"Enemy to those who make him an enemy. Friend to those who have no friend."
Home Silent Movies 40's Movies Bio Chester Morris Television Radio Short Stories
Boston Blackie Radio Series
1948
In 1944, Blackie made his radio debut on NBC. This series was an outgrowth of the popular Boston Blackie movies. Chester Morris and Richard Lane brought to the radio the characters of Boston Blackie and Inspector Farraday. The series was originally a summer replacement for The Amos and Andy Show. It was scheduled to run from June 23, 1944 to September 15, 1944 for a total of thirteen episodes. The series turned out to be very popular and on April 11, 1945 it returned to the air in its own time slot on NBC. This time the star was Richard Kollmar who played Blackie, Lesley Woods and Jan Miner played Mary Wesley, Maurice Tarplin, Richard Lane and Frank Orth did duty as Inspector Farraday, Shorty was played by Tony Barrett.
Episodes Home 1945 Episodes 1946 Episodes 1947 Episodes 1948 Episodes 1949 Episodes 1950 Episodes
BOSTON BLACKIE 1948
January 2, 1948 to December 31, 1948 (NBC)
Syndicated by ZIV
Sponsor: Rinso Soap
Starring Richard Kollmar as Boston Blackie
Maurice Tarplin, Richard Lane and Frank Orth as Inspector Farraday
Also starring Jan Minor as Mary Wesley and Tony Barrett as Shorty.
1948 Episodes
For episode descriptions click the listing title.
NBC-BLUE Tuesdays 7:30 - 8:00pm
Riding Stable
Episode 143 - 01/07/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “What was I up to, Kay?”
Jim Lesley who owns a riding stables is sweet on Kay Baker, the secretary to David Hanley, the mystery writer. Lesley is jealous of Hanley and threatens to kill him. But it is Lesley himself who meets his death outside Beauty’s stall at the riding academy. Because Lesley has been teasing Beauty the horse, Faraday assumes that Beauty got back at him by kicking him, but Blackie knows that it is murder. Meanwhile, Johnny the stable boy owes money to Jumbo who wants to get paid. Johnny tells Jumbo that he is in Lesley’s will for $5,000, and when the will is probated, Jumbo will get paid. Blackie has three suspects, and has to put a burr under a saddle to catch the killer.
Invention Worth Killing For
Episode 144 - 01/14/48
AKA: "Invention Worth a Killing"
First line: “Here are the house phones, Mary.”
Charlie Kingston has asked Blackie to contact Roger Harrison at a hotel and look over the plans for Harrison’s new invention. Harrison’s room number is a secret, yet before Blackie can reach Harrison’s room, Harrison is shot. A rubber plant is found in his room, and this gives Blackie the clue to how the killer found the room number. Meanwhile, Sarah Welch, Jack Welch’s wife, is having an affair with Bill Williams. Jack used to be Harrison’s assistant until Bill beat him out of the job. Blackie has to disguise himself as an old man to solve this one -- an old man with a rubber plant.
Kid's Killing
Episode 145 - 01/21/48
AKA: "Murder in the Ring" - "Fighter Is Killed"
First line: “OK, Kid, one on your back now. Get at those shoulders...”
The Kid is shot to death in the first round of his bout with Tony Fresco. He had a row with gambler Johnny Grant before the fight, and some say that his manager Duffy had been stealing from him. The Kid's girlfriend Dorothy Cory wants Blackie to find the killer.
The Record Collector
Episode 146 - 01/28/48
AKA: "My Made in America Maiden" - "The DJ Caper"
"Jack LaScooley, D.J." - "Jack Davis"
First line: “And that, lassies and lads, is the LaScooley...”
Jack LaScooley has a disc jockey show and he keeps getting strange requests from a record collector with titles and times that signal crimes to be committed. All of this and a special guest shot from none other than Guy Lombardo!
Blackie Loves Helen
Episode 147 - 02/04/48
AKA: "Blackie's Love Affair" - "Blackie In Love"
First line: “Here are the house phones, Mary.”
Mary walks in on Blackie while he's making love with Helen Carver. Mary doesn't believe it's a serious affair. But Blackie is avoiding Mary at every turn. Helen is really working for Harry Kane and wants Blackie to break into a safe and destroy some papers.
Wind Blows West
Episode 148 - 02/11/48
AKA: "The Best Seller Case" - "The Deadly Book Case"
First line: “Yes, sir what can I do for you? I'm looking for a book...”
People are being murdered while reading the best seller by John Gaylord, "Wind Blows West." The author wants to keep his real name secret. A little guy named Kenneth Small and a giant named Coco are shaking Gaylord down. And Joe Parker knows his real identity and figures he's next. He was on an expedition in Alaska when one of the group mysteriously disappeared.
Five Bullets in Don Anderson
Episode 149 - 02/18/48
AKA: "Blackie Accused of Killing" - "Anderson Murdered"
"Blackie Accused" - "The Man with the Hamburg Hat"
First line: “There's the house, all right, Inspector.”
Deputy Inspector Wills sees Blackie running out of Don Anderson's house with a gun in his hand. Anderson's been killed. Blackie has three clues to the killer, a flattened nail, a homburg hat and five shots fired into Anderson.
The Twin Murders
Episode 150 - 02/25/48
AKA: "Three Times Kings" - "Same Gun, Same Time"
"Different
Murder" - "Two Places Alibi" - "The Midnight Murders"
First line: “Whatcha doin', Bill?” “What's it look like?”
Bill King shoots his wife Sarah, and then shoots Carl Johnson twenty miles away at apparently the same time with the same gun. And has an air tight alibi for the time of the murders. Impossible? Everyone thinks so until Blackie figures it out.
Cobb's Trucking Company
Episode 151 - 03/03/48
AKA: "John Vale Case" - "Marked Money"
"Trucking Problems and Murder"
First line: “Number 8 truck going out. Come on, number twenty-six.”
Truck line owner Irwin Cobb has been killed, and his partner John Vale is charged for it. But behind it all is Danny's girl who is greedy for her mink coat.
$50,000 for Blackie
Episode 152 - 03/10/48
AKA: "Disappearing Hoods" - "The Shipment Racket"
"Getting Killer Out of the Country"
First line: “Yes, Miss Wilkins?” “Your Buffalo call is on one, Mr. Harvey.”
Joe Saunders is murdered before he can drop his $50,000 off at Blackie's. Roland Harvey runs a racket to ship hoods out of town.
The William Larson Extortion Murder Case
Episode 153 - 03/17/48
AKA: "Pay or Die" - "William Larson"
First line: “Well, my dear niece and nephew, we make a very happy family, don't we?”
William Larson is a very hated man. He's shot when he won't pay more blackmail, but there are many suspects, including Jane and Roger who are supported by Larson, and his housekeeper. Blackie makes himself a target by putting out the word that he knows who killed Larson.
Wrestling Ring Murder
Episode 154 - 03/24/48
AKA: "Big Tiny Mountain" - "Tiny" - "The Mountainous Wrestler"
First line: “All right, all right. Mike. Yeah. Looks like you're hurt.”
Wrestler Tiny "Mountain" Culpepper wants to meet his hero, Boston Blackie. He's got a match with Stretcher Lewis. But his manager doesn't want him talking with Blackie. The game he's in is dirty.
Tom Walton Escapes
Episode 155 - 03/31/48
AKA: "Murderer After Blackie" - "Tom Walton" - "Escaped Killer"
First line: “Nice country this train goes through, eh Walton?”
Tom Walton escapes to get his revenge on Blackie. Henry Lewis hates Blackie more than anything in the world, but he kidnaps Blackie to save him from Walton so Lewis won't be blamed.
Clyde Winston Photographer
Episode 156 - 04/07/48
AKA: "Who Killed Clyde Winston" - "Invisible Shotgun"
First line: “Oh, good evening, Miss Anderson.” “Good evening, table for two?”
Photographer Clyde Winston has been shot. Evelyn Anderson the model was the last to see him alone. The gun is later found in the back of Evelyn's boyfriend Bill Jackson's car. But how was the deadly shotgun carried in and out of the studio? A model helped take it out of the studio, but how it got in proves to be a mystery.
Murder at the Circus - Rondo the Magician
Episode 157 - 04/14/48
AKA: "Circus Murder"
First line: “Please, Blackie.” “Threats will get you nowhere with me, Mary.”
Rondo the magician is murdered at the circus. He was an escape artist, but his rope breaks and he falls into the tank of water and drowns. But how was it done? Knives seem to figure in it. Charlie Peterson has been practising throwing knives, and is a-number one suspect.
Insurance and Wrecked Cars
Episode 158 - 04/21/48
AKA: "Accidental Case" - "Car Insurance Racket"
"Auto Insurance Scam"
First line: “Lovely day for a drive, ain't it, Edward?” “Yup, sure is relaxin'.”
Two crooks named John Wilson and Harry Baldwin have a sweet auto insurance racket going. But when one of their victims, Carl Pettit, refuses to go along with them, the swindle turns into murder.
The Bombing of Joe Ingalls
Episode 159 - 04/28/48
AKA: "Blackie Gets the Picture"
First line: “Hey, Chaser, there's his house across the street.”
Joe Ingalls is killed by a bomb thrown through his window by Chaser and Martin. John G. Sullivan was a witness. Chaser makes another bomb -- this one for Blackie.
Jackie Meers' Prison Break
Episode 160 - 05/05/48
AKA: "Prison Escape" - "Fly, Fly, Fly"
First line: “(singing) Let me fly, fly, fly, or I die, die, die.”
Jackie Meers and other members of the Bolo Gang escape prison. Somehow the gang members outside the prison communicated with the prisoners without anyone seeing it. Jackie, an annoying character who sings the same stupid song all the time about "Fly, Fly, Fly", has it in for Blackie. Can Blackie figure out the gang's communication trick in time and use it against them?
The Case of the false Confession
Episode 161 - 05/12/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Unknown”
A man is killed, and the police are sure that they know who did it. Then another man confesses to the crime. Blackie doesn't believe him.
The Corpse That Wouldn't Stay Dead
Episode 162 - 05/19/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Unknown”
For ten years, a man had been considered dead, killed in a gang war. Then a traffic accident victim is identified as that man by both the police and by Boston Blackie. police and by Boston Blackie.
The Five Cent Murder Case
Episode 163 - 05/26/48
AKA: "Murdered for A Nickel"
First line: “Unkown”
It becomes apparent that a man has been murdered for a nickel. The coin is found to be counterfeit, but if it had been real, it would have been worth a fortune to collectors.
Murder at the Race Track
Episode 164 - 06/02/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Unknown”
A sulky racer keeps losing races because his horses break stride. When the driver is murdered, Boston Blackie steps in.
Henry Walker Murdered
Episode 167 - 06/23/48
AKA: "Mechanic a Killer"
First line: “Wilma, will you cut out that humming!”
Harry Walker is killed outside his home by Joe Bobalink. But the gun was registered to a city councillor who had reported it stolen. Harry's wife, Wilma, may have witnessed the killing, so the boys have to find her and silence her before Blackie and Faraday can talk to her.
Prof. Beasley Is Murdered
Episode 168 - 06/30/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Hey, hey, kids. Put a lid on that chatter.”
Prof. Beasley, the head of the history department at Blackie's old school, Daniels College, is late to class for the first time in thirty years. He's late because he's dead. Murdered. Young Prof. J.L. Stevens is suspect because he now gets to take over Beasley's job. And according to Tom Douglas, Daniels' best student, Emily Washburn was missing from Stevens' class at the time of the murder. And of course, Ross Hunter, the star athlete who Mike Boswell wants to recruit for his team is a suspect. And Blackie's back at college once again.
Diamonds Stolen from Kingston
Episode 169 - 07/07/48
AKA: "Kingston Diamonds Are Stolen"
First line: “It was nice of you to come down to my office, Blackie.”
Blackie and his friend Charlie Kingston are held up and robbed of some valuable diamonds by three thugs, Joey Sometimes, Danny Morris and Mike Graves. Danny doesn't like the way Mike is splitting up the diamonds, and Mike kills Danny. Mike and Joey claim they were at the ball game at the time Danny was shot. Al Davis substantiates their alibi, and gets knocked out by Blackie for his efforts. Blackie has to trick the pair into tripping up.
Blackie Framed for Killing John Cummings
Episode 170 - 07/14/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Inspector Faraday, you're making a mistake. A terrible mistake...”
Blackie is framed for murder. John Cummings is murdered and Faraday keeps Blackie in jail to fool the real killer.
The Eel Murdered By Counterfeit Sweepstakes Racket
Episode 171 - 07/21/48
AKA: "The Eel Is Killed"
First line: “Get in there, get in, I said. Let me alone...”
Mr. Ratley has the Eel killed. Frankie, the killer, looks a lot like George Allen, the movie star. Blackie knows the star and asks him to help catch his look-alike -- and breaks a counterfeit ticket racket.
Richard Allistar Disappears in Vacant Lot
Episode 172- 07/28/48
AKA: "Man Vanishes"
First line: “He held my cab in front of the Red Law Arms, see...”
A cabbie takes a man to a vacant lot and watches him walk into the lot, and then the man disappears. Then a dead man, Richard Allister, appears on the steps of a house, strangled and with some strange pieces of paper in his clothes. Blackie heads for the vacant lot, and the solution to the mystery.
Jack Davis Shoots Two Guys and Uses Blackie As an Alibi
Episode 173 - 08/04/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “You sound very happy, Mary.” “Um, I am. Blackie...”
Jackie Davis incites Blackie to fight him and knock him down. And then he knocks off the Burroughs brothers and uses Blackie as an alibi. Now Blackie has to prove his alibi doesn't stand up. But that ain't easy. How could Jackie get to the scene of the crime five miles away in five minutes?
Bobby Rogers To Be Executed at 11:00 PM
Episode 174 - 08/11/48
AKA: "Three Hours to Execution"
First line: “Well, Mervy. Yeah. No, no, don't stand up. Just thought I'd drop in and sit with you.”
Bobby Rogers is to be executed in three hours for killing his wife, and Blackie is his last hope. Harry Johnson may be able to offer an alibi. If so, Judge Waterbury will push for a stay of execution. But the good judge nearly gets killed himself.
Mrs. George Trilling's Maid Is Murdered
Episode 175 - 08/18/48
AKA: "Housemaid Murders" - "Door to Door Salesman"
First line: “I should think you'd have done that cleaning while I was away, Sarah.”
A door-to-door salesman, Eddie Blake, shows up at Mrs. George Trilling's home and leaves a package. He tells her to take the package or die. But it was her maid Sarah who is murdered, and it all has to do with deliveries -- dangerous deliveries. Blackie starts making deliveries of his own, and ends up delivering Faraday a killer.
Robertson Poisons Wife Beverly Over the Telephone
Episode 176 - 08/25/48
AKA: "Long Distance Poison" - "Telephone Suicide"
First line: “Hello? Hello, Beverly?” “Oh, darling, Hello. Where are you?”
Tom Robertson poisoned his wife who thinks she's taking medicine. She had found out what her husband does for a living. Robertson seems to have an airtight alibi for the time his wife took the poison. He bought some razor blades at a pharmacy at the time of the crime. Trouble is, he uses an electric razor. And that puts Blackie on the right track.
Reynolds and the Stolen Goods
Episode 177 - 09/01/48
AKA: "The Ten Cent Diamond Necklace" - "Reynolds and the Ten Cent Mistake"
First line: “Now here's a nice bracelet, sir.” “How nice is the price?”
John Reynolds takes Blackie's joke about wanting to buy a necklace for Mary for a dime as a code, and offers stolen goods to Blackie. In reality, Reynolds is part of a fencing operation lead by Mr. Grant, who unbeknownst to Reynolds also employs his wife, Louise. Grant has his henchman Carter kill Reynolds, but Blackie is already wise to the caper, and moves in for the kill himself.
Kingston and the Disappearing 15 Story Office Building
Episode 178 - 09/08/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Hello. Hello, Blackie?” “Yes.” “This is Charlie Kingston.”
Millionaire Charlie Kingston bought a 15 story office building one day, and by the next day, the building disappeared leaving nothing but an empty lot. He wants Blackie to find his missing building. Which he does. And solves a murder into the bargain.
Golf Instructor, Carl Grady
Episode 181 - 09/29/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Try it once more. Alright.”
Woman flirts with her instructor. Her husband wants to teach the instructor a lesson.
Marked Money
Episode 182 - 10/06/48
AKA: "Joe Gatling's Father"
First line: “Yeah? Bill Weaver there? Yeah.”
Joe is offered $50,000 for a one dollar bill.
Mander and 'Doctor Joe'
Episode 183 - 10/13/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Unknown”
Hit-and-run accident down at the docks. Fake ambulance driver and doctor finish off the job.
The 'Killer Lightning' Murders
Episode 191 - 12/08/48
AKA: "Murder By Lightning" - "Killer Lightning "
First line: “The weatherman was right, Martin. Right. Rain, thunder and lightning.”
Martin Carson plans the perfect murder of Donald Archer. His accomplice is Hester Archer, the dead man's wife. Archer is killed by lightning in a meadow. Archer's assistant at the laboratory, Mr. Crane, suspects the pair, however, because there's a lightning rod missing from the lab. Crane ends up dead, too.
Too Late Jailbreak
Episode 192 - 12/15/48
AKA: "None"
First line: “Unknown”
Man breaks out of jail to kill but he is a little too late.
Blackie, Santa Claus and The Stolen Rings
Episode 193 - 12/22/48
AKA: "Rings for Santa" - "Santa and the Four Diamonds"
"Stolen Rings" - "Stolen Rings at Christmas"
First line: “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...”
Blackie & Inspector Faraday catch a man, Joe Martin, running away from a jewelry store robbery. The owner of the store identifies Joe Martin as the thief, but the stolen rings are nowhere to be found. Blackie figures out that the thief threw the rings into a Santa Claus collection bucket on the corner. Blackie goes undercover as Santa Claus to solve where the missing rings have gone.
Episodes Home 1945 Episodes 1946 Episodes 1947 Episodes 1948 Episodes 1949 Episodes 1950 Episodes
If you find errors in this list please contact the Webmaster
Home Silent Movies 40's Movies Bio Chester Morris Television Radio Short Stories
Want to contact us? E-mail the Webmaster