RADIO ARCHIVES NEWS
The Monthly Newsletter of the First Generation Radio Archives
"Preserving Radio's Past for the Future"
August 2008

In this issue:
A New Premier Collection: Fort Laramie, Volume 2
Two New Radio Legends CD Sets: "Tarzan and the Diamond of Asher" and “Crime Club"
Your Free Gift This Month
Letters...We Get Letters...

The dog days of August may be upon us, but you needn't suffer the doldrums of a hot lingering summer when there is great sounding and imaginative radio entertainment to be enjoyed! This month, you'll find a new and engrossing Premier Collection featuring Raymond Burr as the commanding officer of a rugged cavalry outpost in "Fort Laramie, Volume 2". In addition, you'll discover two new Radio Legends releases: "Tarzan and the Diamond of Asher," an exciting and adventure-filled 39-part serial from 1934, and "Crime Club", offering twenty tales of murder, mayhem, and suspense. And, because we know that everyone loves a free sample, you'll get a COMPLIMENTARY CD with every order you submit! Action, western adventure, mystery, thrills, chills, and suspense...there's something for everyone in August at Radio Archives...so read on!

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A New Premier Collection

Television fans know him as Perry Mason, Earle Stanley Gardner's highly-skilled and well-spoken attorney at law, in the long-running CBS-TV series. But OTR fans know that, in the late 1950s, Canadian-born character actor Raymond Burr distinguished himself on radio by creating the character of Lee Quince, the tough but compassionate leader of a remote cavalry squadron, on the CBS Radio Series "Fort Laramie". Featuring a cadre of talented supporting players - many of them long-time radio veterans - Burr's distinctive voice and intimate acting style meshed well with his character and proved, once and for all, that he was indeed an actor to be reckoned with.

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Two New Radio Legends CD Sets

Radio Legends collections offer some of the most memorable and best-loved radio shows of all time, packaged in affordable 10-CD sets. And as with all of our compact disc collections, Radio Legends sets come to you in durable plastic cases that will both store and protect your recordings for years to come. This month, we're pleased to offer two new Radio Legends collections, priced at just $19.95 each: "Tarzan and the Diamond of Asher" and "Crime Club".

Many long-time fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Lord of the Jungle" are not aware that Tarzan, in addition to his appearances in books and in the popular MGM movie series, was also successful on radio - indeed, "Tarzan of the Apes" is thought to be the first major syndicated radio series, initially aired on literally hundreds of local stations between 1932 and 1934.

"Tarzan and the Diamond of Asher", first heard in 1934, was the second radio serial to feature the character and it was also the first in which Burroughs himself was directly involved. Even though the programs are now well over seventy years old, they still make for cracking entertainment - both for fans of the novels and those who simply enjoy a good adventure story. Radio Archives is proud to bring these newly restored programs to you in this new Radio Legends CD set.

Another literary success that made its way to radio was "Crime Club," based in part on the series of mystery novels published by Doubleday between 1928 and 1991. In its hey-day, the "Crime Club" book series published some of the best mystery and detective fiction ever written, featuring such authors as Agatha Christie, Leslie Charteris, and Sax Rohmer, and the radio version generally matched the quality of the books.

Initially aired between 1931 and 1936, "Crime Club" was given a second chance in late 1946 when the Mutual Radio Network resurrected the title for a new anthology series. Centered mostly on detective stories - long a staple of the Doubleday books - this revival was, for the most part, hosted by character actor Raymond Edward Johnson. Johnson, who is best remembered today as the macabre yet humorous host of the spooky "Inner Sanctum" radio series, brought the added dimensions of both wit and menace to his role as series host, known to listeners only as "The Librarian".

Though not as well known today as its counterparts "The Whistler" and "The Mysterious Traveler", the twenty full-length "Crime Club" shows offered in this month's new Radio Legends collection still have the power to draw in new listeners thanks to their complicated plots, diverse assortments of suspects, and the twist endings that are so much a part of radio's best mystery shows.

Radio Legends collections from Radio Archives offer great radio shows at great prices -- and make delightful gifts, too! Browse the full line of these affordably priced 10-CD sets on our Radio Legends page at http://www.radioarchives.org/RadioLegends.htm

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Your Free Gift This Month

Stop by Costco, Sam's Club, or any of the major big-box warehouse stores around noontime and we know what you'll find: a large contingent of casual shoppers spending their lunch hour grazing on the various free samples being offered by vendors throughout the store. Can't really blame them, of course - everyone loves to try a sample of something new, something different, something they haven't experienced before...particularly when it's free.

Here at Radio Archives, we often find the same thing applies to old time radio shows. You know from experience the kind of shows you enjoy the most, the types of programs you've purchased from us in the past...but it's nice every now and then to try out something new, something different, a show you haven't heard before and aren't quite sure you'll like or not. That's why, on a fairly regular basis these days, we like to tuck a free CD into each order we send out to you. Sometimes it's from a well-known and popular Premier Collection, sometimes from one of our more unusual or obscure releases, but it does give you the chance to listen to a show or two that you might otherwise have missed.

From the responses we get from our members - and, particularly, from the additional orders we receive - we know this is the sort of offer you enjoy...and why not? You really can't beat a free sample, particularly when it comes from one of our great sounding CD collections. Even if it ends up containing shows you've heard before or comes from a set you already own, you can always pass the CD on to a family member, a fellow OTR enthusiast, or particularly someone who has never heard radio shows from "the golden age" and might just like what they hear.

In the past, we've generally offered CDs from a particular set or two but, this month, it's going to be a real potluck affair. We'll be selecting shows from five or six different Premier Collections, chosen completely at random, and tucking one of these diverse and delightful CDs into every order we send out. You won't know what show or shows are coming until the package arrives, but you can be assured of one thing: the CD you receive will be a prime example of both the excellent programs we offer and a demonstration of the impressive talents of our audio restoration team. We don't mean to brag, but we're very proud of the work we do; literally, no one offers the consistent level of quality and audio fidelity you'll find in each and every Radio Archives CD release. It's this commitment to quality that's makes us the leader in radio show restoration...and that keeps our members coming back for more.

We hope you enjoy the content of these free samples and, if you like what you hear, we hope soon you'll consider purchasing one of the multi-CD sets from which these shows have been taken. Not only will you be adding a new and great sounding batch of shows to your personal library, you'll also be helping Radio Archives continue to "Preserve Radio's Past for the Future."

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Letters...We Get Letters...

Each month we receive many wonderful letters and e-mails from enthusiastic fans of old time radio. We'd like to share some their comments with you:

Barbara Long writes:
Bless your hearts! I only placed our order at 9:01 AM and here you are shipping it at 2:43. WOW! Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if all businesses were run like Radio Archives? Thank you and God bless.

Richard Davis McLeod writes:
Your product in reproducing "The Big Show" is excellent and cannot compare to anything else out there. I love the Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors CDs you did and play them often. I am really interested in the Lux Radio Theatre series for my next purchase.

Robert Kolar writes:
I heard about you from Chuck Schaden's "Those Were the Days" Saturday afternoon radio program on WDCB Chicago. I have purchased several collections and thoroughly enjoy each.

If you'd like to see your comments printed here, send an e-mail to membership@radioarchives.org

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Simple and Easy Ways to Pay for Your Radio Archives Orders

You pay only $6.00 postage for ALL U.S. orders, regardless of size. Click for International Postage

Check or Money Order
To pay with a check or money order, simply cut and paste a list of the items you would like into a document, then add up your total purchase. Print out your order, complete with your name, e-mail, and mailing address, then enclose a check or money order made out to Radio Archives and mail it to:

Radio Archives
1402 S. Kahuna Dr.
Spokane, WA 99212-3258

Questions? Write to membership@radioarchives.org

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