“Crime does not pay...”
Those four simple words sum up the basic philosophy behind Calling All Cars, a popular crime drama heard over CBS Pacific Network stations from November 29, 1933 to September 8, 1939. In these dramatizations, the point was driven home time and time again that a life of a crime was a life wasted -- and anyone venturing off the straight-and-narrow was fated to meet a sad and sorry end.
In the 1930s, radio played a part in stemming the tide against crime - and never more so than in Calling All Cars, one of the earliest and most influential police procedural shows. Dramatizing true crime exploits and introduced by real-life law enforcement officials, Calling All Cars offered the gritty details of criminal activity in true “ripped from the headlines” style. Led by writer/director William N. Robson, the weekly series gave listeners the audio equivalent of a tough, down in the streets Warner Brothers crime drama, complete with car chases, low-life gunmen, high-crime bosses, frightened victims, and criminal cases that often hit very close to home. Kidnappings, petty thefts, murders, prison breaks, bunco schemes...all were raw materials for the creators of each show and details of all these crimes and more were used as the basis for the realistic dramas presented.
For its entire run, Calling All Cars was sponsored by the Rio Grande Oil Company and their patented brand of “cracked” gasoline. Luckily, thanks to the limited and expensive network lines of the 1930s, recordings of all of the programs were made for redistribution to the Southwestern states. This is marvelous news for radio buffs, since it means that almost the entire run of Calling All Cars still exists for us to enjoy today.
We’re proud to offer Calling All Cars, Volume 9”, a seven hour set which, like our other collections, has been professionally restored and transferred directly from the original transcription recordings for impressive audio fidelity. These rare and exiting shows are sure to occupy a special place in your personal library.
#286 Murder At Sunset
Thursday, May 18, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#288 The Plague of the Black Locusts
Thursday, June 1, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#289 The Old Grad Returns
Thursday, June 8, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#291 In The Still Of The Night
Thursday, June 22, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#292 The Case of the Wired Wrists
Thursday, June 29, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#293 The Case of the Wicked Flea
Thursday, July 6, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#294 The Case of the Squealing Rat
Thursday, July 13, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#295 The Case of the Twenty-Sixth Wife
Thursday, July 20, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#296 The Case of the Tear Drop Charm
Thursday, July 27, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#297 The Body On The Promenade Deck
Thursday, August 3, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#298 The Case of the Missing Guns
Thursday, August 10, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#300 The Case of the 10th Commandment
Friday, August 25, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#301 Six Of A Kind
Friday, September 1, 1939 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
#57 The Human Side Of A Cop
Tuesday, December 25, 1934 - 30:00 - CBS Pacific Network, sponsored by Rio Grande Oil
