Westerns

The first season featured a lot of B Western stars and singing cowboys. In the second season, Foy Willing and The Riders of The Purple Sage became regulars. The primary sponsor was Wonder Bread. Produced and aired by KNX in Los Angeles for a national audience.

An American Western radio drama that aired on NBC, September 2, 1954 – October 13, 1955. Dr. Ray Matson, (Karl Weber) is a frontier physician based in a small western town in the 1870s called Frenchman's Ford. The stories are told by a recurring character named Pablo (Bill Griffis), a gypsy peddler who has a talking raven named Midnight as his sidekick. As his name implied, Matson was equally at home with using a gun or using his medical skills to solve problems.

Raymond Burr starred as Captain Lee Quince in this 40 broadcast series.  There are 39 original scripts and one repeat.  We have also included the series audition program.  While these programs were fiction, the hard lives and living conditions are based on fact.  There was a real Fort Laramie in Wyoming.  Starting out as a private post on the Laramie and North Platte rivers for fur traders in 1834, there soon grew a need of military protection for further development of the region.  The military fort was established on 04/09/1849 and the fort continued until its abandoned on 04/20/1890.  Supporting Raymond Burr in the following broadcasts, are Vic Perrin as Sergeant Goerss, Harry Bartell as Lieutenant Seiberts and Jack Moyles as Major Daggett.  Norman Macdonnell created the series, with music by Amerigo Moreno.  The superb sound effects were created by one of radio's best teams, Ray Kemper, Bill James and Tom Hanley.  The broadcasts were heard over the CBS radio network from 01/22/56 to 10/28/56 on Sunday nights.  We have also included a rare audition recording with John Dehner.

The Frontier Gentleman was J B Kendall, played by John Dehner, an English journalist and accomplished gunman. He travelled through the west in the 1870s reporting adventures and stories for the London Times. The show successfully combined humor, suspense and human interest. The opening of the show was as follows: “Herewith, and Englishman’s account of life and death in the West. As a reporter for the London Times, he writes his colorful and unusual accounts. But as a man with a gun, he lives and becomes a part of the violent years in the new territories.”

This syndicated series (1952-1953) featured Jeff Chandler for the first 23 episodes as a frontier lawyer Chad Remington.  The balance of the 47 episodes starred Reed Hadley. 

Broadcast History: 7 January 1940 to 1 August 1943, 23 September 1945 to 13 May 1956
Theme Tune: Back in the Saddle Again

Gene Autry's Melody Ranch is a Western variety radio show in the United States. A 15-minute pilot show aired on December 31, 1939. The program ran from January 7, 1940 to August 1, 1943, and from September 23, 1945 to May 16, 1956. The show's entire run was broadcast over the CBS radio network, sponsored by Doublemint gum. The approximately two-year interruption resulted from Autry's enlistment in the United States Army to serve in World War II. Initially titled Doublemint's Melody Ranch, the show's name was changed to Gene Autry's Melody Ranch in early 1941. Episodes were 30 minutes long except for a 15-minute version that ran from September 23, 1945 to June 16, 1946. The theme song was "Back in the Saddle Again".

In its early years the show was broadcast live before a studio audience from the CBS Columbia Square KNX Playhouse at Sunset and Gower in Hollywood and preserved on acetate disc. Later on it was taped prior to airtime, usually at KNX. When on tour, the show would originate through the facilities of local CBS affiliate stations. Sometimes it took place at a special event. In 1951 the program had an 8:00 p.m., Saturday night, 30 minute time slot. The show for August 11, 1951 originated from the Illinois State Fairgrounds at Springfield, Illinois. The guests were Governor of Illinois Adlai E. Stevenson II and 12-year-old 4-H Club member Shelby Jean Thomas of Kilbourne, Illinois.

Matt Dillon was the Marshall of Dodge City, Kansas in this thirty-minute western adventure. There were over 480 episodes broadcast in the 9 years it had spanned. The opening of the show left little doubt that Dillon was the law; “Around Dodge City, and into the territory on the west, there’s just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers: that’s with a US Marshall and the smell of gunsmoke! Gunsmoke! … Starring William Conrad the story of the violence that moved west with young America, and the story of a man who moved with it. I’m that man … Matt Dillon. United States marshal … the first man they look for, and the last man they want to meet … it’s a chancy job, and it makes man watchful … and a little lonely.”

As a prelude to the following shows, Have Gun, Will Travel here is an insight into the main character and some background information about the shows, which you’re sure to enjoy. As suggested by the title, Have Gun, Will Travel is a western adventure. The main character is Paladin, a gunfighter wandering in search of adventure. He does the work that others would not or could not do for themselves and although he does them for a price he is still a man with a conscience. His headquarters is the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where Paladin lives and has a cordial but cool relationship with the Bellhop whom he refers to as Heyboy. In the dictionary a Paladin is a chivalrous person a knight errant and Paladin uses the symbol of a white chess knight on his card announcing his services with the words “Have Gun, Will Travel/Wire Paladin/San Francisco”. He often wines and dines beautiful women in need of his services and presents them with his card

Hopalong Cassidy is a Western Adventure Drama, which was broadcast from 1948 until December 1952. It became a real success in 1950 and starred William Boyd as "Hoppy" the hero western detective and Andy Clyde as California Carlson, his friend and sidekick. "With action and suspense out of the old west comes the most famous hero of them all, Hopalong Cassidy. The jingle of the silver spurs heralds that fabulous figure of the early West, Hopalong Cassidy. The same Hoppy you've cheered in motion pictures and the same California you've laughed at a million times in your local theatre." 

Red Ryder lived in Painted Valley with his aunt the “Duchess”, his partner Buckskin, his Indian ward Little Beaver and his horse Thunder. The hero was first seen in a series of short stories by writer-cartoonist Fred Harman, who adapted it as a comic strip for the Los Angeles Times in 1938 before it finally became a series of thirty-minute radio shows

Broadcast History: November 1944 to January 1954

The Roy Rogers Show started its life as a thirty-minute western music and variety show in 1944. Roy Rogers was born Leonard Slye in Cincinnati, Ohio on the 5th November 1911 and began his career as a singing cowboy and spent much of the 1930's in the musical groups The Hollywood Hillbillies, Rocky Mountaineers, Texas Outlaws, and his own group, the International Cowboys. In 1934 along with Bob Nolan he formed a group called The Sons of the Pioneers and soon after they were appearing in movies.

His career on radio span eleven years from November 1944 until 1955, first with Mutual (until 1951) and then with NBC. It was very family orientated with music by Perry Botkin, vocalist Pat Friday, The Sons of The Pioneers and of course Roy Rogers himself. Special guest stars would add a little variety to the show or half way in to the episode a dramatic story would be heard with his real life wife Dale Evans and Gabby Hayes as his sidekick, both of whom were co-stars in his films. Eventually these stories became longer so that the show became more of a western adventure program

Broadcast History: 20 September 1953 to 24 June 1954
Theme Tune: Highland Lament

The Six Shooter , created by Frank Burt, who also wrote many of the episodes, and lasted only one season of 39 episodes on NBC (Sept. 20, 1953–June 24, 1954). Initially, it was broadcast on Sundays at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, through October 11. Then it was heard at 8:30 p.m. for three weeks. Finally, on November 8, 1953 through March 21, 1954, it was broadcast Sundays at 8 p.m. Beginning April 1, 1954 through the final episode it was on Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. One old-time radio directory called the program "a last, desperate effort by a radio network (NBC) to maintain interest in adventure drama by employing a major Hollywood movie star in the leading role."

James Stewart starred as Britt Ponset, a drifting cowboy in the final years of the wild west. Episodes ranged from straight western drama to whimsical comedy. A trademark of the show was Stewart's use of whispered narration during tense scenes that created a heightened sense of drama and relief when the situation was resolved.

Some of the more prominent actors to perform on the program included Parley Baer, Virginia Gregg, Harry Bartell, Howard McNear, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, Alan Reed, Marvin Miller and William Conrad (often credited as "Julius Krelboyne" because he was also the star of CBS' Gunsmoke at the time). Some did multiple episodes playing different characters.

Each episode opened with the announcer (Hal Gibney; John Wald in later episodes) stating: "The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sun-dyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother-of-pearl, its handle unmarked. People call them both 'the Six Shooter'."

The haunting theme music was "Highland Lament", arranged by series composer Basil Adlam and written by British film composer Charles Williams. Jack Johnstone was the producer-director for NBC Radio, in association with Revue Productions.

The final episode, "Myra Barker", provided a satisfying (if melancholy) finale to the series: Ponset falls in love with Myra, and proposes marriage. Myra, after thinking it over, appears to accept—but then tells Britt she's heard that Sheriff Jennings of Eagle Falls has asked for his help, and Britt admits that he feels obligated to go. Myra tells Britt to go and not come back—telling him some adventure will always call him, and he'll always go, or regret not going. Britt goes, resuming his wanderings, but not before revealing to the audience that he knows he was *not* needed in Eagle Falls—and knows Myra knows that too. The moment comes across as a moment of supreme self-realization by Britt that he always will be a wanderer.

From Wikipedia

Straight Arrow is a juvenile western adventure which began with the narrative, “To friends and neighbors alike, Steve Adams appeared to be nothing more than the young owner of the Broken Bow cattle spread. But when danger threatened innocent people, and when evil-doers plotted against justice, the Steve Adams, rancher, disappeared and in his place came a mysterious stalwart Indian, wearing the dress and war paint of a Comanche, and riding the great golden palomino Fury, galloping out of the darkness to take up the case of law and order throughout the west comes the legendary figure of STRAAAIght ARROW!”

Broadcast History: 8 July 1950 to 14 September 1952
Theme Tune: The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You

Joel McCrea stars as Texas Ranger Jace Pearson in this thirty-minute western adventure series. The shows are all re-enactments of incidents from Texas Ranger history. The Texas lawman and his trusty steed, Charcoal, would be tracking a criminal, often a killer, throughout the vast 260,000 square miles of Texas.

The Cisco Kid came to radio October 2, 1942, with Jackson Beck in the title role and Louis Sorin as Pancho. With Vicki Vola and Bryna Raeburn in supporting roles and Michael Rye announcing, this weekly series continued on Mutual until February 14, 1945. It was followed by a thrice weekly series on a Mutual-Don Lee regional network in 1946, starring Jack Mather in the title role, who continued to head the cast in the syndicated radio series of more than 600 episodes from 1947 to 1956.For this version, Pancho was originally played by Harry E. Lang. Following Lang's death in 1953, Mel Blanc played the role until the series ended.

Aimed at youngsters, the radio series depicted the Cisco Kid as a virtuous wanderer and quasi-Robin Hood figure, often erroneously believed to be on the wrong side of law due to his habit of tangling with "the rich and greedy" who are victimizing the poor. Episodes ended with one or the other of them making a corny joke about the adventure they had just completed. They would laugh, saying, "'Oh, Pancho!" "'Oh, Cisco!", before galloping off, while laughing.^[

"A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-yo silver! The Lone Ranger! With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear! From out of the past come the thundering Hoofbeats of the great horse Silver ... the Lone Ranger rides again! "

Broadcast History: Sept 25th, 1933 - December 16th, 1951
Theme Tune: When The Bloom Is On The Sage

In early 1933, a survey of local school children determined their top western hero was Tom Mix, and from there, Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters was created as a new juvenile western radio adventure series.

This juvenile western followed the same format as the TV show of the same name that ran throughout the same years. This format certainly was not new as the charismatic hero and comic side-kick was something that had been done before with Hopalong Cassidy and The Cisco Kid, and to some extent with the Lone Ranger.

The storylines for Wild Bill Hickok are anything but challenging. The basic plot is usually along the lines of Hickock and his sidekick, Jingles, blundering into trouble, fighting their way out of it somehow, and then riding off into the sunset in readiness for next weeks trials and tribulations.