March 27, 2015
One of the most successful periodicals in magazine history was True Detective Mysteries. An offshoot of publisher Bernarr Macfadden’s True Story magazine, True Detective specialized in semi-fictionalizing real-life crime cases taken from police blotters and making them riveting reading, illustrated by posed photographs, newspaper morgue pix and police mug shots. The concept was a natural. Circulation soared into the millions. Before long, imitators followed in droves, leading to a new breed of entertainment that survives to this day under the catchall phrase of “true crime” magazines.
The secret of True Detective Mysteries’ success was simple. The same appetite that caused people to flock to tabloid newspapers back in the day when they sensationalized sordid crime stories compelled Americans snap up copies every month to see how police and federal investigators solved actual crime nationwide. A lurid immediacy infused these timeless tales. They were short, punchy, and set in the big cities and small towns scattered throughout the nation. If you were a regular reader, you might discover in the magazine’s graphic pages that one of your own neighbors was either wanted or had been apprehended by your very own Police Department.
True Detective Mysteries ran from 1924 into the 1995––a tremendous achievement. So it was a natural in 1929 that the emerging medium of radio turned to the popular Macfadden magazine for inspiration. Built around contemporary articles from the magazine’s voluminous files, True Detective Mysteries dramatized the most notorious cases in 30 minute installments, employing the same staccato style offered up by editor John Shuttleworth and his seasoned staff of writers. Charles Schenck directed a closed cast of regulars, while Richard Keith voiced editor Shuttleworth.
For our collection, we’ve selected eight exciting episodes dating from 1937. They range from murder mysteries to crime puzzles so baffling that in one instance, it took the vast resources of True Detective Mysteries magazine itself to crack a tough case! Today, reality television dominates the airwaves. True Detective Mysteries launched the genre with its own brand of reality radio!
4 hours - $5.99 Download / $11.98 Audio CDs
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featuring a set from the Mystery & Suspense category
“I am the Whistler and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak!”
Haunting stories of fate, dramas of crime, deception, and manipulation building to a sudden and shocking denouement...and, through it all, the sardonic, mocking laughter of — The Whistler!
One of radio’s most memorable thriller anthologies, The Whistler was a west-coast favorite for over a decade but, despite two attempts to go nationwide, never was able to achieve the same success as a coast to coast feature. But for listeners across the western states served by the Signal Oil Company, the program’s eerie theme music opened a weekly window into the very darkest corners of the human soul. It was so popular, in fact, that Columbia Pictures produced eight second-feature films based on the concept, all but one of which starred Richard Dix.
Bill Forman was just another staff announcer at CBS Hollywood when he was assigned the title role as The Whistler - a role which he would play for over a decade on west coast radio.The Whistler himself was an omniscient narrator -- the voice of Fate itself, one might suggest, or perhaps of conscience. And his stories revolved around ordinary people, pushed by the pressures of daily life into taking drastic actions. Or perhaps a sudden circumstance, an unexpected twist of life’s path, suddenly placed these protagonists on a road leading inexorably to their own destruction. Greed, lust, and perfidy of every kind figure in the plots -- and when Fate inevitably catches up with these unfortunate, driven souls, The Whistler is always ready, at the very end, to see that the knife is properly twisted.
Produced by George W. Allen, with hauntingly evocative musical scores by Wilbur Hatch, The Whistler was a prime outlet for the cream of Hollywood’s top radio performers - actors such as Wally Maher, Cathy and Elliott Lewis, Gerald Mohr, Lurene Tuttle, and Betty Lou Gerson, who emphasized skill over star power - as well as announcer Bill Forman in the title role, with Marvin Miller voicing the commercials.
Specially priced until April 9. 10 hours - $7.49 Download / $14.99 Audio CDs
Special 50% discount Offer
featuring a set from the Music category
“The World’s Greatest Entertainer”
In the annals of American Show Business, circa 1900-1950, you could make a convincing argument that there should really be only two names:
Al Jolson...
...and Everybody Else.
He was a towering figure of the musical theatre - unquestionably the most exciting stage star of his generation, and a profound influence on the generations to follow. He was the first breakthrough star of talking pictures -- his string of Vitaphone successes between 1927 and 1930 - “The Jazz Singer,” “The Singing Fool,” “Say It With Songs,” and “Mammy” - helping to get a new era in filmdom off to a high-energy start. He was a recording artist of long standing: between 1912 and 1930, Al Jolson placed 85 songs on the pop music charts. Twenty-three reached No. 1, putting him ahead of the Beatles and Elvis Presley. But for most of his career, success in radio seemed to elude Jolson.
The program was a masterpiece of careful planning and careful understanding of how to package a performer to his best advantage. Previous Jolson vehicles had presented him either as a solo master-of-ceremonies or as a singing top-banana comedian, his gags propped up by an assortment of increasingly unfunny stooges. Neither role genuinely suited him. But in preparing the 1947 season of the Kraft series, the J. Walter Thompson agency staff finally came to understand that the only way to properly present Jolson on radio was to simply let Jolson be Jolson -- punching over his songs in his inimitable manner, practically leaping out of the loudspeaker to entertain his audience.
Specially priced until April 9. 20 hours - $14.99 Download / $29.99 Audio CDs
16" Transcription Discs
Radio Archives has a large selection of transcription discs for sale. Browse through hundreds of unique and interesting 16" transcription discs that are not part of the auctions. Add them to the shopping cart and they will be mailed today. Sold by Radio Archives.
The unsold discs from the February 15th Broadway Records Auction have just been added. These discs will be sold on a first come basis for the minimum bid. Browse through hundreds of UNSOLD transcription discs from the recent Broadway Records disc auction. Sold by Broadway Records.
Will Murray's Pulp Classics #76
by Frederick C. Davis writing as Curtis Steele
Read by Milton Bagby. Liner Notes by Will Murray
From out of the pages of Operator #5 magazine steps a dramatic hero who pits himself against threats to national security from all origins. Whether it’s a subversive internal threat, or a full-scale invasion from an enemy land, James Christopher stood ready and resolute to defeat it.
In 1934, with Hitler consolidating power in Germany and the Japanese Empire on the rise in Asia, young pulp publisher Harry Steeger decided that the American public was ready for a magazine chronicling the exploits of an undercover agent dedicated to defending the United States from foreign aggressors. With his editors, Steeger came up with a title, Secret Service Operator #5, and a cover depicting a masked terrorist fleeing an exploding White House. Over this loomed the resourceful hero, blazing away with a .45 automatic. His job: to defeat a new invasion of the United States—every month!
Aided by a small group of trusted assistants, ranging from his twin sister Nan to scrappy street urchin Tim Donovan, Jimmy Christopher was a one-man defense force. Proud and patriotic, expert marksman and swordsman, he is the best America has to offer in a time of severe trial.
From the August, 1934 issue of Operator #5 magazine comes Cavern of the Damned.
Secretly, behind closed doors and guarded portals, the mysterious Black Power of Zaava spread its hidden terror throughout America. What evil force was behind the destruction of churches; the wholesale disappearance of entire congregations? What sinister spell had fallen upon American men and women to make them hurl themselves into white-hot flaming furnaces? A trap worse than death is laid for Operator 5 when, in a final effort to combat this monstrous hidden power, he makes his way alone into the Cavern of the Damned!
Into this unprecedented crisis plunged Jimmy Christopher. Only one man, but a man who embodied the American spirit—and stands prepared to perish to protect his country.
Read by Milton Bagby with single-minded intensity.
5 hours - $9.99 Download / $19.98 Audio CDs
Robert Weinberg Presents
by Elizabeth Massie
Read by Nick Santa Maria
It begins when hardheaded mountain matriarch Granny Mustard decides she wants to live forever, but is killed before she can achieve her goal. Her slow-witted but equally hardheaded granddaughter Jenkie decides to pick up the ball and run with it. She takes Granny's unperfected immortality moonshine recipe, a socially-inept friend named Bink, and her wild dreams of fame and fortune to an abandoned trailer up in Desper Hollow.
But slow-witted doesn't stand a chance against the terrible power that Granny unleashed. Jenkie's experiments worsen the troubles with Granny's original recipe. Now, it brings dead critters and a few stray dead folks back to a state of hungry, vicious, mindless animation. Soon, a stash of the living dead is locked up in the back of the Jenkie's trailer, emitting a howling heard that has herd that has Jenkie terrified. And Armistead, one of the red-eyed living dead, seems way too alert for comfort.
Mountain resident Kathy Shaw and Hollywood pitchman Jack Carroll, who is looking for the next hit reality show, find themselves caught up in the growing horror surrounding Desper Hollow. They can't avoid it and must face it head on. So must Armistead, who fights the fog of his ghastly condition to discover the truth of who he really is.
Praise for the Fiction of Elizabeth Massie
“Massie’s sharp observations and eye for detail bring her characters to life.” — Publishers Weekly
“Elizabeth Massie is personally one of my favorite authors. Her writing is true, heartfelt, and wildly original. She is one of the greats.” — Bentley Little, author of Dispatch, The Collection, The Return, The Disappearance
“Elizabeth Massie can be every bit as creepy as Roald Dahl in his more disturbing adult short stories.” — The Argus Leader
“(Massie’s) abundant talent, but moreover, her sensitivity and humanity and her passion… it’s more than a gift, it is her essence.” — Brian Hodge, author of Oasis, Wild Horses, Picking the Bones
“Massie is the reigning champion of the modern Southern Gothic. She is a master.” — Garrett Peck, Gauntlet
7 hours - $13.99 Download / $27.98 Audio CDs
Hi, my name is Bob Weinberg. I’m good friends with Doug Ellis and the two of us are both known as obsessive pulp magazine collectors. When I use the word “obsessive,” I mean exactly that. Doug and I have been collecting pulps most of our lives and we have tremendous collections of them. Recently, our buddy Tom Brown has allowed us to share our love of pulp fiction with his huge audience of Audiobook Lovers. I’ve been editing a line of pulp novels,The Best of Argosy, while Doug has been responsible for The Best of Adventure. But the pulp magazines are not our greatest collecting mania. Doug and I both collect original paintings used to illustrate science fiction, fantasy, and pulp magazines and books. Unfortunately, these originals are one-of-a-kind and are unavailable to the average collector except for those willing to pay astronomical prices. Until now!
Working with Tom Brown, Doug Ellis and I, Bob Weinberg, will be selling stunning prints of some of the finest paintings in our collections. These will be printed full color. They won’t be cheap but they will cost in most cases less than one tenth of one percent of the actual value of the original! These prints will be reproduced directly from the actual art used to first publish these unique covers. They will offer the ultimate decoration for any collector interested in SF or pulp art. We hope to begin offering these special items in April, so keep watching this newsletter for more details.
Bob & Doug & Tom
New Will Murray's Pulp Classics eBooks
The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge eBooks! Will Murray's Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your eReader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider, G-8 and His Battle Aces, Operator #5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like the Octopus and Captain Satan. Will Murray's Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday's Pulp today!
The Spider #105 June 1942 Revolt Of The Underworld
Never had Richard Wentworth faced more overwhelming odds — or more certain defeat! For the Fox, imported by a gigantic Underworld combine to destroy the Spider, struck in vicious Axis fashion, leaving America’s great crime crusader destitute and dying! Another epic exploit of America’s best-loved pulp-fiction character of the 1930s and 1940s: The Spider — Master of Men! Richard Wentworth — the dread Spider, nemesis of the Underworld, lone wolf anti-crime crusader who always fights in that grim no-man’s land between Law and lawless — returns in vintage pulp tales of the Spider, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
Never had Richard Wentworth faced more overwhelming odds — or more certain defeat! For the Fox, imported by a gigantic Underworld combine to destroy the Spider, struck in vicious Axis fashion, leaving America’s great crime crusader destitute and dying! Another epic exploit of America’s best-loved pulp-fiction character of the 1930s and 1940s: The Spider — Master of Men! Richard Wentworth — the dread Spider, nemesis of the Underworld, lone wolf anti-crime crusader who always fights in that grim no-man’s land between Law and lawless — returns in vintage pulp tales of the Spider, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
Dare-Devil Aces #56 November 1936 Aces Wild!
The thrilling saga of the 38th — the wings of Aces Wild! Dare-Devil Aces was another of the many pulps that rode the wave of popularity of World War I aviation tales in the decade after the conflict. It made its debut in February 1932 and lasted for an astounding 135 issues. It finally closed after World War II ended, with the November 1946 issue. During its run, it presented a wide assortment of high-flying aerial series, including The Red Falcon, The Vanished Legion, The Three Mosquitoes, Molloy and McNamara, The Black Sheep of Belogue, The Mongol Ace, Chinese Brady, Captain Babyface, Smoke Wade and others. Strap on your flying helmet, toss that scarf about your neck and get ready for some soaring action in the skies over France and Germany during the Great War. Dare-Devil Aces return in vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
The thrilling saga of the 38th — the wings of Aces Wild! Dare-Devil Aces was another of the many pulps that rode the wave of popularity of World War I aviation tales in the decade after the conflict. It made its debut in February 1932 and lasted for an astounding 135 issues. It finally closed after World War II ended, with the November 1946 issue. During its run, it presented a wide assortment of high-flying aerial series, including The Red Falcon, The Vanished Legion, The Three Mosquitoes, Molloy and McNamara, The Black Sheep of Belogue, The Mongol Ace, Chinese Brady, Captain Babyface, Smoke Wade and others. Strap on your flying helmet, toss that scarf about your neck and get ready for some soaring action in the skies over France and Germany during the Great War. Dare-Devil Aces return in vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBooks to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
For the next two weeks Doc Savage Volume 11 can be added to any order for only 99 cents. No minimum order.
features two exciting 1936 thrillers by Laurence Donovan and Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson. First, the Man of Bronze battles Var, a faceless fiend whose sinister pronouncements threaten destruction through the eerie "Cold Death." Then, Doc Savage becomes embroiled in a desperate race to Antarctica to block "The South Pole Terror." This reprint showcases the classic color pulp cover by Walter Baumhofer, original interior illustrations by Paul Orban, and historical articles by Will Murray. Double Novel Reprint - Specially priced until April 9th - $0.99
by Will Murray and Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson, cover illustration by Joe DeVito
When William Harper Littlejohn unearths a shadowy figure transfixed in ice, the renowned archeologist understands that he has made the most momentous discovery of his brilliant career. For inscribed over the frozen form is this chilling warning:
“IF I STILL LIVED, MANKIND WOULD TREMBLE!”
Who is this monster? Why does his name strike terror into the hearts of brave men? Can even Doc Savage control him once he breaks free of his icy tomb?
From the Gobi Desert to war-torn Free China, the Man of Bronze and his fighting crew battle a threat so terrifying that it could change the course of human history…. Softcover $24.95
The Knight of Darkness returns in two thrill-packed mysteries by Walter B. Gibson writing as "Maxwell Grant." First, the Knight of Darkness and his agents meet the challenge of an evil foursome who have made a deadly compact as "Brothers of Doom" Then, The Shadow investigates "The Three Brothers" to discover which is the evil mastermind behind a series of enigmatic murders! This instant collector's item showcases both classic color pulp covers by George Rozen and Graves Gladney and the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and Edd Cartier, with original commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray. Double Novel Reprint $14.95
The Knight of Darkness hunts hidden crimelords in two thrilling mysteries by Walter B. Gibson writing as "Maxwell Grant." First, the only clue to the deadly crime wave engulfing Manhattan is a single wireless message typed out in Morse Code: "Q." Then, a brilliant mathematician invents a system to chart future crimes. Can The Shadow use the "Formula for Crime" to solve the mysterious "X" and unmask a criminal mastermind? BONUS: an ultra-rare classic from the Golden Age of Comics! This instant collector's item features both classic color pulp covers by George Rozen and Graves Gladney and the original interior illustrations by Earl Mayan and Paul Orban, with original commentary by popular culture historians Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. Double Novel Reprint $14.95
The greatest superhero of the pulp era returns in two-fisted thrillers by Lawrence Donovan and Lester Dent writing as "Kenneth Robeson." First, Doc Savage is framed by a bronze lookalike as nightmarish reptilian creatures fill the air and Earth is threatened with environmental disaster in"Mad Eyes." Then, Patricia Savage blunders into a death trap after she intercepts a message for Doc, and the only clue to her disappearance suggests "Death is a Round Black Spot." This deluxe pulp reprint leads off with the classic color pulp cover by Robert G. Harris, and also features the original interior illustrations by Paul Orban and historical commentary by Will Murray, author of fifteen Doc Savage novels. Double Novel Reprint $14.95
Doc Savage, Volume 80, James Bama cover
The greatest superhero of the pulp era returns in two-fisted thrillers by Lawrence Donovan and Lester Dent writing as "Kenneth Robeson." First, Doc Savage is framed by a bronze lookalike as nightmarish reptilian creatures fill the air and Earth is threatened with environmental disaster in"Mad Eyes." Then, Patricia Savage blunders into a death trap after she intercepts a message for Doc, and the only clue to her disappearance suggests "Death is a Round Black Spot." This deluxe pulp reprint leads off with a knockout cover painting by legendary illustrator James Bama and also features both color pulp covers, original interior illustrations by Paul Orban and historical commentary by Will Murray, author of fifteen Doc Savage novels. Double Novel Reprint $14.95
The greatest superhero of the pulp era returns in two-fisted thrillers by Lawrence Donovan and Lester Dent writing as "Kenneth Robeson." First, Doc Savage is framed by a bronze lookalike as nightmarish reptilian creatures fill the air and Earth is threatened with environmental disaster in"Mad Eyes." Then, Patricia Savage blunders into a death trap after she intercepts a message for Doc, and the only clue to her disappearance suggests "Death is a Round Black Spot." This deluxe pulp reprint leads off with a knockout cover painting by legendary illustrator James Bama and also features both color pulp covers, original interior illustrations by Paul Orban and historical commentary by Will Murray, author of fifteen Doc Savage novels. Double Novel Reprint $14.95
Sanctum Books completes its reprinting of the original 1936-37 pulp series by DOC SAVAGE’s Lawrence Donovan writing as “Clifford Goodrich” that inspired BATMAN’s first supporting character! First, an ingeniously concealed map holds the answer Police Commissioner James Gordon needs to stop flower-festooned serial slayings in “The Death Roses.” Then, The Whisperer invades China Hill to smash the weird “Murder Brotherhood.” Finally, it’s up to The Whisperer to discover why a philosophical Asian was “Afraid to Die” in a novelette by Alan Hathway from the back pages of THE SHADOW MAGAZINE! BONUS: Norgil the Magician takes the stage in a magical mystery by The Shadow’s Maxwell Grant, plus a classic Whisperer graphic story from the Golden Age of Comics! This instant collector’s item showcases the original color pulp covers by John Newton Howitt and Tom Lovell, the classic interior illustrations by Paul Orban and historical commentary by Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. Double Novel Reprint $14.95
50 more OTR LPs have just been added.
Comments From Our Customers!
Steve Sher writes:
I LOVE! Nightbeat, Escape, Dr. Kildare, Johnny Dollar, Richard Diamond, Dangerous Assignment and many others that have given me untold hours of joy and satisfaction.
Phil Brantingham writes:
The Lives of Harry Lime was produced independently in England, is based on the unsavory character in the film The Third Man. Directed by Carol Reed, the film was a huge international hit and is still extremely popular among cineastes. Harry Lime in the film was a notorious vendor of adulterated penicillin, and his penicillin caused havoc among patients in Vienna. The mise en scene was Vienna during the four-power occupation after World War II. In the film, Lime was a scoundrel, and died on the run in the sewers of Vienna. Orson Welles played Lime beautifully, as a grinning swindler. Because of the fascination of the character, radio producers decided to bring him to the air, but somewhat cleaned up. He still remained a scoundrel, but a likable one. His adventures consist chiefly of efforts to swindle his victims, some decent citizens, some not. Not to make him too likable, Lime always ended up failing to take home the boodle. I suppose not pour encourager les autres. This makes these new adventures somewhat formulaic. But Welles is superb as Lime, and listening to him ham it up is a pleasure. It's a great achievement. The casts of the programs are excellent, no sneering villains. Add to this the excellent sound, and you have—almost—a never ending audio experience. I should add that this is sophisticated entertainment, part of that genre called "international intrigue." If you like this kind of thing, snap up the four albums.
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