APRIL 24, 2015
“Dead men’s wills are often strange. We cannot attempt to understand them or try to find the answers. We can but tell the story.”
Normally, a Last Will and Testament is a serious, cut-and-dry, black-and-white document. Not so in the case of Strange Wills!
So begins the radio show Strange Wills, a mystery-adventures series produced and syndicated by Teleways Radio Productions of Hollywood beginning in 1946. It starred distinguished Hollywood actor Warren William as probate attorney Warren Francis O’Connell, and the stories were told through his eyes as executor of the “strange wills made by strange people”. These cases, built around unusual bequests or searches for missing heirs, were based on the seven deadly sins, and complied by attorney Ken Krippene over a ten-year period, changing the names for broadcast.
Produced by Robert Webster Light, the show also starred actors Carlton Young and Howard Culver, and featured the music of Del Castillio. Telling the “strange stories of strange wills made under strange circumstances”, it ventured into a number of genres, including suspense, romance, psychological drama, comedy, love, intrigue and even horror.
At the time, there was nothing else like Strange Wills on the air. The thirty-minute stories included a Broadway producer who willed an actress to a rival out of love, an heiress who gave her son the choice between inheriting her financial empire or $5000 and a plane ticket to Paris, a case of murder on the Scottish moors, a burlesque dancer willed a fortune in emeralds, a young man who is scheduled to be executed from a crime that he didn’t commit, the life story of a Stradivarius violin, and a pirate who carved his will into the back of a woman!
Strange Wills was also broadcast in Australia. Expertly restored from the original transcription discs for Sparkling Audio Quality by Radio Archives.
7 hours - $10.49 Download / $20.98 Audio CDs
Special 50% discount Offer
The Old Timer. Myrt the Operator. The Great Gildersleeve. Beulah. Mayor Latrivia. These names all share one common thread. They were first heard on one of the greatest radio comedies ever to play on the airwaves. And a season of that show, restored to the highest quality possible, is collected in The Fibber McGee and Molly Show, The 1945/1946 Season.
Sponsored by Johnson's Wax, Fibber McGee and Molly moved from the Blue Network to NBC in March, 1938. Already well established before the move, most experts agree that Fibber McGee and Molly hit its stride not long after the network change.
Even though it wasn't yet the legend it would become, the building blocks were in place in the late 1930s. Fibber was a teller of tales, blustery and boastful, until reproached by the long suffering, tolerant Molly. The door of their home at 79 Wistful Vista must have been revolving as an assortment of characters flitted in and out of it every week. Established Chicago actors like Isabel Randolph, Harold Peary, Bill Thompson, and even announcer Harlow Wilcox peopled The McGee's fictional address with over the top, hilarious performances. Peary proved so memorable and effective that he went on to another show considered classic by many, The Great Gildersleeve.
The Fibber McGee and Molly Show, The 1945/1946 Season collects a full season of shows, restored to Sparkling audio quality. Listen as the characters everyone loves come to life in this collection. Fibber McGee and Molly expert Karl Pearson is the Series Contributor for this set. Enjoy 18 hours, 36 shows of pure fun.
Specially priced until May 7. 18 hours - $13.49 Download / $26.99 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 been added. These discs will be sold on a first come basis for the minimum bid. Browse through hundreds of UNSOLD transcription discs from recent Broadway Records disc auctions. Sold by Broadway Records.
Thanks for the enthusiastic response to our announcement that we have decided to standardize the pricing of all our Spider audiobooks at $9.99 for the Downloads and $19.98 for the Audio CDs. This is a price reduction of $2 to $4 for the downloads and $4 to $8 for the Audio CDs effective immediately for all Spider audiobooks. With a new Spider audiobook being released every month, this is the perfect time to collect all the audiobooks you may have missed.
Will Murray's Pulp Classics #79
Read by Milton Bagby. Liner Notes by Will Murray
At the end of the Depression year of 1933, tiny Magazine Publishers could see which way the pulp winds were blowing. Street & Smith had broken new ground when they launched The Shadow Magazine in 1931. Doc Savage came two years later. As did The Phantom Detective.
In the Fall of ’33 Popular Publications released both The Spider and G-8 and His Battle Aces. The public was obviously hungry for heroes. And editor Rose Wyn decided that her outfit had to offer one too!
With top writer Paul Chadwick, she brainstormed Secret Agent “X," and uncanny composite of Doc and The Shadow, with a dash of the Phantom thrown in. The first issue appeared at the end of 1933 with a February 1934 cover date. Coincidentally, the popular King Features newspaper strip, Secret Agent X-9, debuted that same month! But for that hyphenated X, lawsuits might have shut down one or the other hero.
A nameless mystery man with a wartime past, backed by a shadowy group of powerful philanthropists, Secret Agent "X" took on the toughest assignments of the dirty thirties. Operating out of the half-haunted Montgomery Mansion, “X” was also known as the Man of a Thousand Faces. A past master of disguise, he infiltrated the Underworld
to crush crime in all of its hideous manifestations.
Every hero needed something to distinguish himself from his rivals. The Shadow could blend into the shadows. Doc Savage was a superman. The Spider shot first and asked no questions later. Every one of them was a consummate quick-change artist. In that respect, “X” would be no different.
For Secret Agent “X,” Rose Wyn decided to pit him against villains who were maestros of unbridled horror. Melodrama was the rule of the day. But Secret Agent “X” plunged into maelstroms of raw bloodlust undreamed of by The Shadow and Doc Savage. His foes were truly depraved. Terrorists. Torturers. Kidnappers. Stranglers. Arsonists. These were the types of tabloid master criminals “X” hunted.
In Ambassador of Doom, the enigmatic “X” travels to Washington, D.C., to investigate skullduggery in our nation’s capital. There, he gets on the trail of the Green Mask, a murderous master of espionage whose ultimate loyalties are impenetrable. Before the trail of treachery has been exhausted, Secret Agent “X” will have struggled through Malay torture rites and worse in order to preserve America’s deepest secrets from an implacable foreign foe.
Ambassador of Doom is read with chilling intensity by Milton Bagby.
5 hours - $9.99 Download / $19.98 Audio CDs
Robert Weinberg Presents
by Robert Weinberg
Read by Milton Bagby
From the still halls of a Chicago museum, they've stolen a priceless ancient relic — and from its blackened crevices they've liberated a human spirit. His name is Jambres — priest of the once-mighty empire of Egypt — and for more than three millennia he's waited to walk again on earth.
His quest: to reunite the halves of his soul, sundered for a long-ago crime he didn't commit.
His chosen instrument: Carl Garrett, a white supremacist whose ruthlessness and fanatic determination make him the ideal match for Jambres's gruesome scheme.
At stake: the lives of hundreds of millions. They'll be killed in the most horrifying blood sacrifice history has ever seen - unless one lone and desperate woman, armed with knowledge no mortal is meant to possess, can stop Jambres before the slaughter begins. Read by voice actor Milton Bagby.
Robert Weinberg in fifth grade read The Devil and Daniel Webster, by Stephen Vincent Benet, and knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that he wanted to become a writer. It’s a dream he’s followed since. During the past 57 years, Bob has written and sold nearly 150 short stories, 19 novels, 18 non-fiction books and more than two dozen comic book scripts. He’s edited more than 200 anthologies and short story collections. Bob’s work has been published in 20 countries and 15 languages.
He’s won 2 Bram Stoker Awards, for writing and editing, given by the Horror Writers Association; 2 World Fantasy Awards; and 2 Society of Technical Writers Awards for his non-fiction science books. He served 2 terms as Vice President of the Horror Writers Association. He’s the only person in the history of the organization to win the group’s Silver Hammer Award for service to the association 2 times. Bob also was on the Board of Trustees for the World Fantasy Convention for 24 years. In 2005, Bob was Guest-of-Honor at Robert E. Howard Days held in Cross, Plains, Texas. Later that same year, was Guest-of-Honor at the World Fantasy Convention held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1983, Bob was given a Lamont Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the Directors of PULPcon, the convention for pulp magazine enthusiasts. The Horror Writers Association awarded Bob a Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. In 2012, he was present a special award by the World Science Fiction Convention for his contributions to the Science Fiction field. Bob is probably the only horror writer who has ever served as Grand Marshall of a Rodeo parade. Despite all his success, Bob Weinberg is not yet ready to retire. He’s still looking to write the perfect story. He’s intent on composing a story that resonates with his readers the way The Devil and Daniel Webster did with him. It’s a goal he may never achieve, but he intends to keep trying.
8 hours - $15.99 Download / $31.98 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.
I began buying and selling original artwork used for the covers of science fiction and fantasy paperbacks back in the 1970’s. At the time, collecting original SF Art was considered an interesting offshoot of actual collecting. Artwork sold for a few hundred dollars a painting, if that. But, as times changed, so did the cost of art. Prices skyrocketed. A piece I originally sold for $100, recently brought $15,000 at auction. Making it impossible to collect many of the finest paintings that were sold in the past fifty years. Until now!
Working together, Tom Brown, Doug Ellis and I are now selling stunning prints of some of the finest paintings in our collections. These are printed full color and 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.
Bob & Doug & Tom
The first three prints from Weinberg - Ellis Art Prints are ready to ship.
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 Dead Man's Kiss by Robert Weinberg
From the still halls of a Chicago museum, they've stolen a priceless ancient relic - and from its blackened crevices they've liberated a human spirit. His name is Jambres - priest of the once-mighty empire of Egypt - and for more than three millennia he's waited to walk again on earth. His quest: to reunite the halves of his soul, sundered for a long-ago crime he didn't commit. His chosen instrument: Carl Garrett, a white supremacist whose ruthlessness and fanatic determination make him the ideal match for Jambres's gruesome scheme. At stake: the lives of hundreds of millions. They'll be killed in the most horrifying blood sacrifice history has ever seen - unless one lone and desperate woman, armed with knowledge no mortal is meant to possess, can stop before the slaughter begins. This exciting novel has been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook. This entire line of eBooks are of the highest quality and feature great horror/fantasy novels long out of print. $2.99.
From the still halls of a Chicago museum, they've stolen a priceless ancient relic - and from its blackened crevices they've liberated a human spirit. His name is Jambres - priest of the once-mighty empire of Egypt - and for more than three millennia he's waited to walk again on earth. His quest: to reunite the halves of his soul, sundered for a long-ago crime he didn't commit. His chosen instrument: Carl Garrett, a white supremacist whose ruthlessness and fanatic determination make him the ideal match for Jambres's gruesome scheme. At stake: the lives of hundreds of millions. They'll be killed in the most horrifying blood sacrifice history has ever seen - unless one lone and desperate woman, armed with knowledge no mortal is meant to possess, can stop before the slaughter begins. This exciting novel has been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook. This entire line of eBooks are of the highest quality and feature great horror/fantasy novels long out of print. $2.99.
Rip Van Winkle was a mere cat-napper compared to Mark Nevin who went to sleep in 1939 and woke up six thousand years later. That was confusing enough without being elected by a prankish, disembodied intelligence to be the father of the future race, and chosen by a smooth-tongued rebel as king of a crazy country Mark had never even heard of. A sparkling and fast-moving tale of adventures in the Days to Come... Torn from the pages of the first and foremost pulp magazine, the fabled Argosy, and chosen from among thousands of stories by premier pulp authority, Robert Weinberg!Argosy magazine was the first and most influential pulp magazine of the 20th century. At its height, it was published each and every week, and contained a veritable cornucopia of fabulous fiction in all genres. Detective and mystery stories. Westerns. Love stories. Sports. Even science-fiction and fantasy filled its pages. Esteemed writers ranging from Edgar Rice Burroughs to Erle Stanley Gardner graced its beloved pages.
Now Radio Archives is delving into the pages of this celebrated magazine in an effort to present some of the best feature fiction Argosy presented during its near-century of publication. Overseeing this production is one of the great scholars of the pulp era, novelist Robert Weinberg. “Radio Archives is issuing the best of the pulps in audio and eBook format,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to work with them, bringing back some of the greatest action fiction ever published for modern fans!”. Reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
Now Radio Archives is delving into the pages of this celebrated magazine in an effort to present some of the best feature fiction Argosy presented during its near-century of publication. Overseeing this production is one of the great scholars of the pulp era, novelist Robert Weinberg. “Radio Archives is issuing the best of the pulps in audio and eBook format,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to work with them, bringing back some of the greatest action fiction ever published for modern fans!”. 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.
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 Dark Avenger known as Ying Ko journeys to San Francisco's and New York's Chinatowns to combat exotic menaces in two pulp thrillers by Walter B. Gibson writing as "Maxwell Grant." First, The Shadow investigates the strange mysteries of a dead man who still lives and "The Chinese Tapestry" that holds the secret to a fabulous inheritance! Then, The Shadow of Justice falls over Manhattan's Chinese community as the Knight of Darkness attempts to stop a murderous monster from acquiring the occult power of "The Jade Dragon." BONUS: a rare Golden Age classic from the first issue of Shadow Comics! This instant collector's item features both classic color pulp covers by George Rozen and the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell 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 and 130 OTR LPs have been lowered in price today.
Comments From Our Customers!
Joe Dombi writes:
Now that the Spider stories have had a price drop, I will be placing another order soon!
Now that the Spider stories have had a price drop, I will be placing another order soon!
Ernst Spellmeyer writes:
Thank you for promptly sending me the two CD sets, Father Knows Best Volume 5 and Dragnet Volume 3. The sound quality on both of those sets are just great! I really enjoyed talking with you on the phone. I appreciate and respect your excellent knowledge of old time radio. You have helped educate me in the history or otr and radio's contributions in our culture. I hope Radio Archives continues to prosper and you experience much success.
If you'd like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We'd love to hear from you!
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