National Network for Equitable Library Service

Volume 1 of Gene Autry's Melody Ranch! Republic Pictures' singing cowboy Gene Autry stars in "Melody Ranch," offering a pleasant and tuneful opportunity to hear Gene and his musicians perform a wide range of musical favorites, as well as the banter between Gene, his fellow musicians, and sidekick Pat Buttram.

Volume 2 of Gene Autry's Melody Ranch! Republic Pictures' singing cowboy Gene Autry stars in "Melody Ranch," offering a pleasant and tuneful opportunity to hear Gene and his musicians perform a wide range of musical favorites, as well as the banter between Gene, his fellow musicians, and sidekick Pat Buttram.

Harlan Matthews, a stamp dealer with memories of a murder he committed long ago, attempts murder, suicide and more! An alienist and Randy Stone try to help. The system cue has been deleted. Randy Stone covers the night beat for the Chicago Star. Stories begin in many different ways. This one began and ended with a confession ... a confession to the crime of murder.

Volume 1 of Jerry at Fair Oaks! Very few radio shows that aired during Radio's Golden Age between the early 1930s right on up into the 1950s managed to spin off an equally successful sequel series - yet Jerry Dugan's circus adventures proved to be so popular amongst young listeners that a sequel series about Jerry's adventures in a military school - Jerry at Fair Oaks - quickly followed. Jerry at Fair Oaks picks up shortly after circus owner Sam Randall is named Jerry Dugan's legal guardian.

Volume 2 of Jerry at Fair Oaks! Very few radio shows that aired during Radio's Golden Age between the early 1930s right on up into the 1950s managed to spin off an equally successful sequel series - yet Jerry Dugan's circus adventures proved to be so popular amongst young listeners that a sequel series about Jerry's adventures in a military school - Jerry at Fair Oaks - quickly followed. Jerry at Fair Oaks picks up shortly after circus owner Sam Randall is named Jerry Dugan's legal guardian.

An entertainment legend, Al Jolson was and remains a towering figure of the musical theatre. Jolson took over the venerable "Kraft Music Hall" in 1947 - a series he had headlined briefly in the early 1930s. This classic program was a masterpiece of careful planning and careful understanding of how to package a performer like Jolson to his best advantage. This collection features thirty Kraft Music Hall programs, all newly restored to the highest audio quality using equipment that was not available when the first collection was produced.

Randy Stone comes upon Marty, a six-year-old boy who is running away from home with a $100 bill. This leads Randy to an attempt to prevent an execution.

Randy didn’t have to go and look for his story tonight; it came in over the Teletype. Charles Keller died today in the state penitentiary after serving 14 years of a 20-year sentence for armed robbery. His wife, Molly Keller, a quiet woman, worked in the offices of the Chicago Star as a humble cleaner. Keller died still denying any knowledge of the $650,000 payroll robbery in the sensation of 14 years ago.

"Night Watch" was radio's first "reality show", a program that brought live and authentic police drama to the airwaves. Each week, Don Reed accompanied Officer Ron Perkins on the night watch in Culver City, California. Traveling in an unmarked car, Reed used a heavy battery-powered tape recorder, complete with a microphone cleverly concealed inside the casing of a flashlight, to participate in and record real police calls. These were authentic, unscripted, and unrehearsed adventures, with no actors, no expectations, and nothing planned in advance.

In 1950, NBC began broadcasting Nightbeat, considered one of the finest shows of its time, about Randy Stone, a reporter who covered the night beat for the Chicago Star with a unique blend of wit, compassion and toughness. From murder to mystery, from heartache to hardboiled, every night brought a new story to Randy Stone. Radio Archives invites you to listen to six brand new Nightbeat stories in Nightbeat: Night Stories. This nostalgic collection of new tales for your listening pleasure comes alive courtesy of noted actor Michael C. Gwynne.