Newsletter February 2024

Happy February everyone!  Here’s the Hollywood 360 newsletter, February 2024 / Vol. 34.  As someone on our mailing list, you’ll receive the most current newsletter via email on the first day of every month.  If you don’t receive it by the end of the first day of the month, check your spam folder as they often end up there.  If it is not in your regular email box or in your spam folder, contact me at carlpamari@gmail.com and I’ll forward you a copy.  The monthly Hollywood 360 newsletter contains articles from my team and the full month’s detailed schedule of classic radio shows that will air on Hollywood 360.  The week of February 3rd, we’ll present a LOST episode of Inner Sanctum starring Myron McCormick, produced by the legendary Himan Brown. Here’s an article on Mr. Brown and the iconic horror series he created, Inner Sanctum.  

Himan Brown and the Sanctum

by Carl Amari

Did you know that radio series have persisted into the age of podcast?

By the early 1960s, most listeners had turned to watching television. But in the 1970s, a few radio dramas returned — Rod Serling’s The Zero Hour and General Mills Radio Adventure Theater. National Public Radio produced radio treatments of Star Wars and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater originally aired from 1974 until 1982 and produced 1,399 episodes. Hosted by E.G. Marshall and Tammy Grimes, it was created by the legendary radio producer Himan Brown. Each episode opened and closed with the ominous sound of a creaking door slowly opening at the beginning of each broadcast and slowly closing at the conclusion. 

Brown first used this sound effect on his earlier horror series Inner Sanctum Mystery, which ran 511 episodes between 1941 and 1952. The squeaking, creaking door became the trademark for both shows, ushering radio listeners into a terrifying domain.  

CBS Radio Mystery Theater ran weeknights in 45-minute installments and was pitched originally as a bit of nostalgia for old-time radio buffs. The show soon attracted younger listeners caught up in the ’50s nostalgia fad inspired by the movie American Graffiti.

Years ago, I had the great pleasure of dining with Himan Brown in New York and we talked, at length, about both series.  “A door to a basement studio groaned and creaked whenever anyone opened it, so I decided to make that door a star,” Himan said.

Inner Sanctum Mystery gave its audience a weekly diet of thrills, chills and black humor.  Screen icons Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Raymond Massey, Lon Chaney, Jr. and many others with the necessary sepulchral tones appeared before the microphone, their creepy voices projected into listeners’ homes through a glowing radio speaker.

The celebrated boogeyman of Inner Sanctum Mystery was Raymond Edward Johnson, a horror host with a unique delivery that set him apart from other show hosts.  His standard introduction on every episode included ghoulish jokes with a sinister chuckle.  “We received hundreds of letters each week from listeners and soon learned that fans of the show were more drawn to the host than the creepy stories” said Brown.  

I asked Himan who the biggest star to appear on Inner Sanctum Mystery was.  He said that that he once cast Frank Sinatra in a 1949 Christmas broadcast.  The future Chairman of the Board portrayed Sir Benjamin, a mischievous Yuletide ghost.  

 Note from Carl Amari: I recently licensed Bold Venture from the estate of Frederic W. Ziv and transferred all 78 episodes (including 18 lost episodes not heard in 70+ years) directly from Ziv’s master 16-inch discs and have them available on 39 Audio CDs or via digital download links in pristine sound quality.  If you’d like to purchase all 78 episodes of Bold Venture, call 815-900-7535.  If a live operator does not answer, please leave your name and return phone number and you will receive a call back asap.   

HELP SAVE THE BOSTON BLACKIE RADIO SERIES!

by Carl Amari

We successfully saved the Bold Venture radio series thanks, mostly, because of YOU the Hollywood 360 listeners so THANK YOU!  We are now attempting to save the radio series Boston Blackie (my personal favorite!).  

I recently licensed this series from the estate of Frederic W. Ziv so If you would like to help us transfer all 218 Boston Blackie half-hour radio episodes (this is the complete syndicated series produced by Frederic W. Ziv and starring Dick Kollmar, including more than 100 lost episodes not heard in more than 70 years) please go to our Kickstarter website and pledge any amount.  Depending on the amount you pledge, you can receive some or even ALL 218 Boston Blackie radio episodes in pristine sound quality on Audio CDs or via digital download.  All of the information is available at our Kickstarter website.  Simply search: “Boston Blackie” “Kickstarter” in your search engine or click here to be taken directly to the Boston Blackie Kickstarter website:

If you have trouble pledging on the Kickstarter website or would like to learn more by talking to a live operator, please call 815-900-7535.  If a live operator does not answer your call, please leave your name and return phone number and you will receive a call back asap.