Bob Bailey stars as insurance investigator Johnny dollar in this five-part episode. Johnny meets Dan Valentine, an old-time bootlegger just released from prison, at a hotel in New Orleans. Intrigued by the old man's stories, Johnny buys him dinner. And that should have been that -- except the next day Valentine was found wounded with two bullets in him. Valentine is quiet about what happened and Johnny 's curiosity is piqued.
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar first aired on CBS radio on February 18, 1948 and had the protagonist (played variously by Charles Russell, Edmond O'Brien, and John Lund -- with Dick Powell taking the lead on the audition tape only) was described as a freelance investigator from Hartford, Connecticut, often involved in insurance investigation. After the September 19, 1954 episode the show went on a year's hiatus, only to come roaring back on October 3, 1955 with Bailey as the star.
Bailey brought a gritty, albeit all-to-human, face to the character. Bailey's Johnny Dollar could make mistakes but he righted himself to come to the true solution to each case. Bailey's Johnny Dollar presented a story arc a week, with five fifteen-minute episodes from Mondays through Fridays -- a format that allowed for deeper plot and characterization. These episodes are considered some of the best in the series as well as some of the best radio detective episodes of all time. There were fifty-three such five-part episodes, as well as one seven-part and one nine part episode. On November 6, 1956, the show resumed a half-hour weekly format with Bailey still in the lead. Bailey's last episode in the series was on November 27, 1960, after which production moved from Hollywood to New York City.
In New York Robert Readick took over the title role for twenty-eight episodes, followed by Mandel Kramer who played Johnny Dollar from June 18, 1961 to the show's close on Spetember 2, 1962. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was the last of the old-time continuing radio detective shows. An era closed.
An attempt to bring the show to television with feature player Bill Bryant in the title role never went further than an unsold pilot*, and in 2003 Moonstone Books released a single graphic novel about the character (It had been planned for a series, but that just didn't work out). Nonetheless, Johnny Dollar remains popular, with old episodes being replayed on various radio stations here and abroad.
Jack Johnstone was the producer/director of the Bob Bailey episodes . Johnstone also wrote most of the scripts during this time. "John Dawson" (a pen name for Jack Johnstone) wrote the script for "The Valentine Matter." Betty Lou Gerson, Forrest Lewis, Marvin Miller, Jay Novello, Barney Phillips, and Will Wright co-star.
Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OY3Eh25BUg
* Written and directed by Blake Edwards, who was one of the writers of the radio show. Another noted writer was mystery author Stuart Palmer.
Small House of Everything
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
BAD JOKE WEDNESDAY
Why is six afraid of seven?
Because seven ate nine.
Yeah, but why did seven do that?
Because his doctor told him to have three squared meals a day.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
OVERLOOKED SILENT FILM: JULIUS CAESAR (1908)
1908 was a classy year for Vitagraph Studioes. In that one year the studio released one-reelers of some of Shakespeare's most famous plays, albeit in shortened versions. Othello, Macbeth, romeo and Juliet, A Comedy of Errors, Richard III, the Merchant of Venice, and Anthony and Cleopatra -- as well as Julius Caesar -- were all churned out by the studio in truncated form and presaging The Reduced Shakespeare Company by a good many years.
Julius Caesar starred distinguished stage actor Charles Kent who made his film debut with that year's Macbeth. He would go on to be featured in another 145 films before his death in 1923 at age 70.
The role of Cassius went to William V. Ranous, who co-produced and co-directed the film. Ranous appeared in 63 silent films and directed 32. Today happens to be the 162nd anniversary of his birth so in his honor I am featuring this film today.
I don't know how much of Shakespeare's play you can truly appreciate in fifteen brief scenes from the stage play, featuring a bunch of guys in togas waving their arms and mouthing words. Nonetheless, just keep saying to yourself, "It's culture"...
and enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrZJOidJNE0
Monday, March 11, 2019
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: TAKE MY TRUE LOVE BY THE HAND
The Limelighters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjSby7HcXX4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjSby7HcXX4
BITS & PIECES
Openers: Gaetano Albini came bustling into his little "blanco" a trifle before ten, nodded a smiling
"Good morning" to his employees, and strode importantly to the rear.
Puffing at his cigar, he unlocked the door to his private office, passed within, and rang for his mail.
This was the routine of Albini's life, and there was nothing, this sun-shiny morning, to indicate that it was to be disturbed.
-- "An Ambushed Terror" by J. U. Giesy, All-Story Cavalier Weekly, June 27, 1914
Oldest Printed Book?: Forget Gutenberg. The Diamond Sutra [Vasracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra] is the oldest known surviving printed book, dating back to 868. The book, probably written between the second and the fifth centuries, was an important work in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and ancient translations have been found throughout Asia. In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha lectures the monk Subhuti about the nature of reality, which is hidden by preconceived notions. These concepts make all reality illusory and the ultimate reality is itself "negative and empty." Much of the Buddha's teachings appear to be negative and contradictory. Not having read the texts, it seems to me to be a blend of Socratic argument and Heraclesian logic, but what do I know?
According to the Sutra,
"All conditioned phenomena
"Are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow.
Like dew or a flash of lightening.
Thus shall we perceive them."
The wood block printed book was on a scroll about five meters long and found in the Mogao Caves in northwest China in 1907. This note at the end not only gives a dedication, but also the date of printing and an Creative Commons license: "Reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 15th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong."
In other words, on May 11, 868. Thus, in two months, we can celebrate the birthday of books!
More on Trump: What can I say that Randy Rainbow hasn't said (or sung) better?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7q0bz0sk30
Origins of Florida Man: Where (I hear you ask) does Florida Man come from? Whence originated he?
Not surprisingly, Florida Man was once Florida Boy, like the five-year-old Pompano Beach lad who found himself locked in a 72 quart cooler. The panicked boy was soon rescued. Igloo, the cooler manufacturer, says they are now addressing safety concerns with their products, identifying three additional models that have the same automatic locking mechanism, so something good may come out of Florida Boy's folly.
Surprisingly, Not Florida Man: But he could well pass for Florida Man. Who? Tucker Carlson.
A recently unearthed tape, dating from sometime between 2006 and 2011, from the radio show Bubba the Love Sponge has our favorite little Tucker called women "extremely primitive" and that they "just need to be be quiet and kind of do what [they're] told." Oh, Tucker, Tucker, Tucker...#youtoo?
In the past, our boy TC has called then-Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan "unattractive...She's never going to be an attractive woman." He's called Britney Spears and Paris Hilton "white whores" and has called Alexa Stewart (Martha's daughter) a "c***," adding that he wants to "give her the spanking she so desperately needs."
Tucker insists that he surely loves women but I'm beginning to have my doubts.
And why the hell isn't he from Florida?
Malaches of Pork (Pork Quiche): Want to prepare a dish that was popular in 14th century Scotland? It's simple.
From the HistoryExtra website:
"Hewe pork al to pecys and medle it with ayren & ches igrated. Do therto powdour fort, safroun & pynes with salt. Make a crust in a trap; bake it wel therinne, and seure it forth."
Easy peasy. And yummy!
Today's Poem: Today is the anniversary of the Great Blizzard of 1888 which paralyzed the East Coast of America and left more than 400 dead. Here's an extract from a poem by Alice Sayers about the storm:
"Good morning" to his employees, and strode importantly to the rear.
Puffing at his cigar, he unlocked the door to his private office, passed within, and rang for his mail.
This was the routine of Albini's life, and there was nothing, this sun-shiny morning, to indicate that it was to be disturbed.
-- "An Ambushed Terror" by J. U. Giesy, All-Story Cavalier Weekly, June 27, 1914
Oldest Printed Book?: Forget Gutenberg. The Diamond Sutra [Vasracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra] is the oldest known surviving printed book, dating back to 868. The book, probably written between the second and the fifth centuries, was an important work in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and ancient translations have been found throughout Asia. In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha lectures the monk Subhuti about the nature of reality, which is hidden by preconceived notions. These concepts make all reality illusory and the ultimate reality is itself "negative and empty." Much of the Buddha's teachings appear to be negative and contradictory. Not having read the texts, it seems to me to be a blend of Socratic argument and Heraclesian logic, but what do I know?
According to the Sutra,
"All conditioned phenomena
"Are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow.
Like dew or a flash of lightening.
Thus shall we perceive them."
The wood block printed book was on a scroll about five meters long and found in the Mogao Caves in northwest China in 1907. This note at the end not only gives a dedication, but also the date of printing and an Creative Commons license: "Reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 15th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong."
In other words, on May 11, 868. Thus, in two months, we can celebrate the birthday of books!
More on Trump: What can I say that Randy Rainbow hasn't said (or sung) better?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7q0bz0sk30
Origins of Florida Man: Where (I hear you ask) does Florida Man come from? Whence originated he?
Not surprisingly, Florida Man was once Florida Boy, like the five-year-old Pompano Beach lad who found himself locked in a 72 quart cooler. The panicked boy was soon rescued. Igloo, the cooler manufacturer, says they are now addressing safety concerns with their products, identifying three additional models that have the same automatic locking mechanism, so something good may come out of Florida Boy's folly.
Surprisingly, Not Florida Man: But he could well pass for Florida Man. Who? Tucker Carlson.
A recently unearthed tape, dating from sometime between 2006 and 2011, from the radio show Bubba the Love Sponge has our favorite little Tucker called women "extremely primitive" and that they "just need to be be quiet and kind of do what [they're] told." Oh, Tucker, Tucker, Tucker...#youtoo?
In the past, our boy TC has called then-Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan "unattractive...She's never going to be an attractive woman." He's called Britney Spears and Paris Hilton "white whores" and has called Alexa Stewart (Martha's daughter) a "c***," adding that he wants to "give her the spanking she so desperately needs."
Tucker insists that he surely loves women but I'm beginning to have my doubts.
And why the hell isn't he from Florida?
Malaches of Pork (Pork Quiche): Want to prepare a dish that was popular in 14th century Scotland? It's simple.
From the HistoryExtra website:
"Hewe pork al to pecys and medle it with ayren & ches igrated. Do therto powdour fort, safroun & pynes with salt. Make a crust in a trap; bake it wel therinne, and seure it forth."
Easy peasy. And yummy!
Today's Poem: Today is the anniversary of the Great Blizzard of 1888 which paralyzed the East Coast of America and left more than 400 dead. Here's an extract from a poem by Alice Sayers about the storm:
The storm ne'er ceased for three whole days
The clouds hid all the sun's bright rays
No trains could run, all wires down
No contacts made with any town
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