NEWSLETTER | VOL. 67, November 2026
Welcome to this month’s edition of The Hollywood 360 Newsletter, your place to get all the news on upcoming shows, schedule and interesting facts from your H360 team!
Carl’s Corner
by Carl Amari
TARZAN, LORD OF THE JUNGLE
by Carl Amari and Martin Grams
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ creation Tarzan was among the earliest literary properties to make the transition to radio in the early 1930s. The story of a child raised among the apes to become the vine-swinging hero of the jungle started out as a radio serial titled Tarzan of the Apes. The program was pre-recorded on 16-inch transcription disc and syndicated nationwide. In California, gasoline manufacturer Signal Oil was the program’s sponsor. The gas company attributed its early success in radio advertising to the popularity of the Lord of the Jungle.
Adapting the plots from Burroughs’ novels, the series’ episodes involved gold thieves, uranium hunters, ivory poachers, and cannibals. The radio program had mass appeal, especially among young listeners who formed fan clubs across the nation. The 1932 run lasted almost two years. It went off the air when Burroughs failed to renew his option – the stories, he felt, ventured too far from the printed page.
A second radio syndication occurred in 1936 with an adaptation of Tarzan and the Diamond of Asher and Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr. This time Burroughs was more closely involved with the production. His daughter, Joan, played Jane but her character was written out when she became pregnant in real life. Each adventure story was broken down into 39 episodes and each lasted 15 minutes. The second series was also a big success.
Years later, after Burroughs’ death in 1950, Walter White’s Commodore Productions (syndicators of the Hopalong Cassidy radio series starring William Boyd) licensed the character of Tarzan. White produced a half-hour, self-contained syndicated radio series with Lamont Johnson in the lead. Johnson was a well-known radio actor who became a prominent film and TV director, winning two Emmy Awards. His TV directing credits include Have Gun-Will Travel and two episodes of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. The Tarzan of this third and final rendition is considered the most faithful to the character Burroughs created, although the radio scriptwriters created new plots for the series.
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If you double our order and receive 200 half-hour classic radio shows on 100 audio CDs for only $200 plus $10 shipping and handling we’ll include our Hollywood 360 / Radio Rarities coffee mug (a $25 value FREE). *** This offer is only good through the end of this year.
These CD sets won’t last long so order by calling 1-815-900-7535 and leave your name and return phone number and Carl or Lisa will call you back to take your order.
If you are a Classic Radio Club member, we suggest you do not place an order as you will likely receive duplicate classic radio shows from your monthly CD sets. But if you are not a Classic Radio Club member, there are no duplicate shows in the 100 or 200 half-hour classic radio shows that you will receive.
Order by calling 1-815-900-7535 and leave your name and return phone number and Carl or Lisa will call you back to answer any questions or take your order. Make sure to hurry and order before we run out of excess stock. And, the free coffee mug with 200 classic radio shows is only being offered through the end of the year so don’t delay.
LEND ME YOUR EARS by Lisa Wolf
“The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” by Vicki Lawrence
November is a great month to revisit a song that sounds like a country murder mystery set to music. “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” tells a dramatic story of betrayal, murder and a man who is wrongly convicted of a crime he did not commit.
Released in 1972, the song was recorded by Vicki Lawrence, who was best known at the time for her work on television. She was a regular on “The Carol Burnett Show,” where she became famous for her comedy and her character, Thelma “Mama” Harper. But with “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” Lawrence suddenly found herself at the top of the pop charts.
The song follows a man returning home to Georgia after being away for a couple of years. He discovers that his best friend has been involved with his wife. After confronting him, the situation turns deadly. The narrator is accused of the murder, even though the real killer is someone else.
And then comes the twist: the song reveals that the narrator’s own sister knows the truth but has helped frame him. She is the one who actually committed the murder.
“The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” became a huge hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. It was also a No. 1 country hit, making Lawrence one of the few performers to top both the pop and country charts with the same song.
There is an interesting Hollywood connection, too. Lawrence did not write the song. It was written by Bobby Russell, who was married to Lawrence at the time. She initially wasn’t convinced it was right for her, but after recording it, the song became her signature recording.
The song also became a movie. In 1981, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” was adapted into a film starring Kristy McNichol and Dennis Quaid, with Lawrence serving as a producer.
More than 50 years later, the song still works because it tells a complete story in just a few minutes. There’s a beginning, a betrayal, a murder, a courtroom and a twist ending. And once you hear that final revelation, you may want to go back and listen to the whole song again.
HOLLYWOOD 360 Broadcast Schedule for November, 2026
11/7/26
THE ADV. OF OZZIE & HARRIET 2/19/54 Come As You Are Party w/ Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard
BOX THIRTEEN 1950s Insurance Fraud Scheme w/ Alan Ladd
HOPALONG CASSIDY 12/22/51 The Spider Woman w/ William Boyd
X MINUS ONE 5/22/55 Knock w/ Alexander Scourby
DANGER, DR. DANFIELD 11/24/46 The Case of the Whirling Mirrors w/ Michael Dunn
11/14/26
THE ADV. OF SAM SPADE, DETECTIVE 9/26/48 The Dick Foley Caper w/ Howard Duff
OUR MISS BROOKS 12/3/50 Conklin’s Tuba w/ Eve Arden
DIMENSION X 11/5/50 The Professor Was a Thief w/ Norman Rose (Host)
ESCAPE 2/1/53 A Study in Wax w/ Stacy Harris
GUNSMOKE 10/16/55 Trouble in Kansas w/ William Conrad
11/21/26 (Thanksgiving)
THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE 11/26/47 Thanksgiving w/ Hal Peary
FATHER KNOWS BEST 11/23/50 Thanksgiving w/ Robert Young
THE PHIL HARRIS & ALICE FAYE SHOW 11/20/53 Thanksgiving w/ Phil Harris and Alice Faye
SUSPENSE 3/1/55 The Screaming Woman w/ Sherry Jackson
TARZAN, LORD OF THE JUNGLE 11/22/52 African Thanksgiving w/ Lamont Johnson
11/28/26 (Christmas Starts Early!)
BOSTON BLACKIE 12/22/48 Stolen Rings at Christmas w/ Dick Kollmar
FIBBER McGEE & MOLLY 12/7/48 Christmas Shopping Early w/ Jim and Marian Jordan
SUSPENSE 12/13/55 A Present for Benny w/ Jack Kruschen
OUR MISS BROOKS 12/17/50 Christmas Clothing Drive w/ Eve Arden
THE DAMON RUNYON THEATER 1950s Dancing Dan’s Christmas w/ John Brown
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