For a small taste of this great
series,
listen to the preview below.
This show comes on 2 CDs In MP3 Format
The Boston Blackie radio series, starring
Chester Morris, began June 23, 1944, on NBC as a summer replacement for The
Amos 'n' Andy Show. Sponsored by Rinso, the series continued until September
15, 1944. Unlike the concurrent films, Blackie had a steady romantic
interest in the radio show: Lesley Woods appeared as Blackie's girlfriend
Mary Wesley. Harlow Wilcox was the show's announcer.
On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio
series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets.
Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25,
1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H
beer.
Boston Blackie was a fictional character who has been on both sides
of the law. As originally created by author Jack Boyle, he was a
safecracker, a hardened criminal who had served time in a California prison.
Prowling the underworld as a detective in adaptations for films, radio and
television, the detective Boston Blackie was "an enemy to those who make him
an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."
While investigating mysteries, Blackie invariably encountered harebrained
Police Inspector Farraday (Maurice Tarplin) and always solved the mystery to
Farraday's amazement. Initially, friction surfaced in the relationship
between Blackie and Farraday, but as the series continued, Farraday
recognized Blackie's talents and requested assistance. Blackie dated Mary
Wesley (Jan Miner), and for the first half of the series, his best pal
Shorty was always on hand. The humorless Farraday was on the receiving end
of Blackie's bad puns and word play.
Of course a description wouldn’t be complete without those extra tidbits we
all enjoy.
Chester Morris gave the Blackie character his own personal charm: he could
be light and flippant or stern and dangerous, as the situation demanded. His
sidekick, "The Runt," was always on hand to help his old friend. George E.
Stone, one of the most sympathetic character players in movie history,
played Runt in all but the first and last films (Charles Wagenheim and Sid
Tomack, respectively, substituted for Stone when he was not available).
Blackie's friendly adversaries were Inspector Farraday of the police (played
in all the films by Richard Lane) and his assistant, Sgt. Matthews. Matthews
was originally played as a hapless victim of circumstance by Walter Sande;
he was replaced by Lyle Latell, who played it dumber, and then by comedian
Frank Sully, who played it almost imbecilic ally. A variety of actresses
(including Rochelle Hudson, Harriet Hilliard (Nelson), Adele Mara, and Ann
Savage) took turns playing various gal Friday characters.
What is so amazing is the influence so many of the old time radio shows have
had on our popular culture. You can find references to Boston Blackie in a
1957 Daffy Duck cartoon, Boston Quackie, is a direct parody of the serial,
with Daffy as the detective, who needs everyone else's help to solve his
case. Also, scripter Stefan Petrucha and artist Kirk Van Wormer created the
graphic novel, Boston Blackie (Moonstone Books, 2002), with a cover by Tim
Seelig. In Jimmy Buffett's song "Pencil Thin Moustache" he mentions Boston
Blackie. The Coasters' song "Searchin'" and some versions of "The Wabash
Cannonball" also have references. In five Illinois locations. Boston
Blackie’s, a bar and grill chain is designed with a dark Art Deco look and a
pulp style illustration behind the bar. You can also find a Boston Blackie
font by type designer Nick Curtis of Nick's Fonts in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
It is a bold blackface font, a variation on Old English.
In my favorite show of all time, Bewitched, the 1966 episode "Samantha's
Thanksgiving to Remember", Season 4, Episode 12, "Boston Blackie" is
mentioned in fond remembrance by Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne), who confuses him
as attending the First Thanksgiving with famous Pilgrims.
So grab a seat, your favorite beverage and enjoy
over 190 episodes and 80 plus hours of sleuthing.
The following are the episodes contained on the
two CD set.
XxXxXx 000 All In The Family
440623 001 The Rockwell Diamond
440630 002 Fifty Hunter Street
440714 004 The Star Of The Nile
440721 005 Black Market Meat Ring
440728 006 Polly Morrison's Gun Collection
440804 007 Alice Manweather Dead Or Alive
440811 008 The Missing String Of Pearls
450425 003 The Wentworth Diamonds
450502 004 John Walters Murder
450509 005 Cover up For Mary
450516 006 The William Blaine Vase
450606 009 Mrs. Boston Blackie
450611 010 The Oscar Wolfe Case
450618 011 The Sam Bellows Case
450625 012 The Larry Brown Case
450702 013 Blackie Jilts Mary
450709 014 The Worthington Pearls
450716 015 Blackie's Car Kills A Woman
450723 016 The Case Of The Three Way Split
450730 017 The Mary At Sea
450806 018 Hypnotic Murder
450813 019 Evelyn Jones Murdered
450820 020 Blackie Steals A Necklace For Charity
450913 023 Bill Cranes Attorney
450920 024 The Fred Arlen Murder
451004 025 Westfield Diamonds
451011 026 The Copy Of Diamond Bracelet
451018 027 Boxers Murder Case
451025 028 Richards Diamond Case
451101 029 Mary Disappears
451108 030 Amnesia Victim
451115 031 Murder In The Music Room
451122 032 Blackie Kidnapped
451129 033 Simmons Construction Murder
451206 034 Williams Missing Pearl Necklace
451213 035 Murder At The Movies
451220 036 TV Poisoning
451227 037 The Masters Diamond
460103 038 The Sword Swallower
460122 041 The Disappearing Body
460129 042 The John Williams Inheritance Case
460205 043 The Brandon Jewel Robbery
460212 044 The Congdon Ransom
460219 045 Harry Benson Murders His Wife
460226 046 A Vase Leads To Murder
460305 047 Tom Everett Murder With An Alibi
460312 048 The Colorblind Accomplice
460319 049 The Worthington Ghost
460326 050 Pierre The Designer
460416 053 The Baseball Player Murder
460423 054 The Stolen Car Ring
460430 055 The Frances Fielding Murder
460507 056 The Winthrope Jewel Robberies
460514 057 The Merry-Go-Round Murder
460521 058 The Blaine Brothers Pawn Shop Murder
460528 059 The Escaped Prisoner
460604 060 Three Witnesses To Will Killed
460611 061 The Disappearing Plane
460618 062 The Hooded Gang Protection Racket
460625 063 Gambler Joe Garland Killed
460702 064 Uncle Frank Murdered By Joe Parker
460709 065 The Skating Rink Murders
460716 066 The Murdered Truck Driver
460723 067 The Murdering Cuckoo Clock
460730 068 Mutiny Lead To Murder Aboard The Swan
460806 069 Jerry Williams Fixed Court Case
460813 070 The Diamond Smugglers
460820 071 Jealous Partners And Arson
460827 072 The Rockwell Diamond
460903 073 The Stolen Rare Book
460910 074 Backstage Murder
460917 075 The Apartment Swindler
460924 076 The Abbott Painting
461001 077 The Undersea Murder
461008 078 Murdered Show Dog Owner
461015 079 Murder At The Rodeo
461022 080 Faraday Shot
461029 081 Granny's Witchcraft
461105 082 A New Face For Joe Harvey
461112 083 Only One Way Out For Me
461119 084 Bill And Harry Fifty G Necklace
461126 085 The Lenny Powell Murder
461203 086 Blackie Goes To Jail For Diamond Theft
461210 087 Mary Registered Nurse
461217 088 Police Impersonator
461224 089 The Derailed Gold Train
461231 090 Carl Browning Cleaning Shop
470107 091 Jack Small Alias Bill Bigelow
470114 092 Blackie And The Fur Thefts
470121 093 The Search For Jim Gary
470128 094 Jacque Pierre And The Diamonds
470204 095 The Peters Mix-Up
470211 096 Jailbirds Murdock And Dawson
470218 097 7 Years Bad Luck For Florence Wells
470225 098 Joe Delivers The Goods
470304 099 Larry The Kid Vs Savinni
470311 100 10th Street Gym And Stolen Car Ring
470318 101 Sam Fishers Past
470325 102 Horse room Thefts Of Boston Blackie
470401 103 The Bus To Valley Junction
470408 104 Aggie Rogers Murder
470415 105 Phonograph Murderm3
470422 106 Millicent Bromley Kidnapped
470429 107 Baseball And Gambling
470507 108 Mrs. Petersons Insurance Policy
470514 109 Joe Adams Drowned
470521 110 Blackie Breaks Into Prison
470528 111 The Ghost Of Florence Newton
470604 112 Man Following Eva
470611 113 Blackie Shoots A Watchman
470618 114 Crooked Carter Brother
470625 115 Joe Nelsons Pet Shop Gambling Scheme
470702 116 Johnny Burns Imported Woolens
470709 117 Death Comes To The Harmonica Man
470716 118 The Randolph Construction Gang Bank Robb
470723 119 Blackie's Body In Wax
470730 120 Poetry In My Soul-Mayor Rogers Killed
470806 121 The Butcher Boy Gang
470813 122 Burning His House Behind Him
470820 123 Murder Of John Austin
470827 124 Buckley Protection Agency And The Murder
470903 125 Fifty Dollar Shoeshine
470910 126 Lighthouse Ghost
470917 127 Case Of The Exploding Car
470924 128 Old 86 Is Missing
471001 129 Death Wish
471008 130 Dead Aunt Sarah
471015 131 Joe Crain Hired Killer
471022 132 Mid-Air Diamond Theft
471029 133 Framed By A Fin
471105 134 The Old Shoe Clue
471126 137 The Murdock Gang Strikes
471203 138 Open Season On Henry Williams
471224 141 Where Oh Where Has My Mary Gone
471231 142 The Valuable Door Buzzer
480107 143 Riding Stable
480114 144 Invention Worth A Killing
480121 145 Kids Killing
480128 146 The Record Collector
480204 147 Blackie Loves Helen
480211 148 Wind Blows West
480218 149 Five Bullets In Don Anderson
480225 150 The Twin Murders
480303 151 Cobb's Trucking Company
480310 152 50000 For Blackie
480317 153 The William Larson Extortion Murder Case
480324 154 Wrestling Ring Murder
480331 155 Tom Walton Escapes
480407 156 Clyde Winston Photographer
480414 157 Murder At The Circus-Rhondo The Magician
480421 158 Insurance And Wrecked Cars
480428 159 Bombing Of Joe Ingalls
480505 160 Jackie Meer's Prison Break
480623 167 Henry Walker Murdered
480630 168 Professor Beasley Is Murdered
480707 169 Diamonds Stolen From Kingston
480714 170 Blackie Framed For Killing John Cummings
480721 171 Heel Murdered By Sweepstakes Racket
480728 172 Rich Allistar Disappears In Vacant Lot
480804 173 Jack Davis Kills 2-Blackie Used As Alibi
480811 174 Bobby Rogers To Be Executed
480818 175 Mrs. George Trilling's Maid Is Murdered
480825 176 Robertson Poisons Wife Over The Phone
480901 177 Reynolds And The Stolen Goods
480908 178 Kingston And The Disappearing Building
481006 182 Marked Money-Joe Gatling's Father
481208 191 Killer Lightning
481222 193 Rings For Santa
490105 195 Disappearing Fourth Floor
490112 196 Broken Clock Murder
490119 197 A Boat The Viking Is On
490202 199 Mary Asks Blackie To Get Song Published
490209 200 50 G In Bonds To Be Divided
490216 201 Fred Palmers Dock Racket
490223 202 Archie Grants Club 77
490302 203 Fake Accident Racket
490309 204 Dolly Preston Calls For Help
490316 205 Kidnapped Murderer
490323 206 Sightseeing Bus
490330 207 Amadon Pearls
490406 208 Duke Murders Jo Jo
490413 209 Jewelry Store Owner Killed For Watch
490420 210 Madame Zina Fortune Teller
490427 211 Dynamite Thompson Murdered
490504 212 Joe Gates Murdered On Bus
490511 213 Information On Senator Given To Blackie
490518 214 Imperial Oil Company Racket
490525 215 Blackie And Mary Go To Canyon Dude Ranch
490601 216 Pudgy And The Stolen Tire Racket
490608 217 Ma Vie Perfume
We want to thank Wikipedia for some of the
background information on this show
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