Showing results by author "Black Eye Entertainment" in All Categories

Created by Irving Brecher, the popular family sitcom The Life of Riley featured the comic misadventures of Chester A. Riley, an inept blue-collar factory worker and father of two, played by screen actor William Bendix. Riley's wife, Peg, tried in vain to prevent her hot-headed husband's interventions, which usually ended in an embarrassing revelation. With a tendency to try and solve non-existent problems, Riley sought advice from his best friend, Gillis, but this only led to misunderstandings.

MGM produced 10 successful Maisie movies from 1939 to 1947 starring gorgeous Ann Sothern as Mary Anastasia O'Connor, a brassy but kindhearted Brooklyn burlesque dancer who went by the stage name Maisie Ravier. Along with the Andy Hardy and Dr. Kildare films, the Maisie franchise generated big returns for MGM.

Distinguished Hollywood actor Warren William starred in Strange Wills, a mystery-drama series produced in 1946. William portrayed probate attorney Warren Francis O’Connell, and the stories were told through him as executor of the “strange wills made by strange people.” Strange Wills are stories based upon actual wills gathered from courts from all over the world. Names, places, and time have been changed so that no reflection can fall on any person or persons living or dead. Only the sins remain - deadly sins that cry out from the depths of the grave for vengeance.

This collection contains 15 of the greatest drama shows ever broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio - including episodes of and many others. Relive the best radio drama shows from yesterday and the legendary stars that made them amazing in this incredible collection.

The Golden Age of radio had incredible mystery shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear their favorite Hollywood stars in spine-chilling radio mystery and horror. In this collection of 16 episodes, you’ll hear Lights Out! with Arch Oboler; three episodes of Suspense starring Joseph Cotten, William Powell, and Herbert Marshall; Mystery in the Air starring Peter Lorre; Studio One starring Glenn Ford and Mercedes McCambridge; and many more!

This collection contains 16 of the greatest science-fiction broadcasts from the Golden Age of radio, including episodes of X Minus One, Suspense, The CBS Radio Workshop, Escape, The Weird Circle, and others. Radio’s finest actors perform before the microphones in adaptations from the past masters of science fiction. Relive the best radio sci-fi shows from yesterday and the legendary stars that made them amazing in this incredible collection.

This collection contains 15 of the greatest science fiction broadcasts from the Golden Age of radio, including episodes of X Minus One, Dimension X, Suspense, The CBS Radio Workshop, Escape, The Lux Radio Theatre, and others. Radio’s finest actors perform before the microphones in adaptations from the past masters of science fiction. Relive the best radio sci-fi shows from yesterday and the legendary stars that made them amazing in this incredible collection.

Like its predecessor Dragnet, Tales of the Texas Rangers adapted actual police case files for its broadcasts. Leading each week’s investigation of an actual Texas Ranger case was the same Texas Ranger, Jayce Pearson, portrayed by movie star Joel McCrea. Because the stories were set in the present day, Pearson used the latest scientific techniques to identify criminals. Unlike Joe Friday, Pearson didn’t have a regular partner, typically working with the local sheriff instead (who was usually portrayed by Parley Baer).

In 1952, radio program creator Lawrence Klee brought The Chase to NBC radio. Developed as a psychological drama, the premise was that many life situations place their subjects in a chase of one type or another. A chase for fame. A chase from peril. A chase to beat the clock. A chase to escape death. The added twist was the question of, who is the hunter or the hunted in these situations? The scripts were fast-paced, starring top New York talent. The plots focused primarily on fear-inducing pursuits of one form or another.

In 1952, radio program creator Lawrence Klee brought The Chase to NBC radio. Developed as a psychological drama, the premise was that many life situations place their subjects in a chase of one type or another. A chase for fame. A chase from peril. A chase to beat the clock. A chase to escape death. The added twist was the question of, who is the hunter or the hunted in these situations? The scripts were fast-paced, starring top New York talent. The plots focused primarily on fear-inducing pursuits of one form or another.

The Screen Director’s Playhouse came to NBC in 1949 and became one of the top drama anthologies featuring Hollywood actors reprising their screen roles a la Lux Radio Theater. The primary focus of the program was the original movie’s director, who not only served as a guest host but also participated in an interview towards the end of the broadcast. Unlike Lux, which featured Cecil B. DeMille as a regular host, The Screen Director’s Playhouse had a different director every week. Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, and Lewis Milestone were among those appearing.

The Cisco Kid was a popular film, radio, television, and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his short story “The Caballero’s Way,” published in 1907 in the collection Heart of the West. The Cisco Kid came to radio October 2, 1942, with Jackson Beck in the title role and Louis Sorin as Pancho. With Vicki Vola and Bryna Raeburn in supporting roles and Michael Rye announcing, this series continued on Mutual until 1945.

In 1935, the DuPont Company chose to enhance its image by dramatizing great events in American history to an audience of millions each week on The Cavalcade of America. “Cavalcade” is a term used to describe pioneers who shaped the way America operates today. DuPont’s motto, “maker of better things for better living through chemistry,” was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation.

In 1949, NBC brought mustachioed Irish-American actor Brian Donlevy to the radio microphones as international troubleshooter Steve Mitchell in the spy series Dangerous Assignment. Mitchell worked for an unnamed US government intelligence agency whose boss, The Commissioner, dispatched him to world trouble spots. Mitchell’s assignment was to solve problems in record time and in accordance with US interests.

Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you...Escape! Escape, designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half-hour of high adventure! Escape was radio’s leading anthology series of mystery and high-adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 until September 25, 1954. Many story premises, both originals and adaptations, involved a protagonist in dire life-or-death straits.

From the pens of the world’s best-known and respected supernatural fiction authors comes The Weird Circle - tales of mystery, suspense, horror, and the macabre! Now, enjoy sixteen of the greatest mysteries of all time! The Weird Circle was an anthology of classic thrillers from the pens of the world’s best-known and respected fiction authors of the 19th century. The focus was horror and suspense stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Mary Shelley (among others), with the occasional drama by Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens, and George Eliot.

Father Knows Best was a situation comedy built around the Anderson family and life on Maple Street in the fictitious Midwestern town of Springfield. Robert Young starred as Jim Anderson, head of the household, husband of Margaret, and an insurance man by occupation. The couple had three children. The weekly radio script, although played for laughs, offered words of wisdom and “recipes for domestic happiness” that American families could identify with. Jim’s understanding wife Margaret was the picture of domesticity as mother to Betty (aged 18), Bud (16), and Kathy (10).

Information Please was a quiz show that aired on NBC radio from 1938 until 1951. Moderated by Clifton Fadiman, the show featured a panel of experts who would attempt to answer questions mailed in by audience members. Panel regulars included writer-actor-pianist Oscar Levant and newspaper columnists and renowned intellectuals Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran. Often, there was a fourth "guest" panelist, usually either a celebrity, politician, or writer. Guest panelists included Fred Allen, Boris Karloff, Rex Stout, Deems Taylor, Jackie Robinson, Orson Welles, and Basil Rathbone.

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs, airing from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955. Airing on CBS radio and sponsored by the Signal Oil Company, the Whistler (played by Joseph Kearns, Gale Gordon, and Bill Forman) was an ominous narrator who knew the killer's every move even before they did. The Whistler often commented directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. One of the show's trademarks was the ironic twist endings that helped serve as a payoff for the listener.

Convinced they could build on the success of the already released motion-picture series, MGM Studios hired Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore to reprise their screen roles as Dr. James Kildare and Dr. Leonard Gillespie in a syndicated radio series. Kildare was the compassionate, caring physician at Blair General Hospital, New York City; Gillespie a crusty, lovable diagnostician. Kildare reminded listeners each week in the opening signature.