In The Corner With Dan Hughes

Now Hear This told Navy stories, mostly from World War II.  It was narrated by a sailor named Boats, who was played first by Arnold Robertson and later by Larry Haines.It had a short run, just a few months in the summer and fall of 1951, on NBC.  Here is the first episode, called Fire at Sea.  It aired on June 24, 1951.

The Radio Hall of Fame was produced by Variety, the show-biz bible.  Classical music composer and first president of ASCAP Deems Taylor was the host of the show, and conductor Paul Whiteman was the musical director.  The Radio Hall of Fame was a variety show, with news, comedy, drama, music, and biographies all rolled into one show.  It ran from 1943 to 1946, as an hour show for the first half of its run, then as a half-hour show.This episode, from April 7, 1946, salutes Bill "Mr. Bojangles" Robinson and comedian Larry Storch.

The San Francisco mint, 1917.Somebody was doing SOMETHING unauthorized with one of the new machines that made half dollars, and there were no clues as to who (or what?) was responsible.  The Secret Service to the rescue...This is the exciting story of a counterfeiter who didn't really counterfeit - or did he?  See what you think, as you listen to the story of Charlie Butler and the absolutely-perfect fifty-cent pieces he made on the sly.   For more free articles and a look at (okay, an ad for) my book, The Metal Detecting Manual, visit treasuremanual.com.

The World War II radio program An American in England was written and directed by Norman Corwin and produced by Edward R. Murrow.  Corwin auditioned several British actors for the role of narrator, but at the last minute he rejected them all and sent for American actor Joseph Julian to come to England to do the show.  Julian arrived via bomber, the day before the first broadcast.The purpose of the series was to let America see what the British people were really like, through the eyes of an American.  The series ran for just six episodes on CBS, in the summer and fall of 1942.  This episode first aired on September 7, 1942. 

Joey Adams was in show biz for over 70 years.  From vaudeville to the nightclub stage, from radio and TV to the authorship of 23 books, Adams was a stellar comedian.He hosted the radio quiz show Rate Your Mate on CBS in 1950 and 1951.  This episode aired on August 5, 1950.

The Franklin half dollar was issued from 1948 through 1963.  It was designed by John Sinnock, who died before the coin was issued.  Sinnock had also designed the Roosevelt dime.  Why was there a controversy about Sinnock's initials being on the coins?  Was there a communist influence?  What did the ex-governor of Wyoming have to do with the Franklin half dollar?  Why did an arts commission recommend that the eagle be removed from the coin, and that the crack in the Liberty bell also be removed?  Why did the coin last just 16 years, when law mandated that coins remain unchanged for at least 25 years?And why would Benjamin Franklin himself probably have hated his coin? For articles on getting better depth from your metal detector, choosing your accessories for treasure hunting, the ad for my book, and much more, visit http://treasuremanual.com.

Cloak and Dagger was a high-quality spy thriller that ran in the summer and fall of 1950.  Though it was short-lived, it made an impression and picked up a lot of fans, what with the star power of Willis Cooper, "Raymond" from Inner Sanctum, Everette Sloan of Citizen Kane fame, and Superman's "Look, up in the sky, it's a bird" announcer, Jackson Beck.  The Cloak and Dagger stories were inspired by the book of the same name, written by Corey Ford and Alistair MacBain.  This episode, The Last Mission, first aired on September 9, 1950. 

An Irishman playing an Italian?  Somehow it worked.  Luigi Basco, newly arrived in Chicago from the Old Country, writes a letter each week to his mother back home in Ireland.  And each episode of Life With Luigi is the story told in Luigi's letter.J. Carroll Naish was Luigi, and Alan Reed (TV's Fred Flintstone) was Luigi's friend Pasquale.  The show touched a tender spot in many Americans, and it aired from 1948 to 1953.This episode, Luigi's First Date with an American Girl, first aired on January 9, 1949.

Are you itching to use that new detector you got for Christmas, but the ground is still frozen and snow-covered?  Don't waste the next couple of months just waiting for spring - teach yourself the fine points of using that new machine right now, before you ever dig a signal.By setting up a test box in your living room, you can learn to recognize the good from the bad, and avoid many of the problems most newbies encounter.This show gives you a ton of ideas on experiments you can conduct with your detector and a cardoboard box.  Learn how your machine reacts to various metallic items, learn to pinpoint and determine depth, learn to tell junk from good stuff, and a lot more.  All in the comfort of your living room.  Take notes on this one!  There's a lot of information here, and it's delivered in just three and a half minutes. For more articles on metal detecting and an ad for my book, The Metal Detecting Manual, visit http://treasuremanual.com.

Space Patrol was on radio and TV simultaneously, from 1950 to 1955.  Ed Kemmer was Commander Buzz Corry, and Lyn Osborn was his young sidekick, Cadet Happy.  The Space Patrol took place in the 30th century, and the setting was the entire universe, thanks to the spaceship Terra 5.  This episode, The Immortal Brain, first aired on May 30, 1953.

Night Editor is another of those OTR shows that fell through the cracks, even though it ran on NBC for 13 years.  Unfortunately, it had no stable day or airtime, so it was hard to find unless you kept up with your radio schedule regularly.Hal Burdick starred as the night editor of a big-city newspaper, and he told stories to his young assistant Bobby.  The show was so popular that it was made into a movie in 1946, starring William Gargan and Janis Carter.  The radio version ran just 15 minutes, so I'll play you two episodes in this show.

This episode of In the Treasure Corner began with a random discussion with my wife on the age of George Washington.  I was able to figure it out without going to Google, because I know my American coins.  And that led me to some other fascinating trivia about our coins.How can your numismatic knowledge (or coin smarts) help you determine the birth years of our two most famous presidents?  Did you know that the figure represented on the Indian head penny is the same as the one on the Mercury dime?  Who was the first president to appear on common United States coins?  The first non-president?How many ridges are on a dime?  A quarter?  And why aren't there ridges on pennies and nickels? The answers and more are right here.  Click the POD icon, top left, to the left of the big program number and title.   For more articles about treasure hunting and metal detecting, and a look at my book The Metal Detecting Manual, check out my web site, http://treasuremanual.com.

Command Performance!  Possibly the best variety show ever to air on radio - and people who lived in the USA didn't get to hear it!  Because it was broadcast via shortwave to our Armed Forces overseas during World War II, but not to the folks here at home.  Soldiers - thousands of them every week - wrote letters to Command Performance, requesting that a certain star sing a certain song, or a particular female star just "sigh" into the microphone, or a team from the show travel to a small town in Indiana to record birds singing.The idea was that the soldiers were giving the orders, rather than obeying them as they had to do in real life.  And every star, every technician, every stagehand - they all worked the show for no pay.  Even the networks lent their studios and equipment free for this show.Virtually every star in Hollywood appeared on Command Performance during the war.  This episode, from June 17, 1944, features Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, and Harpo Marx.  (Pictured here:&

Johnny Roventini was a huge voice in a tiny body.  He was a real bellhop who was spotted by an advertising executive who thought Johnny might be the spark he needed for a cigarette campaign.  He auditioned Johnny right there in the Hotel New Yorker, and hired him to represent Philip Morris cigarettes.Johnny appeared on a lot of radio shows, including (what a surprise) The Philip Morris Playhouse.  The show ran, off and on, from 1939 to 1953.  This episode, Murder Needs an Artist, stars Vincent Price.  It first aired on May 6, 1950.

Richard Yeo was fortunate to get a job during the depression.  He was hired as an advertising and marketing representative for the Whitman Publishing Company.  He didn't like the product he was hired to promote, though, so he redesigned it.  And as a result of his brashness, the modern coin collecting hobby was born.  That was just the beginning for Mr. Yeo.  He went on to write the world's two best-known books about United States coins.  And now, over a quarter of a century after his death, new editions of his books are still issued every year. For more stories about treasure hunting and metal detecting, drop by http://treasuremanual.com.

Bob Hope lived to be a hundred, and his wife lived to 102.  He got a lot of mileage out of those one hundred years - singing-dancing-joking in vaudeville; radio, movies, TV, books, and live shows all over the world, mostly in war zones.  And even Bob Hope comic books.Bob was at his best in wartime, entertaining the troops.  And this episode of the Bob Hope Show, from February 27, 1945, was broadcast live from a troop hospital in California.

Quick as a Flash was a quiz show with just five questions - four fast ones, then a fifth one that took up over half the show.  It ran for six years, first as a prime time show, then as a daytime show.Six audience members were selected as contestants, and after they answered the first four questions, the program shifted to a mystery show!  A short mystery play was performed, with a different guest star each week.  The contestants then had to solve the mystery. The show had three hosts over the years:  Ken Roberts for 2 years, Win Elliot for 2 years, and Bill Cullen for 2 years.In this episode, the guest star is the Shadow, as played by Bret Morrison.  It first aired on March 23, 1947.

Suggestions on how to choose a first detector for your (or somebody elses) child.  Get a cheapie?  A top-of-the-line?  Something in between?  What about weight, and buttons and dials and knobs and meters?  As you might guess from the photo, I think you should take a good look at the Tesoro Compadre.  One thing I forgot to mention in the program - Tesoro is the only company that gives a lifetime warranty on all their detectors (no, they don't pay me).  I also offer a quickie little exercise you can do with your child to help him (her) learn to use his (her) new machine efficiently. For more tips on metal detecting, and a sales pitch for my book The Metal Detecting Manual (hint, hint - Christmas!!), visit http://treasuremanual.com.

Top Secret was an espionage series that ran on NBC in the summer and part of the fall of 1950.  It never had a steady time slot, and it was often preempted, so it didn't really get the chance it deserved to become a regular prime time thriller series.Ilona Massey ("the new Dietrich") starred as a female spy.  She was born in Budapest, and her heavy accent was natural.  Massey appeared in several movies in the 1940s.This episode, The Case of the Tattooed Pigeon, first aired on August 13, 1950.

The Cinnamon Bear is a 26-episode adventure serial about Jimmy and Judy Barton's quest to regain the star that tops their Christmas tree.  With an all-star cast, fascinating fairytale characters, and an exciting storyline, the Cinnamon Bear  has become an annual tradition with many families, over three-quarters of a century after it first aired  in 1937.Actors who appear in this serial include Joseph Kearns, Frank Nelson, Howard McNear, Gale Gordon, Elliott Lewis, Verna Feldon, and Barbara Jean Wong.  My podcast includes the first two episodes of The Cinnamon Bear.  You should gather the kids together at bedtime and play them Episode One on November 29.  Each episode runs about 12 minutes.  The next night at bedtime, play them Episode Two.  Then either download the other 24 episodes, or play them directly from the website each night:  http://tinyurl.com/66mlwr.  And why start on November 29?  Because then the last episode will play on Christmas Eve.