Old Time Radio Listener

What does “have your cake and eat it too” mean? Having your cake refers to keeping it with you. This means you want to preserve the cake for the future. But you also want to eat it. This is contradictory. The moment you eat your cake, you can’t have it because it is finished. Conversely, if you decide to have or keep your cake then you can’t eat it. This proverb highlights a very valuable lesson which is that you cannot have it both ways. When you are presented with two choices that are mutually exclusive, you have to choose one. You cannot choose both. Either you have to eat the cake or have it. If we examine the wording, we find that ‘eat your cake and have it’ sounds more logical.

With Lon Clark in the title role, the series commenced 11 April 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Between October 1944 and April 1945, it was heard as a 30-minute program on Sunday afternoons at 3 pm, sponsored by Acme Paints and Lin-X, with a 15-minute serial airing four or five times a week in 1944 from April to September. In April 1945, the Sunday series moved to 6pm, continuing in that timeslot until June 1946, and it was also heard in 1946 on Tuesday from March to August. Sponsored by Cudahy Packing and Old Dutch Cleanser and later Acme Products (makers of such home-improvement chemicals as Kem-Tone paints and Lin-X floor-cleaning waxes, a near-rival to the more-popular Johnson's Wax products heard on numerous NBC Radio shows at the same time), the series finally settled in on Sundays at 6:30 pm for broadcasts from August 18, 1946 to September 21, 1952. Libby Packing was the sponsor when the drama aired on Sundays at 6pm (1952–53). In the last two years of the long run (1953–55), the show was heard Sundays at 4:30 pm. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright. Walter B. Gibson, co-creator/writer of The Shadow pulp novels, was fired when he asked for a raise in 1946, and then became head writer for the Nick Carter radio series. Oddly enough, he never liked to write scripts for the radio version of The Shadow, though both characters were published by Street & Smith. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1945; then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer) was Nick's contact at the police department. The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. The series ended on September 25, 1955.

Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith is well known for her renditions of "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain". She became known as The Songbird of the South because of her tremendous popularity during World War II. Notes: More on Kate Smith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Smith

The novel opens with mystery author Harriet Vane on trial for the murder of her former lover, Phillip Boyes: a writer with strong views on atheism, anarchy, and free love. Publicly professing to disapprove of marriage, he had persuaded a reluctant Harriet to live with him, only to renounce his principles a year later and to propose. Harriet, outraged at being deceived, had broken off the relationship. Following the separation, the former couple had met occasionally, and the evidence at trial pointed to Boyes suffering from repeated bouts of gastric illness at around the time that Harriet was buying poisons under assumed names, to demonstrate – so she said – a plot point of her novel then in progress. Returning from a holiday in North Wales in better health, Boyes had dined with his cousin, the solicitor Norman Urquhart, before going to Harriet's flat to discuss reconciliation, where he had accepted a cup of coffee. That night he was taken fatally ill, apparently with gastritis. Foul play was eventually suspected, and a post-mortem revealed that Boyes had died from acute arsenic poisoning. Apart from Harriet's coffee and the evening meal with his cousin (in which every item had been shared by two or more people), the victim appeared to have taken nothing else that evening. The trial results in a hung jury. As a unanimous verdict is required, the judge orders a re-trial. Lord Peter Wimsey visits Harriet in prison, declares his conviction of her innocence and promises to catch the real murderer. Wimsey also announces that he wishes to marry her, a suggestion that Harriet politely but firmly declines. Working against time before the new trial, Wimsey first explores the possibility that Boyes killed himself. Wimsey's friend, Detective Inspector Charles Parker, disproves that theory. The rich great-aunt of the cousins Urquhart and Boyes, Rosanna Wrayburn, is old and senile, and according to Urquhart (who is acting as her family solicitor) when she dies most of her fortune will pass to him, with very little going to Boyes. Wimsey suspects that to be a lie, and sends his enquiry agent Miss Climpson to get hold of Rosanna's original will, which she does in a comic scene exposing the practices of fraudulent mediums. The will in fact names Boyes as principal beneficiary. Wimsey plants a spy, Miss Joan Murchison, in Urquhart's office where she finds a hidden packet of arsenic. She also discovers that Urquhart had abused his position as Rosanna's solicitor, embezzled her investments, then lost the money on the stock market. Urquhart recognised that he would face inevitable exposure should Rosanna die and Boyes claim his inheritance. However, Boyes was unaware of the will's contents and Urquhart reasoned that if Boyes were to die first, nobody could challenge him as sole remaining beneficiary, and his fraud would not be revealed. After perusing A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad (in which the poet likens the reading of serious poetry to King Mithridates' self-immunization against poisons) Wimsey suddenly understands what had happened: Urquhart had administered the arsenic in an omelette which Boyes himself had cooked. Although Boyes and Urquhart had shared the dish, the latter had been unaffected as he had carefully built up his own immunity beforehand by taking small doses of the poison over a long period. Wimsey tricks Urquhart into an admission before witnesses.

George Valentine’s case started with a book of poems by Robert Burns a valuable early edition from Four Dials Press in Edinburgh a book that someone broke into Mr Humber’s shop just to read, a book that an agent wanted to buy for a collector named Emery Whitsill. And who is Emery Whitsill? Well lieutenant Johnson from homicide has an opinion on that because now it seems the little book may have been the cause of murder. . . Duration: 30:34 Starring: Bob Bailey, Virginia Gregg, Ken Christie, Robert Griffin, William Conrad, Jack Kruschen, Lillian Buyeff Broadcast Date: 11th December 1950

San Francisco, the Barbary Coast, 1913 and the man with the belligerent voice is a beefy gentleman known as “Dirty Eddie” proprietor of Dirty Eddies Cafe, pride of the coast. The gentlemen reclining on the sidewalk committed an unforgivable sin; he sang a sour note while entertaining Eddies select clientele composed mostly of thugs from the waterfront. As Eddie stands glowering in the swinging doors a girl comes from the street stepping carefully over the fallen tenor. . . Duration: 44:03 Broadcast Date: 3rd June 1940

A million dollars in cash provides the bait for two enterprising thieves who find themselves bankrupt before they have finished the chase. Duration: 29:43 Starring: Leon Janney, Kathleen Cordell Broadcast Date: 29th June 1952

George is sitting in his office when he hears a commotion outside. Jimmy Jones, an actor in western pictures, is outside signing autographs. Jimmy Jones enters the office. He has a confidential matter he needs George’s help with. Jimmy goes on to say, the kids like me, maybe because I like them and I would never want to let them down. Jimmy was brought up at Brookdale Orphanage, and every year Jimmy and Thunderbolt (Jimmy’s horse) put on a benefit performance for them, but now there’s a problem, and it’s a very serious problem for a cowboy movie star, he’s afraid of his horse. Duration: 30:31 Starring: Bob Bailey Broadcast Date: 25th October 1946

Death At 7:10 by H.F.S. Moore is the very intriguing story of a beautiful woman who was in love with death. . . Duration: 28:58 Starring: Raymond Edward Johnson, Helen Shields Broadcast Date: 3rd July 1947

Come and join Ozzie and Harriet Nelson as they raise their two sons; David and Ricky .... and remember the simple days of child raising. - Jury Duty - The Baseball Manager - The Street Light - Oz Enters An Essay Contest - The New Dress Surprise - Sports Heroes - David's Date - Argument about Rover Boys - Have a Cigar - The New Radio - Phonograph - David Discovers Girls - Going to a Concent - The 3rd Degree - Ricky's Third Prize in School - A Cup of Coffee - Fifi La Plume - Retreat From Civilization - Income Tax - Apartment Building Next Door - Card Tricks - Unique Bowling Approach - New Dresses - Randolph's Come As You Are Party - Knitting Contest - House Cleaning

At about 3 o’clock Johnny Modero started down Post Street when he spotted the new auction House. It was small with enough dough changing hands to buy back Manhattan Island. Inside it was packed and a bald headed guy on a wooden stand was selling everything but his suspenders so Modero sat at the back and noticed a girl standing up against the wall. She walked over to Modero and asked him to do her a favor. A black leather suitcase was to be auctioned off that belonged to her and she wanted it back at any price. She offered Modero $50 to bid for her as she didn’t want someone there to know she was there. Duration: 28:32 Starring: Jack Webb Broadcast Date: Not known

Cathy is being questioned about the death of poor old Billy. Earlier Billy had confided in Cathy that he was concerned about something he’d found and now he’s dead. Duration: 29:12 Starring: Bill Lipton Broadcast Date: 14th August 1952

When Liz Cooper discovers an error on her wedding license she begins to wonder whether she is legally married to her husband George H Cooper. On their wedding license the husband is named as George C Hooper! Duration: 22:57 Starring: Lucille Ball Broadcast Date: 21st January 1949

Killer At Large is a radio station whose sponsors pay $50,000 for the arrest and conviction of a killer at large. The twist is that they deal with real facts, real people and real crimes and real criminals. With a tape recorder they reconstruct one of San Francisco’s more sensational unsolved crimes the murder of Carol Stevens. The show is made up of the simple and honest spontaneous statements of witnesses themselves. The radio show is set on this case except for the statement of one man, Jimmy Biddle who had been top suspect until he came up with an alibi. The radio show had been unable to find him until now when he turned up claiming to know whom the murderer was and wanting to claim the $50,000. The radio program employs Private Detective Sam Spade to investigate. Duration: 28:00 Starring: Lurene Tuttle, Steven Dunne Broadcast Date: 5th January 1951

Starring Robert Young. In every family there are special days like the day Junior had his hair cut, the day father reversed into the garage door, the day mother didn’t. And today was going to be one of those days in the Anderson family. It will be remembered as the day father received the Christmas bills! Duration: 30:00 Starring: Robert Young Broadcast Date: 12th January 1950

The makers of Maxwell House Coffee presents 60 star-studded minutes brought to you from Metro Goldwyn Meyer studios in Hollywood starring Fanny Brice as Baby Snooks with Hanley Stafford as Daddy Higgins, Connie Boswell and George Euston. As an added extra special treat this program which is the 100th anniversary episode of Good News it is Movie Night including a special preview of Twentieth Century Fox production Little Old New York in which you will hear Alice Faye, Richard Green, Brenda Joyce and an all star cast. Music by Meredith Wilson and his orchestra. Host: Edward Arnold Duration: 60:19 Starring: Alice Faye, Edward Arnold, Fanny Brice, Hanley Stafford, Meredith Willson Broadcast Date: 25th January 1940

Christmas on the Blue is a Christmas Variety show with two full hours with some of the biggest stars of radio. The show includes skits, music, and more and is an excellent radio show to listen to get into the holiday mood. The show opens with a very festive rendition of the favorite Christmas song "Deck the Halls." One of the best parts of the Christmas on the Blue is the voices of WWII Military personal heard from overseas. Locations include Pearl Harbor, Paris, and the "European Battle Front." Families of servicemen could hear the voices of their loved ones from the WWII battle front. Truly a Christmas Miracle!  Wendell Niles serves as the announcer and Gracie Fields is the hostess. Guests of Christmas on the Blue include Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, Walter Winchell, The Andrews Sisters, Alan Young, Andy Russell, Charlotte Greenwood, Ed Wynn, Keenan Wynn, and The Paul Taylor Chorus.

Join Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they solve mysterious in turn of century England and aboard. The Bruce Partington Plans Murder by Proxy Paradol Chamber Case of the King Phillips Golden Salver Haunting of Sherlock Holmes The Waltz of Death Colonel Warburton Great Gandolf Strange Case of the Persecuted Millionaire Adventure of the Haunted Bagpipe Blarney Stone Darlington Substitution Limping Ghost Singular Affair of the Dying School Boys The Adventure of the Tolling Bells The case of the Dog Who Changed His Mind The Dying Detective The Harley Street Murders Stuttering Ghost Unfortunate Tobacconist Vinnese Strangler Retired Colorman

As far back as history has recorded our activities, woman has been a rather puzzling creature, especially when she’s going through what is known as the teenage. A good case in point is Betty Anderson. But before we can reveal the capricious maneuvers of her feminine mind we must first look in on the principle male member of the family, Jim Anderson as he settles himself in the Den to do some work in the quiet of his home. Like this. . . Duration: 29:42 Starring: Robert Young Broadcast Date: 15th January 1953

The Navy has given up it’s search for the missing yacht owned by a millionaire scientist last reported in that region of the Pacific which has in recent months has come to be known as the graveyard of the Pacific due to more than 15 disappearances of ocean vessels in that area of the Pacific in the last two years. The Shadow suspects that the disappearances are more than a coincidence and is set to prove it. Duration: 29:04 Starring: Orson Welles Broadcast Date: 10th July 1938