BOX THIRTEENProgram Guide by Karl Schadow

The wide variety of adventure programs on the air during radio’s Golden Age could be divided into numerous sub-genres, including romance (Dangerously Yours), western (Frontier Gentleman), seafaring (Voyage of the Scarlet Queen), and aviation (I Fly Anything), among others. There was one memorable anthology series, Escape, which explored many of these themes during its run on CBS from 1947 - 1954. Another undertaking commenced in 1947 that embodied the same venturesome spirit. It was a transcribed, syndicated series, and the initial effort of a newly founded radio production firm based in Hollywood, California. Its moniker was one of the medium’s most unusual: Box Thirteen.

The latest addition to radio’s burgeoning platter business was announced in the trade (The Hollywood Reporter, June 16, 1947) as the Mayfair Transcription Company, established by film idol Alan Ladd and executive Bernie Joslin. The latter had been president of the Boston-based Jos-Lin Recording Company, and was a cousin-in-law to the former’s wife, Sue Carol. (It is worth noting that the missus had been her current husband’s agent for several years.) Having been involved in radio since the mid-1930s, and aspiring to engage in new business

enterprises, Ladd realized a great opportunity in entering the transcription field. The Hot Springs, Arkansas native found an initial entry into the medium at Southern California stations, including Hollywood’s KFWB. It was there that he was cast in several programs, includ-ing Amateur Author. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, he took on minor film roles, which lead to his breakthrough performance as assassin Phil-lip Raven in This Gun for Hire (Paramount Pictures, 1942). He continued his radio work as well, revisiting that character

CD 7B: “Diamond in the Sky” - Episode # 14Supporting cast includes: Joan Banks, Luis van Rooten, Edmund McDonald, and Paul Frees.

CD 8A: “Double Right Cross” - Episode # 15Supporting cast includes: John Beal, Marie Windsor (right), Peter Leeds, and William Johnstone.

CD 8B: “Look Pleasant, Please” - Episode # 16Supporting cast includes: John Beal, Charles Seel, Tony Barrett, and Edmund McDonald.

Acknowledgments: The author wishes to thank staff members of the Library of Congress (Washington, DC) and Thousand Oaks Library (Thousand Oaks, California) for their invaluable assistance.

If you enjoyed this CD set, we recommend Let George Do It: Full Details, available now at www.RadioSpirits.com.

www.RadioSpirits.comPO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424

© 2019 RSPT LLC. All rights reserved. For home use only.Unauthorized duplication prohibited.

Program Guide © 2019 Karl Schadow and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved.

48402

Marie Windsor

2 7

on Lux Radio Theatre. He also made appearances on such shows as The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre and Cavalcade of America.

Although the Ladd-Joslin duo had announced the formation of their new firm, they had not yet decided upon a name for its initial venture. The program was promoted as Alan Ladd Show (tentative title) in the Annual Shows of Tomorrow issue (Radio Daily, July 30, 1947). In spite of the makeshift moniker, it was imperative that this offering from the Mayfair firm be included in this publication, so that prospective advertising agencies and sponsors could learn of their new enterprise.

In Box Thirteen, Alan Ladd was heard as Dan Holiday, a former Star-Times newspaper reporter turned freelance fiction writer. A gimmick for garnering potential subject matter for his novels was to place an ad in the newspaper: “Adventure wanted . . . will go any place . . . do anything. Write Box 13.” Holiday’s fellow radio adventurer George Valentine (from Let George Do It) had previous success with just such a method of generating business.

For the Mayfair firm, Ladd and Joslin assembled a team of experienced radio production personnel. Hired as script writer was Ted Hediger, who had commenced his career in the late 1920s as an announcer on WCCO (Minneapolis) before journeying to Chicago to join NBC’s production department. In the late 1930s, he moved to that network’s Hollywood facilities, where he wrote for such shows as Spotlight on Youth. Immediately prior to his Box Thirteen activities, he was a scribe for I Deal in Crime. Leonard Reeg’s tenure as director of Mayfair’s first venture was short-lived. Health problems forced him to resign once the preliminary recording was produced in late July of 1947. Ted Hediger took over as director, while also continuing as the writer for the program. The third key member of the initial staff was Vern Carstensen (below), who was employed as producer. His career in the business began at radio stations in Iowa and Illinois. During World War II, he oversaw the creation and implementation of the Fifth Mobile Army Radio Station in Italy. Following the war, he returned to Hollywood as a member of the Armed Forces Radio Service. In addition to his role as producer (for which he received on-air credit, starting with Episode #

12 [“Triple Cross”]), he also handled the announcing duties for Box Thirteen. On the administrative side, Florence Jordan served as Mayfair’s office manager.

Selected to compose and conduct the music for Box Thirteen was Rudy Schrager. He was known to

CD 2B: “Actor’s Alibi” - Episode # 4Supporting cast includes: Betty Lou Gerson, Luis van Rooten, Leo Cleary, and Charles Seel.

CD 3A: “Extra! Extra!” - Episode # 5Supporting cast includes: Jeffrey Silver, Ken Christy, Gerald Mohr, and Betty Lou Gerson.

CD 3B: “Shanghaied” - Episode # 6Supporting cast includes: Jeanne Bates, HerbButterfield, Luis van Rooten, and Stacy Harris.

CD 4A: “Short Assignment” - Episode # 7Supporting cast includes: Francis “Dink” Trout, Betty Lou Gerson, Charles Seel, and Tom Collins.

CD 4B: “Double Mothers” - Episode # 8Supporting cast includes: Leone LeDoux, Betty Lou Gerson, Edmund McDonald, Luis van Rooten, and Mary Jane Croft.

CD 5A: “Book of Poems” - Episode # 9Supporting cast includes: Anne Stone, Charles Seel, Martha Wentworth, Edmund McDonald, and Betty Moran.

CD 5B: “The Great Torino” - Episode # 10Supporting cast includes: Luis van Rooten, Edmund McDonald, Charles Seel, and David Ellis.

CD 6A: “Suicide or Murder” - Episode # 11Supporting cast includes: Edmund McDonald, Tony Barrett, and Clayton Post.

CD 6B: “Triple Cross” - Episode # 12Supporting cast includes: Frank Lovejoy, Herb Vigran, Peter Leeds, and Lou Krugman.

CD 7A: “Damsel in Distress” - Episode # 13Supporting cast includes: Barbara Eiler and Edmund McDonald.

Vern Carstensen

Alan Ladd

6 3

A trade article (Sponsor, July 16, 1951) touted Box Thirteen as one of ten top-notch transcriptions available for potential advertisers. However, during that summer, the Mayfair firm was experiencing severe financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy (Broadcasting Telecasting, August, 13, 1951). The original cycle of the program ended in 1953. Another popular and successful Mayfair series, The Damon Runyon Theatre, suffered the same fate the following year (due to the unwarranted black listing of that program’s lead actor, John Brown).

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s there were periodic announcements of a potential small screen version of Box Thirteen. One episode of the radio series, “Daytime Nightmare,” was produced by Alan Ladd Enterprises, Inc. (founded in 1954). It was broadcast under the title “Committed” on The General Electric Theater (December 5, 1954). This starred Alan Ladd (right) and featured Frank Ferguson as Lt. Kling. (The Suzy character was written out of this particular adaptation.) In 1960, a press release stated that William Leslie had portrayed Dan Holiday in a pilot episode of a proposed series. Three years later, in 1963, there were indications that Robert Sterling had been cast as the lead in yet another attempt to bring the venture to television. Also in 1963, Alan Ladd was contemplating a motion picture version of the property. Despite gallant efforts by Alan Ladd and associated parties, none of these endeavors ultimately succeeded. In 2010, however, new adventures of Dan Holiday were introduced via a Red 5 Comics graphic novel by Tom Gallaher and Steve Ellis.

Episode Guide:Note: Alan Ladd stars as Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as Suzy. Vern Carstensen is the announcer, and he doubles in selected episodes.

CD 1A: “The First Letter” - Episode # 1Supporting cast includes: Betty Lou Gerson, Edmund McDonald (below), and Charles Seel.

CD 1B: “Insurance Swindle Adventure” - Episode # 2Supporting cast includes: Jo Gilbert, Charles Seel, Luis van Rooten, Leo Cleary, Jane Morgan, Earle Ross, and Sandy Bickert.

CD 2A: “Blackmail Is Murder” - Episode # 3Supporting cast includes: Irene Tedrow, Edmund McDonald, Luis van Rooten, and Herb Virgran.

Alan Ladd from his duties on Lux Radio Theatre, as assistant to that program’s composer/conductor Louis Silvers. Schrager is esteemed for his film efforts, which included a stint as arranger and music director for Charlie Chaplin’s 1947 film Monsieur Verdoux. His radio credits included the daytime serial Those We Love and I Deal in Crime. Incidentally, the sound effects artists of this latter series, Wayne Kenworthy and Bud Tollefson, were also contracted for Box Thirteen. This duo had performed on many previous NBC and ABC programs. There were no recording studios of the Mayfair Transcription Company, so it was necessary to negotiate with another firm for such services. The NBC Hollywood facilities would be used in this capacity. Additional NBC staff, including the studio engineer, who worked the Box Thirteen series have yet to be determined.

Though Ted Hediger wrote many of the initial scripts for the series, he also sought contributions from other authors. Frank Hart Taussig wrote three of the sixteen episodes included in this collection, with Larry Kraft supplying one (“Short Assignment”). Taussig had been a writer on various programs in both Chicago and Hollywood, including The Clyde Beatty Show. Larry Kraft was the radio director for Jere Bayard & Associates, the Los Angeles advertising agency handling much of Mayfair’s promotional activities. In addition to Alan Ladd, during the closing credits of early Box Thirteen episodes, the writer, director, and music conductor were acknowledged. It was not until the fourth adventure (“Actor’s Alibi”) that another cast member would receive oral curtsies. This was actress Sylvia Picker (below), who portrayed Dan Holiday’s scatter-brained secretary, Suzy. A native of New York City, she commenced her entertainment career at the age of seven in a San Diego play. Starting in the early 1930s, her radio activities included stints on comedy series The Merrymakers and Fun Frolic at KHJ, and a KNX thriller called The Mystery of the Mongoose. She later moved over to neighboring station KFWB in Hollywood, where she would meet Alan Ladd. In the earliest episodes of Box Thirteen, Suzy is employed by the Star-Times, but soon has a squabble with her boss and leaves the newspaper. She convinces Dan Holiday that he needs a secretary…and of course, she fills this position. Another supporting character on Box Thirteen was the requisite member of law enforcement. On this show, the police would be represented by homicide Lieutenant Kling, portrayed by Edmund McDonald (who appeared on many programs, including Arch Oboler’s Plays and Twelve Players). In a couple of episodes, Inspector Black substitutes for the gruff Sylvia PickerEdmund McDonald

4 5

the case, why the lack of proper on-air recognition for all of the performers? Only one other actor was afforded such plaudits during the series. This was John Beal, who played major roles in both of the last two episodes of the current set. (Additional voices that have been identified are listed in the Episode Guide at the end of this booklet.)

As an open-end (no commercials) transcribed entity, Box Thirteen was initially released in October of 1947. It was broadcast on numerous stations on behalf of advertisers who bankrolled the series on a local or regional basis. A categorical list of such sponsors in Radio Daily (December 30, 1947) included peddlers of coffee, furniture, trailers and ice cream, along with one (unnamed) newspaper. At the regional level, Norge Appliances (then a division of Borg-Warner) was promoting its brand of refrigerators via local distributors and sharing expenses for the program. Within a year of its founding, the Ladd-Joslin enterprise had achieved notoriety within the trade as one of eight firms with top-flight transcription programs (Sponsor, November 1948).

Mayfair Transcription Company maintained eight offices scattered across the U.S., and was represented in New York City by Paul F. Adler. It was this firm that brought the series to air (on WOR) in that city. With the program being heard in America’s number one market, the major critics of the medium had an opportunity to assess its worthiness. Herm Schoenfeld (Variety, January 7, 1948) was not impressed with any aspect of the program, including the advertisements of the three diverse sponsors. However, John Crosby (New York Herald Tribune, February 5, 1948) presented an inspiring essay following his assessment of several episodes. He observed radio’s transition “away from murder stories and in the direction of straight adventure.” Crosby noted that the main character hadn’t yet had many adventures, but that those presented thus far were “exceedingly ingenious.” His thoughts about the show’s star were less complimentary: “In the movies, Ladd reduced acting to a series of breathing exercises combined with an expression of such fierce inscrutability that the observer could read into it anything he chose.” Crosby emphasized that “inscrutability doesn’t register well in radio.” In conclusion, the medium’s most esteemed pundit wrote: “While ‘Box 13’ emphasizes adventure in place of blood, it doesn’t violate all of the old traditions...a secretary and...at least one corpse.”

Kling. Luis van Rooten plays the part of Black, and was also cast in a variety of other roles throughout the Box Thirteen canon. From time-to-time, Dan Holiday visits his former employer to consult the morgue files. He often calls upon “Mac” or “Jonesy” to assist him with these chores. Various actors portray these characters.

As of Episode #9 (“Book of Poems”) the series underwent major modifications. Indeed, in an interview with Judy Maguire (Radio Life, July 25, 1948), Alan Ladd proclaimed: “We’ve changed format a great deal since our first eight shows.” Ladd did not elaborate on the reasons for these adjustments, so one is left to ponder why he and Joslin were not satisfied with the program’s initial results. Russell Hughes was brought on board as writer/story editor, though he was the director for “Book of Poems” (which was the third of three scripts crafted for the series by Frank Hart Taussig). Hughes and Ladd had first met at KFWB in the 1930s, while both were involved with the aforementioned Amateur Author. In addition to this show, Hughes wrote and produced the popular 1937 KFWB series Experimental Theatre, which gave him the opportunity to revise scripts that he had penned during his previous assignments in Cincinnati and New York. Concurrent with his post at the Mayfair firm, he was also the script editor for Cavalcade of America. For Box Thirteen, he periodically utilized the work of other authors. For example, he adapted Republic Pictures writer Sol Shor’s story “Diamond in the Sky,” and collaborated with E. Jack Neuman (below) on “Double Right Cross.” Neuman’s prior work included scripts for both Suspense and The Whistler. Beginning with Episode #10 (“The Great Torino”), former CBS staff producer/director Richard Sanville was hired as the director. While with that network in New York, he was responsible for numerous programs, including Dangerously Yours and The Sparrow and the Hawk. Format alterations instituted by the new production staff included additional on-air credits, for Edmund McDonald and Vern Carstensen, during the closing segment. Moreover, designated script titles were announced as of Episode #12 (“Triple Cross”).

In the previously mentioned Radio Life piece, Alan Ladd noted the contributions of several cast members of his program -- including Lurene Tuttle and Alan Reed, both of whom appeared in later episodes of the series. Judy Maguire interpreted his remarks in this manner: “As a fellow who knows what name credits mean to radio, Ladd is energetic at mentioning the folks who assist on the show.” If this was E. Jack Neuman

Box Thirteen advertisement circa 1947

4 5

the case, why the lack of proper on-air recognition for all of the performers? Only one other actor was afforded such plaudits during the series. This was John Beal, who played major roles in both of the last two episodes of the current set. (Additional voices that have been identified are listed in the Episode Guide at the end of this booklet.)

As an open-end (no commercials) transcribed entity, Box Thirteen was initially released in October of 1947. It was broadcast on numerous stations on behalf of advertisers who bankrolled the series on a local or regional basis. A categorical list of such sponsors in Radio Daily (December 30, 1947) included peddlers of coffee, furniture, trailers and ice cream, along with one (unnamed) newspaper. At the regional level, Norge Appliances (then a division of Borg-Warner) was promoting its brand of refrigerators via local distributors and sharing expenses for the program. Within a year of its founding, the Ladd-Joslin enterprise had achieved notoriety within the trade as one of eight firms with top-flight transcription programs (Sponsor, November 1948).

Mayfair Transcription Company maintained eight offices scattered across the U.S., and was represented in New York City by Paul F. Adler. It was this firm that brought the series to air (on WOR) in that city. With the program being heard in America’s number one market, the major critics of the medium had an opportunity to assess its worthiness. Herm Schoenfeld (Variety, January 7, 1948) was not impressed with any aspect of the program, including the advertisements of the three diverse sponsors. However, John Crosby (New York Herald Tribune, February 5, 1948) presented an inspiring essay following his assessment of several episodes. He observed radio’s transition “away from murder stories and in the direction of straight adventure.” Crosby noted that the main character hadn’t yet had many adventures, but that those presented thus far were “exceedingly ingenious.” His thoughts about the show’s star were less complimentary: “In the movies, Ladd reduced acting to a series of breathing exercises combined with an expression of such fierce inscrutability that the observer could read into it anything he chose.” Crosby emphasized that “inscrutability doesn’t register well in radio.” In conclusion, the medium’s most esteemed pundit wrote: “While ‘Box 13’ emphasizes adventure in place of blood, it doesn’t violate all of the old traditions...a secretary and...at least one corpse.”

Kling. Luis van Rooten plays the part of Black, and was also cast in a variety of other roles throughout the Box Thirteen canon. From time-to-time, Dan Holiday visits his former employer to consult the morgue files. He often calls upon “Mac” or “Jonesy” to assist him with these chores. Various actors portray these characters.

As of Episode #9 (“Book of Poems”) the series underwent major modifications. Indeed, in an interview with Judy Maguire (Radio Life, July 25, 1948), Alan Ladd proclaimed: “We’ve changed format a great deal since our first eight shows.” Ladd did not elaborate on the reasons for these adjustments, so one is left to ponder why he and Joslin were not satisfied with the program’s initial results. Russell Hughes was brought on board as writer/story editor, though he was the director for “Book of Poems” (which was the third of three scripts crafted for the series by Frank Hart Taussig). Hughes and Ladd had first met at KFWB in the 1930s, while both were involved with the aforementioned Amateur Author. In addition to this show, Hughes wrote and produced the popular 1937 KFWB series Experimental Theatre, which gave him the opportunity to revise scripts that he had penned during his previous assignments in Cincinnati and New York. Concurrent with his post at the Mayfair firm, he was also the script editor for Cavalcade of America. For Box Thirteen, he periodically utilized the work of other authors. For example, he adapted Republic Pictures writer Sol Shor’s story “Diamond in the Sky,” and collaborated with E. Jack Neuman (below) on “Double Right Cross.” Neuman’s prior work included scripts for both Suspense and The Whistler. Beginning with Episode #10 (“The Great Torino”), former CBS staff producer/director Richard Sanville was hired as the director. While with that network in New York, he was responsible for numerous programs, including Dangerously Yours and The Sparrow and the Hawk. Format alterations instituted by the new production staff included additional on-air credits, for Edmund McDonald and Vern Carstensen, during the closing segment. Moreover, designated script titles were announced as of Episode #12 (“Triple Cross”).

In the previously mentioned Radio Life piece, Alan Ladd noted the contributions of several cast members of his program -- including Lurene Tuttle and Alan Reed, both of whom appeared in later episodes of the series. Judy Maguire interpreted his remarks in this manner: “As a fellow who knows what name credits mean to radio, Ladd is energetic at mentioning the folks who assist on the show.” If this was E. Jack Neuman

Box Thirteen advertisement circa 1947

6 3

A trade article (Sponsor, July 16, 1951) touted Box Thirteen as one of ten top-notch transcriptions available for potential advertisers. However, during that summer, the Mayfair firm was experiencing severe financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy (Broadcasting Telecasting, August, 13, 1951). The original cycle of the program ended in 1953. Another popular and successful Mayfair series, The Damon Runyon Theatre, suffered the same fate the following year (due to the unwarranted black listing of that program’s lead actor, John Brown).

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s there were periodic announcements of a potential small screen version of Box Thirteen. One episode of the radio series, “Daytime Nightmare,” was produced by Alan Ladd Enterprises, Inc. (founded in 1954). It was broadcast under the title “Committed” on The General Electric Theater (December 5, 1954). This starred Alan Ladd (right) and featured Frank Ferguson as Lt. Kling. (The Suzy character was written out of this particular adaptation.) In 1960, a press release stated that William Leslie had portrayed Dan Holiday in a pilot episode of a proposed series. Three years later, in 1963, there were indications that Robert Sterling had been cast as the lead in yet another attempt to bring the venture to television. Also in 1963, Alan Ladd was contemplating a motion picture version of the property. Despite gallant efforts by Alan Ladd and associated parties, none of these endeavors ultimately succeeded. In 2010, however, new adventures of Dan Holiday were introduced via a Red 5 Comics graphic novel by Tom Gallaher and Steve Ellis.

Episode Guide:Note: Alan Ladd stars as Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as Suzy. Vern Carstensen is the announcer, and he doubles in selected episodes.

CD 1A: “The First Letter” - Episode # 1Supporting cast includes: Betty Lou Gerson, Edmund McDonald (below), and Charles Seel.

CD 1B: “Insurance Swindle Adventure” - Episode # 2Supporting cast includes: Jo Gilbert, Charles Seel, Luis van Rooten, Leo Cleary, Jane Morgan, Earle Ross, and Sandy Bickert.

CD 2A: “Blackmail Is Murder” - Episode # 3Supporting cast includes: Irene Tedrow, Edmund McDonald, Luis van Rooten, and Herb Virgran.

Alan Ladd from his duties on Lux Radio Theatre, as assistant to that program’s composer/conductor Louis Silvers. Schrager is esteemed for his film efforts, which included a stint as arranger and music director for Charlie Chaplin’s 1947 film Monsieur Verdoux. His radio credits included the daytime serial Those We Love and I Deal in Crime. Incidentally, the sound effects artists of this latter series, Wayne Kenworthy and Bud Tollefson, were also contracted for Box Thirteen. This duo had performed on many previous NBC and ABC programs. There were no recording studios of the Mayfair Transcription Company, so it was necessary to negotiate with another firm for such services. The NBC Hollywood facilities would be used in this capacity. Additional NBC staff, including the studio engineer, who worked the Box Thirteen series have yet to be determined.

Though Ted Hediger wrote many of the initial scripts for the series, he also sought contributions from other authors. Frank Hart Taussig wrote three of the sixteen episodes included in this collection, with Larry Kraft supplying one (“Short Assignment”). Taussig had been a writer on various programs in both Chicago and Hollywood, including The Clyde Beatty Show. Larry Kraft was the radio director for Jere Bayard & Associates, the Los Angeles advertising agency handling much of Mayfair’s promotional activities. In addition to Alan Ladd, during the closing credits of early Box Thirteen episodes, the writer, director, and music conductor were acknowledged. It was not until the fourth adventure (“Actor’s Alibi”) that another cast member would receive oral curtsies. This was actress Sylvia Picker (below), who portrayed Dan Holiday’s scatter-brained secretary, Suzy. A native of New York City, she commenced her entertainment career at the age of seven in a San Diego play. Starting in the early 1930s, her radio activities included stints on comedy series The Merrymakers and Fun Frolic at KHJ, and a KNX thriller called The Mystery of the Mongoose. She later moved over to neighboring station KFWB in Hollywood, where she would meet Alan Ladd. In the earliest episodes of Box Thirteen, Suzy is employed by the Star-Times, but soon has a squabble with her boss and leaves the newspaper. She convinces Dan Holiday that he needs a secretary…and of course, she fills this position. Another supporting character on Box Thirteen was the requisite member of law enforcement. On this show, the police would be represented by homicide Lieutenant Kling, portrayed by Edmund McDonald (who appeared on many programs, including Arch Oboler’s Plays and Twelve Players). In a couple of episodes, Inspector Black substitutes for the gruff Sylvia PickerEdmund McDonald

2 7

on Lux Radio Theatre. He also made appearances on such shows as The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre and Cavalcade of America.

Although the Ladd-Joslin duo had announced the formation of their new firm, they had not yet decided upon a name for its initial venture. The program was promoted as Alan Ladd Show (tentative title) in the Annual Shows of Tomorrow issue (Radio Daily, July 30, 1947). In spite of the makeshift moniker, it was imperative that this offering from the Mayfair firm be included in this publication, so that prospective advertising agencies and sponsors could learn of their new enterprise.

In Box Thirteen, Alan Ladd was heard as Dan Holiday, a former Star-Times newspaper reporter turned freelance fiction writer. A gimmick for garnering potential subject matter for his novels was to place an ad in the newspaper: “Adventure wanted . . . will go any place . . . do anything. Write Box 13.” Holiday’s fellow radio adventurer George Valentine (from Let George Do It) had previous success with just such a method of generating business.

For the Mayfair firm, Ladd and Joslin assembled a team of experienced radio production personnel. Hired as script writer was Ted Hediger, who had commenced his career in the late 1920s as an announcer on WCCO (Minneapolis) before journeying to Chicago to join NBC’s production department. In the late 1930s, he moved to that network’s Hollywood facilities, where he wrote for such shows as Spotlight on Youth. Immediately prior to his Box Thirteen activities, he was a scribe for I Deal in Crime. Leonard Reeg’s tenure as director of Mayfair’s first venture was short-lived. Health problems forced him to resign once the preliminary recording was produced in late July of 1947. Ted Hediger took over as director, while also continuing as the writer for the program. The third key member of the initial staff was Vern Carstensen (below), who was employed as producer. His career in the business began at radio stations in Iowa and Illinois. During World War II, he oversaw the creation and implementation of the Fifth Mobile Army Radio Station in Italy. Following the war, he returned to Hollywood as a member of the Armed Forces Radio Service. In addition to his role as producer (for which he received on-air credit, starting with Episode #

12 [“Triple Cross”]), he also handled the announcing duties for Box Thirteen. On the administrative side, Florence Jordan served as Mayfair’s office manager.

Selected to compose and conduct the music for Box Thirteen was Rudy Schrager. He was known to

CD 2B: “Actor’s Alibi” - Episode # 4Supporting cast includes: Betty Lou Gerson, Luis van Rooten, Leo Cleary, and Charles Seel.

CD 3A: “Extra! Extra!” - Episode # 5Supporting cast includes: Jeffrey Silver, Ken Christy, Gerald Mohr, and Betty Lou Gerson.

CD 3B: “Shanghaied” - Episode # 6Supporting cast includes: Jeanne Bates, HerbButterfield, Luis van Rooten, and Stacy Harris.

CD 4A: “Short Assignment” - Episode # 7Supporting cast includes: Francis “Dink” Trout, Betty Lou Gerson, Charles Seel, and Tom Collins.

CD 4B: “Double Mothers” - Episode # 8Supporting cast includes: Leone LeDoux, Betty Lou Gerson, Edmund McDonald, Luis van Rooten, and Mary Jane Croft.

CD 5A: “Book of Poems” - Episode # 9Supporting cast includes: Anne Stone, Charles Seel, Martha Wentworth, Edmund McDonald, and Betty Moran.

CD 5B: “The Great Torino” - Episode # 10Supporting cast includes: Luis van Rooten, Edmund McDonald, Charles Seel, and David Ellis.

CD 6A: “Suicide or Murder” - Episode # 11Supporting cast includes: Edmund McDonald, Tony Barrett, and Clayton Post.

CD 6B: “Triple Cross” - Episode # 12Supporting cast includes: Frank Lovejoy, Herb Vigran, Peter Leeds, and Lou Krugman.

CD 7A: “Damsel in Distress” - Episode # 13Supporting cast includes: Barbara Eiler and Edmund McDonald.

Vern Carstensen

Alan Ladd

BOX THIRTEENProgram Guide by Karl Schadow

The wide variety of adventure programs on the air during radio’s Golden Age could be divided into numerous sub-genres, including romance (Dangerously Yours), western (Frontier Gentleman), seafaring (Voyage of the Scarlet Queen), and aviation (I Fly Anything), among others. There was one memorable anthology series, Escape, which explored many of these themes during its run on CBS from 1947 - 1954. Another undertaking commenced in 1947 that embodied the same venturesome spirit. It was a transcribed, syndicated series, and the initial effort of a newly founded radio production firm based in Hollywood, California. Its moniker was one of the medium’s most unusual: Box Thirteen.

The latest addition to radio’s burgeoning platter business was announced in the trade (The Hollywood Reporter, June 16, 1947) as the Mayfair Transcription Company, established by film idol Alan Ladd and executive Bernie Joslin. The latter had been president of the Boston-based Jos-Lin Recording Company, and was a cousin-in-law to the former’s wife, Sue Carol. (It is worth noting that the missus had been her current husband’s agent for several years.) Having been involved in radio since the mid-1930s, and aspiring to engage in new business

enterprises, Ladd realized a great opportunity in entering the transcription field. The Hot Springs, Arkansas native found an initial entry into the medium at Southern California stations, including Hollywood’s KFWB. It was there that he was cast in several programs, includ-ing Amateur Author. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, he took on minor film roles, which lead to his breakthrough performance as assassin Phil-lip Raven in This Gun for Hire (Paramount Pictures, 1942). He continued his radio work as well, revisiting that character

CD 7B: “Diamond in the Sky” - Episode # 14Supporting cast includes: Joan Banks, Luis van Rooten, Edmund McDonald, and Paul Frees.

CD 8A: “Double Right Cross” - Episode # 15Supporting cast includes: John Beal, Marie Windsor (right), Peter Leeds, and William Johnstone.

CD 8B: “Look Pleasant, Please” - Episode # 16Supporting cast includes: John Beal, Charles Seel, Tony Barrett, and Edmund McDonald.

Acknowledgments: The author wishes to thank staff members of the Library of Congress (Washington, DC) and Thousand Oaks Library (Thousand Oaks, California) for their invaluable assistance.

If you enjoyed this CD set, we recommend Let George Do It: Full Details, available now at www.RadioSpirits.com.

www.RadioSpirits.comPO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424

© 2019 RSPT LLC. All rights reserved. For home use only.Unauthorized duplication prohibited.

Program Guide © 2019 Karl Schadow and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved.

48402

Marie Windsor