AMAZING NEWS 1/19/14

In the 1950s, it was fairly common for a long-running radio series to be adapted for television — but it was practically unheard of for a successful TV series to make its way to radio. But, on November 23, 1958, that’s exactly what happened when the CBS Television series Have Gun, Will Travel came to CBS Radio.

Created by Herb Meadow and Sam Rolfe, Have Gun, Will Travel was first aired on CBS-TV September 14, 1957 and starred Richard Boone as Paladin, a cultured, educated, and sophisticated man with an eye for the ladies, a taste for gourmet food, wine, and cigars, and enough skill, nerve, and well-oiled artillery to make him a top-notch gunfighter. Headquartered at the fashionable Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, Paladin had earlier attended West Point and was also a former Army officer, but now chose to finance his luxurious lifestyle by being a combination go-between, negotiator, and hired gun – a white knight, as it were – for those who needed such assistance. Unlike the more scruffy gunsels of the wild west, Paladin relied on his brains as much as his nerve — and made his reputation by use of a distinctive business card that featured the symbol of a white chess knight and read, simply, “Have Gun, Will Travel. Wire Paladin, San Francisco.” When one hired Paladin to do a job, he did it…for a sizeable fee, of course. Questions of morality did come into play – Paladin was, after all, intending to be more of a protector of the helpless than a murdering hit man – so, throughout the series, most who eventually came to face to face with the barrel of his custom-made six shooter had already done quite a lot to deserve their fate. (He also had the good sense to conceal a derringer under his belt, as well as a few expensive cigars in his boot. Classy guy.)

On radio, Paladin was played by John Dehner, a talented character actor who had made his name in featured roles on similar radio series such asGunsmoke and Frontier Gentleman. (Dehner, whose portrayal of Paladin was a bit more arch, suave, and sleek than his TV counterpart, had in fact earlier turned down the leading role of Sheriff Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke for fear of being typecast in western roles.) Dehner was understandably concerned about becoming nothing more than a pale copy of Richard Boone, and so insisted on making the role uniquely his own; radio historian John Dunning describes Dehner’s portrayal as “a streamlined version, perhaps slighter of build…but just as deadly.” The same smooth and slightly menacing voice that had made him such an effective villain on such series as Escape and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, made him an equally effective Paladin — someone you might enjoy an intellectual discussion with over a glass of decent sherry, but also someone you wouldn’t want to disagree with too aggressively for too long.

There were, of course, many similarities between the TV and radio series, particularly since many (though not all) of the radio scripts were based on earlier television episodes. Both programs used the same musical themes and bridges and relied much more upon dialogue and atmosphere than rip-roaring action to attract audiences. (Paladin, who was well versed in the classics, was frequently given to quoting Shakespeare and recalling obscure bits of history when considering the best way to deal with his various assignments.) On radio, Have Gun, Will Travel also benefited from the presence of Gunsmoke and Fort Laramie producer/director Norman Macdonnell as well as writers Marian Clark and Les Crutchfield, sound effects men Tom Hanley and Ray Kemper, and a host of talented performers such as Sam Edwards, Jack Moyles, Larry Dobkin, and Harry Bartell. The stories were rich with detail, realistic, and typical of the more adult types of western that had evolved in the 1950s; less shoot ’em up, more introspection.

Have Gun, Will Travel was one of the last continuing radio dramas to leave the airwaves, ending a two-year CBS run on November 27, 1960. (The TV series lasted a bit longer – six years in total – and closed up shop on September 21, 1963.) While it lasted, however, Have Gun, Will Travel demonstrated that, even with television capturing the largest audiences and the most advertising dollars, radio could still effectively hold its own when given the opportunity to present quality programming. Heard today, even those who have never experienced quality radio drama firsthand can enjoy the programs simply as effective and engrossing pieces of well-produced audio entertainment.

This collection, the seventh and final volume in our ongoing series, offers another fourteen episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, just as originally aired over CBS Radio in 1960. 7 hours. $20.98 Audio CDs / $10.49 Download.

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Fibber McGee and Molly: The Lost Episodes

Volume 2

“Tain’t funny, McGee…”

By 1951, the Jordan’s were among the top comedy teams in radio and “Fibber McGee and Molly” had been a Tuesday night tradition for over a decade.”Fibber McGee & Molly” premiered on April 16, 1935 and, as Jim later observed, he and Marian were fortunate to have signed a twenty-six week contract: “If we had been on for thirteen weeks I’m sure we would have been off by the end of thirteen weeks.” Though the show’s ratings were anemic at the start – it didn’t help that the couple were competing against the popular “Lux Radio Theatre” on CBS – they slowly developed a following. A move to a more favorable time slot on Tuesday nights a few years later proved even more beneficial and, by the 1940s, Jim and Marian were “must-listen radio” — the stars of one of four comedy shows that were in constant competition for radio’s top spot.

Old-time radio fans are well aware that many programs from the Golden Age simply did not survive the ravages of time and neglect. But “Fibber McGee & Molly” was one of the luckier shows thanks to an angel at the S.C. Johnson Company, whose devotion to the program gave them the foresight to hang on to most of the original transcription discs. For many years, it was thought that the Jordan’s’ 1953-56 weekday quarter-hour shows for NBC had gone missing…but in this, the second of a series of collections transferred from the long-lost original NBC Reference Recordings, Radio Archives invites you to listen to forty more full-length programs that, for the most part, have not been heard since they originally aired over fifty years ago. An additional bonus is their sparkling audio quality; thanks to the innovations of the digital age, these classic shows can now be heard at a level of clear and crisp high fidelity that far exceeds what was available to the average listener in 1954. The result is shows that sound – and are – just as bright, fresh, and entertaining as they were when first heard — a real tribute to the time, talent, and devotion to quality that went into their production. Regular Price $29.98 – Specially priced until January 30 for $14.99 Audio CDs / $7.49 Download.