26
classic broadcasts of The Sealed Book
301 classic broadcasts
of Command Performance
294 more bonus classic Old Time
Radio Shows
ALL KNOWN EPISODES TO EXIST.
Don't be fooled by other
collections that claim to contain more episodes. Many of these shows
were aired on multiple dates in reruns, so you have plenty of
sellers out there padding their collections with reruns!
We feature all known episodes in existence and do not add
"fluff" to our collections to increase our claimed episode count
like many others.
NOTICE: This
collection is all in MP3 format supplied on DVD. You play
this in your computer and then can copy all the MP3 files to
your MP3 player of choice. This DVD will NOT play in a
regular CD player in your car, or your TV's DVD player, it is
intended for your computer only which will allow you to transfer
the MP3 files to any device that can play MP3's. This collection remains the
largest most original collection on ebay.
The
Sealed Book:
The Sealed Book was
a radio series of mystery and terror tales, produced and
directed by Jock MacGregor for the Mutual network.
Between March 18 and September 9, 1945, the melodramatic
anthology series was broadcast on Sundays from 10:30pm
to 11:00pm.
Each week, after "the sound of the great gong," host
Philip Clarke observed that the mysteriously silent
"keeper of the book has opened the ponderous door to the
secret vault wherein is kept the great sealed book, in
which is recorded all the secrets and mysteries of
mankind through the ages, Here are tales of every kind,
tales of murder, of madness, of dark deeds strange and
terrible beyond all belief." After this introduction,
the dramas began, occasionally interrupted by extended
organ solos. Although this anthology series did not have
recurring characters (other than the Narrator and the
Keeper of the Book), the writers often used the same
names for different characters from week to week,
including "Hester", "Drake", and most especially
"Roger".
At the end of an episode, Clarke told listeners to tune
in the following week when "the sound of the great gong
heralds another strange and exciting tale from... the
sealed book." Scripts were by Robert Arthur, Jr. and
David Kogan, who also were responsible for The
Mysterious Traveler, and recycled many of the more
popular stories from that parent program. "The Hands of
Death" was the first of the 26 episodes which concluded
with "Death Laughs Last".
Command
Performance:
Command Performance
was a radio program which originally aired between 1942
and 1949. The program was broadcast on the Armed Forces
Radio Network (AFRS) with a direct shortwave
transmission to the troops overseas. It was not
broadcast over domestic U.S. radio stations.
The program was produced before an audience in the Vine
Street Playhouse in Hollywood, California, and recorded
via electrical transcription. The weekly listening
audience of military personnel was estimated at 95.5
million.
Troops sent in requests for a particular performer or
program to appear, and they also suggested unusual ideas
for music and sketches on the program, such as: "Ann
Miller tap dancing in military boots"; "a sigh from
Carole Landis"; "foghorns on San Francisco Bay"; "Errol
Flynn taking a shower"; "a slot machine delivering the
jackpot" and "Bing Crosby mixing a bourbon and soda for
Bob Hope". Top performers of the day appeared, including
Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Fred
Allen, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland and The Andrews
Sisters.
The first Command Performance was broadcast on March 1,
1942, almost exactly three months after the bombing of
Pearl Harbor. It was under the aegis of the Office of
War Information and its success paved the way for the
creation of the Armed Forces Radio Service in May 1942.
Time magazine described Command Performance as being,
"the best wartime program in America". However very few
listeners in the United States ever heard it and it
would appear that the Christmas Command Performance of
1942 was the only programme of the series to be
broadcast to a general audience. Variety magazine
commented on this saying: "The War Department on
Christmas Eve gave domestic listeners their first taste
of a series that had been going out to the Armed Forces
on short-wave for 43 consecutive weeks. The purpose of
the special occasion as Elmer Davis, Office of War
Information chief, expressed it in a foreword to the
show, was to forge a link between the servicemen abroad
and the folks on the Home Front. A recorded version of
the show was short-waved, all over the world, the next
day... Hope emceed, tossed off a monologue and
cross-fired with Crosby. A special treat in the vocal
department was the version of "Basin Street Blues" that
came out of the tonsil partnership of Bing Crosby and
The Charioteers."
At the outset, the AFRS was shortwaving the shows but
the reception was often distorted or spoiled by fading
and static. Also many servicemen had no access to a
shortwave receiver. These problems were resolved when
the Armed Forces Radio Service sought permission from
the four major radio networks to record favorite
programmes on 16" transcription discs. As many as
seventy of these programmes were recorded and produced
each week, especially for the armed forces, together
with Command Performance, Mail Call, G.I. Journal and
various other series. At the peak of the war, around
21,000 transcriptions were being shipped to troops in
Europe, Asia and the South Pacific and over 800 radio
stations, operated by servicemen and for servicemen,
were set up to cover all theatres of war, in order to
provide music and laughter from home.
An article in a 1943 issue of Tune In magazine estimated
the value of the talent appearing on Command Performance
as follows: "Presented by a commercial sponsor, Command
Performance would have a weekly talent cost of $50,000.
For Uncle Sam, there are no charges."
The final episode of Command Performance—the 415th in
the series—was produced in December 1949. The program
was one of nine AFRS shows that were ended as a result
of a budget cut by the Secretary of Defense.
And more
Bonus Radio Shows:
As a sampler of our old
time radio library, we are including these
classic old time radio shows on this DVD-ROM at no extra charge:
|
General Mills |
Gisele of Canada |
Grand Central Station |
|
General Motors Hour |
Glamour Manor |
Great Moments in Music |
|
General Motors on Safari |
Gloria Swanson |
Greatest of These, The |
|
Genius of Duke, The |
Gold Coast Rhythm |
Guess What Quiz Show |
|
George Jessel |
Good Gulf Program |
Guess Who |
|
Gideon Fell |
Good Word, The |
Les Brown Show |
|
Gisele MacKenzie |
Granby's Green Acre |
Les Paul and Mary Ford |
