20 Great Years of Radio, Part 15: 1952

1. Escape (CBS): This was another good year for Escape which had some unusual episodes like Robert of Huntingdon, which seemed to be a pilot for a Robin Hood series.
2. Suspense (CBS): At this stage Suspense was getting pretty deep into the Elliott Lewis era. I get the sense Lewis was desperate to prove his bona fides as a "creative" producer, which is why this year sees the first of his episodes based on songs. There was also an increased emphasis on stories "based on actual fact" which seemed to be a little envious of Dragnet. Still, despite Lewis' many deviations from Suspense's usual format there were still some great episodes in the classic tradition like The Death of Me, How Long Is the Night, Remember Me? and Track of the Cat.
3. The Jack Benny Program (CBS): This year saw the departure of Phil Harris from Benny as Bob Crosby took his place; eventually even Bob would leave as the cast simply dwindled away. Still, the series was still the strongest comedy on radio with a funny parody of Bend in the River and a good Christmas shopping episode where Jack wants to buy Don Wilson a gopher trap.
4. The Whistler (CBS): This was another good year for this strong mystery program.
5. Bob and Ray (NBC): While some comedy programs were beginning to fade at this time as money went away, Bob and Ray never needed much of a budget so their show seemed to get better each year!
6. The Mysterious Traveler (Mutual): This was the end of this long-running horror series, which certainly devoted more time to science fiction in its last years. This year had a good sci-fi story in Strange New World and a somewhat satirical story in The Haunted Trailer.
7. The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show (NBC): Although I miss Harris on Benny, his own program remained a strong series with a lot of funny sitcom plots.
8. Gunsmoke (CBS): As I've indicated before, I'm not really a western fan, but Gunsmoke is in a class by itself. This is easily the show's best year with one amazing episode called The Cabin in which Marshall Dillon has a chance encounter with two criminals who have invaded a cabin in the dead of winter.
9. Dragnet (NBC): Dragnet has a very steady quality from year to year. Much was made of the show's attempts to promote realism, which has arguably been carried forward into today's television shows. It's not a personal favourite of mine, but I can't deny its excellent production values.
10. The Black Museum (syndication): This is late-stage Orson Welles from his years as a Hollywood-hasbeen. He made a number of shows like this, but I feel The Black Museum is the best - it's a crime show centered around objects in Scotland Yard's Black Museum, with Welles hosting.