Corey's Ramblings

Sunday, December 2, 2018

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas - Day 2: A Stable In Bethlehem...Pennsylvania (1944)

I was having a discussion with a friend about these fun types of online advent calendars (you can see Joe's advent calendar here). We were talking about if it is acceptable to have repeats. Since he changes the theme every year - he really cant. But since I do not - I have repeats. But I will try to keep them limited to my most favorite episodes.

Having written all that - today...I have something new. Well, new to my 25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas. I love anthology series on radio. They offer up a completely new story each and every week. Favorites like Suspense, the Whistler, the Weird Circle (just to name a few) would have offered listeners a completely new adventure or tale each time you turned on the radio. So that is where we will start today's entry. There will be many opportunities to catch Christmas and holiday themed episodes from the Golden Age of Radio on the web and on Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148). But these all have the joy of not needing anything other than a web connection to enjoy. If you want to see all of my previous entries, please click here - OTR Christmas (or drop to the bottom of this message).

Heinz Memorial Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh - June 2018 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

I am not sure that I have listened to an episode of Matinee Theater or its predecessor program, Dangerously Yours, before. From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group:

Matinee Theater represented a serious attempt by CBS to provide quality dramatic programming for its Sunday afternoon listeners. A continuation of the series Dangerously Yours, it was renamed Matinee Theater with a view towards presenting "a greater range of stories". That broader scope was able to accommodate such episodes as "Beautiful Dreamer" (the Stephen Foster story) and "The Love Story of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning".

Victor Jory and several different female stars paired to bring classics like "Wuthering Heights", "Jane Eyre", and "The Scarlet Pimpernel" to the audience, as well as a number of more contemporary works. The first of these thirty-minute broadcasts aired October 22, 1944 and the final one on April 8, 1945. The Vick Chemical Company sponsored throughout.

So since I think I have the begining of a cold...a little help from Vicks might be just the ticket. And that takes us to December 24th, 1944 and Matinee Theater. The program featured a David Victor and Herbert Little Jr. adaptation of a Charles Tawewell story of a "modern miracle play." The story starts off with two old curmudgeons in a nearly empty Fifth Avenue club on Christmas Eve. They were complaining about the holidays, lamenting wrapping of gifts, tinsel and the sending of Christmas cards. So when a new waiter from the club arrives to serve them hot toddies, he instead delivers a story about the meaning of Christmas that took place just the year before. He told them a story about how a trucker on his way from New Jersey to Pittsburgh met up with a young soldier and his pregnant bride who were stuck in a storm. Their names, you guessed it - Joseph and Mary. The waiter told the two old men about their own miracle that took place just last year on Christmas Eve in a Pennsylvania city between Jersey and Pittsburgh - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The sweet story stars Victor Jory, Jackson Beck, & John Brown with Martin Gabel as host. The story was directed by Richard Sanville.

A Stable in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (December 24th, 1944)

Here are some links to programs relating to Old Time Radio and Matinee Theater:

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2018) & Other Links

Another 25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2017)

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2016)

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2015) & Other Links

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2014)

Saturday, December 1, 2018

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas - Day 1: Christmas Shopping with Jack Benny & Gang (1947)

Well....its December 1st, so it is no better time than to start my annual exploration of some of my favorite programs features to the holidays from the Golden Age of Radio. I had hope to feature programs all year long - but oh well, stop living in the past (uhm....maybe I need a better expression here). So for the next 25 days or so, I will feature favorite Christmas and holiday programs each day. I have been doing this every year since 2014 and hope they are enjoyable. In almost every way possible, I am not ready for December, but here goes nothing!

There will be many opportunities to catch Christmas and holiday themed episodes from the Golden Age of Radio on the web and on Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148). But these all have the joy of not needing anything other than a web connection to enjoy. If you want to see all of my previous entries, please click here - OTR Christmas (or drop to the bottom of this message).

Visit to Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland (Frankenmuth, Michigan - October 20th, 2018)

So let's jump in with Jack Benny. With someone as prolific as Mr. Benny, I have featured him twice before. More Shopping with Jack Benny (1944) and Christmas Shopping with Jack Benny. He was also a regular on the Elgin special (that will be shared on Christmas day) and other features including Hotpoint's The Man Who Came to Dinner (with Jack Benny).

The Jack Benny Program was a national treasure and it is great that we have so many recordings. Staring in the show was Jack Benny, a vaudeville performer who seemed to hit it big over the airways. Mary Livingstone played second fiddle (no pun intended) to her real life husband. She apparently had horrible stage fright, but hardly shows it as the straight person to many of Jack Benny's jokes. Eddie Anderson played Rochester, Jack's valet and chauffeur. He was one of the earliest African-Americans on mainstream radio and was one of the most loved characters on the show. Don Wilson was the show announcer and did the commercials. He was the constant butt of jokes, primarily about his weight. Irish Tenor Dennis Day (who was on the 1948 show) also had a show of his own. Besides being a 'dim bulb' in all the skits, he also sang a song on every episode. Phil Harris (who also had a show of his own) was the bandleader and the joker on the show. His real wife, Alice Faye would join him on the show as well. The last big name was Mel Blanc (of Bugs Bunny fame). Blanc (who ALSO had his own show) was one of the most famous character actors to play on the Jack Benny Show. He is very commonly the floorwalkers for the Christmas episodes. The shows are chock full of laughs, funny stories, corny jokes and great music.

This episode is from December 21st, 1947 and represents what happens if you do not have the holidays planned out and get your presents wrapped up (so to speak) early. The episode starts with Jack and Rochester heading slowly towards the shopping area just a few days before Christmas. While the cast does a great job as usual, I am particular enamored by the supporting cast of store employees. Joseph Kearns is the employee at the credit office in the store who takes Jack's application. Mel Blanc does a great job reprising the frustrated store clerk who last year spent hours with Jack as he decided which type of shoe laces to buy as a gift for Don Wilson. He also is a salesman working with Dennis Day who, in a moment of enthusiasm - sold his own pants. In another cameo, Gerald Mohr (one of my favorites as Phil Marlowe) is helping Rochester buy a gift for Jack.
The episode ends with some lovely Christmas music sung by Dennis Day. I hope this episode (and the cold weather in the states) helps get you in the spirit of the holidays. I also hope that you have a more productive time shopping this year for the holidays.

Last Minute Christmas Shopping with Jack Benny (December 21st, 1947)

Here are some links to programs relating to Old Time Radio and Jack Benny:

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2018) & Other Links

Another 25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2017)

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2016)

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2015) & Other Links

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2014)

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Corey's Caribbean Story - A Celebrity Cruise Fit for a King

Hi everyone - What do you think? Its for the Celebrity Contest Please let me know by writing to coreyseeman@gmail.com. Please let me know by June 27th or 28th.

Corey's Caribbean Story - A Celebrity Cruise Fit for a King
*Updated June 25, 2018

Every cruise is a confluence of experiences. There are the people who have booked a room and are looking for a week away from jobs, routines, and maybe the weather. In return, we get to enjoy a week potentially disengaged from our everyday lives, surrounded by perks, pampering and peace that we sometimes wish were more abundant in our lives. And while the experiences for the guests are almost universally wonderful, the cruise ship not only represents an escape from the everyday, but a critical part of the local economy. When a local pilot gets onboard a cruise ship to steer the vessel into port, the local economy gets a boost that few other entities could deliver all at once. It is this approach that is driving my Caribbean cruise story as I design a great tour that Celebrity Cruises could offer. Instead of designing a Caribbean cruise focused on new ports or new experiences, lets seek out ways to make the biggest impact into the people at the destinations we would visit.

Celebrity Equinox at sea - February 19th, 2018

Many years ago, I worked at a museum in upstate New York. It was a very important tourist destination about four hours north of New York City. The need for tourists for the organization to make its annual payroll was critical. So much that our goal for attendance was a key part to our database password. And while tourists were critical for our operation, it was more so for the people who worked in the local hotels, restaurants and shops. When your entire year was made or lost in the span of a few short months - it can be a very stressful way to live. Once you have worked in a tourism economy, you realize that it is a fickle and risky way to earn a living. A few bad weeks and some unfortunate timed storms can change your fortune.

Imperfect Storms - Irma and Maria and their Impact in the Caribbean

Speaking of bad storms, last year, we had an awful hurricane season in the North Atlantic. Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017, it wreaked havoc on the residents on a few islands in particular as both storms traveled the same path. Earlier this year, I was fortunate to travel on the Celebrity Equinox on the 7 day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean. Our February 21st sailing was only the second Celebrity ship to visit St. Maarten since the storm. We also visited San Juan, Puerto Rico. At both stops, we were thanked profusely about visiting their island. We went out on excursions, bought souvenirs, ate meals and otherwise gave an infusion into their economy that gave some much needed normalcy to these two economies. In my years as a cruise ship tourist, I recall many pleasant experiences. However, I do not recall people thanking us for stopping at their island. Just being there was important to reverse the damage done by the category 5 winds and power outages that ravaged both locations. Many of these islands lost almost their entire peak season in the fall and winter of 2017-2018.

Out and About in Philipsburg, St. Maarten (SXM) - Tuesday February 20, 2018

The Importance of Tourism in the Caribbean

The tourism industry is the single most important element in the islands and one that the cruise lines impacts and supports directly. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the "...Travel & Tourism contributes 15% of the Caribbean's GDP and 13.8% of employment. "However, in around half of the countries analysed, the sector accounts for over 25% of GDP - more than double the world average of 10.4%." Furthermore, "Research suggests that recovery to previous levels could take up to four years, and if this is the case, the region will miss out on over US$3 billion over this timeframe." (see: https://www.wttc.org/priorities/crisis-preparedness/caribbean-recovery/) When a sector of any economy as large as tourism in the Caribbean is hurt, the entire economy suffers. And while many properties were damaged and remained closed during the aftermath of these two storms, cruise ships present a tremendous opportunity to help rebuild these economies. hey bring in thousands of visitors each week without requiring hotel rooms.

Building the Perfect Itinerary

So in building an itinerary, I wanted to create a trip that not only provided a tremendous opportunity for the guests, but one that created a well needed boost to the local economy that had been suffering since these two massive storms. We could call it the Celebrity ROI Cruise for two reasons. First, since we are treated like royalty by Celebrity, we can draw upon the French meaning of roi - or king. Second, we could also look at ROI, or return on investment, to show that these stops will boost into the local economy.

So Let's leave from Fort Lauderdale or Miami - either are OK!

Celebrity Equinox Leaving the Port of Miami (Miami, Florida) - February 17, 2018

First Stop - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Our first stop is San Juan, Puerto Rico. San Juan and the island of Puerto Rico is slowly recovering from the twin hits of Irma and Maria and many months later, are still not where they once were. Getting tourists onto the island will help boost the economy is a very positive way. I would love to see the cruise ship spend the night in port and leave the following afternoon, so guests could take two excursions and learn more about the island. This would also allow guests to take in the nightlife of San Juan and a great dinner on shore. Best of all, the guests would have enough time to visit Castillo San Felipe del Morro and the rest of the beautiful San Juan National Historic Site.

Castillo San Felipe del Morro from the Celebrity Equinox as it Entered the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico - February 19th, 2018

Second Stop - U.S. Virgin Islands

Our second stop is Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is another United States territory that suffered tremendously in the storms. I've never been to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and would love to see the heritage and learn more about the sugar industry on the island and elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Pictures from the Caribbean Scenic Railway Tour on St. Kitts - February 21, 2018

Third Stop - St. Maartin

Our last stop is St. Maartin. In an ideal scenario, we would also spend the night on this island nation that would give guests a broader opportunity to explore and shop on the island. It would also enable guests to do take a second excursion and maybe spend time on the French side of the island. Or, it might allow people to undertake one cultural and one adventure excursion. And a longer visit could ensure some good plane watching at Maho Beach.

Plane Watching at Maho Beach, Philipsburg, St. Maarten (SXM) - Tuesday February 20, 2018

Every trip is an opportunity to explore. Every cruise gives the guests an opportunity to see something new and enrich themselves personally. This itinerary might be a bit different. While it definitely enriches us and provides each and every one a great experience onboard a Celebrity ship, it provides real impact into three economies that really need the boost. And having a series of enrichment lectures that are focused on this topic (as well as storms in the Caribbean) might be a great activity for days at sea (I know a guy who would love to do these)! If we can enjoy life while making a positive impact into the world, it just seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up!

Bon Voyage!

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Your World Adventure Awaits On Old Time Radio: Visiting India with Ports of Call (1936)

For the fourth entry in my series of Old Time Radio programs that feature adventure, lets head back to 1936 and get on a grand voyage to exotic ports of call. And the program is... Ports of Call. This is a cool series that I first learned about only last year as I wanted to see how the world was depicted on Old Time Radio during the 30s, 40s, and 50s. This is a great way to keep our voyage going.

Visit to the Mahatma Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India (November 19, 2017)
Here are all my pictures from that day at the Ashram

My second entry is this series featured World Adventurer's Club (1932), a 15 minute program from a company called Transco (or Transcription Company of America). Another program they are responsible for is what we are featuring today. Ports of Call was a series of transcribed 30 minute programs produced in 1935 or 1936 that took the listener to all the corners of the globe. From the Digital Deli article:

Ports of Call was a Transco-produced 30-minute 'musical travelogue' of sorts. Often billed in the newspaper listings of California as either 'musical' or 'drama', the fifty-two Ports of Call programs were more a combination of travelogue, geography lesson, World Music, and docudrama.

The program was likely first aired in California and ran periodically through 1937. Also from that article on the Digital Deli: "The subject forty-three countries we can currently account for represented every predominant ethnicity, language and region of the modern world of the era. The pure escapism that the series provided, as well as an undoubted element of nostalgia for the various ethnicities that comprised the great melting pot of our post-Depression nation, were an equally compelling attraction for West Coast listeners."

The episode that I want to feature today was the voyage to India. The program takes you on a dramatized voyage into the history of India with an interesting twist. I was fortunate to visit India this November, so the country is often on my mind. This program provides a very Western-focused approach to the history, starting with the British East India Company and its role in governing the colony of India. We also learn about the building of the Taj Mahal and the 1756 episode that would be known as the Black Hole of Calcutta. But what I am most interested in is the portrait and treatment of Mahatma Gandhi and his rise to prominence in 1920.

In my travels to India, I visited Ahmedabad and was able to visit the Ashram where he lived and where his movement that lead to Indian independence in the 1920s. That brings us back to this program. From the world view of 1936, his work was a failure. Mahatma Gandhi was not able to deliver on his promise of independence that lead him to fame in the teens and 20s However, it did lead him to prison. That is where this story left him. While no program can know the future, it is very interesting to see how he was identified as one of the figures they wanted to showcase and how much more important he was to become.. Move forward Learn more about Gandhi from the Wikipedia.

There are lots of country in this excellent series and I will revisit this again. I hope you enjoy these episodes.

India from Ports of Call

Here are some links to Ports of Call:

Your World Adventure Awaits On Old Time Radio

Corey's Old Time Radio Links

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Your World Adventure Awaits On Old Time Radio: Traveling to Africa in The Heart of Darkness on Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre (1938)

For the third entry in my series of Old Time Radio programs that feature adventure, lets head back to 1938. Well, maybe we should phrase this differently - let's head back to 10th Grade. For it was in 10th Grade English that I first read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. This is one of the greatest novellas of all time and served as the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola's brilliant 1979 film Apocalypse Now. The story takes into the heart of Africa and into the heart of men as we travel in search of the mysterious Mr. Kurtz. And while Coppola is one of the most well known directors of all time, maybe one of the very best directors is someone who brought this story to radio back in 1938. And that director...must be Orson Welles.

Well...its Dark! Harvest Moon Over Dana Point (California) - October 26, 2015

Let's go to Africa with the Mercury Theatre On The Air - the brilliant program from Orson Welles. It was Welles' success on the New York stage of the same name that brought him to radio. After a tryout with Mutual Network, Welles moved his Mercury Theatre On The Air to the CBS Radio Network, where he became well known for excellent adaptations of some of the world's finest literature. In the weeks before the Mercury Theatre broadcast their version of the Heart of Darkness, they featured stories such as The Count of Monte Cristo, Thirty-Nine Steps, A Tale of Two Cities, among others. But maybe more interesting is the very week before this broadcast, Welles and his acting troupe put on a performance that may be the most famous one that ever went out over the air. That of course was the October 30, 1938 broadcast of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. So skip ahead one week - on November 6th, 1938 - it was like nothing ever happened.

On the fifth week of this program series (August 8th, 1938), instead of presenting a single story on their hour long program, they opted for three short stories. Citing the success and popularity of that experiment, they decided to do it again. The two stories were Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and excerpts from Clarence Day's Life With Father. Those two stories could not seem more different. And since we are focusing on adventure - we probably just need to talk about Heart of Darkness. Welles opens up the broadcast with a great telling of a traumatic event in the life of the young author (which I am not completely sure was not elaborated by Welles for dramatic effect). The brilliant story that was published in 1899 while the author was in his 40s needs no elaboration. Charles Marlow is the narrator of the story and he tells of his adventures traveling up the Congo River into the heart of Africa. The focus of his story was his search for an ivory trader by the name of Mr. Kurtz. Besides being tremendously successful as an ivory trader, he is very mysterious. Maybe mad. The story follows Marlow as his searches for Kurtz on behalf of his company.

This great production takes up more than half of the episode and features Ray Collins as Marlow. Welles plays the mysterious and allusive Mr. Kurtz. Other members of the acting company that day include Alfred Shirley, Alice Frost, Anna Stafford, Arthur Anderson, Dan Seymour, Edgar Barrier, Frank Readick, George Coulouris, Mary Wickes, Mildred Natwick, and William Alland.

This is a great entry that will hopefully take you on an adventure far beyond the walls of your home - but without the fear that space aliens from a different world are on their way. I hope you enjoy this.

Mercury Theatre On The Air (November 6, 1938)

Read the Heart of Darkness - from Project Gutenberg

Here are some links to Mercury Theatre On The Air:

Your World Adventure Awaits On Old Time Radio

Corey's Old Time Radio Links

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Your World Adventure Awaits On Old Time Radio: Visit to the Frozen North from World Adventurer's Club (1932)

It is cold today in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Very cold. Then again, it snowed yesterday in Charleston, South Carolina - so things are bad all over. So with that - I was thinking that we would take an adventure somewhere where it is cold...very cold. This is the second entry in my series of Old Time Radio programs that feature adventure - especially world travel.

206/365/3493 (January 3, 2018) - Squirrels in Ann Arbor on a Cold and Snowy Winter's Day at the University of Michigan (January 3, 2018)

Cold Squirrel at the University of Michigan - January 3rd, 2018

We have jumped into the Netflix series The Crown that chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II (and it is great). During the second season, Prince Phillip is on a world travels and his personal secretary shares letters of their adventures with a club where they are read aloud. That conjures up nicely what I think these types of clubs might have been like - both real and imagined. So during the height of the Great Depression, a radio program was devised to take the listener far from their world and into one of pure adventure. In 1932, a series of transcribed (or recorded) programs from a company called Transco were created under the name the World Adventurer's Club. These brief 15 minute programs enabled the listener to visit far off lands and live through thrilling adventures of bravery and heroism. No doubt they were enhanced on radio as the were likely in real life.

From the Digital Deli article, they have some nice things to say about the genre and time:

Sitting atop the pecking order of world adventurers, the various Adventurers Clubs, Explorers Clubs, and Geographic Societies of England, Germany, France, the Orient, and America presided over their respective nations' most intrepid and herioc adventurers. Most of the organized clubs went to great lengths to compete for the first reports of these world adventurers within days or weeks of completing their independent trimphs of derring-do. Indeed, several of those clubs funded some of the more challenging adventures--and adventurers--of the era. Fiction novels were famous for citing the underwriting of one or more Adventurers Clubs as the framework behind novels such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around The World in Eighty Days, and Journey to The Center of The Earth.

The organized adventurers' clubs, in addition to underwriting adventures of their own, provided venues throughout the world for vetting--and exploiting--the more important accomplishments and discoveries of their era.

The stories all tend to start the same way. First with a musical opening (sometimes with a male chorus contributing a song), and then an opening. This is how the opening for today's episode started:

And now we take you in fancy to one of the most famous institutions of its kind...the World Adventurer's Club.

Here we meet men who have braved every danger the world has to offer. Men who have battled the polar seas and the tropical jungle. It is the custom of this club to hold a series of informal meetings in which one member is called upon to tell the most thrilling experience of his career. And now, the World Adventurer's Club extends a cordial invitation to you to draw up your chair and hear a story of the Royal road to adventure.

The story featured today is appropriate for the weather. The president of the club selects Captain Alexander Hale to share his story about adventure in the Arctic Circle. Hale was on a relief mission near the North Pole in search for another explorer who was given up for lost in a previous expedition. The difficulty was compounded when they found themselves in the middle of a storm. And if things could not get worse, there were polar bears - 20 of them. But in the process of fleeing the bears, they discovered the ship of the ill-fated Morton expedition. Such was the life of the adventurer.

These short programs are enjoyable and a perfect match for this series. I hope you all stay warm and enjoy this particular adventure.

World Adventurer's Club Program #5 - The Frozen North

Here are some links to World Adventurer's Club:

Your World Adventure Awaits On Old Time Radio

Corey's Old Time Radio Links

Monday, January 1, 2018

Your World Adventure Awaits On Old Time Radio: A Passenger to Bali from Escape (1950)

I had the great opportunity to travel a great deal over the past two years and it has given me the adventurer-bug for sure. I have little planned for 2018 - but I hope that I can fix that on the sooner side. That all being said, this year, I want to highlight a series of Old Time Radio programs that feature adventure - especially world travel. Hopefully this will be lots of fun to create and to listen to. And for my first adventure - I thought I would ask three simple questions:

Tired of the everyday routine?

Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure?

Want to get away from it all?

With that, I offer you ESCAPE! This was one of the most famous shows on the CBS Radio Network. It ran from 1947 to 1954 and, along with Suspense, Gunsmoke and various programs led by Norman Corwin (that will be covered later in this series), cemented the place for CBS to be at the Pantheon of the Golden Age of Radio. Escape featured many adapted versions of short stories that placed the characters in difficult, if not impossible adventures.

Empress of the Seas - In Port at Cozumel (October 14, 2017)

As part of our travels this past year, we took a cruise of the Caribbean including stops in Key West, Cuba and Cozumel. Our waiter on the Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas was named Indra - or IN (as he liked to say). He was from Bali and every evening when I ordered fish, he added that it was freshly arrived from Bali. That was not likely the case, but it is in Bali that my adventures start for this series. (BTW - We had a great cruise)!

In 1936, Ellis St. Joseph wrote a play called "A Passenger to Bali." St. Joseph was a well known and respected writer who would later make a name for himself on television. In 1938, Orson Welles's Mercury Theater produced a one hour version of the program which I might feature down the road (here is the broadcast from November 13, 1938 starring Welles). I just found out that the play had a very brief life on Broadway as well - only playing four shows in 1940 (here is the playbill). It opened on March 14th and closed on March 16th. It seems that they not have to heed Caesar's warning to beware the ides of March - but every other day!

The version I am showcasing today for my first adventure comes from Escape and was broadcast on December 10th, 1950. As the radio play opens, we find ourselves in Shanghai on a a bustling dock as the freighter Roundabout is seeking to leave for its next cargo. Captain English (played by the great John Dehner) is busy barking orders to get everything ready for their voyage. They are approached unexpectedly by Rev. Mr. Walkes (played by Lou Merrill). The Reverend understands they are headed to Bali and presents his passport and offers twice as much as should be expected for the trip to Bali. Captain English has little choice but to accept - a decision he would come to regret. On the voyage to Bali, a young stowaway - who followed the Reverend onto the ship - is met with an untimely demise. Captain English realizes that his passenger is not at all a man of God. As they approached Bali, they were informed by the customs officer that they would not be allowed to let their passenger leave the ship. He started as their passenger, but he became their burden. So it is like having family for the holidays - only 350x worse.

The production was produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell and featuring Lou Krugman, Michael Ann Barrett, Wilms Herbert, and Bruce Payne. I hope if you have travels planned for this new year of 2018, that yours go more smoothly! And I hope you enjoy this new series of Old Time Radio programs.

A Passenger To Bali (Escape - December 10, 1950)

Here are some links to Escape:

Your World Adventure Awaits On Old Time Radio

A Passenger to Bali from Escape (1950)

Corey's Old Time Radio Links