written by Herbert Russell Wakefield. About time we had some spooks this October!

In this episode, Smiley Smith takes a tour of a supposedly haunted house, speaking into a radio microphone as he takes in his impressions of his surroundings. But this haunted house is for real.

Edwards is perfect in his part, especially as the tension starts to ratchet up towards the end.

Tomorrow: Jack Benny!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 5: Sheldon Leonard!

Today's Suspense episode is "Feast of the Furies" (July 11, 1946) starring Sheldon Leonard, best-remembered as a supporting player on radio shows such as the Jack Benny Program (where he played the racetrack tout) and the Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show (where he played Grogan, the counterfeiter). Leonard plays opposite Elliott Reid.

In this grim episode, Casey (Leonard) has been hired to arrange the death of Sam (Reid). Sam tries to reason with Casey and explains the circumstances that led to him being targeted-- but Casey is single-minded.

Leonard's tough guy voice was usually employed for comedic efforts but it worked just as well here in this dramatic part - this is just a terrific episode of Suspense all around.

Tomorrow: Ralph Edwards!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 4: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz!

Today's Suspense episode is "Early to Death" (April 12, 1951) featuring the husband/wife duo of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. This was the second time they had appeared together on Suspense (Lucille also had a number of terrific Suspense episodes without Desi). Their television series I Love Lucy debuted just a few months after this broadcast!

This time out, Evie (Lucille Ball) steals a fortune with her confederate but then Rico (Desi Arnaz) shows up demanding he get a cut of their profits.

Lucille Ball was always great on Suspense; I don't think Desi Arnaz comes off as well in his role (he's a bit too happy-go-lucky) but this is still a fine episode.

Tomorrow: Sheldon Leonard!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 3: Henry Morgan!

Today's Suspense episode is "Dream Song" (November 6, 1947) featuring radio comedian Henry Morgan, known best as the star of the Henry Morgan Show (1946-1947)!

In "Dream Song," Morgan portrays an author who is trying to concentrate on writing a novel when he hears music, apparently from one of the neighbours in his apartment. Soon he learns that each time the music plays, someone dies!

I think Morgan comes off well in this program - his deadpan mode of comedy suggested he had a serious side and that comes out in this Suspense episode!

Tomorrow: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 2: Phil Harris and Alice Faye!

Today's Suspense episode is "Death on My Hands" (May 10, 1951) with the husband/wife radio comedy couple Phil Harris and Alice Faye, stars of their own series the Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show (1946-1954)!

In this episode, Harris plays a character very much like himself - a jazz musician named "Dixie." While stopped in a small town, Dixie's gun accidentally goes off and kills a teenage girl. With no police in town, Dixie intends to wait until they return so he can clear up the situation-- but then a lynch mob forms outside his hotel, intent on storming the building!

The script was written by John Michael Hayes, a long-time Suspense writer, but after Alfred Hitchcock listened to the program he hired Hayes to work on his film Rear Window; Hayes left radio behind for the movies, meaning this episode of Suspense was a little too good for the show! I think Phil and Alice came off very well in this program; it's definitely a rarity to hear Harris in dramatic role, especially a story with such a daunting situation.

Tomorrow: Henry Morgan!

Comedy Stars on Suspense, Day 1: Jim and Marian Jordan!

Often at Halloween, I like to spend each day of October looking at a single episode of a terrific old-time radio program that falls into the horror or suspense genre. And what series better fits that descriptor than Suspense, radio's outstanding theater of thrills?

But this year, I'm looking at 31 episodes of Suspense that feature a leading performance by an actor best known for their work in comedy. This was an innovation Suspense fell into very early on, to use their program as a showcase for comedic talents to flex their dramatic muscles and demonstrate more of their range than what their ususal radio/film roles provided. Did it always work? That's one of the questions I'll be asking!

Let's start with: "Backseat Driver" (February 3, 1949). featuring the husband/wife duo Jim and Marian Jordan, better known as Fibber McGee and Molly, a pair of radio comedians (their show ran from 1935-1959). The Jordans play a married couple coming back from the movies who find themselves held at gunpoint by an escaped criminal who forces them to transport him in their car.

The Jordans come off very well in this story. I think it helps that as Fibber McGee and Molly they were always very laid-back homefolk- they're very similar people in "Backseat Driver."

The script was performed two more times on Suspense (February 22, 1951 and July 19, 1955), but without the Jordans.

Tomorrow: Phil Harris and Alice Faye!

Radio Recap: The Adventures of the Falcon

The Adventures of the Falcon was a half-hour detective show based on the character created in 1936 by novelist Michael Arlen. He'd been featured in a series of movies (1941-1949) and came to radio on the Blue network from April 10-December 29, 1943, played by Barry Kroeger; we don't seem to have any episodes existing from this version. The character returned on Mutual and NBC from July 3, 1945 until September 27, 1954. The Falcon was played by James Meighan (1945-1947), Les Tremayne (1947-1949), Les Damon (1949-1952) and George Petrie (1953-1954). Ken Lynch portrayed Sgt. Corbett, Falcon's friend on the police force.

The Adventures of the Falcon recycled a lot of the supporting roles and tended to give the same actors similar roles in each episode. They didn't credit their casts, but I'm certain I heard William Conrad, Bill Johnstone, Jackson Beck, Everett Sloane and Raymond Edward Johnson multiple times (Sloane played a heck of a lot of cool, conceited crime bosses who were practically all the same character); Larry Haines seemed to be in most episodes as well.

Beginning with "The Case of the Proud Papa" (June 6, 1951), the Adventures of the Falcon began integrating their sponsor (Kraft)'s commercials into the drama as at the halfway mark, the Falcon would visit the show's announcer Ed Herlihy at a lunch counter and listen patiently as Herlihy extolled the virtues of Miracle Whip in making salads and sandwiches. It was pretty common for comedy programs to integrate their commercials into their routines but it's odd and unique to hear them inserted into a dramatic show!

By 1952, the series' standard - which had been pretty good - dipped a bit as NBC seemed to have slashed the budget, resulting in a lot more stock music from their library in place of the show's previously modest organ music. The whimsical Miracle Whip commercials were gone too, replaced with stolid public service announcements. Those later episodes of the Adventures of the Falcon are just okay. There is some minor interest in "The Cast of the Dirty Dollar" (June 8, 1952) when the Falcon declares at the episode's end that he's quitting the detective business-- Sgt. Corbett doubts it and bets he'll be back next week; he wins that bet as in the next week's episode, the Falcon is called out of his brief retirement to become an international U.S. military intelligence operative, which is how he spent his last three months on NBC. Those last few NBC broadcasts are of minor interest because the show changed so drastically, with the Falcon now a jet-setting international operative and sounding lot like a contemporaneous NBC program-- Dangerous Assignment. Of course, almost every episode boiled down to answering, "who's the secret communist agent this week?" When the show returned on Mutual in 1953, the Falcon was back to being a stateside detective.

An episode from the later era with some particularly bad radio is "The Case of the Careless Corpse" (August 31, 1952). In one scene, the Falcon speaks to a criminal over the telephone while an associate tries to trace the call. As the Falcon and the criminal speak, the Falcon's associate can be heard talking in the background, trying and failing to trace the call. When the Falcon ends the call, the associate confirms he couldn't trace it. It must have been an attempt to sound realistic, like Dragnet, but it didn't suit the Adventures of the Falcon to have someone else speaking audibly in the background during a conversation. Robert Altman, this ain't.

I think the Adventures of the Falcon is, overall, an average detective show, but it had a pretty consistent quality that makes it easy to listen to. You certainly owe it to yourself to listen to at least one of the episodes with the dramatized Miracle Whip ads! I'm also fond of the Christmas episode "The Case of the Unwelcome Present" (December 24, 1950) which was the first episode I ever heard - it was a long time before I heard another episode from the series. That one is a delightful Christmas mystery show and I usually listen to it every December.

The Old Time Radio Researchers have a collection of 92 episodes of the Adventures of the Falcon at the Internet Archive.