Radio Series Adaptations
Radio comedy and drama was at its peak during the 1940s, and most of the films, TV series and TV movies on this list were produced during that period.
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- DirectorMelville W. BrownStarsFreeman F. GosdenCharles J. CorrellSue CarolTypical Amos 'n Andy storyline has the boys trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a society hassle, involving driving musicians to a fancy party. All the regular characters are here (or mentioned), including the famous Mystic Knights of the Sea. The only film appearance of radio's long-running characters.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsPhillips LordEffie PalmerFrank AlbertsonSeth Parker takes in Robbie Turner and protects him from his cruel father Rufe. When the father disappears, Seth intends to raise Robbie as his own son. The vindictive father attacks Mary Lucy, a neighbor's daughter who is also trying to help Robbie. Mary's boyfriend David rescues her, and Rufe runs off with his son. But not for long.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsSilver ChiefChief ThundercloudLynne RobertsHeroic's of Lone Ranger & Tonto, matter!
- DirectorBernard VorhausStarsJean HersholtDorothy LovettRobert BaldwinA pleasant down-home entry which casts Hersholt as the title doctor in the mythical town of River's End, Minnesota.
- DirectorJohn EnglishWilliam WitneyStarsRobert LivingstonChief ThundercloudSilver ChiefHomesteaders are moving into the valley settled many years ago by rancher Craig Dolan. He wants to keep them out by legal means but his nephew Bart brings in outlaws to drive them out. The Lone Ranger is on hand to help the homesteaders battle Bart's men as he overcomes traps, ambushes, burning buildings and other obstacles in his attempt to bring peace to the valley.
- DirectorFord BeebeRay TaylorStarsGordon JonesWade BotelerKeye LukeA newspaper publisher and his Korean servant fight crime as vigilantes who pose as a notorious masked gangster and his aide.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsArthur AskeyJack Hylton and His BandRichard MurdochA plot involving spies in a haunted castle gives this team of celebrated British wireless comedians plenty of scope for laughs.
- DirectorAllan DwanStarsEdgar BergenCharlie McCarthyJim JordanFibber McGee enlists the help of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy in enticing an aircraft manufacturer to build a factory in the small town of Wistful Vista. Based on the "Fibber McGee and Molly" radio series.
- DirectorFord BeebeJohn RawlinsStarsWarren HullWade BotelerAnne NagelA wealthy publisher uses a disguise and calls himself the Green Hornet to fight crime in his city.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsJames StewartPaulette GoddardHorace HeidtJimmy goes to work with his uncle, the owner of a food factory. Before he gets there, he befriends an Irish family who happens to be his uncle's worst enemy because of their love for music and in-house band who constantly practices.
- DirectorNoel M. SmithRay TaylorStarsKent TaylorIrene HerveyRalph MorganDetective lieutenant Bill Bannister is assigned to run down an unknown gang of terrorists who have spread a net of crime over the city.
- DirectorJames W. HorneStarsDave O'BrienDorothy ShortJames CravenSecret Service Major Steel (Joseph W. Girard), is one of the few men in America aware of the fact that Captain Albright (Dave O'Brien) is also Captain Midnight, daring masked aviator dedicated to fighting gangsters and enemies of America. When murderous bombing attacks are made on West Coast munitions plants, Steel sends for Albright and asks him to track down the mysterious Ivan Shark (James Craven), the foreign agent mastermind behind the attacks. Shark has learned about an ingenious range finder, invented by John Edwards (Bryant Washburn) and makes plans to obtain a model of the invention. Edwards instructs his daughter, Joyce (Dorothy Short), to bring the model to Albright for safekeeping in his mountain laboratory. Shark takes Edwards prisoner by Albright assures Joyce that her father will be saved and an end put to Shark's reign of terror. Dressing as Captain Midnight and enlisting the aid of his friends, Chuck (Sam Edwards) and Ichabod Mudd (Guy Wilkerson), Captain Midnight delivers on his promises fourteen chapters later.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsHarold PearyJane DarwellNancy GatesGildersleeve, a small town bachelor, has slapstick troubles with a husband-hunting woman and two helpful kids.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsTommy HandleyGreta GyntJack TrainCon man local mayor gambles municipal treasury in a poker game and wins a broken down theatre.
- DirectorPhilip BrandonStarsHarry KorrisRobbie VincentCecil FredericksMr Lovejoy, a struggling actor-manager returns to a small provincial town with plans to put on a show.
- DirectorBenjamin StoloffStarsPhil BakerEdward RyanMadge MeredithYoung sailors Eddie Collins and Herb Gordon eagerly begin their shore leave in New York City, where they are greeted at the dock by Eddie's wife Kate. Kate, who is pregnant for the first time, is fearful about her condition, as her mother had problems in childbirth, and she tearfully tells Eddie that her regular doctor has joined the Army. Kate wants to be seen by noted doctor Edward Preston, but when Eddie goes to Preston's office, he is told by the secretary that Preston, who commands fees of up to one thousand dollars, is too busy to see new patients. Hoping that if he can obtain the fee, Preston will see Kate, Eddie tells his worried wife that Preston has already agreed to deliver their baby. Eddie, Kate and Herb then attend an airing of Phil Baker's famous Take It or Leave It radio show, in which contestants answer questions in an attempt to win sixty-four dollars. Eddie is chosen as a contestant, and after two other players drop out, gets his turn. He chooses "scenes from motion picture hits of the past" as his category and as the film clips are projected, correctly answers the first question about Shirley Temple. Baker quickly takes to the nervous young sailor, who reveals that he has a pregnant wife. As Eddie continues to answer questions about such films as Tin Pan Alley , Orchestra Wives and One in a Million , Baker gives him broad hints to help him and allows him to go above the usual limit on winnings. When Baker asks Eddie about his wife's doctor, Preston, who is listening with his wife, is stunned to hear his name, as his secretary did not inform him of Eddie's visit. Mrs. Preston chastises her husband for charging a serviceman so much money, but Preston insists that the radio program is fixed and that the Collinses are not real people. Eddie, who is about to answer a question for $384, is forced to stop when Kate goes into labor. Before leaving for the hospital, Eddie confesses to Baker that Preston is not really Kate's doctor, but that he lied to keep her from being frightened. Mrs. Preston asks her husband to attend Kate, but he instead leaves for a previously planned vacation. Mrs. Preston then calls Baker's show and states that she does not know where her husband is. Baker urges Preston to help the young couple, and Preston, who is listening to the show in a taxi, tells the driver to take him to the hospital. Preston arrives after the uncomplicated birth of Kate and Eddie's healthy son, but promises Eddie that he will look in on Kate. Baker announces to his audience that Eddie and Kate's son is doing well, then goes to the hospital to visit them. There, he learns that the infant has been named "Phil Baker Collins" in his honor. Herb then arrives and tells them that he and his girl friend, touched by Kate and Eddie's story, have decided to get married, and Baker laughingly tells him to have his babies on the radio show too.
- DirectorWilliam CastleStarsRichard DixGloria StuartJ. Carrol NaishA depressed man hires an assassin to kill him when he least expects it, but when his life takes an upward turn, he finds he now wishes to live.
- DirectorHal WalkerStarsEd GardnerBing CrosbyBetty HuttonThe staff of a record factory drown their sorrows at Duffy's Tavern, while the company owner faces threats of bankruptcy.
- DirectorHenry LevinStarsJim BannonNina FochGeorge MacreadyIn San Francisco, detective partners Jack Packard and Doc Long are hired by socialite Jefferson Monk who believes someone is following him with the aim to kill him.
- DirectorLeslie GoodwinsStarsWally BrownAlan CarneyFrances LangfordA Hollywood talent agency tries to avoid finacial ruin by getting its best clients on the air.
- DirectorHarold D. SchusterStarsTom BrenemanBonita GranvilleBeulah BondiBased on a current (1946) radio series with a live audience. It is the story of some of the people who attend the show. Nat King Cole sings.
- DirectorSam WhiteStarsJack HaleyHelen WalkerRudy ValleeTwo rival radio producers try to get the same sponsor, so they try to top each other with new ideas.
- DirectorJohn ArgyleStarsAnthony HulmeJoy SheltonTamara DesniNovelist and amateur sleuth, Paul Temple, meets a newspaper woman called "Steve." Together they investigate a gang of diamond robbers.
- DirectorRobert B. SinclairStarsDennis O'KeefeAdolphe MenjouMarguerite ChapmanAn assistant district attorney gets mixed-up with a woman who is working for the group that he is investigating.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsWallace BeeryJane PowellElizabeth TaylorHyperactive teenager Judy Foster (Jane Powell) challenges, and is challenged by, her overly-proper parents, pesky brother Randolph (Jerry Hunter), and boyfriend Ogden "Oogie" Pringle (Scotty Beckett).
- DirectorMaclean RogersStarsJohn BentleyDinah SheridanMargaretta ScottA maniac is murdering the patients of a doctor who specializes in nervous disorders. A detective is called in to catch the killer.
- DirectorAnatole LitvakStarsBarbara StanwyckBurt LancasterAnn RichardsWhile on the telephone, an invalid woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.
- DirectorIrving BrecherStarsWilliam BendixRosemary DeCampJames GleasonA factory worker's family is thrown into an uproar when his teenage daughter starts to date his boss' son.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsJohn LundDiana LynnDon DeForeA scatterbrained Brooklynite and her wheeler-dealer fiancé interfere in her level-headed roommate's love life.
- CreatorGeorge W. TrendleGeorge W. GeorgeStarsJay SilverheelsClayton MooreJohn HartThe adventures of the masked hero and his Native American partner.
- DirectorRay NazarroStarsWillard ParkerAudrey LongHoward St. JohnBased on the long-running radio program created by Philips H. Lord, the film opens with a radio commentator blasting the U. S. government for the manner in which a certain foreign power has obtained secret information during WWII. The commentator is brought to the secret headquarters of "David Harding, Counterspy" where he learns that the story was deliberately planted with the commentator to fool the enemy. Harding them tells, in flashback, a specific story to illustrate how counter-espionage works. Jerry Baldwin, a U.S. Navy officer is brought to a city where torpedoes are manufactured for the Navy, and his assignment is to find out information is leaking out to the enemy.
- DirectorMaclean RogersStarsJohn BentleyDinah SheridanJack LiveseyA husband-and-wife detective team look into the murder of one of her friends, whose father has been kidnapped. They find themselves up against a sinister crime organization headed by a mysterious figure known only as "Z".
- DirectorHal WalkerStarsJohn LundMarie WilsonDiana LynnEn route to Hollywood, singer Steve, his partner Seymour and fiancée Jane, Jane's airheaded roommate Irma, and Irma's con artist fiancé Al have a series of misadventures and end up involved with a murderous gang.
- CreatorCharles J. CorrellFreeman F. GosdenStarsAlvin ChildressSpencer WilliamsTim MooreStories mostly centered on The Kingfish's schemes to get rich, often by duping his brothers in the Mystic Knights of the Sea Lodge. Andy was particularly dupable. Amos mostly narrated.
- DirectorFrederick De CordovaStarsOzzie NelsonHarriet NelsonDavid NelsonWhile Ozzie tries to get some publicity for an ad agency, David and Ricky get mixed up with gangsters.
- DirectorMaclean RogersStarsHarry SecombeMichael BentineSpike MilliganThe cast of the popular radio program "The Goon Show" perform some of their favourite routines.
- DirectorGeorge B. Seitz Jr.StarsClayton MooreJay SilverheelsGlenn StrangeWhen the Butch Cavendish gang ambushes a group of Texas Rangers, the only surviving ranger dons a mask to protect his identity and swears to bring them to justice.
- CreatorCy HowardStarsMarie WilsonMary ShippRichard EyerIrma Peterson was the typical dumb blonde secretary living with a roommate, Jane Stacy, in a run-down Manhattan apartment run by Mrs. O'Reilly. A neighbor was nutty Professor Kropotkin. Jane's boss and boyfriend was millionaire Richard Rhinelander III. During the second season, Jane Stacy moved to Panama and Kay Foster moved in with Irma; Irma's 7-year-old nephew Bobby also moved in. Irma also acquired a new boyfriend, Joe Vance, and a new neighbor, Mr. Corday, an actor.
- DirectorMaclean RogersStarsJohn BentleyPatricia DaintonGrey BlakeThe Temples investigate a series of gruesome murders attributed to a mysterious figure known as "The Marquis".
- StarsWilliam BendixMarjorie ReynoldsWesley MorganRiley worked in an aircraft plant in California, but viewers usually saw him at home, cheerfully disrupting life with his malapropisms and ill timed intervention into minor problems.
- StarsEd GardnerJimmy ConlinAlan ReedA television adaptation of the radio sitcom "Duffy's Tavern" (1942-1951). The main setting was "a seedy bar and grille on New York's Third Avenue", owned by the unseen character Duffy. The main character was Archie, the tavern's manager. The show centered on him bantering with other characters.
- DirectorVal GuestStarsBebe DanielsBen LyonRichard LyonBen, Bebe, and family move into a new house, but are faced with a problematic landlord.
- StarsRichard WebbSid MeltonOlan SouleIn 40 episodes, Captain Midnight, of the Secret Squadron, flew around the globe in his personal jet the Silver Dart. He fought various criminals and spies with his comical sidekick Ichabod Mudd aided by a scientist, Dr. Aristotle Jones.
- StarsWillard WatermanRonald KeithLillian RandolphThrockmorton Gildersleeve is a blustery "ladies" man who often finds himself in unusual predicaments. Raising his too smart nephew Leroy, he leans on his secretary Bessie and tries to ignore the advice of housekeeper Birdie.
- DirectorVal GuestStarsBen LyonBebe DanielsBarbara LyonHas Ben Lyon forgotten his wedding anniversary? His wife Bebe thinks he has, and can hardly contain her fury. When his son Richard sees him dining with a glamorous French singer he thinks the worst.
- StarsBen LyonBarbara LyonRichard LyonBen Lyon, wife Bebe plus children Richard and Barbara play themselves handling everyday situations with any crisis taken care of. Aggie is their Scottish housekeeper and Florrie Wainwright their nosy neighbor.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsChester LauckNorris GoffJill AlisThe "boys" from Pine Ridge visit Europe and try to help a Yugoslavian ballerina find her American lover, become involved with French jewel thieves, and take on posh society in Monte Carlo.
- DirectorGordon ParryStarsCecil ParkerRonald ShinerLeslie PhillipsFilm version of a popular BBC radio show about the incompetent crew of a Royal Navy ship.
- DirectorRobert DayStarsTony HancockGeorge SandersPaul MassieTony Hancock gives up his day job to become an artist. He's a lot of enthusiasm, but little talent, and critics dislike his work. Nevertheless, he impresses a talented artist.
- CreatorGeorge W. TrendleStarsBruce LeeVan WilliamsWende WagnerA newspaper publisher and his Asian valet/martial arts expert battle crime as the feared Green Hornet and Kato.
- DirectorLeslie StevensStarsIda LupinoLes CraneDavid HartmanThree insurance investigators search for a mysterious billionaire.
- DirectorWilliam A. FrakerStarsKlinton SpilsburyMichael HorseChristopher LloydThe sole surviving Texas Ranger (Klinton Spilsbury) of an ambush arranged by outlaw leader Major Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish (Christopher Lloyd) returns to fight back as a great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger.
- StarsSimon JonesDavid DixonPeter JonesArthur Dent and his friend, Ford Prefect, escape the destruction of Earth, only to face incredible trials, tribulations and adventures in space and time.
- DirectorTony WharmbyStarsLoni AndersonCarl WeintraubPatrick MacneeWhen a bedridden wife overhears a murder plot on her phone, she tries to piece the puzzle together and prevent the murder. Based on a famous play.
- DirectorJack BenderStarsChad Michael MurrayNathaniel ArcandAnita BrownThis version takes a look at the character in the years before he became a legend. It all begins with the introduction of Luke Hartman, a 20-year old Boston law student who witnesses the murder of his brother, a Texas Ranger. He himself is wounded amidst the chaos, but is rescued by the Apache Tonto, and subsequently becomes smitten with Tonto's sister Alope. He then devotes his life to avenging his brother's death and fighting injustice, becoming a worldwide legend in the process.
- DirectorGarth JenningsStarsMartin FreemanYasiin BeySam RockwellMere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
- DirectorAurélien PoitrimoultStarsEmmanuel LanziPatrick VoMichaël TroudeThe Green Hornet is a short film based upon characters from the popular radio and pulp series. The Green Hornet is actually Britt Reid, fearless newspaper publisher, who hides behind the Hornet's disguise to battle criminals that have managed to escape the long arm of law-aided. On his side we find of course his martial arts expert sidekick, Kato.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsLily TomlinMeryl StreepWoody HarrelsonA look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsSeth RogenJay ChouChristoph WaltzFollowing the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father's large company, teams up with his late dad's assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppArmie HammerWilliam FichtnerNative American warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.