Premier Collections: 
Adventures by Morse, Volume 3
Liner notes written by Harlan Zinck; show descriptions written by Ivan G. Shreve Jr.

Click to listen to an audio sample

"If you like high adventure, come with me. If you like the stealth of intrigue, come with me. If you like blood and thunder, come with me..."

For most radio enthusiasts, the name Carlton E. Morse brings to mind two popular and much-loved series: "I Love a Mystery," a thrilling and suspenseful adventure serial of the 1940s, and "One Man's Family," the influential family serial that ran for over three decades on network radio. But, in addition to these two acknowledged classics, Morse is also the creator and author of another series that is well worth rediscovering: a syndicated suspense serial titled "Adventures by Morse."

Born in rural Jennings, Louisiana on June 4th, 1901, Carlton E. Morse began his writing career in the 1920s, honing his skills by working as a reporter for several newspapers in California. Noticing that radio was rapidly becoming a major force in entertainment, in 1929 he landed a job with KGO, the NBC affiliate in San Francisco. There he soon proved his talent for efficient deadline-driven writing, and demonstrated to network management that he possessed the organization and firm hand needed for production work as well. Before long, Morse was given a free hand to create new programs that, though originating at KGO, would be heard throughout much of the western part of the U.S. via the NBC west coast network.

It was while working at KGO that Morse first showed a talent for writing dramatic multi-part radio serials - in particular, the thrill-packed adventure stories that were the aural equivalent of the engrossing tales that ran in the "pulp" magazines of the day. Taking a cue from the lurid full-color covers of such magazines as "Black Mask" and "Terror Tales," Morse learned early on that the best way to instantly capture the attention of listeners was to use a distinctive and alarming opening signature - the ominous chiming of a clock, a screaming police siren, the sound of a Chinese gong being struck - then quickly engross them with tales set in exotic places. Always included in the stories were mysterious and potentially threatening elements: dark, damp jungles, bizarre and profane rituals, strange languages, sacred amulets, and - in a nod to his home-base of San Francisco - thick and impenetrable fog that concealed a wide variety of unseen dangers. To this, he added the standard elements of the classic "old dark house" mystery story: sudden and unexplained deaths, ancient curses, hidden panels, piercing cries in the night, and the gathering of a diverse group of suspicious people, all of whom had stories to tell...and secrets to hide.

Though Morse wrote and produced many a limited-run mystery serial throughout the 1930s, "I Love a Mystery" proved to be his first nationwide blockbuster in that genre. ("One Man's Family," first heard on the west coast in 1932, was a ratings champion almost from the start and began to be heard nationally over the full NBC network in May of the following year.) Created by Morse in 1938 and first heard in January 1939, "Mystery" was initially broadcast over NBC's Pacific network and, thus, was heard in only a few western states. The show soon proved so popular, however, that it went coast to coast over the full network in October and aired, first over NBC and later over CBS, until December 1944. With the responsibility of almost single-handedly writing and producing two popular network shows, it might have seemed to the casual observer that Morse was headed for a breakdown -- but those who worked closely with him knew that he was made of stronger stuff.

In his prime, Carlton E. Morse was literally a one-man radio production company, generating plot after plot and literally writing each and every word of each story himself. That he could write and produce both "Mystery" and "One Man's Family" at the same time is a testament to both his work ethic and his boundless creativity. Having been raised on a farm, Morse never lost the habit of rising before dawn and working extensively on scripts even before having breakfast. In the early morning, while most people were sleeping, Morse found that his mind was clear and his time entirely his own, uninterrupted by other business matters. It was not uncommon, in fact, for Morse to type out a script or two for "Family" with his morning coffee and, after breakfast, complete another couple of chapters in an upcoming "Mystery" story -- and all this before he went to the office to contend with his various production responsibilities!

To maintain such productivity, however, Morse frequently found it necessary to recycle the plots of his adventure serials, changing character names, locations, and specific events as needed, as well as inserting bits of storyline from other tales into the one he was currently writing. In a time when radio shows were broadcast live and repeats were seldom (if ever) allowed by the networks, it made good sense to draw upon his extensive backlog -- and this proved particularly true when it came to the creation of "Adventures by Morse" in late 1944.

With the end of "I Love a Mystery," Morse decided to partially free himself from advertiser and network oversight by going into independent production. To save time, and also to allow him to continue writing and producing "One Man's Family" at the same time, he chose to draw upon some storylines he had come up with in earlier years and, coupling these with some new tales, created a new series. "Adventures by Morse," as it was titled, offered listeners four 10-part serials along with four 3-part serials for a total of 52 half-hour episodes - a full year's worth of shows, designed to be prerecorded and to air weekly on local stations nationwide on a syndicated basis. Unlike his earlier (and, in the case of "One Man's Family," still running) series, Morse produced and owned the rights to "Adventures" outright, exercising complete control over the content of the shows and renting the discs to subscribing stations on a contract basis.

Deciding that there was no point in tampering with success, the major characters in "Adventures by Morse" were remarkably similar to the detective heroes of "I Love a Mystery": no-nonsense Jack Packard and his wise-cracking sidekick Doc Long, for example, became no-nonsense Captain Bart Friday and his wise-cracking sidekick Skip Turner. The locales were similar, too: both detective teams worked out of an office in San Francisco and had adventures that took them to strange and exotic foreign lands; mystical and unexplained events took shape week to week, culminating in a slam-bang climax that tied all of the loose ends neatly together in unexpected ways. Fact is, unless you listen closely, you'd almost think that "Adventures by Morse" is simply a continuation of "I Love a Mystery" -- and, in many ways, you'd be right!

Heard today, "Adventures by Morse" is still an exciting series to hear - particularly for those who appreciate and enjoy high adventure and engrossing tales of the mysterious and the unknown. Morse's talent for grabbing your attention with such well-honed devices as scary noises in the night, sudden violence, unexpected plot twists, and "don't open that door!" suspense is truly timeless; it isn't at all surprising that modern day listeners, hearing these shows for the first time, are just as fascinated by them as listeners were when they were first aired over sixty years ago.

The four three-part serial programs in this third and concluding set of "Adventures by Morse" shows, released with the cooperation of the Morse Family Trust, have been transferred from Carlton E. Morse's own personal set of transcription recordings and fully restored for outstanding audio fidelity, making this the best sounding collection of these programs ever released to the public. Here is the complete content of this exciting new Premier Collection:

A Coffin for the Lady
starring Elliot Lewis as Captain Bart Friday and Jack Edwards as Skip Turner

An Army Intelligence officer contacts Captain Friday's San Francisco office, looking to hire a pair of operatives for a mysterious mission. Transported to a small isolated cove off the coast of Canada, Friday, Turner, and a Major Lawrence find a speedboat waiting for them, which they use to get to Marmaduke Island. Warned by Lawrence that the duo will need to be "ready for action" at any given moment, three hours pass...then, suddenly, an Army GI appears out of the underbrush carrying a heavily bound and gagged woman in his arms. Friday and Turner quickly observe that the man has been mortally wounded - a knife is sticking out of his back - and his last words before dying are to instruct the men to get the woman to shore immediately.

Who is this mysterious stranger and what bizarre case has Captain Friday got himself and Skip into this time?

A Coffin for the Lady
On assignment for military intelligence on Marmaduke Island, Friday and Skip come to the rescue of a young woman who was saved by an Army GI with a knife sticking out of his back. Our two heroes transport the girl, known as Judith Wright, to nearby Port Lancer, where the mystery surrounding her past begins.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Conversation in the Casket
Friday and Skip track Judith to a cabin where, through the window, they see a large man place the woman into an empty coffin. The two men soon find themselves taken prisoner by two sinister types named Abid and English, who soon have our heroes trussed up and left in a barn.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Deepest Grave in the World
Friday and Skip arrive at the dock too late to catch the boat carrying the coffin - and Judith Wright. The two men inform Major Lawrence that the ship is now on its way to the Bay of Bengal, where Judith is to be sold into slavery.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Girl on Shipwreck Island
starring David Ellis as Captain Bart Friday and Jack Edwards as Skip Turner

While traveling from French Indo-China to Australia, the engine on Bart and Skip's plane conks out, forcing them to land on a small island in the South China Sea. Initially, they believe themselves to be alone...but it isn't long before they find themselves witnesses to the murder of a British sailor, one of a small number of castaways who recently survived a deadly hurricane at sea. The murder has been committed by a Spanish pirate, complete with bandana, who seems mighty proud of his skill with a gun.

What additional mayhem may occur on this supposedly deserted island...and what of the strange allure of a cockney serving girl named Gracie, who seems to be the object of much jealousy and intrigue?

The Girl on Shipwreck Island
Captain Friday and Skip are en route from Saigon to Australia when engine trouble on their Army plane forces them to make an emergency landing on a tiny island located in the South China Sea. Believing that they’re the only two castaways, they soon spot a young girl who appears to be a shipwreck victim.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Pirate is a Fighting Man
Gracie, the shipwrecked girl, informs Friday and Skip that she’s been on the island for six months and has been at the mercy of two of the ship’s sailors-turned-pirates, Cockney and Manuel. Since Cockney has been shot and killed by Manuel, Friday and Skip repair the plane so that they and Gracie can beat a hasty retreat - only Gracie isn’t so sure she wants to go...
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

There is More About Gracie Than Meets the Eye
Manuel the pirate has taken Skip prisoner to prevent him, Friday and Gracie from leaving the island. As negotiations are underway, they hear the unmistakable footsteps of a fifth person in their midst...but who can it be?
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

You'll Be Dead in a Week
starring Russell Thorson as Captain Bart Friday and Jack Edwards as Skip Turner

Skip and Captain Friday are called to Hollywood to meet with a woman named Eve Carson who, with her brother Wesley, inherited over a million dollars from her late father. Shortly after the death of their last living relative, Eve and Wesley moved to California where they lived happily for a time. Then, one morning, Wes loses consciousness and, after consultations with many doctors and specialists, is told that he has but one week left to live. Rather than be depressed at the news, Wesley chooses instead to live it up for the time he has left...but "living it up" has come to mean an association with gangster Blackie North and his gang of thugs. Eve begs Skip and Captain Friday to watch over her brother to see that he comes to no harm...but soon after, they find themselves engaged in a vicious barroom free-for-all with North and his henchmen.

The Man with Nothing to Lose
Captain Friday and Skip are hanging out in an "intimate drinking salon" waiting on a client when Skip decides to sock the establishment’s owner to relieve the boredom. The client, Eve Carson, then informs Friday’s partner that he’s just worked over notorious gangster Blackie North - a man with a sinister hold on her brother Wesley.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated
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$200,000 to Lose
According to his doctors, Wesley Carson has only seven days to live - so his sister Eve hires Friday and Skip to keep her brother out of trouble during that time frame to make certain he doesn’t besmirch the good name of the family. First item on the agenda: Friday and Skip agree to help Wes "rob" a bank.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated
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Concluding Episode
While making their escape from the bank, Friday, Skip and Wes are captured by Blackie North and his stooge Porky, who overheard Friday’s plans for the robbery. The two gangsters will soon learn that our heroes are a force with which to be reckoned.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/33680A.jpg

It's Dismal to Die
starring Russell Thorson as Captain Bart Friday and Jack Edwards as Skip Turner

Skip Turner has always been a sucker for a beautiful woman in distress...and no woman is more beautiful or more in distress than Julie Lane, a black haired blue eyed beauty who calls for Turner and Friday's help when her young husband is lost in Dismal Swamp near Lake Drummond, South Carolina. Finding themselves piloting a flat-bottomed boat through dark, dank, weed-infested waters, the trio searches for the missing husband -- and quickly discovers that he isn't dead but, instead, has been kidnapped.

It's Dismal to Die
Friday and Skip come to the aid of a young woman named Julie Lane, whose husband is lost in an area called Dismal Swamp in South Carolina. Why Julie let a month go by without contacting the authorities about her missing husband is just one of many questions to which our heroes hope to get answers.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/33690A.jpg

Second Episode
Friday and Skip tussle with the individuals responsible for kidnapping Julie’s husband Johnny, and soon find themselves trussed up alongside him. Escaping from their bonds, the trio make plans to defeat their captors: an unholy trio consisting of a Cajun they call "The Dummy," a man named Morales, and a mad German scientist, Doctor Eckhardt.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/33691A.jpg

Bad Medicine for the Doctor
Madman Dr. Eckhardt disposes of his henchman Morales in an argument over the fate of Julie Lane. Her husband Johnny emerges from his hiding place and confronts him in an effort to stall for time and allow Friday and Skip to overpower their nemesis.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/33692A.jpg

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