Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of Cloak and Dagger.
But first, I do want to encourage you, if you
are enjoying the podcast, to please follow us using your
favorite podcast software and our listener support and appreciation campaign continues.
You can become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for
two dollars per month by going to Patreon dot Great
Detectives dot net. But now, from July twenty third, nineteen fifty,
here is the Secret Box.
Speaker 2: Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission behind the
enemy lines knowing you may never return alive?
Speaker 3: What you have just heard is the question asked during
the war to agents of the OSS ordinary citizens who
to this question answered yes.
Speaker 2: This is Cloak and Dagger.
Speaker 3: Black warfare, espionage, international intrigue. These are the weapons of
the OSS. In today's adventure, the Secret Box concerning an
American agent who was sent into a Japanese infested jungle
who take back a prisoner. The role of John Marco,
the OSS agent, is played by comedy star Jerry Lester.
The story is suggested by actual incidents recorded in the
Washington files of the Office of Strategic Services, a story
that can now be told.
Speaker 4: I always carried this little box. I never knew when
it might come in handy. It was about as big
as a small lunch box. Well, to begin at the beginning,
I happen to be in the radio room at OSS
headquarters in Bambo that night when the message came through.
Speaker 5: How important chap on the captive for you, can you
come get him?
Speaker 6: Come soon?
Speaker 2: Chop only chum away again for.
Speaker 5: Headquarterter in Mama to Agel Terry.
Speaker 4: So that's how Harry Stevens and I happened to be
in an eighty eighteen flying over Agent Terry's position about
eighty six miles behind enemy lines in Burma. And like
I say, I had this little box in my knapsack.
Oh oh, in case I forgot to mention it. My
name is Johnny Marco Snappy Songs and what are he sayings?
Just mentioned my name in Sheboygan. Oh they loved me
in Sheboygan.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, I know, Marco.
Speaker 4: Hey, Harry, did I ever tell you about my last
date in Frisco before I went overseas I.
Speaker 6: Can hardly wait. Her name was Rose.
Speaker 4: She had a name like a flower and a face
like a weed. I called her cream a weed because
she was so mushy.
Speaker 6: Marco, I have but one thing to say to you.
Speaker 4: Well, talk to me.
Speaker 6: I hope you'll live to be as old as you jokes.
Speaker 4: You know the trouble with you, Harry. You don't realize
you're carting around a million dollars worth of talent. I
tell you they love me and your boy.
Speaker 2: I'm in the city.
Speaker 6: Hang on, I'm gonna take a dive, see if i
can find a landing strip.
Speaker 4: We had figured our checkpoints carefully, but when we reached
our rendezvous, all we could see was a rough field
with a Buddhist pagoda at the fire end. Nothing else,
No landing strip, no markers, no one waiting downstairs. Just
a rough field covered with brush. We knew something must
have gone wrong.
Speaker 6: I don't get if, Marco.
Speaker 4: Well, the jap's probably closed in and they're afraid to
come out of hiding.
Speaker 3: Oh great, live jaft. Prisoners aren't dropped in our laps
every day. Hey, Harry, huh who is this agent Terry?
Speaker 6: Anyway?
Speaker 3: Oh, missionary, it's been working with a tribe of Anglo
or me for years. Colonel says he's already radioed back
a lot of information on enemy physicians. This is the
first prisoner he's ever taken. What a rotten break.
Speaker 4: Will look circle around again, maybe we'll see something.
Speaker 5: Up.
Speaker 6: Better head back before we run into trouble ourselves.
Speaker 4: Hey, Harry, Harry, Look look the brush it's being yanked away.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I see it. Look those natives they're putting
up the white Marcus stripes, the.
Speaker 4: Safety land panels out. It just like seeing something pumped
before your eyes.
Speaker 2: Let's go.
Speaker 4: And landing strip came out of nowhere, just all of
a sudden, there it was. The plane bumped the ground
and rolled in. But we kept the motor still running
in case of a jab trick. And we sat there
waited for whatever was going to happen next. Harry, Harry, Look, look,
look something or somebody's coming out of that clump of
bamboo at the end of the field.
Speaker 6: Yeah, hip your hand on your gun.
Speaker 3: I'll make a quick getaway if I have to check, Harry, Harry.
Speaker 4: Natives, Yeah, but are they friendly spears? Hey the arm
let's get out of here.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Hey, wait a minute, there's a white woman with him.
Speaker 7: I am missus Terry. Gentlemen, one would never suspect I
was a n agent.
Speaker 6: Two it one, Well what's the angle? I mean, well,
I think you point.
Speaker 7: Oh it's very simple. Really, my husband, the late Reverend
Oscar Terry of God killing Man, went to his rest
a few months ago.
Speaker 4: You mean man that you're the agent who's been sending
all that information to OSS headquarters in Bambo.
Speaker 7: Naturally this is Lynn Taw. I suppose you'd call him
the right hand man. Say how'd you do? Lynn?
Speaker 2: How you do? Hi?
Speaker 7: Lynn incidentally sent the radio message. He does so enjoy
tinkering with mechanical devices. I showed him how to use it. Unfortunately, however,
my husband, the late referend Oscar Terry, a god filling man,
is the only one of us who knew how to
take it apart and put it together again.
Speaker 2: Lynn, Yes, miss Tarring, that radio?
Speaker 6: You have it?
Speaker 7: I have it here, excellent captain. Would you either have
this replaced in Bomo with new parts? I have a
new radio dropped over to.
Speaker 6: Us by sure, missus Terry. I'll see what can be
done for you.
Speaker 7: Oh, thank you so much, Oh fancy I almost forgot.
We have a Japanese prisoner for you.
Speaker 4: About a half a dozen natives a short distance away
standing around the cart.
Speaker 8: In it.
Speaker 4: They had a jab officer with his hands and feet tight.
Speaker 6: They dragged him over.
Speaker 4: He was a surly character. Maybe I would under the
same circumstances.
Speaker 2: Anyway.
Speaker 4: He didn't say a word, just glared at us from
under the bloody bandage around his head.
Speaker 7: Here is your guest, gentlemen, Colonel Siwaka, the Japanese high Command.
He resisted arrest rather strenuously, so it was impossible to
avoid banging around a bit. Well, goodbye, now, good luck.
Do give my regards to your colonel.
Speaker 4: We loaded Colonel Slowaka into the small plane, and a
few seconds later, as we swung over the field, we
looked down and saw that all trace of the strip
had completely disappeared. The brush was replaced and there was
nothing only jungle.
Speaker 6: How's our friend, Colonel Siwaka doing, Marco?
Speaker 4: While he's a little tied up at the moment, Hey friend,
how you doing? Friend doesn't want to talk?
Speaker 3: You know something, that's the best audience you'll ever have, Marco.
One who can't understand English.
Speaker 4: Oh come on now, will your hair? Hey, maybe you
got something? Hey friend? Uh, did you know that the
former ruler of Russia was called the Tsar? His wife
was called the csarena? And you know what they call
his kids. Get a load of this czardines?
Speaker 2: Yeah you know?
Speaker 6: I think you're right, Harry.
Speaker 4: Friend obviously doesn't understand a word of comedy English.
Speaker 6: Oh what's that? Chat?
Speaker 9: Backack?
Speaker 6: They've spotted us. Can we get away from him?
Speaker 10: Now?
Speaker 6: We can try.
Speaker 4: That's climbing, Harry, gee a thousand feet in.
Speaker 2: About a half a minute. It's no good.
Speaker 6: Hack it out of rageous way.
Speaker 4: But what do we do?
Speaker 3: I'll level off and head for home. I can't get
away from him just climbing.
Speaker 4: You did it. We're not arranged now.
Speaker 6: I think I just spoke too fast. Trouble Black must
have hit one of the engines. It's not all fine
that it could have been worse. I can get us
back on one.
Speaker 4: Brother. If you were your sister, i'd marry.
Speaker 6: Oh you're a big hearted guy, you know that, Marco.
Speaker 3: Well, I don't go around for rose and every day
you better go back and see our friend is doing.
Speaker 10: When the colonel sawaka doing extreme well, thank you? Keep
me your hands on the flying instruments. The captain, Hey,
and you, lieutenant, keep me your hands and their way
in there.
Speaker 4: I thank you? Are you dirty dog face? You spoke
English all the time.
Speaker 10: Enough to tell you that if you do not as
you are told, I put the boy through your heads.
I thank you, lieutenant, for have you been gone within
easier reach? And you do anything, do not talk, just
to continual to fly plane.
Speaker 4: So Harry kept the plane steady, his back to our friend,
and I just stood there and watched Colonel Siwaka as
he manipulated the parachute and buckle it on, changing the
gun from one hand to the other as he put
his arms through the straps of the choote. Then he
opened the handle of the waiste door.
Speaker 10: I we say good bye now it was on a
pleasant to ride.
Speaker 4: Why you had it in the air.
Speaker 9: Keep my hands in air? Watch better? Now I shoot
you both.
Speaker 4: Then I jump goodbye, friend, don't forget to ride.
Speaker 3: Jack shouldn't have opened the waist first. All I had
to do was bank the plane over and it's side
and we.
Speaker 4: Lost Yeah, we lost him all right? Oh he shoot open?
Speaker 6: Oh fine, Uh, mission unaccomplished. Well anyway, it was a
nice ride.
Speaker 3: Glad uh second engine couldn't take the strain of that
flip flop was punking out.
Speaker 9: Yeah, it cut all right?
Speaker 6: Hit the soap, Marco, we better pail out.
Speaker 4: I made it okay, rolled over a couple of times
when I landed and pulled the shoot down. But it
was another story with Harry. As he bailed out, his
slipstream caught him, flung him back against the horizontal stabilizer
and cut a gash.
Speaker 6: In his head.
Speaker 4: Miraculously, his shoot open and he drifted into the green
jungle and landed upside down in the top of a
tall mahogany tree. Harry, Harry, are you all right? Can
you talk?
Speaker 2: Mark? Strapline of the shute? It tangled?
Speaker 9: Kick it out my head?
Speaker 2: I cut it, yeah, I see Marco.
Speaker 6: Get me done?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 4: Yeah, easy boy. Now I'll do something something But what
I tried to climb the tree to.
Speaker 6: Reach them, but it was no use.
Speaker 4: The trunk was bare smooth. I kept slipping back. It
was the two of us were in the middle of
a nightmare. Harry, Harry, can you hear me?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 4: I can't climb that lousy tree. It's too slippery. There's
nothing for me to hold on. Marco, it's no yourse, Well,
oh what do you mean? It's no use you waste.
Speaker 6: Time standing there, You'll be caught. Jap's all around. You
know that as well as I Harry.
Speaker 3: When you're listening now, you're listening to me, get away now,
will you?
Speaker 6: They may have seen the place.
Speaker 4: Shut up now when you're shut it out of a
boat that ducks.
Speaker 3: I know I am anyway, Just do one thing, Marco, Yeah,
don't leave me here to stop or falling the Jeff hands.
Speaker 6: Maybe you can make it back along.
Speaker 4: You're nuts now, I couldn't do that.
Speaker 3: Just don't leave me to start, please, please, huh shook
me first, so the head marker, please.
Speaker 4: I knew he was right. I couldn't leave him plase marker,
not that way, and I couldn't.
Speaker 6: Stay maka well.
Speaker 4: I took the forty five from the holster at my belt.
When I heard the dry click of the hammer being
drawn back, I broke out in a sweat. My hands
started to get wet. Marca, I counted one, two, and.
Speaker 9: The looks of it, we are right in time.
Speaker 4: Lynn Tow and the natives went to work swiftly knocking
down a second, smaller tree against the mahogany. They scaled
it like cats to the base of the branch where
Harry was hanging, tossed a loop of rattan across the
branch and told a torrent. Then they lift Harry and
passed him from hand to hand and lowered him gently
to the ground. And all the time I just stood
there next to missus Terry, feeling the blood pounding in
my head. And I put the pistol back into my
holster and.
Speaker 7: That other bandage.
Speaker 2: Please here, here you are, Miss Terry.
Speaker 7: That's a good fellow. Thank you so much. How is
your head now, Captain Stevens much better face?
Speaker 4: I still don't understand.
Speaker 7: How did you hear so the Japanese act gut hit
your plane almost immediately after you left us. We came
along with the jungle in case this should be need
of us.
Speaker 4: Lady, no one ever needed you more.
Speaker 7: You say, Colonel sir Waker, escape dear here for the kitty.
H Now I think that bandage will do.
Speaker 2: Do you get back, Miss Terry?
Speaker 5: Yes?
Speaker 2: Lynn Lynn say leave now? Do not stay back to village?
Speaker 7: Oh yes, great, but that poses a problem. As I
told you earlier. Our radio is out of use.
Speaker 4: There's no way of contacting headquarters and telling them to
send a plane for.
Speaker 7: Us, exactly, Lieutenant Marco, Well, do.
Speaker 4: You think we can make it back through enemy lines
on foot?
Speaker 7: Possibly take five or six days anyway, But it.
Speaker 4: Could be done, couldn't it. I mean we could sneak through.
Speaker 9: Couldn't we by.
Speaker 7: Passed the JAT So I don't can't do?
Speaker 2: Brind Car help, Thank.
Speaker 7: Your capitalized Lynn Tao, my husband, the late repend Oscar Terry.
Speaker 2: A god fearing man, thank you.
Speaker 7: He would approve heartily.
Speaker 4: Lynn Tao knew plenty of short cuts, and we followed him,
skirting Jap patrols all the way. There was something uncanny
about the way he led us over miles of jungles.
We kept our packs light because we had a pretty
long high take ahead. But just the same, I kept
that little box with me. I never knew when it
might come in handy. Then we came to a small stream.
Speaker 2: Our Moscow to stream here take off shore.
Speaker 4: Well wait a minute, then, why bother? We'll be wading
through a lot of water, and why take our shoes
off and on?
Speaker 2: But do Ashlyn say if she get wet feet?
Speaker 8: Wet or time many saw come on feet well, not
be easy for you to walk much distance to Obama.
Speaker 4: We crossed several more brooks, and we kept taking our
shoes off than not on and off. The jungle along
the banks grew thinner, and so did we. The sun
beat down harder, the water washed, stand up around our knees,
the shoes off and not on and off. We'd splash
him and then stumping, and then start walking again. A
couple of days of this, you're pretty beat except for
iron Man.
Speaker 2: N Ah, feel.
Speaker 6: Good, Linden. Then the sun had to hold up a while.
Speaker 2: We'll rest here near scream.
Speaker 4: Hey, this is an ideal spot for a picnic. Fifty
million insects can't be rough. Got your first, you little foreigner.
Speaker 6: Marcaa got the water left my canteens dry?
Speaker 2: Yeah, sure, here.
Speaker 6: It's so you got. It's okay, Go ahead, dragon, lend
the swallow water we could when do say, do not worry.
Speaker 2: Watch I will show what to do. So you know.
Speaker 6: Hey, wait a minute, what are you taking? The hold
in the sand.
Speaker 8: Pot first dick small hall in sand near stream ways
leave in bomb i geese and water come to shant
and leave it not be muddy can bring.
Speaker 4: Hey, that's the greatest. The leaves act like a filler.
Speaker 2: Of our water is clear. Uh, drink it with your hand.
Will not hurt you.
Speaker 4: Now this lind Tao had a dozen cute little tricks
like that, he'd have been a riot and vodell well.
The next morning we were back on the trail, pushing
our way through sharp blades of grass, and all of
a sudden we heard the tinkle of an iron bell.
Speaker 6: Helen, what's that? I escape book?
Speaker 8: Elephant coming thank to us villagr in jungle put iron
fell around neck to warm or thanks to our guns.
Speaker 6: We've got guns. Let's shoot at.
Speaker 2: Us on our shoot You have been left. Not go
too hide, only leave the elephant.
Speaker 6: Anyway, Do not sooth still.
Speaker 7: The size of them.
Speaker 4: Look at the size of them. It's like being charged
at by a six story still.
Speaker 2: Do not shoot yet, only if we must.
Speaker 4: Shot passed right by us here.
Speaker 6: Maybe he didn't think we were worth noticing.
Speaker 4: You know, something to hurt One thing? I can't figure
out about an elephant with a tail at both ends.
How does he know which end to sit on?
Speaker 6: Funny man, come on, let's make time.
Speaker 4: Lynn Taud did our seeing and our thinking for us.
He did everything but walked for us, and we got
sort of used to leaning on him. Nothing could happen
to iron man Lynn.
Speaker 2: Only it did.
Speaker 6: Lynn Lynn.
Speaker 4: Harry, Harry, He's dead. That knife went right in his back.
Speaker 6: Where did it come from?
Speaker 2: What?
Speaker 4: They came out of the jungle, at least fifty of them,
half naked savages, carrying long stalks of bamboo that had
been sharpened to deadly points. Their leader was a giant,
must have been about six foot seven. He held up
his hand, and the sudden silence scared us more than.
Speaker 2: The noise we done thee What did he say?
Speaker 4: Did you understand him?
Speaker 2: Harry?
Speaker 6: I look, friend, France heavy frimt nuh.
Speaker 2: No, friend, Juan Dunlee, White devil.
Speaker 6: White devils.
Speaker 2: That was us.
Speaker 4: The slashed off pieces of the vine ropes around the
tree and twisted them about us so we could just
move our legs. Then they pushed us ahead of them
through the great daylight of the jungle, through the dim
passages of winding leanas the climbing tropical plants.
Speaker 2: The above us.
Speaker 4: Stray bird shot the.
Speaker 6: Color through the overhanging trees.
Speaker 4: After about a mile, the path became a trail. The
Leannas were cut away. We tripped over some coconut husks
by the side of a chardfire. We were coming into
the village. Then Harry saw them first, Marker Luk.
Speaker 6: Up there on the poles.
Speaker 4: Human heads, a rower, skulls.
Speaker 6: Head hunters, Marca, there's a head hunters.
Speaker 2: Wolf, Guam Dunley Wolf.
Speaker 4: Hey, look, chief Chief, you got it all wrong. Now, No,
we're not devils.
Speaker 2: We're friends.
Speaker 7: Friends.
Speaker 10: It's American. You are right, it's no yours. Colonel Swaker,
I am a great the friends of these ahead hunters,
so I want them out your coming. Told them you
are Quan Dunlee, what devils who come to bring a puaga?
And the question and stood them jeef, what the devils away?
Speaker 2: Then Guam Dunley.
Speaker 4: Basha the young Titus and threw us in a straw
thatched how they called the Basha. Through the makeshift door,
we could see the skulls on the pole, an endless
row of them under the hot sun, and up the
poles streamed columns of jungle ants giving them an ancient burial.
Speaker 6: Looks like the end of the line. Marko, Yeah, hey.
Speaker 4: Wait a minute, Harry, that Chief speaks a little pigeon English.
He understands a little. Do you think we could reason
with him?
Speaker 3: It doesn't look like a reasonable type. Besides, our friend
Colonel Siwaka got to him first. The tribes convinced with dangerous.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but as dangerous as a glass of buttermilk, lot
money bucket that Waka outside talking to the curt.
Speaker 2: We got company.
Speaker 9: I do the U are comfort? Captain?
Speaker 4: Why don't you climb a tree? A little monkey watch.
Speaker 9: A tongue.
Speaker 10: Was the most affortunate for me. I found a way
here to a friend a camp. Sorry, I don't like
your friends. My friends do not to work you either.
I think you are devil Americans. We'll bring evil to
the people. Sleep well, tomorrow you will join the heads
on the poles.
Speaker 4: In the morning, they brought us out. I guess we
were pretty important because the big chief himself came over
to tie us to the poles. Then I got an idea.
I sleeped my hand in my pocket and grabbed a coin,
just held it tight.
Speaker 2: Kwan dunlee. Tie you now, hey, Jeeve, look at this.
Speaker 4: What are you doing carrying dimes around in your ear? Well?
Speaker 6: What do you know?
Speaker 4: Another in your other ear? And here's one in your nose.
Say you're a pretty sly carriacter. Aren't you a regular
walking back of Englandbarka, What are you working to? Just
a couple of magic tricks. If I can get away
with them, I'll tell you they love me, Mudgie. That's right,
Toba magic. Now if you get me that knapsack you
grab for me, I'll do more. See knapsack bag from back, Sammie, remember,
will do Toba.
Speaker 9: You will not listen to band but off a head now.
Speaker 4: Hate you look at this, Look at this, now you
see it? Now you don't resto coins disappear? Oh get
knapsack or you'll disappear. Sabbie.
Speaker 2: Good sharp run by Hua boy.
Speaker 4: That coin trick got him in the che pushed Sowaka's side.
Send one of his rover boys to get my knapsacked.
They brought it to me and I took out the
little bottle. I always knew it would come in handy sometime.
Then the chief held up his hand again. Both h
and I went into my act. Ruh, what an audience
and what a performance. I'll watch closely, ladies and gentlemen.
The hand is quicker than the eye. Rest to change. Oh,
I take this little glass of water, just an ordinary
glass of water. If you will observe closely and resto
it turns color.
Speaker 6: You're doing great, I tell you.
Speaker 2: Cut off of the hats.
Speaker 4: Still you tell them cheef go away, little man, you
bother me. Now for the next bit of magic, ladies
and gentlemen. I pulled every trick in the book out
of that little box, dow cigarettes from the chiefs here,
pulled flowers out of empty pots, yanked a dozen colored
scarves out of a single white handkerchief. And then I
broke a stick in half and put it together. Boy
did they love it. And now by my final bit
of hocus pocus, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 6: Why was he tried walk and have them forget to
put them together?
Speaker 4: I got something better as I was saying, you're coming after,
Maybe this will stop him. Look what sign from God's
look stopped him? All right? I pulled a bee blower
out of the box blue Hawk, and out came a
tiny doll dressed in a jack uniform, without his head, and.
Speaker 2: He floated to earth.
Speaker 4: A superstitious native stepped back, afraid to come any closer.
See see sign Japanese is Kwandan Lee. God say so
Americans friends, friends, doll there on the ground. Japanese now
signed from Gods, follow great White father and fight Japanese chief.
Speaker 2: You tell him I'll do you to God.
Speaker 4: He told them all right, big trouble. We had a
keeping them from tearing Sawaka apart. We wanted them alive
to take back to OSS headquarters in Bamo. Well that's
the story. The next day the headhunters let us back
through the jungle with our prisoner. There's only one thing
I'm sorry about. Too bad variety couldn't have caught my act.
I tell you they loved me.
Speaker 3: In Burma, Captain Harry Stevens and Lieutenant John Marco safely
delivered Colonel Slowaka to os S headquarters in Bambo, where
he gave valuable information on Japanese war industry and finance.
And so, once again, the report of ANOTHERSS agent closes with.
Speaker 2: The words mission accomplished.
Speaker 3: Listen again next week for another true adventure from the
files of the OSS on.
Speaker 2: Clap and Dagger.
Speaker 11: Starred in today's Cloak and Dagger Adventure as Marco was
Jerry Lester, with Larry Haynes as Harry. Colonel Siwaka, Daniel Lockoe, Missus, Terry,
Irene Hubbard, the Colonel Raymond Edward Johnson. Others were Carl Weber,
Arnold Robertson and Jerry Jarrett. The script was written by
Wonterford Wolf and Jack Gordon. The music was under the
direction of Murray Ross. Today's True Oss Adventure was based
on the book Cloakandagger by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain.
This has been a lowis Gicon production in association with
Alfred Hollander. This was under the direction and supervision of
Sherman Marx Programs. Get your programs here, mystery fans. There's
an exciting evening waiting for you tonight on NBC. First,
some listener will have a chance to win one thousand
dollars for solving the case on one thousand dollars reward.
Speaker 2: Welcome back.
Speaker 1: A great story, so many great twist and turns in
this adventure, and I like, just as with the episode
with the cartoon is you get an illustration of how
people in the OSS came from a lot of civilian
backgrounds that came in handy in ways that you wouldn't expect. Now,
it's worth noting that our star. Jerry Lester was kind
of a big deal in nineteen fifty. This was his
first radio dramatic role, but he did a lot of comedy.
He was a featured comic on the Craft Music Hall
in the early forties, and then he got his own
show for Pebsident in nineteen forty three. And he was
also a pioneer on television. He hosted Broadway Open House
in nineteen fifty and nineteen fifty one, which is often
cited as a precursor to the Tonight Show. He began
alternating with Moury Ancesterdam before becoming the Soul host later
on in the season. Steve Allen, who was the first
Tonight Show host, said that the big problem for Broadway
Open House was that it was still really early in
the age of television. There were a lot of mid
size cities that didn't have TV, and you also had
sponsors who really didn't think that you could show a
program at eleven o'clock, but there were some people who
watched it. George Harlan cited it as a key early influence.
In addition to this, Lester also was the host of
Cavalcade of Stars. Now it seems to me with Kloaken
Dagger having this big TV comedian and the real interest
in television, this would have been a great opportunity for
NBC to play up the appearance. But all I could
find on Lester's appearance was this item from the back
of a newspaper where someone stated that he'd been told,
like it was some top secret gossip that Lester was
going to make his first radio dramatic performance, which nicely
confirmed that there wasn't some other radio dramatic performance that
we'd missed more or among the many many lost episodes
that are out there. So it seems like a bit
of a missed opportunity for NBC, although the fact that
NBC didn't really promote Cloak and Dagger or do any
of that publicity work for it is part of the
reason why the series was obscure and ended up fading
to obscurity for decades afterwards. I'd really be curious what
sparked Leicester's interest or how this ended up working out, Like,
was Lester a friend of somebody on the program? Now,
of course Leicester star did fade after the nineteen fifties.
He did some theater. He ended up being forced into
retirement due to Alzheimer's in nineteen seventy five. He could
not memorize his monologues. His younger brother, Buddy might be
more better remembered today. He did a lot of the
movies with Jerry Lewis, and he was also in Barney Miller,
among many many other projects as a really solid character
actor in many roles, particularly comedic rolls. All right, listener,
comments and feedback. Now we start on Spotify, where Norse
jeweler Donnie Jowler writes regarding the episode direct line to Bombers,
I feel bad now for not giving this show a shot.
It has the storytelling of the Silent Man with the
honest brutality of tales of the Texas Rangers, the strange
and dangerous places of dangerous assignment, with some music from
Johnny Dollar. Now I'm going to go back and listen
to episode one. Thanks for bringing these to us, Adam, Well,
thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy them.
And of course coming in at the sixth episode of
Cloak and Dagger, not a whole lot behind, but it
really is an underrated and under talked about series, and
I'm really pleased that we're able to give it some
broader exposure as part of our Great Adventurers podcast and
getting that launched. And then we turned to a listener
comments on the episode from YouTube, where a listener starts
by quoting what I said during this episode. That's why
I'd never make it as a spy. Sounds like something
a spy would say. Oh, no, you've found me out.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: I would say that that was funny, but of course
I'm not a spy, but that is also what you
would expect to spy to say. I just I don't
think I can win, so I will just let the
audience determine it. I will say that large man hosting
an old time radio podcast. If that's my cover, then
I must work for an organization out of get smart.
On a more serious knowing something of the limitations of
strategic bombing this point, I have to wonder how much
of this episode is actually real. I don't believe that
they could call in bombers on a specific bakery. At best,
the barmbers could target the general area, but in that
case the agent isn't necessarily any safer by running. Well,
it's a good question. I do think that these are
based on true events. However, from going through the episode
The Eyes of Buddha, I noticed that there were quite
a few points in that story which were composites of
other events. I would assume that they wanted to cover
as much as they could within the number of episodes
that were approved, so there could be some composite events,
and there could be some situations that are greatly simplified.
Keeping in mind as well that not necessarily all operational
details of what happened during the war would be declassified,
so there are limitations in that direction as well. And
then a listener tegan comments that was great. Thank you
love the thumbnail too, well, I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
Spend a lot of time trying to get those just
right for our listeners, and particularly on YouTube, where with
old time radio the visuals matter, even if that's what
you're posting on YouTube. All right, well, now it is
time to think our Patreon supporter of the day, and
I want to go ahead and think Monica, Patreon supporter
since March of twenty nineteen, currently supporting the podcast at
the Master Detective level of fifteen dollars or more per month.
Thanks so much for your support, Monica, and that will
do it.
Speaker 2: For today.
Speaker 1: If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your
favorite podcast software. We will be back next Saturday with
another episode of Cloak and Dagger. If you are listening
to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio, we will
be back tomorrow with our four thousand, eight hundredth episode special,
which will be our final listener support and appreciation specials
for the Great Adventurers. We will be back on Tuesday
with the next installment of Flash Gordon. And if you
want to find out what's happening with Flash Gordon and
you're listening to the Great Detectives, be sure and subscribe
to the Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio. In the meantime, though,
do send your comments to Box thirteen, ack Rightdetectives dot knit,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.