Saturday, November 19, 2016

Recipes and Radio: Cause for Thanksgiving with Let George Do It (Thanksgiving Old Time Radio)

It has been a long time since I have come out with a new blog entry.  Thought I would do a short series and highlight some great Thanksgiving episodes of old time radio.  I will even connect these with a link to a recipe for something we cook for the holidays.  We are hosting Thanksgiving this year and it is one of my favorite holidays of the year - especially since I love to cook!

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries


This wonderful side dish has been a staple in our Thanksgivings for a number of years.  I love this for a variety of reasons.  First, it is very easy.  Second, I love the matching of the sweet potatoes with apples and cranberries.  Third, since oven and burner space is at a premium at Thanksgiving, it is great to have a dish which takes up neither!   It takes just a few minutes to get rolling and it will cook all day without using a burner. What a great meal that is perfect for Thanksgiving - but really nice with any winter meal. Follow this link for the recipe.

Let George Do It is a radio drama that played on the West Coast of the United States. It was aired over the Don Lee-Mutual Network and sponsored by Standard Oil of California and later by Chevron Supreme Gasoline.  You might think of it as a poor-man's Whistler...if you can.  The series stared Bob Bailey as George Valentine, a former GI who did odd jobs, but of a special variety.  He was less of a handyman, than a man who was very handy to get you out of a situation.  Most of the messages stated off with Bob Bailey saying "Personal notice: Danger's my stock in trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me. George Valentine."  The next thing you heard was the letter that was sent into to George.  It reminded me of Box 13 (staring Alan Ladd), which is one of my favorite series.  George Valentine was accompanied on his work by his secretary, confidant, companion and quasi-partner, Brooksie (full name Claire Brooks).  Brooksie was played by a number of actresses, but most my favorite was Virginia Gregg.  When you hear the confidence that Bob Bailey provides George Valentine, you can see why he was the very best Johnny Dollar actor who ever took over that part.

On November 20th, 1950, the episode "Cause for Thanksgiving" aired over the Don Lee-Mutual Network.  These programs often start with a letter written to George Valentine explaining the problem they are hoping to solve.  This one started with a call from the police to George explaining that they discovered a ten-year-old boy down by the waterfront who isn't talking.  They are not even sure he can talk.  Even when the Police are stumped - they call George Valentine.  So right before Thanksgiving, when a kid should be with their families, George and Brooksie search for answers in the toughest part of town.  What they find includes smuggling, murder, and a child who isn't talking because he does not want to give away his hopes for a better life in America.  Besides Bob Bailey and Virginia Gregg, the show featured Wally Waher, Alan Reed, Dick Ryan, Tony Barrett, Jeffrey Silver and Steven Chase.  It was written by Jackson Gillis and David Victor and directed by Don Clark.

Cause for Thanksgiving (November 20, 1950)



This is a fun series and I hope you enjoy it!

Here are some links to programs relating to Let George Do It:
Recipes and Radio Episodes and Other Links

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