Yours Truly Johnny Dollar
15 John Lund – Info .................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Bob Bailey – Info ................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Robert Readick – Info ............................................................................................................................................................ 18 Mandel Kramer – Info ........................................................................................................................................................... 18 Virginia Gregg – contributed by Roger Hohenbrink .............................................................................................................. 19 In the Beginning… from the New York Times, February 18, 1949 CBS announces a new mystery-adventure show for the half-hour beginning at 10:30 tonight (February 18, 1949). It replaces the Percy Faith-Jane Froman program which was concluded last Friday when Coca-Cola failed to renew its sponsorship. The new program is entitled “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar,” with Charles Russell in the title role. It tells the story of a private insurance investigator. The program, originating in Hollywood, is supervised by Harry Ackerman, produced by Richard Sanville and written by Gil Doud and Paul Dudley. Music is under the direction of Mark Wax-now. Who is Johnny Dollar – contributed by Stewart Wright For over 12 years (1949 - 1962, including a one-year hiatus in 1954-55), the series recounted the cases of Johnny Dollar, "the insurance investigator with the action-packed expense account." Johnny was an accomplished ‘padder’ of his expense account. The name of the show derives from the fact he closed each show by totaling up his expense account and signing it " End of report...Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar." Terry Salomonson in his authoritative "A Radio Broadcast Log of The Drama Program Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" notes that the original working title Was Yours Truly, Lloyd London. Salomonson writes, "Lloyd London was scratched out of the body of the (Dick Powell audition) script and Johnny Dollar was written in. Thus the show was re-titled on this script Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 2 and the main character was renamed. Why this was done was unclear, possibly to prevent a legal run-in with Lloyd's of London Insurance Company." Although based in Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the world, freelancer Johnny managed to get around quite a bit, (see travel trivia below) his adventures taking him all over the world. There were some unusual devices used in the show that helped set it apart from other shows. There was no partner, assistant or secretary for Johnny. The character closest to a continuing role was that of Pat McCracken, of the Universal Adjustment Bureau, who assigned Johnny many of his cases. Another atypical aspect gave the show additional credibility. Frequently, characters on the show would mention that they had heard about Johnny's cases on the radio. Johnny often used his time when filling out his expense account to give the audience necessary background information or to express his thoughts about the current case. No fewer than eight actors played Johnny Dollar. Dick Powell (Rogue's Gallery) cut the original audition tape but chose to do Richard Diamond, Private Detective instead. Gerald (The Adventures of Philip Marlowe) Mohr auditioned in 1955 prior to Bob Bailey getting the title role. Through the first three Johnny Dollars' -- Charles Russell, Edmond O'Brien, and John Lund, there was little to distinguish the series from many other radio detective series. Dollar was just another hard- boiled detective, in a medium that was overloaded with the stereotype. Charles Russell, the first to play the role, would throw silver dollar tips to bell boys and waiters. Luckily, this trite gimmick did not survive long. On October 3rd, 1955, after a hiatus of over a year, the show came back with a vengeance. A new production team (including director-writer Jack Johnstone), a new star, Bob Bailey (Let George Do it), and a new format would set the series apart from its competitors. Johnny's cases were now a continuing serial, five-days a week for 15 minutes each evening. With 75 minutes of air time (minus commercials and openings and closings), there was sufficient time to develop good story lines and interesting characters. During this time, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, attracted some of the best writers in Hollywood including Jack Johnstone, E. Jack Neuman using the pen name John Dawson, Robert Ryf, and Les Crutchfield. Bob Bailey also wrote a script while he was playing Johnny Dollar. He used the pen name Robert Bainter (Bainter was his middle name) as the script writer for "The Carmen Kringle Matter" that was aired on Saturday, 12/21/1957 on the West Coast and the following day for the rest of the country. Bob Bailey, generally thought of as the most popular of the Johnny Dollars', brought a new interpretation to the character. Tough, but not hard-boiled; street-wise, but not overly cynical, Bailey's Dollar was smart and gritty when he had to be. But Bailey's Johnny Dollar was also human. His character would get emotionally involved in some of his cases. He had a streak of impatience and would occasionally not fully listen to a witness and rush off on a tangent before realizing his mistake. The weekday serialized episodes are generally acknowledged as some of the finest radio detective shows ever produced. (There were 56 multi-part shows in all: 54 five-part, 1 six-part, and 1 nine-part.) The serialized episodes continued until November 2, 1956, when the series reverted to a once-a-week, 30 minute format. Bob Bailey continued in the lead until the "Empty Threat Matter" on November 27, 1960 when the Hollywood run ended. The guest stars and supporting casts were always first-rate, attracting the best radio actors in both Los Angeles and New York. McCracken was played by several actors, but most frequently by Larry Dobkin. Particularly noteworthy was the Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 3 work of Virginia Gregg who played many roles including Johnny's girlfriend, Betty Lewis. Harry Bartell was also a frequent guest who did many of the Spanish dialect roles when Johnny went to a Latin American country. Other frequent guest performers were Parley Baer, Tony Barrett, John Dehner, Don Diamond, Sam Edwards, Herb Ellis, Frank Gerstle, Stacy Harris, Jack Kruschen, Forrest Lewis, Howard McNear, Marvin Miller, Jeanette Nolan, Vic Perrin, Barney Phillips, Jean Tatum, Russell Thomson, Herb Vigran, Ben Wright, and Will Wright. Vincent Price co-starred as himself in "The Price of Fame Matter" and went to Europe with Johnny on the case. In December, 1960 , the show moved New York. Robert Readick started the New York run as Dollar, but lasted only a short while. Jack Johnstone continued to write for the show and submitted scripts from California. Johnstone wrote about 350 Johnny Dollar scripts under his own name and his pen names Sam Dawson and Jonathan Bundy. Johnstone wrote the last episodes of both Johnny Dollar and Suspense. He used the Bundy pen name when wrote the last Suspense episode: "Devilstone." And so an era passed. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was the last continuing detective series of the Golden Age of Radio. Mandel Kramer was the last Johnny Dollar (and a close second in popularity to Bailey) when the final episode ("The Tip- Off Matter") of the series was aired on September 30, 1962. EPILOG: Plans for a television series fell through. A television pilot show was made in 1962, but probably never aired. Television executives felt that Bob Bailey just didn't "look the part" of Johnny Dollar (Bailey stood 5-foot-9 and weighed 150- pounds) and that the public wouldn't accept another actor in the role. Another Look at Johnny Dollar – Author Unknown Evaluating "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" Grandson of Shane and Billy the Kid, cousin of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" is a hardboiled detective radio show. Johnny Dollar, the protagonist and narrator, is an insurance investigator, a job which has several narrative consequences. First, each plot is driven by Johnny Dollar’s expense report, a new line item providing transition from plot point to plot point, character to character, locale to locale. Second, because Johnny Dollar, situated in the insurance capital of the world, Hartford, CT, and because he is freelance, working for many insurance companies, he travels across the United States, Mexico, South America, and Europe. Thus, the show has a good deal of geographical diversity with a consequent diversity of character types and regions, some of which constitute case studies in regional dialect and culture. Third, because Johnny Dollar investigates insurance claims, he works on a variety of cases—on all the objects and people that could be insured and on all the forms of criminality that could seek to benefit from insurance awards, on theft, fraud, arson, murder, on airplanes bombed, buildings burned, ships sunk, gems stolen, and dead men who are seen after they died. These forms of variety, in the narrative, in the location, in the type of case, make "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar," one of the more interesting radio shows. What makes it one of the best in its genre is different. Like any character within a genre, the hard-boiled detective has limiting conditions, which are exploited, one way or another, in the various permutations of the character-type. The hard-boiled detective ranged from the sociopathic, "a blond Satan," in Dashiell Hammett’s formulation, to the knight errant, a good man who down these mean streets must go, in Raymond Chandler’s formulation. Johnny Dollar is the Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 4 good man who goes down the mean streets. He lives by a code, which is articulated in the hard choices he makes. His view of people and events is bemused, detached, and ironic, as opposed to, say, the radio version of Sam Spade, who addresses the world from the point-of-view of low comedy. And, most importantly, his use of language is factual and muted, as opposed, say, to the radio version of Philip Marlowe, whose use of language is loud and gaudy, tending towards the purple. While "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" ran from 1949 to 1962, in 1955 and 1956 the show changed format from weekly 30- minute shows to daily 15-minute shows with a single story lasting for five episodes. These multi-part shows are the best of the series, and, to me, some of the best radio ever done. I should note, however, that "The Nostalgia Pages" has polled OTR listeners on the question, "Who is the best radio detective?" 254 people answered. Johnny Dollar was the favorite but received only 34% of the vote. While the question is not the same as my assertion, these results suggest the lack of agreement among listeners about the quality of radio shows. As a type of hard-boiled detective, Johnny Dollar is of historical interest for two reasons. First of all, his social and cultural context has disappeared but is remembered. It was a time when people made distinctions between those who drank martinis with an olive and those who drank them with a lemon peel, when good manners required offering a new acquaintance a cigarette, when an afternoon business meeting was begun with a shot of scotch, when men did their thinking in bars, when men and women danced in night clubs, when men helped women in trouble and women expected help, and when wealth and influence was considered anti-democratic. Whether Johnny Dollar’s drinking, smoking, dancing populism is a fantasy of its time or a description of a moment in American history, it retains a magnetic pull on the imaginations of Americans. Second, Johnny Dollar, the man, is a form a masculinity that is dying out but that still exerts influence on the living. A bachelor, he lives alone in an apartment, where he takes his calls. He usually eats in restaurants by himself and frequently vacations (or tries to take vacations) by himself. His cases almost always provide him with access to beautiful, interesting, threatened women whom he helps and to whom he is attracted. These relationships disappear at the end of each series, and, as one might expect, discussions of marriage make him nervous. While the image of "the bachelor" in the 1950s appears to be a moment of post-war adolescence, a flight from responsibility during sudden national affluence, it is recreated in the adolescence of following generations, though its loss of legitimacy can be gauged by the most recent representation of "the bachelor"—Austin Powers, an object of derision. If one were to listen to only one of the five-part series of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar," the series that most exemplifies the strengths of the show is the nine-part, "The Phantom Chase Matter." If one could listen to four more of the multi-part series, each one highlighting one or another of the strengths of the show, these would be as follows: "The Duke Red Matter," "The Flight Six Matter," "The Open Town Matter," and "The Shady Lane Matter." Travel Trivia – Contributed by Edward Sehlhorst Do you remember the geography game, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego”? Well it prompted me to play the game with Johnny Dollar. So “Where in the World is Johnny Dollar”? When plotting all the various assignment locations, I found that about 10-15 percent of the locations are either fictitious or refer to a place other than a city. Places could be a ranch or an old mine, or even a fishing camp on Lake Mojave. It Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 5 was especially noticeable if the plot would cast the city in a poor light. Fictitious places were plotted as the nearest valid location for the purposes of this exercise. Johnny’s Top Ten List of work assignments: New York NY 64 Hartford CT 53 Los Angeles CA 27 San Francisco CA 16 Boston MA 14 Philadelphia PA 11 Sarasota FL 11 Davis Dam AZ (Lake Mojave Resort) 10 Las Vegas NV 9 Chicago IL 9 And on the map it looks like white dots… But we started this out saying where in the WORLD is Johnny Dollar. We’ll we’ve taken care of that too. Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 6 Now we all know that most of time that Johnny spent in Paris, France was dealing with Le Chat Gris, "The Gray Cat." 5 times in fact. But his second busiest stop was just across the English Channel with 3 visits to London. That ties with Haiti, Port-au-Prince. Johnny was always off to somewhere, Kingston Jamaica, Hong Kong, Singapore, even 5 trips to different parts of Mexico. See if your town is on the following list: COUNT OF EPISODE STATE (U.S.) OR COUNTRY CITY/LOCATION TOT Arkansas Fairbanks 1 Little Rock 1 Arkansas Total 2 Alabama Birmingham 1 Talladega 1 Alabama Total 2 Algeria Algiers 1 Algeria Total 1 Arizona Davis Dam 10 Grand Canyon 1 Kingman 3 Phoenix 2 Tucson 3 Twin Buttes, Pima 1 Arizona Total 20 Brazil Belo Horizonte 1 Brazil Total 1 California Balboa 1 Barstow 1 Beverley Hills 4 Clear Lake 1 Hollywood 6 Inglewood 1 Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 7 Long Beach 1 Los Angeles 27 Malibu 2 Morel Bay 1 Newport Beach 4 Ocean Park 1 Palm Springs 2 San Bernardino 1 San Diego 6 San Francisco 16 San Pedro 1 Santa Barbara 1 Santa Monica 1 Simi Valley 1 California Total 79 China Hong Kong 2 China Total 2 Colorado Clinton 1 Colorado Springs 2 Craig 1 Crystal Lake (lake) 1 Denver 6 Divide 1 Green Mountain Falls 3 Colorado Total 15 Colon Colon 1 Colon Total 1 Connecticut Bridgeport 3 Danbury 2 Fairfield 1 Granby 1 Hartford 53 Lakewood 2 Manchester 2 Milford 1 New Bedford 1 Skeleton Point 1 Waterbury 1 Connecticut Total 68 Cuba Havana 1 Los Spanios 1 Cuba Total 2 Delaware Wilmington 1 Delaware Total 1 Egypt Cairo 1 Egypt Total 1 England London 3 England Total 3 Florida Bradenton 1 Everglades City 3 Key West 1 Miami 1 Miami Beach 2 Sarasota 11 Tampa 1 Venice 1 Florida Total 21 France Cannes 1 Paris 5 France Total 6 Georgia Brunswick 1 Savannah 1 Georgia Total 2 Germany Berlin 1 Germany Total 1 Haiti Port-au-Prince 3 Haiti Total 3 Iowa Carrville 1 Des Moines 1 Iowa Total 2 Illinois Chicago 9 Lockport 1 Illinois Total 10 Indiana South Bend 1 Indiana Total 1 India Calcutta, West Bengal, 1 India Total 1 Jamaica Kingston 1 Jamaica Total 1 Kentucky Lexington 1 Kentucky Total 1 Louisiana New Orleans 4 Louisiana Total 4 Lebanon Beirut 1 Lebanon Total 1 Maine Boston 14 Cod Harbor 2 East North Weldon 1 Maine Total 17 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 1 Malaysia Total 1 Maryland Baltimore 2 Maryland Total 2 Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 8 Maine Portland 1 Maine Total 1 Mexico Cozumel 1 Ensenada 1 Mexico City 1 Monterrey 1 Santa Tomas 1 Mexico Total 5 Michigan Detroit 3 Houghton 1 Middleborough 1 Sault Ste. Marie 2 Michigan Total 7 Missouri Greensport 1 Joplin 1 Kansas City 3 Kennett 2 Missouri Total 7 Mississippi Gulf Port 1 Meridian 1 Mississippi Total 2 Montana Butte 1 Great Falls 1 Yaak 1 Montana Total 3 Nebraska Manhattan 1 Nebraska Total 1 New Guinea Port Moresby 1 New Guinea Total 1 New Hampshire Center Harbor 1 New Hampshire Total 1 Nicaragua Managua 1 San Juan del Sur 1 Nicaragua Total 2 New Jersey Camden 1 Cranford 1 Enterprise 1 Freehold 1 Interlaken 1 Kirkwood 1 Lake City 1 Pemberton 1 Trenton 1 Upper Montclair 1 Vineland 4 Woodbine 1 New Jersey Total 15 New Mexico Farmington 1 Fort Shelden 1 Virginia City 1 New Mexico Total 3 Nevada Coopers Bend 1 Davis Dam 2 Lake Mojave 1 Las Vegas 9 Reno 3 South Lake Tahoe 1 Virginia City 1 Winnemucca 1 Nevada Total 19 New York Albany 1 Bethel 3 Buffalo 5 Catskill 1 Kingman 1 Kingston 1 Manhattan 2 New York 64 Ossining 1 Port Jarvis 1 Stony Hollow 1 Yonkers 1 New York Total 82 Ohio Benton 1 Columbus 1 Jackson 1 Kranesburg 1 Toledo 1 Youngstown 1 Ohio Total 6 Oklahoma Pond Creek 3 Tulsa 1 Oklahoma Total 4 Oregon Eugene 1 Portland 1 Oregon Total 2 Pennsylvania Philadelphia 11 Piney Corners 1 Pittsburgh 1 Tamaqua 1 Uniontown 1 Pennsylvania Total 15 Panama Panama City 1 Panama Total 1 Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 9 Philippines Manila 2 Philippines Total 2 Puerto Rico San Juan 1 Puerto Rico Total 1 Rhode Island Providence 2 Rhode Island Total 2 South Carolina Cayce 1 Charleston 2 Georgetown 2 Hartford 1 South Carolina Total 6 Singapore Singapore 3 Singapore Total 3 South Africa Capetown 1 South Africa Total 1 Sumatra Medan 1 Sumatra Total 1 Switzerland Zurich 1 Switzerland Total 1 Tahiti Papeete 1 Tahiti Total 1 The Bahamas Crooked Island 1 The Bahamas Total 1 Tennessee Knoxville 1 Memphis 1 Nashville 1 Tennessee Total 3 Texas Corpus Christi 6 Dallas 2 Fort Worth 1 Skidmore 1 South Padre Island 1 Texas Total 11 Virginia Green Pass 1 Vicksburg 1 Virginia Beach 1 Virginia Total 3 Venezuela Caracas 2 Venezuela Total 2 Vermont Shady Lane, Fair Haven 1 Vermont Total 1 Washington Chuckanut 1 Washington Total 1 Wisconsin Milwaukee 1 Wisconsin Total 1 Wyoming Muddy Gap 1 Rexford 1 Wyoming Total 2 Grand Total 492 If you have any comments or updates to this information, please contact: ed_sehlhorst@yahoo.com And thank you for your support. Expense Account Item #3… - Contributed by Joseph W. Webb, Ph.D. Johnny Dollar's Expense Account... in 2006 Dollars One of my weekly tasks is to write an economics column for the printing industry. Though not an economist by trade, I've been fascinated by the topic since high school, and understanding economics has been a key part of my career in business research and forecasting. In the course of the years, I've become interested in how inflation distorts our perception of things. For instance, these “record high” gas prices we've been seeing aren't even close. They'd have to hit $5.80 a gallon to equal what we paid in the late 1970s after adjusting for inflation and our more efficient use of energy through technological advances. But that's not our topic at all. Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 10 When I recently listened to the full Bob Bailey Johnny Dollar run, I found myself chuckling every time an expense account item would be mentioned. I figured I'd take a episode, keep track of the prices, and calculate what they would be today. I chose the “Burning Car Matter” of December 9, 1956 because it's about 50 years old, as I will soon be, too. Using the consumer price index inflation calculator on the Bureau of Labor Statistics site (www.bls.gov), it turns out that you have to multiply prices of that year by 7.3 to get what today's price would be. So if it was $1 then, it's $7.30 in 2006. But that's doesn't work for everything. For airfare, a combination of technological advances and deregulation have kept airfares well below inflation. At the time Johnny Dollar traveled, air travel was a luxury for consumers and a major expense for businesses. Because it was so high-priced, it was for elites or very special occasions. Remember, there was no Southwest or AirTran airlines at that time. Airplanes were not considered buses with wings in Johnny Dollar's time. Getting prices for everything is nearly impossible, such as the 2006 price for a 1956 $1.00 taxi ride. Johnny was also well-known for padding his expense account, and burying items into things like “incidentals.” We know that he was very good at that, and that makes complete comparisons difficult. The table below shows Johnny's expense account in dealing with the Burning Car Matter was $385.26. In today's dollars that would be $2,814.36. But when I compared what I could to today's prices, it came out to $1,681.45. Yes, today, having Johnny solve the case would be $1,132.92 cheaper, almost all because of airfare. And we know that Johnny would never eat at a Denny's, so I probably underestimated his cost for breakfast. And who knows what the costs of those incidentals would be. Even if today's prices were less, that would only serve as encouragement for our favorite expense account padder to spend even more. Item # Description Price Inflationadjusted Actual 2006 price Difference Comments 1 Hartford-Sarasota airfare $129.00 $942.36 $350.00 -$592.36 Expedia.com 2 Taxi $1.00 $7.31 $7.31 $0.00 Not compared 3 Gas $5.15 $37.62 $61.58 $23.95 .23 cents a gallon 4 Breakfast $3.25 $23.74 $15.00 -$8.74 Denny's, big tip 5 Phone call $1.30 $9.50 $0.50 -$9.00 Could be zero if he used Skype :) 6 Gas, incidentals $9.80 $71.59 $117.17 $45.58 .23 cents a gallon 7 Sarasota-Hartford airfare $129.00 $942.36 $350.00 -$592.36 Expedia.com Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 11 Undocumented incidentals $106.76 $779.89 $779.89 $0.00 Not compared TOTAL $385.26 $2,814.36 $1,681.45 -$1,132.92 Johnny Dollar was the Favorite Who is your favorite Johnny Dollar? Charles Russell 0.0% Edmond O`Brien 15.15% John Lund 0.0 % Bob Bailey 72.73% Bob Readick 3.3% Mandel Kramer 9.09% Who is the best radio detective? Barrie Craig 2.17% Boston Blackie 8.70% Johnny Dollar 34.78% Nick Carter 0.0% Pat Novak 4.35% Philip Marlowe 10.87% Philo Vance 2.17% Richard Diamond 26.09% Rocky Fortune 2.17% Sam Spade 8.70% Final Assessment "The Phantom Chase Matter" – Contributed by Stewart Wright I put together a table with all of the pertinent facts regarding the episodes of "The Phantom Chase Matter." I find that placing information in a table sometimes helps me to do analysis. Source of Information: "As Broadcast" copies of the scripts for "The Phantom Chase Matter" KNX Collection Thousand Oaks Library, Thousand Oaks, CA N. F. - None Found Script Found Script Number Episode Number Cut Date Studio Time (PM) Air Date Air Day Yes 5-271-3 One 9-30-56 12:00 - 1:30 10-15-56 Monday Yes 5-272-3 Two 9-30-56 1:30 - 3:00 10-16-56 Tuesday Yes 5-273-3 Three 9-30-56 2:40 - 4:10 10-17-56 Wednesday Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 12 Yes 5-274-3 Four 9-30-56 5:00 - 6:30 10-18-56 Thursday Yes 5-275-3 Five 9-30-56 6:10 - 7:40 10-19-56 Friday Yes 5-276-4 Six 10-7-56 12:00 - 1:30 10-22-56 Monday No 5-277-4? Seven? N. F. N. F. N. F. N. F. Yes 5-278-4 Eight 10-7-56 1:30 - 3:00 10-24-56 Wednesday Yes 5-279-4 Nine 10-7-56 2:40 - 4:10 10-25-56 Thursday Yes 5-280-4 Ten 10-7-56 4:10 - 5:40 10-26-56 Friday Known: From Scripts: Nine scripts were found. Ten script numbers were assigned. Cut Dates, Studio Times, and Air Dates were assigned to the Nine scripts. Nine episodes were aired. From your post on the OTR Researchers Group: > If you listen to the current recordings of 6 and 7, the expense > account items are continuous 6 has items 21 and 22 then 7 starts > with 23. Additional Audio Check: I listened to the beginnings and endings of all nine episodes. The plot line seems to be in order and continuous with the teasers at the end of each episode matching the action that occurs in the next episode. Final Assessment: From The Scripts: "The Phantom Chase Matter" was originally planned as a TEN part show: Ten Script Numbers were assigned: 271-280. However, somewhere along the line, was decided to make it only NINE PARTS with a pre-emption on Tuesday, October 23, 1956. Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 13 If a script was actually written for airing on October 23rd, it was never produced. Since no such script was found in Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar bound volumes of the KNX Collection, it was probably not written. The Studio Times in the table seem to provide the conclusive proof that "The Phantom Chase Matter" consisted of NINE episodes. On 9-30-56 the first FIVE episodes were rehearsed and Cut in Consecutive Order. Studio Times were consecutive with a dinner break from 4:10 to 5:00. On 10-7-56 the last FOUR episodes were rehearsed and Cut in Consecutive Order. Studio Times were Consecutive. If a FIFTH episode had been rehearsed and Cut on that day, the Studio Times would show a gap for a meal break. Union (AFTRA) rules of the time required that a meal break be taken if actors were going to work more than 6 hours in a day. Since it was getting close to the 1956 Elections, it is quite possible that the Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar time slot on October 23, 1956 was bought for one of the political campaigns. Historic Event: One should always remember that Newspaper Radio listings are considered Secondary Sources; they list what as Scheduled to be Broadcast and not necessarily what was Actually Broadcast. Sometimes the networks did not get changes out to the newspapers in a timely fashion. In many cases, fast-breaking major news events that were covered by the networks pre-empted regularly scheduled broadcasting. Such events were not reflected in daily Newspaper Radio listings. Such a historic event started on October 23, 1956 and much Television and Radio programming was preempted to cover it. This event that would not be reflected in newspaper Radio Listings of that day. The event was the 1956 Hungarian Revolt. It lasted for nearly two weeks, interrupting scheduled network broadcasting several times. My Conclusion: Based of the preceding information, I feel confident that only NINE episodes of the Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar "The Phantom Chase Matter" were recorded and aired. There is no "Missing" episode. Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 14 “The Kranesburg Matter” Solution: Six or Seven Parts – Contributed by Stewart Wright The complete solution has been posted on: http://www.lofcom.com/nostalgia/phorums/read.php?f=21&i=169&t=169 Answer A: At the end of Part 5 of 'The Crystal Lake Matter' which ran the week of 8/13-8/17 they announce that the next YTJD will start on Friday the next week, and that the Republican Convention coverage would be broadcast from Monday 8/20-Thursday 8/23. That would start 'Kranesburg' on Friday 8/24, ending on Friday 8/31 - 6 parts The next serial 'Curse of Kamashek' started on Monday 9/3. With these dates everything falls neatly into place. Except for that announcement after episode 2 which tell us to tune in on Monday. According to the above dates episode 2 was broadcast on Monday. And if the series did start on Thursday 8/23 instead of Friday 8/24 there would be no program broadcast on Friday 8/31. Answer B: Is "The Kranesburg Matter" a six or seven part multiseries? "The Kranesburg Matter" is the correct title and it had six episodes (parts.) Sources of information are the "As Broadcast" (final) CBS scripts for "The Kranesburg Matter." They are part of the KNX Collection in The American Radio Archive at the Thousand Oaks Library. I have copies of the first and last pages of all of "The Kranesburg Matter" scripts which I obtained during a research trip to the Library in 2002. The scripts were in a bound volume, bound by CBS. "The Kranesburg Matter" was recorded over 3 weeks before it was broadcast. All six episodes were recorded on Monday, July 30, 1956. The episode numbering, script ID numbers, airing days, and dates are from the scripts. They were: Episode Script ID Date Episode ONE (4-231-8) Fri Aug 24, 1956 Episode ONE-A (4-232-8) Mon Aug 27, 1956 Episode TWO (4-233-8) Tue Aug 28, 1956 Episode THREE (4-234-8) Wed Aug 29, 1956 Episode FOUR (4-235-8) Thu Aug 30, 1956 Episode FIVE (4-236-8) Fri Aug 31, 1956 The Republican Presidential Convention was held in Cow Palace, San Francisco Monday, August 20, 1956 through Thursday, August 23, 1956 and pre-empted normal CBS prime-time broadcasting. Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 15 Charles Russell – Info Charles Russell: March 31, 1918 – January 18, 1985 was a radio and film actor who was born in New York City, New York. Radio fans know him best as the first actor to play the lead role in "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar". The lead character in the Johnny Dollar series was played by numerous actors and many listeners feel that the first two actors, Charles Russell and Edmond O'Brien, were not as interesting as later leads. Russell and O'Brien both played the role as a "hard boiled" "tough-guy" detective, not much different than a host of similar radio detectives of that era. Russell's Johnny Dollar character would throw silver dollar tips to bell boys and waiters, a trite gimmick did not survive long. Charles Russell played Johnny Dollar in 30-minute episodes aired between February 11, 1949 and January 14, 1950, on CBS. Charles Russell also played parts in a number of films from 1943 to 1949. His film credits are shown below: Ladies' Day (1943) (uncredited) .... Ball Player Bombardier (1943) .... Instructor The Purple Heart (1944) .... Lt. Kenneth Bayforth Captain Eddie (1945) .... Sgt. Jim Reynolds Behind Green Lights (1946) .... Arthur Templeton Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946) .... Miles Carey Wake Up and Dream (1946) .... Lieutenant Coles... aka Enchanted Voyage (UK) The Late George Apley (1947) .... Howard Boulder Beyond Our Own (1947) Give My Regards to Broadway (1948) (as Charlie Russell) .... Arthur Waldron Jr. Canon City (1948) .... Tolley Night Wind (1948) .... Ralph Benson Inner Sanctum (1948) .... Harold Dunlap Trouble Preferred (1948) .... Lt. Rod Brooks Tucson (1949) .... Gregg Johnson Mary Ryan, Detective (1949) (uncredited) .... Baker Chinatown at Midnight (1949) .... Fred Morgan Charles Russell died on 18 January, 1985, in Beverly Hills, California. Edmond O’Brien – Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide Born: Sep 10, 1915 in Bronx, New York City, New York Died: May 08, 1985 in Inglewood, California Occupation: Actor, Director Active: '40s-'70s Major Genres: Drama, Crime Career Highlights: The Wild Bunch, White Heat, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 16 First Major Screen Credit: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) Reportedly a neighbor of Harry Houdini while growing up in the Bronx, American actor Edmond O'Brien decided to emulate Houdini by becoming a magician himself. The demonstrative skills gleaned from this experience enabled O'Brien to move into acting while attending high school. After majoring in drama at Columbia University, he made his first Broadway appearance at age 21 in Daughters of Atrus. O'Brien's mature features and deep, commanding voice allowed him to play characters far older than himself, and it looked as though he was going to become one of Broadway's premiere character actors. Yet when he was signed for film work by RKO in 1939, the studio somehow thought he was potential leading man material -- perhaps as a result of his powerful stage performance as young Marc Antony in Orson Welles' modern dress version of Julius Caesar. As Gringoire the poet in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), O'Brien was a bit callow and overemphatic, but he did manage to walk off with the heroine (Maureen O'Hara) at the end of the film. O'Brien's subsequent film roles weren't quite as substantial, though he was shown to excellent comic advantage in the Moss Hart all-serviceman play Winged Victory, in a role he repeated in the 1944 film version while simultaneously serving in World War II (he was billed as "Sergeant Edmond O'Brien"). Older and stockier when he returned to Hollywood after the war, O'Brien was able to secure meaty leading parts in such "films noir" as The Killers (1946), The Web (1947) and White Heat (1949). In the classic melodrama D.O.A. (1950), O'Brien enjoyed one of the great moments in "noir" history when, as a man dying of poison, he staggered into a police station at the start of the film and gasped "I want to report a murder...mine." As one of many top-rank stars of 1954's The Barefoot Contessa, O'Brien breathed so much credibility into the stock part of a Hollywood press agent that he won an Academy Award. On radio, the actor originated the title role in the long-running insurance-investigator series "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" in 1950. On TV, O'Brien played a Broadway star turned private eye in the 1959 syndicated weekly "Johnny Midnight," though the producers refused to cast him unless he went on a crash vegetarian diet. Plagued by sporadic illnesses throughout his life, O'Brien suffered a heart seizure in 1961 while on location in the Arabian desert to play the Lowell Thomas counterpart in Lawrence of Arabia, compelling the studio to replace him with Arthur Kennedy. O'Brien recovered sufficiently in 1962 to take the lead in a TV lawyer series, "Sam Benedict;" another TV stint took place three years later in "The Long Hot Summer." The actor's career prospered for the next decade, but by 1975 illness had begun to encroach upon his ability to perform; he didn't yet know it, but he was in the first stages of Alzheimer's Disease. Edmond O'Brien dropped out of sight completely during the next decade, suffering the ignominy of having his "death" reported by tabloids several times during this period. The real thing mercifully claimed the tragically enfeebled O'Brien in 1985. Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 17 John Lund – Info Born: February 6, 1913 in Rochester, New York Died: May 10, 1992 in Los Angeles, California John Lund’s acting career spans stage, radio and films from 1939 through 1962. John Lund was in the advertising business when he took a part in an industrial show at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Next stop: Broadway, serving as a member of the ensemble cast of “As You Like It.” He wrote, acted and sang on Broadway throughout the early 1940’s. In 1945, he was presented the Theatre World Award for Debut Performance (other winners that year included Judy Holliday). John’s first movie role was in 1946’s “To Each His Own” (for which Olivia de Havilland won an Oscar for Best Actress). He soon became a star himself, playing leading roles in 26 more movies. Highlights of his film career include Billy Wilder’s “A Foreign Affair” (1948), “My Friend Irma” (1949), “The Mating Season” (1951) and “High Society” (1956). John was involved in radio both in New York and in Hollywood. He performed the starring role in the 1942 war drama “Chaplin Jim,” and was a regular on the musical variety “The Bob Crosby Show” (Bing’s younger brother). He is most famous though for his two year stint playing “Johnny Dollar,” following Edmond O’Brien and preceding Bob Bailey in the role. John Lund starred in 93 episodes of “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” from November 28,1952 through September 19, 1954. He retired from acting and moved to San Diego in 1963. At his death in 1992, he was cremated with his ashes scattered. Bob Bailey – Info Born: Apr 13, 1913 in Toledo, Ohio Died: Aug 13, 1983 in Lancaster, California Occupation: Actor Active: '40s Major Genres: Comedy, Drama Career Highlights: Jitterbugs First Major Screen Credit: Jitterbugs (1943) A popular radio performer who starred on the popular soap "Let George Do It," Bob Bailey was one of many rather anonymous actors to obtain starring roles during the leading man shortage in WWII Hollywood. Contracted by 20th Century Fox, Bailey's most prominent appearances came in two latterday Laurel and Hardy comedies, Jitterbugs and The Dancing Masters (both 1943). Although dropped from the studio roster at the end of the war, he continued to play the occasional supporting roles well into the 1950s but stardom eluded him. In 1955, radio actor Bob Bailey, fresh from his long run as George Valentine in Let George Do It stepped into the role as the fourth Johnny Dollar (there was an audition show with Dick Powell in 1948 that is not counted). Changing to a 15-minute format five times a week, and under the sharp eye of the new Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 18 producer/director, Jack Johnstone, the scripts got much deeper into characterization and plot. And Bailey's depiction of Dollar had shades of a gritty street fighter, yet bright and sensitive. With a strong cast (many of the same veteran radio actors appearing in different roles) and excellent directing, the portrayals were much more real. Robert Readick – Info Born: November 28, 1925 in New York, NY Died: May 27, 1985 in Trenton, NJ Robert Readick began his career as the child actor “Bobby Readick.” He went on to star in radio, theater, film and television. He is the son of radio personality Frank Readick, Jr. (the voice behind the wicked laugh of “The Shadow”). On Broadway, he performed as a teenager in 1940-1941’s “George Washington Slept Here” to encouraging debut reviews. Other Broadway credits include “All in Favor” (1942), Dalton Trumbo’s “Biggest Thief in Town” (1949), and Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth” (1959-1960). He was the teenage star of the film “Harrigan’s Kid” (1943). His other film credits include “The Canterville Ghost” (1944). Robert Readick held the starring role in 26 episodes of “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” from December 18, 1960 to June 11, 1961, following Bob Bailey and preceding Mandel Kramer in the role. He also performed in such radio shows as “The Adventures of Father Brown”, “Let’s Pretend”, “Now Hear This”, “Rosemary” (where he played Rosemary’s shell-shocked war veteran husband), “The Second Mrs. Burton”, and “Young Love”. On TV, he played the role of “Greg Williams” in the early years of “As The World Turns.” He also appeared in “That Wonderful Guy”, “Plainclothesman”, “Two Girls Named Smith” and “The Big Story” in addition to many television commercials. Robert Readick died at age 59 from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was survived by his wife and two sons. Mandel Kramer – Info Date of birth: 12 March 1916 -- Cleveland, Ohio, USA Date of death: 29 January 1989 (heart attack) Kramer was the last actor to play the title role "Johnny Dollar" from June 1961 until September 1962 in the famous long-running old time radio program. Kramer was recognized at the 2nd best "Dollar", after Bob Bailey. The last episode of Johnny Dollar ended at 6:40 pm Eastern Time on September 30, 1962 The final episodes of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and Suspense, airing on CBS, are often used to mark the end of the Golden Age of Radio. Actor - Sometimes Credited As: Mandel J. Kramer Anthology of Johnny Dollar The collected works of various contributors Old Time Radio Researchers Group Page 19 1. Fighting Back (1982/I).... Brusco ... aka Death Vengeance 2. "The Edge of Night" (1956) TV Series.... Bernard J. Eilhers #2 (1957)/Police Chief Bill Marceau #2 (1959- 1979) "The Guiding Light" (1952) TV Series.... District Attorney Richard Hanley (1953-1955; 1959-1960) Virginia Gregg – contributed by Roger Hohenbrink Birth name, Virginia Gregg Burket was born 4-6-1916 in Harrisburg, Illinois. Trained as a musician, Virginia Gregg drew her first professional paychecks with the Pasadena Symphony. Gregg was sidetracked into radio in the 1940s, playing acting roles in an abundance of important California-based network programs. Was one of the busiest radio actors in the business. Regular appearances on such radio shows as Dragnet, Nightbeat, The Lone Ranger and many more. Had extremely wide range, playing any female character. Was radio's female equivalent to William Conrad, Ben Wright and Elliott Lewis. Virginia Gregg was most closely associated with the output of actor/producer/director Jack Webb: she co-starred in both of Webb's film versions of his popular radio and TV series Dragnet, and guest-starred in virtually every other episode of the 1967-70 Dragnet TV revival Her usual role in the Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar episodes, CBS 1949-1962, was that of Betty Lewis, girlfriend of Johnny Dollar. Using incomplete information, Virginia Gregg appeared on at least 264 episodes of YTJD. She portrayed Helen Asher on NBC (1949-1952) and CBS (1952-1953 Radio's "Richard Diamond, Private Detective." Second actress to play Claire "Brooksie" Brooks on Mutual Radio's "Let George Do It" (1949-1954). Provided the voice of the mother in Psycho (1960), Psycho II (1983) and Psycho III (1986). Even though uncredited, Ms. Gregg is probably most memorable for the voice of Norma Bates in all three Psycho films. Not just Gregg did the voice of Mrs. Bates, Paul Jasmin (Anthony Perkins's close friend) and actress Jeanette Nolan also applied the voice in the three films. Had three sons with her husband, Jaime Del Valle who died on 16 September 1981. Virginia Gregg died 9-15-1986. Cause of Death: lung cancer. Otter Project Wiki | Cert First Lines / Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: Intro... file:///c:/ytjd/YoursTrulyJohnnyDollar.html 1 of 3 9/5/2006 1:43 PM Otter Project Wiki Cert First Lines : Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: Introduction Johnny Dollar was “the man with the action-packed expense account, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator… Johnny Dollar”. “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” ran from 1949 through 1962 on CBS. The episodes were framed in the manner of an expense account, with Johnny periodically stating an expense and its value, in between all the action. Most of the 800+ episodes opened with a ringing telephone and Johnny answering the phone stating his name. Usually, the title of each episode was embedded at the beginning of Johnny’s expense account, and except for the first few dozen episodes, all the titles of the episodes were along the lines of “The
press to play
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
1 comment:
Thank you for your time and considerable energy devoted to this ultimate detective radio program!
ET-Yes, those are my real initials :)
Post a Comment