Audiobooks by Nbc Radio

"This radio drama stars Frank Lovejoy in twelve half-hour episodes that aired in 1950, during the golden age of radio. Among several newspaper-based dramas during radio’s golden age, Night Beat was a cut above the others. It was the story of Randy Stone, a hard-nosed Chicago Star newsman, and his quest for the human-interest story behind the headlines. Frank Lovejoy starred as Randy Stone, who came to vivid life thanks to expert scripts by Russell Hughes, Larry Marcus, E. Jack Neuman, and John Michael Hayes, who would later write the Hitchcock film classics To Catch a Thief and Rear Window. Lovejoy’s distinctive voice and approach to the role, combined with top performances by veteran radio actors, gave Night Beat a noir style that listeners loved. The stories ran the gamut from lighthearted to tragic, and through it all, Randy Stone, in a hard-boiled yet sensitive portrayal, would narrate the story and comment on it from beginning to end—often with a hard-edged cynicism. Night Beat aired on NBC radio from 1950 to 1952. This collection includes the following episodes: The Devil’s Bible (24 Jul 50) A City at Your Fingertips (31 Jul 50) Old Blind Pop (7 Aug 50) Gunner’s Last Fight (14 Aug 50) Doctor’s Secret (21 Aug 50) Old Home Week (4 Sep 50) The Hunter Becomes the Hunted (11 Sep 50) Wanna Buy a Story? (18 Sep 50) A Case of Butter (25 Sep 50) The Kenny Day Amnesia Case (6 Oct 50) Einar Pierce and Family (13 Oct 50) Judge Arnold’s Daughter (20 Oct 50)"

Hollywood 360, Nbc Radio (Author), Frank Lovejoy, a full cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Great Gildersleeve, Vol. 2

"Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was a popular character appearing each week on the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show. On August 31, 1941, Gildersleeve landed his own situation comedy, The Great Gildersleeve, becoming radio’s first spin-off. Gildersleeve moved from the town of Wistful Vista, where Fibber McGee and Molly lived, to Summerfield, where he oversaw his late brother-in-law’s estate and took on the rearing of his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy Forrester. The household also included a cook named Birdie. The Great Gildersleeve was the first show to center on a single parent balancing child rearing, work, and a social life, and it was accomplished with taste and genuine wit, often at the expense of Gildersleeve’s slightly understated pomposity. Radio veteran Hal Peary originated the role of Gildersleeve and performs here in these twelve episodes that aired from December 1947 to March 1948: “New Year’s Eve Party”“Anne Tuttle’s Back in Town”“Marjorie’s New Romance”“School Board Election”“License Plate Time”“Acting Mayor”“Getting Glasses”“Leila’s Cousin Arrives in Town”“Adeline Is Trying to Steal Birdie”“Girl Shy Leroy”“The Duel”“Adeline Wants to Visit the Jolly Boys”"

Hollywood 360, Nbc Radio (Author), Harold Peary, a full cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

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: “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.”"

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

Audiobook

Night Beat, Vol. 1

"There were several newspaper-based dramas during radio’s golden age, including Box 13, Let George Do It, and Casey, Crime Photographer, but Night Beat was a cut above. It was the story of Randy Stone, hard-nosed Chicago Star newsman, and his quest for the human-interest story behind the headlines. It starred Frank Lovejoy as Stone, who came to vivid life thanks to expert scripts by Russell Hughes, E. Jack Neuman, John Michael Hayes (who would later write the Hitchcock film classics To Catch a Thief and Rear Window), and Larry Marcus. Lovejoy’s distinctive voice and approach to the role, combined with top performances by veteran radio actors, gave Night Beat a noir style that listeners loved. The stories ran the gamut from lighthearted to tragic, and through it all, Randy Stone would narrate the story and comment on it from beginning to end—often with a hard-edged cynicism. Night Beat aired on NBC Radio from 1950 to 1952. This collection features twelve episodes. Episodes include “Zero”“The Night Is a Weapon”“The Girl in the Park”“A World All His Own”“Number 13”“Am I My Brother’s Keeper?”“Flowers on the Water”“The Man Who Claimed to Be Dead”“I Know Your Secret”“Tong War”“Mentallo, the Mental Marvel”“The Elevator Caper”"

Hollywood 360, Nbc Radio (Author), Frank Lovejoy, 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 for your listening pleasure: “The C-Chute,” adapted from Isaac Asimov, starring Bob Hastings“Skulking Permit,” adapted from Robert Sheckley, starring Mandel Kramer“The Sense of Wonder,” starring William Quinn“Sea Legs,” starring William Redfield“The Seventh Order,” starring James Monks“Lulungameena,” starring Ralph Camargo“Mr. Costello, Hero,” adapted from Theodore Sturgeon, starring Joe DeSantis“Bad Medicine,” starring Karl Weber“The Stars Are the Styx,” adapted from Theodore Sturgeon, starring Craig McDonnell“The Snowball Effect,” starring Ted Osborne“The Lifeboat Mutiny,” starring Leon Janney“Saucer of Loneliness,”adapted from Theodore Sturgeon, starring Elaine Rost"

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

Audiobook

Tales of the Texas Rangers, Vol. 1

"'Texas, more than 260,000 square miles! And fifty men who make up the oldest and most famous law enforcement body in North America!' Like its predecessor, Dragnet, Tales of the Texas Rangers adapted actual police cases for its broadcasts. Leading each week's investigation was Texas Ranger Jayce Pearson, portrayed by movie star Joel McCrea. Because the stories were set in the present, Pearson used the latest scientific techniques to identify criminals. Unlike Joe Friday, Pearson didn't have a regular partner, typically working with the local sheriff instead. Working environments would range from big cities to isolated wilderness areas that could only be reached on horseback. Produced and directed by Stacy Keach Sr., Tales of the Texas Rangers ran from 1950 to 1952 and featured radio's top supporting actors. Its popularity spawned a 1955 Saturday morning television series starring Willard Parker and Harry Lauter broadcast on CBS until 1958. Included are the following episodes: 'Apache Peak''The Trigger Men''Play for Keeps''Dead or Alive''The Hatchet''Sweet Revenge''Death Plant''Pick-Up''Last Stop''Cover-Up''Three Victims''Misplaced Person'"

Hollywood 360, Nbc Radio (Author), Joel McCrea, a full cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Great Gildersleeve, Vol. 1

"A hilarious collection of episodes from the beloved radio show The Great Gildersleeve Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was a popular character, appearing each week on the Fibber McGee & Molly radio show. On August 31, 1941, Gildersleeve landed his own situation comedy show, The Great Gildersleeve, which was radio's first spin-off. Gildersleeve moved from the town of Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where he oversaw his late brother-in-law's estate and took on the rearing of his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie (originally played by Lurene Tuttle and followed by Louise Erickson and Mary Lee Robb) and Leroy Forrester (Walter Tetley). The household also included a cook named Birdie. The Great Gildersleeve was the first show to be centered on a single parent balancing raising children, work, and a social life, accomplished with taste and genuine wit, often at the expense of Gildersleeve's slightly understated pomposity. Radio veteran Hal Peary originated the role of Gildersleeve but left the series at the height of its popularity in 1950, giving way to well-known character actor Willard Waterman. Waterman continued in the radio role until 1957 and also played Gildersleeve in a television version syndicated in 1955. Episodes include: In 'Leroy's Old Car,' it's finally time to teach Leroy how to drive. In 'Friendly to Bullard,' it's time for the county fair. Gildersleeve goes to war with Mr. Bullard once again.In 'Meets Paula Winthrop,' it's school time, and Gildy seems to be falling in love with Mr. Bullard's sister. In 'Marjorie as Secretary,' Marjorie gets a job in the water commissioner's office after taking care of the twins becomes too much for her. In 'Jolly Boys Speak Candidly,' Gildersleeve's re-election as president of the Jolly Boys is delayed by a session of self-criticism.In 'Leroy Stays with Judge Hooker,' Leroy spends a few days at Judge Hooker's house, and it become too quiet at the Gildersleeves's.In 'Anniversary of First Date,' Bronco almost forgets about the date he had with Marjorie.In 'Babs Frustrates Romance,' Gildersleeve takes Mrs. Winthrop and her daughter Babs on a picnic. In 'Lost Boy on Halloween,' Gildersleeve can't decide to spend the evening with the Jolly Boys or with a date on Halloween, when a little lost ghost settles the question. In 'Couple Buying a Lot,' Bronco and Marjorie buy a lot for their home of the future.In 'Oak Tree Problem,' will the old oak tree remain standing or not? Only Gildersleeve and Mr. Bullard know for sure!In 'Inviting Guests for Thanksgiving,' who should be invited for Thanksgiving dinner at the Gildersleeve house?"

Hollywood 360, Nbc Radio (Author), Willard Waterman, a full cast (Narrator)

Audiobook