|
Basil Rathbone's
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
You can help make this page a
complete and comprehensive list of all the radio and television programs in which Basil
Rathbone participated. If you know of any programs that are missing from these lists,
please e-mail me. THANKS!
Look for the speaker button 
below to hear sound clips from various radio shows. An asterisk (*) in
various colors after
the listed show or episode indicates that it is available to purchase or
download. See
the bottom of the page for links to the sites that offer those episodes for
sale or download.
"Radio is
unquestionably a superior medium to television because it makes us use our imaginations. .
. . In the days of radio, The Theatre Guild of the Air . . . was ever striving for
quality, intelligence, and good taste. I have played many times for them and every time I
was invited it was a worthwhile experience." |
1935
November 22 -- Hollywood Hotel (CBS): "Captain Blood"
(with Errol Flynn and Olivia deHavilland)
1936
April 18 -- The Shell Chateau (NBC): "Mrs Moonlight," (with
Billie Burke)
| 1937 February 4 -- The Kraft Music Hall, starring Bing Crosby with the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra (NBC). Rathbone was a guest along with Bob Burns, Marion Claire, and William Frawley. February 22 -- Lux Radio Theatre (CBS): "Captain Blood," (with Errol Flynn & Olivia deHavilland)***
March 18 -- The Kraft Music Hall, starring Bing Crosby
(NBC), guest appearance (with Bob Burns, Vitya Vronsky & Victor Babin,
and Harriet Hilliard)
|
|
| December 23 -- The Kraft Music Hall, starring Bing Crosby with the John Scott Trotter orchestra (NBC), guest appearance (with Ken Carpenter, Bob Burns, The Paul Taylor Choir, The Kraft Choral Society, and Madge Evans) | |
| 1938 | |||||
| Jan. 7 -- Hollywood Hotel, "Tovarich" (with Claudette
Colbert, Charles Boyer and Melville Cooper) Jan. 10 -- Lux Radio Theatre (CBS): "Enter Madame," (with Grace Moore, Sharon Lynn and William Frawley)*** Feb. 8 -- The Lifebuoy Program (NBC), with star Al Jolson Feb. 22 -- On the Way to Yorktown (NBC), with Conrad Nagel, Edward Arnold and George Jessel April 15 -- Hollywood Hotel (CBS): "Adventures of Marco Polo" (with Gary Cooper, Sigrid Gurie and Alan Hale) May -- "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (a broadcast of Erich Korngold's music for the film, with Basil Rathbone narrating the story), NBC May 8 -- Warner Bros. Academy Theatre. After a presentation of "That Certain Woman" (with Rosella Town and Jeffrey Lynn) Rathbone is interviewed about his new film The Adventures of Robin Hood and he participates in a sketch. May 12 -- The Kraft Music Hall, starring Bing Crosby with the John Scott Trotter orchestra (NBC), guest appearance (with Ken Carpenter, The Paul Taylor Chorus, Toscha Seidel, and Isabel Jewell) June 6 -- Lux Radio Theatre (CBS): "A Doll's House," (with Joan Crawford, Sam Jaffe, and Nedda Harrigan)***
July 10 -- The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show (NBC):
"Talking Tough"
|
|
||||
|
Oct. 31 -- Lux Radio Theatre (CBS): "That Certain Woman,"
(with Carole Lombard & Jeffrey Lynn)** |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
Vivien Leigh and Basil Rathbone reading love poems by Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. |
|
|
Nigel Bruce, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and C. Aubrey Smith singing "Three Little Fishies" |
Dec. 17 -- Screen Guild Theater (CBS): "Smilin' Through" (with Norma Shearer & Louis Hayward)*
 A special tribute to the British King and Queen, with British stars Greer Garson, Leslie Howard, Vivien Leigh, Brian Aherne, Ronald Colman and Basil Rathbone |
 Vivien Leigh and Basil Rathbone in broadcast to King and Queen |
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
WJZ-NBC ("NBC Blue"), October 2, 1939, to March 11, 1940
Sherlock Holmes: Basil Rathbone
Dr. Watson: Nigel Bruce
Sponsor: Bromo Quinine
| Oct. 2 --- The
Sussex Vampire Oct. 9 --- Silver Blaze Oct. 16 -- The Speckled Band Oct. 23 -- The Man with the Twisted Lip Oct. 30 -- The Devil's Foot Nov. 6 --- The Bruce Partington Plans** Nov. 13 -- The Lion's Mane Nov. 20 -- The Dying Detective Nov. 27 -- The Creeping Man Dec. 4 --- Charles Augustus Milverton Dec. 11 -- The Musgrave Ritual Dec. 18 -- Wisteria Lodge Dec. 25 -- The Three Garridebs Jan. 1 --- The Blue Carbuncle Jan. 8 --- The Priory School Jan. 15 -- The Greek Interpreter Jan. 22 -- The Cardboard Box Jan. 29 -- The Second Stain Feb. 5 --- Abbey Grange Feb. 12 -- Shoscombe Old Place Feb. 19 -- The Blanched Soldier Feb. 26 -- The Reigate Squires March 4 -- The Beryl Coronet March 11 -- The Retired Colourman** |
|
.
| 1940 | |||||
| April 25 -- The Kraft Music Hall, starring
Bing Crosby with the John Scott Trotter orchestra (NBC), guest
appearance (with Ken Carpenter, Bob Burns, The Music Maids, Carole
Landis, and Spring Byington) Oct. 20 -- Screen Guild Theater: "Variety" (with Jack Benny, Claudette Colbert, Edward Arnold and Ernest Lubitsch)** |
|||||
| Nov. 4 -- Lux Radio Theater. "Wuthering Heights" (with Ida Lupino)** Click links below to listen to this broadcast: | |||||
|
|||||
"I have been told by
literally hundreds of people that when we were doing the Sherlock Holmes series they would
turn out the lights or if they had a fire sit round it and let their imaginations go fancy
free." |
Sherlock Holmes
WJZ-NBC, September 29, 1940 to March 9, 1941
Sherlock Holmes: Basil Rathbone
Dr. Watson: Nigel Bruce
Sept. 29 -- The Empty House
|
|
| 1941 Jan. 28 -- The Bob Hope Show (NBC): "X Marks the Spot." Basil Rathbone made a guest appearance to promote his new movie The Mad Doctor, and to help Hope find his "Yehoodi."**
Oct. 26 -- Screen Guild Theater (CBS):
"Good-bye Mister Chips" (with Greer Garson)*
|
|
Sherlock Holmes
|
 Rathbone and Bruce
|
| 1942 Jan. 6 -- The Burns and Allen Show (NBC) April 13 -- Cavalcade of America (NBC), heroic war stories presented by DuPont Chemical Co. to support the country and the war. Rathbone starred as Benedict Arnold in "A Continental Uniform," with Rosemary DeCamp, Lou Merrill, Eric Rolf, Gale Gordon, Jerry Mohr, Eliott Lewis and Hans Conreid.*** Nov. 5 -- The Abbott and Costello Show (NBC). Basil plays a detective who helps Lou find a dog. Nov. 9 - June 21, 1943 -- Ceiling Unlimited (CBS), a patriotic wartime drama program describing aviation's role in the war. Rathbone was on this program at least once--exact dates are unknown. Nov. 16 -- Screen Guild Theater (CBS): "Good-bye Mister Chips" (with Merle Oberon) |
|
 Rathbone with George Burns and Gracie Allen |
 Promo photo of Rathbone for Cavalcade of America |
| 1943 Jan. 4 -- Screen Guild Theater (CBS): "Suspicion," with Joan Fontaine and Nigel Bruce.* (Brian Aherne was originally scheduled, but due to illness was replaced at the last minute by Basil Rathbone.) February 5 -- Mail Call (CBS), guest appearance February 23 -- Mail Call (AFRS), guest appearance* February 27 -- United Nations War Relief radio program March 11 -- Roma Wine Show (CBS), guest appearance April 1 -- The Rudy Vallee Show, guest appearance along with Joan Davis May 6 -- Rudy Vallee's Sealtest Hour, guest appearance Aug. 9 -- Screen Guild Theater (CBS): "Spitfire," with Reginald Gardner and Heather Angel. September 13 -- Lux Radio Theatre (CBS): "The Phantom of the Opera," with Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster ***
September 27 -- Cavalcade of America, NBC (heroic war stories
presented by DuPont
Chemical Co. to support the country and the war), "The Hated Hero of
1776"*** |
|
|
|
A scene from "Ham for Sale," in which Jack Benny challenges Basil Rathbone for a part opposite Barbara Stanwyck |
|
Another scene from "Ham for Sale," in which Rathbone plays the part of a husband, Barbara Stanwyck plays the wife, and Jack Benny plays the butler. |
| 1944 Jan. 23 -- The Silver Theater (CBS): "Quite an Order" (Hosted by Conrad Nagel and John Loder) Jan. 30 -- The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show (NBC): "Charlie the Detective"* March 27 -- Screen Guild Theater (CBS): "Why Jack Is not Going to Appear on the Show" (with Jack Benny, Barbara Stanwyck and John Hersholt).
April 9 -- The Jack Benny Show (NBC): "Repairing Jack's Sidewalk"**
Aug. 21 -- Screen Guild Theater (CBS): "The Ghost Goes
West" (with Eugene Palette, Marsha Hunt and Charles Irwin)* |
|
|
|
In this clip from "The Ghost Goes West" you'll hear Basil speaking with a Scottish accent. He plays the role of the ghost, Murdoch Glourie. |
|
Basil also plays the role of Donald Glourie, a descendent of the ghost. In this clip from "The Ghost Goes West," Donald meets a pretty American girl, and is flustered. |
SHERLOCK HOLMES
WOR-MBS (The Mutual Network), May 7, 1943, to May 28, 1945
Sherlock Holmes: Basil Rathbone
Dr. Watson: Nigel Bruce
Sponsor: Petri Wine
| May 7 -- The Copper Beeches May 14 -- The Man with the Twisted Lip May 21 -- The Devil's Foot May 28 -- The Red-Headed League June 4 --- The Engineer's Thumb June 11 -- Silver Blaze June 18 -- The Dying Detective June 25 -- Wisteria Lodge July 2 --- The Priory School July 9 --- The Creeping Man July 16 -- The Musgrave Ritual July 23 -- The Greek Interpreter July 30 -- Murder in the Waxworks Aug. 6 --- The Missing Leonardo da Vinci Aug. 13 -- The Syrian Mummy Aug. 20 -- The Missing Dancer Aug. 27 -- The Cardboard Box* Sept. 3 --- The Retired Colourman Sept. 10 -- The Bruce-Partington Plans Sept. 17 -- The Dying Rosebush Sept. 24 -- The Missing Black Bag Oct. 1 --- The Speckled Band Oct. 8 --- The Dundas Separation Case Oct. 15 -- The Old Russian Woman (Mutual began broadcasting the show on Monday night instead of Friday.) Oct. 25 -- Ricoletti of the Club Foot Nov. 1 --- The Brother's Footsteps Nov. 8 --- The Shocking Affair of the S.S. Friesland Nov. 15 -- The Apparition at Sadler's Wells Nov. 22 -- Murder at the Park Nov. 29 -- Mrs Farintosh's Opal Tiara Dec. 6 --- The Camberwell Poisoning Case Dec. 13 -- The Jumping Jack Dec. 20 -- The Missing Black Dog Dec. 27 -- The Tired Captain |
|
 Rathbone and Bruce |
 Rathbone and Bruce |
.
1944 (Sherlock Holmes)
|
|
,
| "I love Radio, but
then I am an awful ham!" Basil Rathbone, comment written in a radio recording studio's guestbook. |
.
| 1945 (Sherlock Holmes) Jan. 1 --- Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot? Jan. 8 --- The Play's the Thing Jan. 15 -- Dr. Anselmo Jan. 22 -- The Elusive Umbrella Jan. 29 -- The Werewolf of Vair Feb. 5 --- The Dead Adventuress Feb. 12 -- The Newmarket Killers Feb. 19 -- The Surrey Inn Feb. 26 -- Lady Frances Carfax March 5 -- The Doomed Sextet March 12 -- The Erratic Windmill March 19 -- The Secret of Stonehenge March 26 -- The Book of Tobit** Apr. 2 --- The Amateur Mendicant Society** Apr. 9 --- The Viennese Strangler** Apr. 16 -- The Remarkable Worm Apr. 23 -- The Notorious Canary Trainer** Apr. 30 -- The Unfortunate Tobacconist** May 7 --- The Purloined Ruby** May 14 -- In Flanders Field** May 21 -- The Paradol Chamber** May 28 -- Dance of Death |
|
.
1945
March 1 -- Command Performance (a weekly program for WWII servicemen
on AFRS),
#164, Rathbone
Theatre Group (with Roy Rogers, Jack Carson, Helen Forrest, Alexis Smith,
Andy Russell, Arthur Treacher, Charlie Cantor and Hoosier Hot Shots)*
May 9 -- The Billie Burke Show (CBS), guest appearance
May 13 -- The Andrews Sisters Show (CBS), guest appearance
September 27 -- Village Store, guest appearance
November 4 -- Request Performance (a CBS comedy/variety program):
"Sherlock Holmes." Guest appearance
together with Nigel Bruce, Dick Powell, June Allyson and Lee de Forrest.*
|
|
In this clip from Request Performance, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce swap roles; Bruce plays Sherlock Holmes and Rathbone plays Watson. Enjoy Rathbone's imitation of Nigel Bruce! |
| "On one occasion
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce appeared as guests on a comedy
radio show and swapped their regular parts, with Rathbone as a
bumbling Watson and Bruce as a sharp decisive Holmes. It is
reported that Rathbone's imitation of Nigel Bruce stopped the
show. But then Rathbone was such a talented actor that he could
deal with that sort of situation with ease." (Michael Pointer, The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes, p. 89) |
SHERLOCK HOLMES
WOR-MBS, September 3, 1945, to May 27, 1946
Sherlock Holmes: Basil Rathbone
Dr. Watson: Nigel Bruce
| Sept. 3 --- The Limping Ghost** Sept. 10 -- Colonel Warburton's Madness** Sept. 17 -- The Case of the Out of Date Murder** Sept. 24 -- The Eyes of Mr. Leyton** Oct. 1 --- The Problem of Thor Bridge** Oct. 8 --- The Vanishing White Elephant** Oct. 15 -- The Manor House Case** Oct. 22 -- The Great Gandolfo** Oct. 29 -- Murder by Moonlight** Nov. 5 --- The Gunpowder Plot** Nov. 12 -- The Adventure of the Speckled Band** Nov. 19 -- The Double Zero** Nov. 26 -- The Accidental Murderess** Dec. 3 --- Murder in the Casbah** Dec. 10 -- A Scandal in Bohemia (The Woman)** Dec. 17 -- The Daughter of Irene Adler (The Second Generation)** Dec. 24 -- The Night before Christmas (The Christmas Eve Show)** Dec. 31 -- The Iron Box** Jan. 7 --- The Strange Case of the Murderer in Wax (The Hampton Heath Killer)** Jan. 14 -- Murder in the Himalayas (Murder Beyond the Mountains)** Jan. 21 -- The Telltale Pigeon Feathers** Jan. 28 -- Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber** Feb. 4 --- The Indiscretion of Mr. Edwards (The Cross of Damascus)** Feb. 11 -- The Guileless Gypsy** Feb. 18 -- The Camberwell Poisoning Case** Feb. 25 -- Murder at the Opera (The Terrifying Cats)** March 4 --- The Submarine Caves** March 11 -- The Living Doll** March 18 -- The Blarney Stone** March 25 -- The Girl with the Gazelle** Apr. 1 --- The April Fool's Adventure** Apr. 8 --- The Vanishing Scientists** Apr. 15 -- The Headless Monk** Apr. 22 -- The Tankerville Club** Apr. 29 -- The Waltz of Death** May 6 --- The Man with the Twisted Lip** May 13 -- The Uneasy Easy Chair** May 20 -- The Haunting of Sherlock Holmes** May 27 -- The Singular Affair of the Baconian Cipher** |
|
| 1946 Jan. 20 -- The Cass Daley Show (NBC), guest appearance March 23 -- Truth or Consequences (NBC), guest appearance on 6th anniversary show
April 25 -- The Rudy Vallee Show (NBC), guest appearance* April 27 -- Three Hundred Party (Mutual): Rathbone makes a guest appearance on a variety show featuring favorites of the Mutual network. May 10 -- The Danny Kaye Show (CBS): "Julius Caesar," guest appearance with Butterfly McQueen* May 22 -- The Eddie Cantor Show (NBC), guest appearance
|
|
||||||
|
October 13 -- The Campbell Room (NBC), starring Hildegarde, guest
appearances by Rathbone, Irving Berlin, Tito Guizar and Dave Apollon October 15 -- Voice of the Army, "Reunion" (with Larry Robinson, Henry Norrell and Paula Victor) October 20 -- The Fred Allen Show (NBC), guest appearance October 27 -- Theatre Guild on the Air, "Accent on Youth" (with Jane Wyatt) November 3 -- The Victor Borge Show, with Benny Goodman November 24 -- The Campbell Room (NBC), starring Hildegarde, guest appearance with Tallulah Bankhead and Maura Laverty December 24 -- Paul Whiteman's Christmas Party (ABC). Paul Whiteman hosted this Christmas Special with Walter Winchell, J. Scott Smart, Bing Crosby, Henry Morgan, Basil Rathbone, Kenny Baker, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Don McNeill, Tom Brennaman, Don Wilson, Patrice Munsel, Lum and Abner, and Arnold Stang* |
|
| 1947
Jan. 9 -- The Radio Reader's Digest (CBS), "Doctor Donald" (with Al Hodge)* Jan. 19 -- Theatre Guild on the Air (ABC), "A Doll's House" (with Dorothy McGuire) Jan. 27 -- Cavalcade of America (NBC), "A Chance for Jimmy"* Jan. 21 - Dec. 29 -- Scotland Yard, a series for the Mutual Network. Rathbone played Inspector Burke. Feb. 16 -- The Fred Allen Show (NBC), guest appearance Feb. 22 -- WOR Twenty-Fifth Anniversary (WOR), special broadcast with several Broadway celebrities celebrating the station's 25th anniversary April 21 -- Cavalcade of America, NBC, (heroic war stories presented by DuPont Chemical Co. to support the country), "The President and the Doctor," with Thomas Mitchell* June 8 -- Theatre Guild on the Air, "A Church Mouse" (with Pamela Brown) |
|
| June 29 -- Hollywood's Open House, guest appearance with Henny Youngman and
host Jim Ameche. July 21 -- The Bell Telephone Hour: "Peter and the Wolf"* July 24 -- Guest Star (Treasury Dept. syndication), "The Radio Detective," comedy skit on a public service program with Kenny Delmar |
|
|
"The Radio Detective" comedy skit with Rathbone and Kenny Delmar |
Oct. 5 -- Theatre Guild on the Air, "The Admirable Crichton" (with June Duprez)
1947 -- The Burns and Allen Show
1947 -- The Jack Benny Show
1947 -- The Fitch Bandwagon (a.k.a. The Phil Harris/Alice
Faye Show), NBC: "Cass Daley meets Basil Rathbone"
|
|
Clip 1 from The Fitch Bandwagon |
|
Clip 2 from The Fitch Bandwagon |
1948 |
|||
| Jan. 5 -- Cavalcade of America, NBC
(heroic stories presented by DuPont Chemical Co. to support the country), "The
Justice and the Lady"* March 22 -- Cavalcade of America (NBC): "The President and the Doctor," with Thomas Mitchell** April 11 -- The Fred Allen Show (NBC): "One Long Pan Skit" (guest appearance).*** Here are four sound clips from that show: |
|||
|
Fagel's Frozen Watermelon jingle (91.4 KB) |
Basil's "Half-safe" joke (244 KB) |
sapsucker bit from the "One Long Pan" skit (133 KB) |
sunglasses joke from the "One Long Pan" skit (117 KB) |
| June 28 -- Cavalcade of America (NBC), "The Common Glory"** October 3 -- The Electric Theater (CBS), a dramatic program presenting film adaptations and other stories. The October 3 episode starred Henry Fonda, Basil Rathbone and Margaret Sullavan. October 15 -- Great Scenes from Great Plays (Mutual), "The Barretts of Wimpole Street," with Beatrice Straight December 9 -- Hollywood's Open House (NBC syndicated): "The Master Builder," guest appearance, along with Buddy Moreno and Virginia Wiedler |
|||
|
1949 Tales of Fatima (sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes) CBS, January 8 - October 1, 1949 Radio mystery series starring Basil Rathbone |
||
|
Jan. 8 -- "The Strange Mr.
Smith" Jan. 15 -- "Mystery at Mirador" Jan. 22 -- "The Fires at Schuyler Square" Jan. 29 -- "The Frozen Forest" Feb. 5 -- "The Cairo Curse" Feb. 12 -- "The Twisted Talisman" Feb. 19 -- "The Jilted Juvenile" Feb. 26 -- "The Invisible Caballero" March 5 -- "The Cry for a Cat" March 12 -- "The Tower of Ice" March 19 -- "Design for Death" March 26 -- "Murder on Stage" April 2 -- "The Biggest Game" April 9 -- "Murder at the Circus" April 16 -- "Duet and Death" April 23 -- "Country Killing" April 30 -- "The Cautious Corpse" May 7 -- "Murder at the Ball Game" May 14 -- "Over My Dead Body" May 21 -- "A Much Expected Murder" May 28 -- "Time to Kill" June 4 -- "One Foot in the Grave" June 11 -- "Murder in Pig Latin" June 18 -- "Death Sits With the Baby" June 25 -- "Dead or Alive" July 2 -- "The Dark Secret" July 9 -- "The Sleeping Dog" July 16 -- "Cargo of Death" July 23 -- "Memory of Murder" July 30 -- "Next of Kin" Aug. 6 -- "Portrait of Death" Aug. 13 -- "Dead and Buried" Aug. 20 -- "Prescription for Death" Aug. 27 -- "Intent to Kill" Sept. 3 -- "A Dose of Death" Sept. 10 -- "The Men in the Shadows" (guest: Bela Lugosi) Sept. 17 -- "Portrait of Fear" (guest: Lili Palmer) Sept. 24 -- "The Most Dangerous Game" (guest: Rex Harrison) October 1 -- "Study in Suspicion" |
Listen to three sound clips from "A Time to Kill" (May 28, 1949):
|
|
| Jan. 30 -- Spike Jones
(CBS): "Portia and the Hollywood Wolf" (guest appearance)* April 16 -- Spike Jones (CBS), guest appearance April 24 -- The Fred Allen Show (NBC): "The Mad Doctor Downing Street" (guest appearance)* Dec. 1 -- Duffy's Tavern (NBC): Guest appearance on episode #340 Dec. 4 -- Theatre Guild on the Air: "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse" (with Madeleine Carroll) |
|
Year? -- Inside Hollywood, a 5 minute interview with Basil Rathbone
Year? -- Sounds of Freedom, #3, #7, #10. Air Force Reserve syndication. Rathbone narrated something patriotic.
1950
Feb. 17 -- The MGM Theatre of the Air: "Queen Christina"
(with Lilli Palmer)
May 19 -- Stars and Starters (NBC), guest appearance
May 23 -- Cavalcade of America (NBC), heroic stories presented by DuPont
Chemical Co., "A Portrait of the Author"***
July 14 -- Bill Stern's Sports Newsreel (NBC), Basil Rathbone
substitutes as host for vacationing Bill Stern.*
Aug. 29 -- Cavalcade of America (NBC), "John Yankee"**
1951
May 29 -- Cavalcade of America (NBC), "The Torchbearer."
Rathbone played Richard Lawrence in the story of Nathaniel Bacon.*
Sept. 4 -- Cavalcade of America (NBC), "Towards a New World."
Rathbone played Joseph Priestly, the discoverer of oxygen.*
Sept. 9 -- Theatre Guild on the Air: "The Heiress"
(with Cornell Wilde and Betty Field)
Oct. 19 -- Dream World, a radio tribute to the United Nations,
broadcast from New England Mutual Hall, Boston. Performers were Basil
Rathbone, Cynthia Rathbone, Luise Rainer, Leonard Lyons and Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt.
| 1952 Feb. 24 -- Theatre Guild on the Air, "Oliver Twist" (with Boris Karloff and Leween McGrath) April 23 -- MGM Musical Comedy Theater of the Air (MBS): "Three Darling Sisters," with Edith Fellows and Gladys Swarthout May 19-31 -- Wayne Howell's Favorites of the Famous classical disk jockey show. Guests are interviewed by Wayne and talk about their classical music interests and their lives. The interview with Rathbone was broadcast between May 19 and May 31. Oct. 24 -- United Nations Radio (messages for United Nations Day, 1952) Nov. 2 -- Theatre Guild on the Air: "Lo and Behold" (with Ann Blyth and Jeffrey Lynn) Nov. 23 -- Theatre Guild on the Air: "That Winslow Boy" (with Alan Webb and Margaret Philips) |
|
1953
June 7 -- Theatre Guild on the Air: "Julius Caesar"
(with Maurice Evans) [final show of the series]
June -- National Blood Program #2, with John Lund, Phil Rizzuto, and
Cornelia Otis Skinner
1954
January 1 -- Stage Struck (CBS): "A Review of the Theatrical
Highlights of 1953" (with Robert Alda, Geraldine Page, Ben Gazara, Gwen
Verdon, Lilo, Ralph Meeker, Rosalind Russell, Menesha Skulnik, Brooks
Atkinson, Shirley Booth, Basil Rathbone, Martha Scott, and Burgess
Meredith. Hosted by Mike Wallace)*
January -- One minute spot to promote the
March of Dimes (the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis).
Broadcast between Jan. 2-31. Several other celebrities also recorded one
minute spots.
November 7 -- Anthology
(NBC): "The Caedman Story" (with Judith Anderson and Ogden Nash)*
1955
January 23 -- Anthology
(NBC): "Thomas Hornsby Ferrell"*
October -- Luncheon at Sardi's (WOR). This hour-long radio show was
broadcast live from the dining room of Sardi's Restaurant, a
Broadway institution in New York. The host moved from table to table,
interviewing celebrities, including Rathbone.
|
1956
(date unknown) -- Basil Rathbone Presents Great American Women. Produced by RCA Thesaurus. Rathbone narrated stories about 65 women, including the following: |
|
 |
Jane Addams, Louisa May Alcott, Marian Anderson, Ethel Barrymore, Mary Ann Bickerdyke, Elizabeth Blackwell, Carrie Jacobs Bond, Rachel Crothers, Charlotte Cushman, Emily Dickenson, Dorothy Dix, Amelia Earhart, Fanny Farmer, Hetty Green, Sarah Hale, Elsie Janis, Helen Keller, Dolly Madison, Grandma Moses, Annie Oakley, Lydia Pinkham, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dorothy Shaver, Mary Martin Sloop, Helen Wills, Babe Didrikson Zaharias |
| Each story
was between 3 and 4 minutes long. They were recorded onto transcription
discs and sent to radio stations. The shows were broadcast from 1956 to
1960. September 5 -- Recollections at 30 (a special series celebrating NBC's 30 years of broadcasting): "Bon Voyage to King George VI" (from the June 11, 1939 broadcast)* |
|
1957
September -- Helen Hayes Story Circle (guest appearance)
The World's Greatest Mysteries. Rathbone
appeared as host of the series, introducing the stories, but is not heard
in the stories. Some of the programs are the adventures of a character
named Spike Harrigan. Others are the adventures of Mike Connoy, a reporter
in Paris who writes a column called "Europe Confidential."
|
Listen to twenty-two full episodes of "Europe Confidential"
here |
|
||
| 1959 | ||
|
October 1959-Feb. 1960 -- Basil Rathbone, Word Detective |
||
|
|
Listen to episodes of Basil Rathbone, Word Detective: | |
|
1. Tantalize | 6. Tangerine |
|
2. Derrick | 7. To Get One's Goat |
|
3. Widow's Peak | 8. Saxophone |
| 4. Tuxedo | 9. Melba Toast | |
| 5. Quiz | 10. Stoic | |
| 1960 |
| Flair (ABC radio daytime magazine show patterned after NBC's Monitor. Host: Dick Van Dyke) |
| On Flair Basil talks about keeping hens as pets! Click to listen. (1.3 MB) |
|
1960s
Monitor (NBC radio series that was broadcast from June 12,
1955 to January 26, 1974). Rathbone
read poetry on this program. The exact dates he appeared on it are unknown.
Tales from the Reader's Digest. As a guest host for Boris Karloff, Rathbone narrated five episodes in 1963 (from April 29 to June 13) and during the week of February 3, 1964.
1964? -- Readings by Basil Rathbone. Reading for Library Week selected from Certain Precepts for the Well Ordering of a Man's Life by William Cecil, Lord Burghlay
Year? -- Celebrity Talk with Maggie McNallis (celebrity interview program), guest appearance.
| 1966 | ||
|
Beyond the Green Door, (short spooky or bizarre tales written by Robert Scheckley, and read by Basil Rathbone on NBC's Monitor) |
||
|
|
Listen to episodes of Beyond the Green Door: | |
|
1. The Matland Indians | 6. Buried Alive |
|
2. The Disposal Service | 7. A Drunkard's Agreement |
|
3. The Yukon Cabin | 8. Wattings Wax Works |
| 4. One Wish | 9. Quicksand! | |
| 5. The Ape | 10. Billy's Friends | |
| Three more episodes, as well as information about the writer Robert Scheckley, can be found at this site: www.platterland.com/basilrathbone.shtml | ||
.
|
* * * OLD TIME RADIO SITES * * * |
* These Sherlock Holmes radio episodes are available for free download in mp3 format at rathboneandbruce.net/the-new-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-old-time-radio-episode-list.html. Edited episodes (the commercials edited out) on CD are available to buy from rathboneandbruce.net/the-new-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-old-time-radio-order-cd.html
*I wish to express my deep appreciation to Jerry Haendiges, whose comprehensive Radio Logs helped fill in the blanks in my list of Basil Rathbone's appearances on radio. Jerry also has some titles available to order.
* Radio Revisited has several Rathbone radio programs on CD available to purchase, including some of the Lux Radio Theater and Cavalcade of America programs.
Old Time Radio Catalog (www.otrcat.com) is another site that has several Rathbone radio programs on CD available to purchase.
* If you'd rather download radio programs in mp3 format, visit RUSC.COM Old Time Radio. A low monthly fee entitles you to unlimited downloads. RUSC has several radio shows with Basil Rathbone.
