Audiobooks by Hollywood 360

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, Vol. 2 Audiobook

First heard on network radio in 1948, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar chronicled the adventures of freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar, “the man with the action-packed expense account.” For fourteen years it was one of the most popular detective shows on the air, lasting until the final days of network radio drama in 1962. Each story started with a phone call from an insurance executive calling on Johnny Dollar to investigate an unusual claim. His investigations usually required him to travel to distant locales and often involved murder. The stories were recounted in flashback, as Dollar listed each line item from his expense account: “Item one, $3.75 cab fare to the airport.” Over the years, many actors portrayed Johnny Dollar, including Charles Russell, John Lund, and Edmund O’Brien. But in 1955 Bob Bailey took over as the series was switching to a new dynamic format of seventy-five-minute storylines told in five fifteen-minute installments, Monday through Friday. While other radio shows were waning in the mid-1950s, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was at its peak. Experts place these adventures in with the best of the best of radio’s golden age. This collection contains thirty fifteen-minute episodes. Episodes include “The Broderick Matter,” “The Amy Bradshaw Matter,” “The Henderson Matter,” “The Cronin Matter,” “The Lansing Fraud Matter” and “The Nick Shurn Matter.”

Hollywood 360 (Author), Bob Bailey (Narrator)

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X minus One, Vol. 2

"Countdown for blastoff ... X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one ... Fire! From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future; adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand may-be worlds." Thus began each episode of X minus One, a half-hour science fiction radio series which was broadcast from 1955 until 1958. Initially a revival of NBC's Dimension X, the first fifteen episodes were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainder were adaptations by NBC staff writers of newly published science fiction stories by leading writers in the field, including Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, Frederik Pohl, and Theodore Sturgeon, along with some original scripts. Paving the way with fresh, imaginative stories, X minus One is widely considered among the finest science fiction dramas ever produced for radio. Episodes Included are: "Dr. Grimshaw's Sanitorium," "Shanghaied," "The Castaways," "Vital Factor," "Hallucination Orbit," "The Defenders," "If You Was a Moklin," "Wherever You May Be," "The Last Martian," "The Moon is Green," "Venus Is a Man's World," and "The Trap." "X Minus One was an anthology science fiction series, broadcast by NBC from 1955 to 1958, and is probably the best OTR program of this genre...Many episodes were adapted from stories by the major science fiction writers of the era, including Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and Philip K. Dick, and generally remained faithful to the originals. What may surprise modern listeners-used to Hollywood's takes on stock science fiction ideas-is how dark and bleak many of the stories could be, with downbeat endings in which the dashing hero does not save the day. This reflects the time in which the series was made, with Cold War-era paranoia and anxiety infusing many of the tales...Yet the best stories transcend their time and still offer powerful and exciting visions, both of the future and the present."-OldTimeRadioReview.com

Hollywood 360, Nbc Radio (Author), A Full Cast, A Full Cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

X Minus One, Vol. 1

X Minus One, widely regarded as one of the finest science fiction dramas ever produced for radio, was broadcast on NBC from 1955 until 1958. It began as a revival of NBC's Dimension X, which ran for just a year and a half, from 1950 to 1951. Though the first fifteen episodes of X Minus One were merely new versions of Dimension X episodes, the rest were adaptations of newly published works of science fiction stories by some of the genre's top authors, including Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, Frederik Pohl, and Theodore Sturgeon, along with some original scripts by NBC staff writers Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts. Each episode opened with the introduction: "Countdown for blastoff ... X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one ... Fire! From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future; adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand may-be worlds. The National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of Astounding Science Fiction, presents ... X Minus One." Collected here are twelve episodes, including "The C-Chute" adapted from Isaac Asimov, "Skulking Permit" adapted from Robert Sheckley, and three episodes adapted from Theodore Sturgeon's stories.

Hollywood 360, Nbc Radio (Author), Various Performers, Various Performers (Narrator)

Audiobook

This Is Your FBI, Vol. 1

This Is Your FBI, as the title suggests, was a crime drama that featured true cases from the FBI and was told from an agent's viewpoint. The show's producer and director, Jerry Devine, had once worked for the FBI, so having him for the show would allow each story to be told in the best way possible. J. Edgar Hoover, who was the chief of the FBI at the time, gave it his endorsement, calling it "the finest dramatic program on the air," and gave Devine access to the FBI files for the stories used in the show. The show's main character was Agent Jim Taylor, who handled crime cases on the West Coast. In each episode, thirty minutes were allowed for the presentation of the criminal's actions, which was then followed up with Taylor's investigation of the crime. This long-running series starred Frank Lovejoy (and later Dean Carlton and William Woodson) as the narrator, Betty White, and Stacy Harris. Episodes included are: "The Serviceman's Fraud," "The Desert Dictator," "The Unwelcome Guest," "The Sinister Souvenir," "The Cautious Killer," "The Corrupt City," "The Pan American Patriots," "The Castaway Killer," "The Paroled Killer," "The Delinquent Parents," "The Nylon Hijacker," and "The Singing Swindler."

Hollywood 360 (Author), A Full Cast, A Full Cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Whistler, Volume 1

The Whistler was one of radio’s top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. The Whistler was an ominous narrator who opened each episode with, “I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak.” The opening dialog was heard over the echo of footsteps and Wilbur Hatch’s haunting signature thirteen-note theme, whistled each week by Dorothy Roberts. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person’s criminal acts were typically undone by their own missteps. The Whistler narrated, often commenting directly on the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. One of the show’s trademarks was the ironic twist endings that helped serve as a payoff for the listener. Bill Forman had the title role of host and narrator the longest. Others who portrayed the Whistler included Gale Gordon, Lucille Ball’s future television costar; Joseph Kearns, Mr. Wilson on the television series Dennis the Menace; Marvin Miller, soon to be television’s Michael Anthony on The Millionaire; Bill Johnstone, the Shadow on radio from 1938–1943; and Everett Clarke.

A Hollywood 360 Collection, CBS Radio, Hollywood 360 (Author), A Full Cast, A Full Cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Whistler, Vol. 3

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955, sponsored by the Signal Oil Company. The Whistler was an ominous narrator who opened each episode with: "I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak." The opening dialog was heard over the echo of footsteps and a haunting signature thirteen-note theme, whistled each week by Dorothy Roberts. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone by their own missteps. The Whistler narrated the story, often commenting directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. One of the show's trademarks was the ironic twist endings that helped serve as a payoff for the listener. Bill Forman held the title role of host and narrator the longest. Others who portrayed the Whistler include Gale Gordon (later starring in I Love Lucy), Joseph Kearns (Mr. Wilson in television's Dennis the Menace), Marvin Miller (later starring on television as Michael Anthony in The Millionaire), Bill Johnstone (The Shadow on radio from 1938 to 1943) and Everett Clarke. The twelve half-hour episodes starring Bill Forman included here with the date of broadcast, are: "Strange Sisters" (28 Jan 1946) "Panic" (4 Feb 1946) "Six Letter Word for Death" (11 Feb 1946) "Murder in Haste" (25 Feb 1946) "Terror Stricken" (8 Apr 1946) "Smart Boy" (15 Apr 1946) "Ambassador of Death" (16 Jun 1947) "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" (16 Jul 1947) "Whispered Verdict" (13 Aug 1947) "Curtain Call" (27 Aug 1947) "A Question of Murder" (4 Aug 1948) "Payment in Full" (1 Sept 1948)

Hollywood 360 (Author), Bill Forman (Narrator)

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The Whistler, Vol. 2

CBS Radio, Hollywood 360 (Author), A Full Cast, A Full Cast, Bill Forman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Weird Circle, Vol. 1

The Weird Circle radio show was an anthology of classic thrillers from the pens of the world's best-known and respected fiction authors of the nineteenth century. The focus was on stories of horror, suspense, and the supernatural by such authors as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Mary Shelley, with an occasional drama by the likes of Emily Brontë, Charles Dickens, and George Eliot. For The Weird Circle, produced in New York by NBC and offered in syndication, the announcer sat in a cave beside a restless sea and instructed a bell keeper to "toll the bell so all may know that we are gathered again in the weird circle for another strange and weird story from out of the past." The casts included New York's steady pool of busy supporting actors, including Lawson Zerbe, Eleanor Audley, Jackson Beck, Mason Adams, Raymond Edward Johnson, and Arnold Moss. This collection of twelve episodes from 1943 includes stories based on works by Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Colllins, Honoré de Balzac, Guy de Maupassant, Prosper Mérimée, and more. "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The House and the Brain," "The Vendetta," "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym," "Declared Insane," "A Terribly Strange Bed," "What Was It?," "The Knightsbridge Mystery," "The Horla," "William Wilson," "A Passion in the Desert," "Mateo Falcone"

Hollywood 360 (Author), A Full Cast, A Full Cast (Narrator)

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The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 2

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, is a London-based "consulting detective" whose abilities border on the fantastic. He is known for his incomparable deductive skills, his ability to adopt almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science to solve difficult crimes. Holmes is perhaps the most prolifically portrayed character in history, with more than seventy actors playing the role in over two hundred movies, on top of numerous portrayals on television and radio. For many, however, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce remain the epitome of the famous detective and his stalwart sidekick.

Hollywood 360 (Author), A Full Cast, A Full Cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, came to NBC radio in 1930 with Richard Gordon playing the legendary sleuth. By 1939 Basil Rathbone was heard as Holmes, with Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. The duo was simultaneously starring in a popular series of Sherlock Holmes features for Twentieth Century Fox and later for Universal Studios. By the end of the mid-1940s, Rathbone was eager to separate himself from the radio show to avoid being typecast. Though the show’s sponsor offered him generous pay to continue, he decided to move on. Tom Conway then took over the role, with Nigel Bruce continuing as Watson. Conway and Bruce were replaced in 1947 by John Stanley and Alfred Shirley. Others to portray Holmes and Watson during the radio program’s run were George Shelton and Ian Martin and Ben Wright and Eric Snowden. In 1955 NBC signed heavyweights John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson to star as Holmes and Watson, but with radio quickly giving way to television, it lasted only one season. This collection contains twelve amazing Sherlock Holmes adventures, starring Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce. Episodes include “The Clue of the Hungry Cat,” “The Adventure of the Original Hamlet,” “The Singular Affair of the Dying Schoolboys,” “The Adventure of the Genuine Guarnarius,” “The Adventure of the Sally Martin,” “The Strange Death of Mrs. Abernetty,” “The Adventure of the Half-Eaten Apple, the Coptic Compass, and the Unclothed Corpse,” “The Adventure of the Elusive Emerald,” “The Adventure of the Grand Old Man,” “The Singular Affair of the White Cockerel,” “The Darlington Substitution Case,” and “The Singular Affair of the Babbling Butler.”

Hollywood 360 (Author), Nigel Bruce, Tom Conway (Narrator)

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The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe, Vol. 1

Created in 1934 by American mystery author Rex Stout, Nero Wolfe is one of the most iconic private investigators in crime fiction. As Watson did for Holmes, Archie Goodwin, Wolfe’s confidential assistant, narrates the cases of the detective genius. Wolfe was an armchair detective who rarely left his luxurious brownstone in New York, so Archie would collect the facts and report back. Wolfe would probably not have taken on many cases had he not needed his client’s money to pay for his two true passions: fine food and his orchid collection. Enjoy twelve of the finest radio episodes of The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe, starring Sydney Greenstreet, who is perhaps best known for playing Kasper Gutman, the villain opposite Humphrey Bogart in the film The Maltese Falcon.

Hollywood 360 (Author), A Full Cast, A Full Cast, Sydney Greenstreet (Narrator)

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The New Adventures of Michael Shayne, Vol. 2

Michael Shayne, 'the reckless, redheaded Irishman' was a popular hard-boiled detective created by crime novelist Brett Halliday. In the novels, Michael Shayne settled in Miami just after WWII, making crime pay by fighting it with a license and an attitude. Like Mike Hammer and Philip Marlowe, Shayne was a loner. The backstory on Mike is that he was happily married, but it hit him hard when his wife was tragically murdered. Grief stricken, Shayne loses himself in his work as a private eye, prowling the dark streets of the city, seeking out his style of revenge for injustice. The radio version of Mike's exploits debuted as Michael Shayne, Private Detective in the fall of 1944 with Wally Maher in the title role. In 1948, Mutual Radio debuted The New Adventures of Michael Shayne starring movie star Jeff Chandler with his adventures taking place in New Orleans. Simultaneously in 1948, Chandler was playing bashful biologist Philip Boynton, the love interest on Our Miss Brooks, proving he could handle comedy as well as dramatic roles. Others to portray Shayne on radio included Donald Curtis and Robert Sterling. Richard Denning, who had starred for years on the radio comedy series My Favorite Husbandopposite Lucille Ball, portrayed Mike Shayne in the 1960s television version, Michael Shayne. Here are twelve exciting episodes of Michael Shayne's investigations, which aired on radio in 1948. 'The Case of the Left Handed Fan,' 'The Case of the Deadly Dough,' 'The Case of the Popular Corpse,' 'The Case of the Bayou Monster,' 'The Case of the Carnival Killer,' 'The Case of the Constant Companion,' 'The Case of the Borrowed Heirloom,' 'The Case of the Eager Victim,' 'The Case of the Phantom Neighbor,' 'The Case of the Model Murder,' 'The Case of Tahlani's Tears,' and 'The Case of the Generous Killer.'

Hollywood 360 (Author), A Full Cast, Jeff Chandler (Narrator)

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