Category: Radio Shows

“I Was A Communist For The FBI” Starring Dana Andrews

by jjtreese, posted in Audio, Memorabilia, Pictures, Radio Shows
WISL Promotional Sign – “I Was A Communist For The FBI”

Radio was a much different medium in 1948 when WISL first signed on the air. Back then, radio was programmed much like television is programmed today with a schedule of different programming types throughout the day. Most radio stations had network affiliations and would run prime time and news programing offered by them. WISL was a Mutual Network affiliate and aired several of their programs. We will dig into this topic at a later date. For this post we will revisit a short-lived program that centered on one of the biggest political topics of the day, Communism.

The year was 1952, the “Red Scare” was in full force and was a very popular source of material in the entertainment industry. This program is centered around the character Matt Cvetic, a real-life FBI volunteer undercover agent. His testimony in 1949 helped to put away several members of a conspiracy to overthrow the US Government. After the trial, Cvetic sold his story and it became a serial in the Saturday Evening Post, a bestselling book and a Warner Brothers Movie.

The Frederic W. Ziv Company would later turn his story into a syndicated radio program. The series was produced without help from the FBI, as they refused to assist in the project. The program aired from April 23rd, 1952, through October 14th, 1953, with a total of 78 programs produced. This is where WISL comes in.

Article From Legion Magazine, October 1952 mentioning WISL

Shamokin’s WISL was one of the over 600 radio stations in the US that carried this 30 minute, weekly radio program. The image above is an original billboard poster for the program, promoting it Sunday evening airtime on WISL radio. This poster was found, of all places, lining a drawer in an old store in Shamokin. The owner found the relic when cleaning and gave it to Tom Kutza who has shared it with us.

We have compiled a sample of these programs in this post. Simply click below to relive radio’s golden age, the days of the “Theater of the Mind”. And now, “I Was A Communist For The FBI”, starring Dana Andrews, brought to you by the Bakers of Blue Ribbon Cake, as heard on WISL radio from 1952-1953.

AUDIO EXHIBITS

“I Walk Alone” – Original Air Date: April 23rd, 1952

“Card Game In The Clouds” – Original Air Date: June 4th, 1952

“The Red Record” – Original Air Date: August 20th, 1952

“The Wrong Green” – Original Air Date: April 1st, 1953

“The Crossed Heart” – Original Air Date: June 3rd, 1953

“Rhapsody In Red” – Original Air Date: August 19th, 1953

“Mr. District Attorney” starring David Brian

by jjtreese, posted in Advertisements, Audio, Newspaper Advertisements, Radio Shows
TV Guide Ad from 1958 for the Television Version of “Mr. District Attorney”

“Mr. District Attorney” was a very popular and long running radio drama. Starting in April 1939 as a 15-minute serial, the program would become a 30 minute program by June when it was named the summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show. “Mr. District Attorney” was created, written and directed by Ed Byron who based the program on New York Governor Thomas Dewey who was famous for his war against racketeering. Byron sought to bring a very realistic program to the air. The stories were a product of Byron’s study of crime statistics, criminology texts and crime reports in the newspaper. Byron was known to even mix with local criminals and police to further his research.

David Brian “Mr. District Attorney” on the radio 1952-1953

From 1939 to 1952, “Mr. District Attorney” aired on NBC and ABC and starred Dwight Weist (1939 15-minute serials), Raymond Edward Johnson (1939 30-minute programs), Jay Jostyn (1940-1952) and David Brian (1952-1953 syndication) as the main character, simply called “Mr. District Attorney” or “Chief”.

Other cast members:

“Voice of the Law” – (The program’s opening announcer) Maurice Franklin and also Jay Jostyn before taking over the lead role.

“Miss Miller” – (Edith Miller the District Attorney’s secretary) Vicki Vola

“Miss Rand” – (The District Attorney’s receptionist) Eleanor Silver and Arlene Francis

“Len Harrington” – (The District Attorney’s Chief Investigator) Walter Kinsella and Len Doyle (1940 -1953)

“Mr. District Attorney” Ad from the Shamokin News-Dispatch October 16th 1954

The program began it’s television run on ABC on October 1st 1952, and was placed into general syndication on radio for the 1952 season.

WISL brought Mr. District Attorney to the air in late 1954, at the tail-end of it’s days on the radio. The episodes ran by WISL were the David Bryan independent syndication episodes. The program aired Sunday afternoons at 4pm and was sponsored locally by D&R Radio of Trevorton and Connaghan’s Music Store of Mount Carmel in what appears to be a ZENITH “co-op” advertising deal.

Presented here for your enjoyment are five original episodes of “Mr. District Attorney.”

AUDIO EXHIBITS

The Deadly Snowflake (original air date May 26, 1948)

The Unknown Source (original air date July 14, 1948)

The Bridal Path Murders (original air date May 31, 1953)

The Body On The Freight Train (original air date July 12, 1953)

The Lady Gamblers (1952)

The Bank Killer (1952)

The Blackmail Killer (1952)