20 Great Years of Radio, Part 19: 1956

1. X Minus One (NBC): This show produced many fine sci-fi tales this year, from the funny satirical program Skulking Permit to the oddball Junkyard. I'm also very fond of Bad Medince, The Lifeboat Mutiny and Pictures Don't Lie.
2. The CBS Radio Workshop (CBS): CBS' willingness to invest in a new version of Workshop this late in radio is a real treat as the series does its best to show how versatile radio can be. The two-part adaptation of Brave New World which opens the show is an obvious stand-out, but episodes like Ray Bradbury's Season of Disbelief, Stan Freberg's Analysis of Satire and the true crime I Was the Duke are all great radio!
3. Suspense (CBS): This year William N. Robson took over the program as producers. The number of commercials is annoyingly large but Robson brought back big-name performers and had some strong scripts. William Conrad gave it his best in The Waxwork and some other good episodes are Two Platinum Capsules, Game Hunt and The Prophecy of Bertha Abbott.
4. Bob and Ray (Mutual): Another good year for this fun, semi-improv comedy duo.
5. Sleep No More (NBC): This program is very low budget with little more than just Nelson Ohmstead reading stories over the radio. But Ohmstead was an amazing dramatic reader and he had a knack for finding unusual prose stories that virtually no one else was championing. His best episode is The Storm but I also loved Mr. Mergenthwirker's Loblies and The Man in the Black Hat.
6. Our Miss Brooks (CBS): The final year for this fun sitcom.
7. You Bet Your Life (NBC): Another good year for Groucho Marx's game show.
8. Gunsmoke (CBS): This year the series had some good episodes like The Photographer. I'm also fond of The New Hotel - or rather, the very funny rehearsal version!
9. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (CBS): Another good year for this series which was mostly still being done in serial format.
10. Fort Laramie (CBS): This was another western series from the creator of Gunsmoke and starring Raymond Burr. It was nowhere near as good as Gunsmoke but still a good radio drama.