20 Great Years of Radio, Part 14: 1951

1. Escape (CBS): This was another good year for Escape with a decent adaptation of Ray Bradbury's The Earthmen. Other good episodes included the mountaineering adventure Conquest and the wartime thriller The Island.
2. Suspense (CBS): This was another good year for Suspense which included the show's first appearance by Jack Benny in Murder in G Flat. There were also some interesting offbeat episodes like the prohibition tale Windy City Six. But the highlight of the year for me is Death on My Hands with Phil Harris, a rare dramatic role for Harris which resulted in its author being snapped up to write for Alfred Hitchcock!
3. The Jack Benny Program (CBS): This was another good year for Benny with the first of his skits surrounding the IRS visiting him (although every IRS skit was basically the same script with slightly different jokes). This was also the year where Jack went shopping for cufflinks for Don Wilson.
4. Dimension X (NBC): This was Dimension X's final year but it continued its high quality with some great Ray Bradbury adaptations like Dwellers in Silence, The Veldt, Marionettes Inc. and Kaleidoscope. I'm also very fond of The Martian Death March, a tale drawn from real historical tragedy.
5. The Whistler (CBS): This was a good year for the Whistler with some strong episodes like Christmas Gift and Man in the Storm.
6. The Mysterious Traveler (Mutual): This year included the Mysterious Traveler's most famous story, Behind the Locked Door, demonstrating that even this late the show was still a strong program. Some other good episodes included Christmas Story, The Planet Zevius and Hideout.
7. Inner Sanctum Mysteries (ABC): This was the end of Inner Sanctum. The series wasn't as sharp here as it had been in the past but there were still some good episodes like The Death Proposal.
8. Bob and Ray (NBC): Bob and Ray are an incredibly oddball comedy duo who are, I think, difficult to appreciate at first. Their amazing ability to parody radio with a great deal of ad-libs makes them a fascinating discovery for radio fans who want some unusual comedy.
9. The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show (NBC): Another great year for this very likeable sitcom.
10. The Halls of Ivy (NBC): This is an unusual comedy program which places more emphasis on the dramatic plots than the comedic beats. It has a unique flavour that's rather appealing, as are the performances by Ronald & Benita Colman.