This narration video is The Apple by H.G. Wells. It's a story about a man having the Apple of Eden, the forbidden knowledge. What would you do if you could know everything? Would you take a bite?
For over twelve years, from 1949 through 1962 (including a one year hiatus in 1954-1955), this series recounted the cases "the man with the action-packed expense account, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar". Johnny was an accomplished 'padder' of his expense account. The name of the show derives from the fact that he closed each show by totaling his expense account, and signing it "End of report... Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar".
Terry Salomonson in his authoritative "A Radio Broadcast Log of the Drama Program Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar", notes that the original working title was "Yours Truly, Lloyd London". Salomonson writes "Lloyd London was scratched out of the body of (the Dick Powell) audition script and Johnny Dollar was written in. Thus the show was re-titled on this script and the main character was renamed. Why this was done was unclear – possibly to prevent a legal run-in with Lloyd’s of London Insurance Company." Although based in Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the world, freelancer Johnny Dollar managed to get around quite a bit – his adventures taking him all over the world.
There were some unusual devices used in the show that help set it apart from other shows. There was no partner, assistant, or secretary for Johnny. The character closest to a continuing role was that of Pat McCracken of the Universal Adjustment Bureau, who assigned Johnny many of his cases. Another atypical aspect gave the show additional credibility – frequently, characters on the show would mention that they had heard about Johnny’s cases on the radio. Johnny often used his time when filling out his expense accounts to give the audience background information or to express his thoughts about the current case.
No fewer than eight actors played Johnny Dollar. Dick Powell, of Rogue’s Gallery fame, cut the original audition tape, but chose to do Richard Diamond, Private Detective instead. Gerald Mohr, of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe fame, auditioned in 1955, prior to Bob Bailey getting the title role. Through the first three actors to play Johnny Dollar (Charles Russell, Edmond O'Brien, and John Lund), there was little to distinguish the series from many other radio detective series. Dollar was just another hard-boiled detective in a medium that was overloaded with the stereotype. Charles Russell, the first to play the role, would throw silver dollars to bellboys and waiters. Luckily, this trite gimmick did not survive long.
On October 3, 1955, after a hiatus of over a year, the show came back with a vengeance. A new production team, including director/writer Jack Johnstone, a new star, Bob Bailey, from the radio series Let George Do It, and a new format would set the series apart from its competitors. Johnny's cases were now a continuing serial, five days a week, for fifteen minutes each evening. With 75 minutes of airtime, minus commercials and openings and closings, there was sufficient time to develop good storylines and interesting characters.
During this time, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar attracted some of the best writers in Hollywood, including Jack Johnstone, E. Jack Neuman (using the pen name John Dawson), Robert Ryf, and Les Crutchfield. Bob Bailey also wrote a script while he was playing Johnny Dollar. He used the pen name Robert Bainter (Bainter was his middle name) as the scriptwriter for "The Carmen Kringle Matter", which was aired on Saturday, December 21, 1957 on the West Coast, and on the following day for the rest of the country.
Bob Bailey, generally thought of as the most popular of the Johnny Dollars, brought a new interpretation to the character – tough, but not hard-boiled; streetwise, but not overly cynical, Bailey's Dollar was smart and gritty when he had to be. But Bailey's Johnny Dollar was also human. His character would get emotionally involved in a number of his cases. He had a streak of impatience, and would occasionally not fully listen to a witness and rush off on a tangent before realizing his mistake.
The weekday serialized episodes are generally acknowledged as some of the finest radio detective shows ever produced. There were fifty six multi-part shows in all: fifty four five-part shows, one six-part show, and one nine-part show. The serialized episodes continued until November 2, 1956 when the series again reverted to a once a week, thirty minute format. Bob Bailey continued in the lead, until "The Empty Threat Matter" of November 27, 1960, when the Hollywood run ended.
The guest stars and supporting casts were always first rate, attracting the best radio actors in both Los Angeles and New York. Pat McCracken was played by several actors – most frequently, by Larry Dobkin. Particularly noteworthy was the work of Virginia Gregg, who played many roles, including Johnny's girlfriend Betty Lewis. Harry Bartell was also a frequent guest, who did many of the Spanish dialect roles when Johnny went to a Latin American country. Other frequent guest performers were Parley Baer, Tony Barrett, John Dehner, Don Diamond, Sam Edwards, Herb Ellis, Frank Gerstle, Stacy Harris, Jack Kruschen, Forrest Lewis, Howard McNear, Marvin Miller, Jeanette Nolan, Vic Perrin, Barney Phillips, Jean Tatum, Russell Thomson, Ben Wright, and Will Wright. Vincent Price co-starred as himself in "The Price of Fame Matter" and went to Europe with Johnny on the case.
In December 1960, the show moved to New York. Robert Readick started the New York run as Dollar, but only lasted a short while. Jack Johnstone continued to write for the show and submitted scripts from California. Johnstone wrote about 350 Johnny Dollar scripts under his own name and his pen names Sam Dawson and Jonathan Bundy. Johnstone wrote the last episodes of both Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and Suspense. He used the Bundy pen name when writing the last Suspense episode, "Devilstone".
And so, an era passed. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was the last continuing detective series of the Golden Age of Radio. Mandel Kramer was the last Johnny Dollar, and a close second in popularity to Bailey, when the final episode, "The Tip-Off Matter", was aired on September 30, 1962.
Here is a captivating interview with renowned Tyndale scholar Dr. David Daniell, author of the authoritative William Tyndale: A Biography. In this program, Dr. Daniell shares fascinating insights into many little-known details of Tyndale's life and how he followed his call from God to make the Scriptures available in the English language. We learn of Tyndale's decision to leave England, knowing that he would most likely never be able to return, and we discover what Tyndale's life was like on the run, living as a wanted fugitive. A must-watch for anyone interested in the life and work of William Tyndale and the behind-the-scenes history of the Bible in English.
Foreword by Bob Barney: One of the richest men I have dealt with in business (his published net worth was over $500 million) told me in 1988 that the really rich people NEVER vote Republican, as they are for small business people and keep inflation low. Democrats know that inflation is great for their supporters - The Ultra Rich! They make money on inflation. Buy low, sell high, when inflation hits. Since personal spending for these people are less than .0001% of their fortune, inflation never cost them much, but makes them far richer. Tucker makes the same point. This entire economy was not the result of stupid senile people, but pinned by the Democrats in their coup of our freedom!
A man kisses the Soviet Union flag in Simferopol's Lenin Square on March 16, 2014. PHOTO BY FILIPPO MONTEFORTE /AFP/Getty Images
I collect Soviet newspapers. Years ago, I used to travel to Moscow’s Izmailovsky flea market every few weeks, hooking up with a dealer who crisscrossed the country digging up front pages from the Cold War era. I have Izvestia’s celebration of Gagarin’s flight, a Pravda account of a 1938 show trial, even an ancient copy of Ogonyek with Trotsky on the cover that someone must have taken a risk to keep. These relics, with dramatic block fonts and red highlights, are cool pieces of history. Not so cool: the writing! Soviet newspapers were wrought with such anvil shamelessness that it’s difficult to imagine anyone ever read them without laughing. A good Soviet could write almost any Pravda headline in advance. What else but “A Mighty Demonstration of the Union of the Party and the People” fit the day after Supreme Soviet elections? What news could come from the Spanish civil war but “Success of the Republican Fleet?” Who could earn an obit headline but a “Faithful Son of the Party”?
(NEWSBUSTERS) -- To help ring in the first day of CNN+ on Tuesday, Reliable Sources Daily host Brian Stelter brought on CNN’s first two anchors Dave Walker and Lois Hart (a married couple) with the idea that they would tell some stories about the early days at the network and give advice to the hosts on their new streaming service. They did get some of that, but oh man, was it also embarrassing as Walker griped about CNN’s leanings with opinion content and Hart touted her influence in that direction.
“So, 42 years later, do the two of you – now happily retired – do you still watch CNN,” Stelter asked. But little did he know what he just invited.
BRIAN VINER: Film-lovers have a treat in store in 2022. The greatest movie ever made is getting a 50th anniversary re-release, and if you've never seen The Godfather on the big screen, then make a note of Friday, February 25. It's a cinematic offer you can't refuse. Of course, there are plenty of other contenders for the title of greatest movie ever made. But those of us who think it's The Godfather, know it's The Godfather. And one of the most remarkable things about Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece about a Mob family in 1940s New York, and their battle for supremacy with the Mob's other leading families, is that it was every bit as eventful off screen as on.
Boy, hope we can get rid of some more of these idiots who hate real America- Maybe I could watch FOX again....
UPDATE, Nov. 22, 2021: This story has been updated to note that following its publication, a Fox News source with knowledge of the situation said the network had no intentions of renewing Hayes and Goldberg's contracts when they expired in 2022. This story and its headlines remain as published.
Calling a Tucker Carlson documentary on January's Capitol incursion the last straw, two Fox News contributors are walking away from the network.
Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes announced their divorce from Fox on Sunday in a blog post on The Dispatch, a website they created to promote their brand of conservatism.
In a comment to The New York Times, Carlson called their resignations “great news.”
“Our viewers will be grateful,” he said.
Carlson’s documentary “Patriot Purge” was the catalyst for leaving Fox after 12 years, Goldberg and Hayes said in the post.
As our nation celebrate those who have served in our armed forces and sacrificed for our freedoms, Director Mel Gibson has brought to view the story of Desmond Doss in the movie, Hacksaw Ridge.
Hacksaw Ridge, is the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss, who, in Okinawa, during the bloodiest battle of WW ll, saved 75 men without firing a shot or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WW ll to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong. As an Army Medic, he single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. Doss was the first conscientious objector awarded the Mel Gibson, Congressional Medal of Honor.
President Truman presents the Medal of Honor to Desmond Doss
Desmond Doss had been raised with a fervent belief in the Bible. When it came to the Ten Commandments, he applied them personally. During childhood his father had purchased a large framed picture at an auction. It portrayed the Ten Commandments with colorful illustrations. Next to the words, "Thou shalt not kill" was a drawing of Cain holding a club and standing over the body of his dead brother, Abel. Little Desmond would look at that picture and ask, "Why did Cain kill Abel? How in the world could a brother do such a thing?" In Desmond's mind, God said, "If you love me, you won't kill." With that picture firmly embedded in his mind, he determined that he would never take a life.
However, there was another commandment that Desmond took just as seriously as the sixth. It was the fourth commandment. His religious upbringing included weekly church attendance, on the seventh day. The Army was exasperated to discover that he had yet another personal requirement. He asked for a weekly pass so he could attend church every Saturday.
To learn more about the God of Desmond Doss' faith who empowered him to save many lives, click on the image to the right and get a copy of the book, God's Sabbath Truth
Rush Limbaugh's black producer denounced as "scandalous" CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta's claim that the talk-radio icon has a "history" of racist statements, challenging the TV journalist to provide evidence.
James Golden, known on the air as Bo Snerdley, pointed out he's been in the studio with Limbaugh for 30 years.
Acosta was commenting on air after President Trump's State of the Union address, which featured many accomplishments that have helped African Americans. Limbaugh, who announced this week he's been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the speech.
"He was trying to make appeals to the African-American community," Acosta said of the president. "It can't be forgotten he was awarding the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh, who has a history of making derogatory comments about African-Americans. So I think, you know, overall it's a wash." MORE
