T H E B L A C K M U S E U M
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1952
First Show: Jan 01, 1952 Last Show: Dec 30, 1952
Number Shows: 52 Audition Show: none
Series Description:
Opening in 1875, the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard is the oldest
museum in the world purely for recording crime. The name "Black
Museum" was coined in 1877 by a reporter from "The Observer", a
London newspaper, although the museum is still referred to as the
Crime Museum. It is this museum that inspired THE BLACK MUSEUM
radio series, produced in London by Harry Alan Towers.
From Jay Hickerson's "The Ultimate History of Network Radio
Programming and Guide To All Circulating Shows" (see "References"
section below), the earliest US broadcast date was January 1, 1952.
Thirty nine shows, from the full syndication of fifty two shows,
aired over Mutual stations from January 1, 1952 through June 24, 1952
and September 30, 1952 through December 30, 1952.
This may be the earliest broadcast of the series worldwide. It was
later broadcast over Radio Luxembourg starting May 7, 1953. Radio
Luxembourg broadcast sponsored programs at night to England (the BBC
was state-owned and had no commercials). The shows were sponsored by
Dreft and Mirro (cleaning products).
The series continued to be offered in syndication and was heard on
AFRTS broadcasts and in the US on NPR stations through the 1960's,
70's and 80's. Some shows were broadcast by the BBC in England in
1994.
This murder mystery series was based on true life cases from Scotland
Yard's files. Each episode was based on an item or items of evidence
in the museum.
Orsen Welles hosted and narrated the shows. Mr. Welles opened each
show slightly differently but followed a standard format. For
example, the show, "The Bathtub", open as follows:
"This is Orson Welles speaking from London." (Big Ben starts
chiming in the background). "The Black Museum, repository of
death... Here, in this grim stone structure on the Thames
which houses Scotland Yard, is a warehouse of homocide, where
everyday objects, a piece of wire, a chemist's flask, a
silver shilling, all are touched by murder." (dramatic music)
Following the opening, Mr. Welles would introduce the museum's item
or items of evidence that was central to the case, leading into the
dramatization. He also provided narration during the show and ended
each show with his characteristic closing from the days of his
Mercury Theater of the Air, remaining "obediently yours".
Harry Alan Towers produced the series from scripts written by Ira
Marion. Music was composed and conducted by Sidney Torch.
The museum was not open to the general public. It's purpose was
then, and still is, for police training, although it did receive a
considerable number of famous people, including Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle. It is currently used as a lecture theater for the police and
like bodies in various subjects of Criminology. But, thanks to Mr.
Towers and Mr. Welles, we can still get a glimpse of what secrets
are housed in the Black Museum.
Log Comments:
None of the references used showed all 52 shows, none listed broad-
cast dates and few had episode numbers. The shows were untitled for
broadcast and there was title variation source to source. In most
cases, the title was derived from the item introduced by Mr. Welles
at the show's opening. Differences in titles were often an extra
discriptive word or two.
Titles for the list are, first, the most common found, followed by
other titles listed below. The list is in alphetical order (leading
"The" and "A" ignored). The numercal list (first column of the list)
indicated number of shows, not broadcast order. Two references listed
show numbers 3, 4 and 21 with different titles, so a question mark
follows the numbers in this list.
Dick Judge provided story lines for a lot of shows. These are below
titles and alternates, preceded by "Syn:" (synopsis).
To date, only 51 titles have been found. The title for #52 is shown
as "title not known".
Alphabetical Log:
Num Title
--- ------------------------------------------------------------
1. 6 The .22 Caliber Pistol
Aka: The Little Blue 22
Syn: Little blue pistol. Vivian Davis, a woman scorned.
2. A .32 Caliber Bullet
Aka: The Center-Fire Bullet
Syn: Bullet made for killing does not kill. Three men
hold up a jewelry store and commit murder in the
process.
3. 25 The Bath Tub
Syn: Edward Jones has a wife in every city and this
bathtub is important in his apprehension for
murder.
4. The Black Gladstone Bag
5. 23 The Blood Stained Brickbat
Aka: The Blood Stained Brick
Syn: Handy man-gardener, young wife and a husband
attacked by a brick.
6. 8 The Brass Button
Syn: A brass button from an Army uniform is found near
the body of Janet Morgan, the "Swamp Girl".
7. A Can (or Tin) of Weed Killer
Aka: Hidden Poison
Syn: Helen Ashley dies mysteriously; her husband is
arrested for poisoning her.
Guest star: Agnes Moorehead
8. 9 The Canvas Bag
Syn: Young girl is hood-winked by an older man.
9. The Car Tire
Syn: Two men in stolen car are stopped by a policeman
and is killed by one of them.
10. 26 The Champagne Glass
Syn: Retired colonel has poisoned his wife for her money
and is now after his best friend.
11. A Claw Hammer
Aka: Hammer, with a Purpose
Syn: Handyman worms his way into an old ladies house;
wants 50 pounds to leave; he kills her with the
hammer.
12. The Door Key
Syn: On the floor beside a body is found an ordinary,
every day key that leads to the murderer.
13. 5 The Faded Tartan Scarf
Aka: The Yellow Scarf,
The Pike (the lead character)
Syn: "Pike" is known to wear a scarf that he uses for
strangling.
14. Four Small Bottles
Aka: The Medicine Bottles,
The Chloroform Bottles
Syn: Oscar Stone, an old man with a young wife, is
poisoned with chloroform in an "eternal triangle"
murder involving a rich merchant and pastor.
15. A French-English Dictionary
Aka: Strychnine Poison
Syn: When a British pub owner has been poisoned, the
suspects are his wife and her French-speaking
lover. A small English-French dictionary is clue
to murder.
16. 39 The Gas Receipt
Syn: A receipt for ten gallons of gas is a clue to
murder of a constable who is shot to death by four
bullets.
17. Glass Shards
Aka: Frosted Glass
Syn: Charles Fly Sr. and his son catch a burglar in
their apartment. The father is killed, shot by a
small man.
18. 38 The Hammerhead
Syn: Started with almost two dozen disappearances and
wound up with a killer who used a hammer with a
purpose.
19. 36 The Jack Handle
Syn: AWOL US soldier and British singer team up to
create a crime wave of robbery and murder.
20. 3? A Jar of Acid
Aka: The Glass Acid Jar
Syn: Two widows meet Mr. Hart, a research chemist, at a
vacation resort. One of the widows disappears.
21. The Khaki Handkerchief
Aka: Soldier's Handerchief
22. 22 A Lady's Shoe
Syn: Middle-aged newlyweds; he's a fortune hunter.
23. The Leather Bag
Syn: Man carrying payroll is found dead on a train.
Syn: The murdered body of Warren King, who was carrying
a payroll, is found on a train, with five bullets
in his head.
24. A Letter
Syn: The signature of a solicitor, found on a letter, is
used to forge checks by a seemingly educated
criminal.
25. The Mandolin String
Syn: A pretty blond, blue-eyed widow who plays the
mandolin figures promenently in this case of two
"accidental" deaths.
26. Meat Juice
Syn: The story of marital discord between a 50-year old
husband and his under 30 wife.
27. 16 The Notes
Aka: Kilroy Was Here (written on the notes),
The Slogan,
Scribbled Notes
Syn: "Kilroy Was Here" is found written on two notes and
carved into a butcher's block around murder victims.
The police have a good suspect but are they missing
something?
28. 21? The Old Wooden Mallet
Syn: Mallet is clue to a murderer of a man found inside
a burning car on Guy Fawkes Day.
29. 10 The Open End Wrench
Syn: A wrench is the clue when a woman is found dead in
her car after an accident.
30. 3? The Pair of Spectacles
Aka: The Broken Spectacles
31. 4? A Piece of Iron Chain
Aka: Father's Ghost
Syn: Woman comes to the Yard complaining about ghostly
voices she hears and ghosts that drag chains.
32. 12 The Pink Powder Puff
Aka: The Faded Pink Power Puff
Syn: While waiting to be hanged, a murderer tells the
story of his life of crime.
33. The Post Card
Aka: The Rising Sun (picture on postcard)
Syn: The clue of a post card with the picture of a
rising sun helps solve the murder of Alice
Cortland, secretly married to Alfie Vines, when
her headless body is found in Vines' room.
34. A Prescription
Aka: The Doctor's Prescription
Syn: Two ill women, Martha Dawson and her daughter June,
are placed in the care of a woman who later becomes
the chief beneficiary of June's will.
35. 34 The Raincoat
Syn: The raincoat is found wrapped around a dead woman's
body. The husband is suspected and found guilty,
but "reasonable doubt" spares him from death.
36. The Sash Cord
Aka: The Length of Sashcord
Syn: Man found shot to death outside a Brighton theater.
37. A Service Card
Aka: The Auto Service Card
Syn: An odometer reading on a service card helps convict
a man of murdering his parents.
38. The Sheath Knife
39. The Shopping Bag
Syn: Used to suffocate women.
40. A Shilling
Syn: Joey Bart thinks his brother, Dave, has framed him.
Now Joey's out of prison and wants his share of the
bar he owned. A shilling is the clue ot Joey's
murder.
41. A Silencer
Syn: Silencer is used on a gun that kills the husband of
a couple just moving into a neighborhood.
42. 28 The Small White Boxes
Syn: Frenchman in Glasgow has fallen in love with
daughter of a wealthy man; white boxes contain
arsenic.
43. 19 The Spotted Bedsheet
Aka: The Spotted Sheet,
The SS Bengal Tower Bed
Syn: Natalie Parsons, on a cruise ship, mysteriously
disappears.
44. The Straight Razor
Syn: Larry Wilson marries for the third time. His first
two wives died within three years of each other and
now his new wife is dead. But how? And why did he
hide his box of straight razors?
45. 14 The Tan Shoe
Aka: The Blood-Stained Shoe,
Left Tan Shoe
Syn: Courier carrying payroll is slain aboard a train.
46. The Telegram
Syn: An urgent request to die. A chauffer who can't
spell is caught a telegram and a long string of
coincidences.
47. A Trunk
Aka: An Old-Fashioned Trunk
Syn: Man drops a baggage receipt that turns out to be
for a trunk that contains a dissected body.
48. 21? Two Bullets
Aka: Twin 45's,
Twin Messengers of Death,
The .45 Caliber Bullet
Syn: Two bullets from the same weapon each claim a life,
but 3 years apart. The story of two young punks in
wartime London. The caliber of the bullet is never
mentioned in the show.
49. The Walking Stick
Syn: Garibaldi's walking stick, now owned by a doctor,
proves to be an important clue in his wife's death.
50. A Woman's Pigskin Glove
Syn: A woman's glove plays an important part in solving
the deaths of three women by rifle shot.
51. 4? The Wool Jacket
Aka: The Sleeveless Baby Jacket,
Missing Evie Rose
Syn: Shortly after Trevor Moon proposes to Evelyn Rose,
she pays an unannounced visit to his chicken farm
and them disappears.
52. title not known
References:
* "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To All
Circulating Shows", by Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514
* OTR club and vendor catalogs or web sites:
* AVPRO, Don Aston, PO Box 1392, Lake Elsinore, CA 92531-1392
* Edward J. Carr, 216 Shaner Street, Boyertown, PA 19512
* Great American Radio, Gary Kramer, PO Box 504, Genesee, MI 48437
* Hello Again Radio, 10280 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
* Jerry Haendiges Productions, Jerry Haendiges, 13808 Sunset Dr.,
Whittier, CA 90602
* McCoy's Recordings Inc., Pat McCoy, PO Box 1069, Richland, Wash.
99352
* Memories Of Radio, Dick Judge, PO Box 67800, Rochester NY 14617
* Radio Historical Association of Colorado, PO Box 1908,
Englewood, CO 80150
* Radio Memories, Ted Davenport, 1600 Wewoka St., North Little
Rock, AR 72116
* Radio Showcase, Steve Kelez, PO Box 4357, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
* Radio Spirits, PO Box 2141, Schiller Park, IL 60176-2141
* Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety And
Comedy, PO Box 7177, Van Nuys, CA 91409-7177
* Vintage Broadcasts, Andy Blatt, PO Box 50065, Staten Island, NY
10305
Additional:
Besides the vendors shown above, BLACK MUSEUM sets are commercially
available in the United Kingdom, published by Hodder Headline. The
title of these sets, along with their ISBN and shows contained in
them are:
* "Tales from the Black Museum", ISBN 185998 1542, shows:
"The Key", "The Car Tyre", "Brickbat", "The Jacket", "The
Pike", "The Little Blue", "The Chain", "The Brass Button".
* "More Tales from the Black Museum", ISBN 185998 1747, shows:
"Canvas Bag", "Silencer", "Mandolin String", "Powder Puff",
"The Sash Cord", "Blood-Stained Shoe", "Pair Of Spectacles",
"The Notes".
* "Further Tales from the Black Museum", ISBN 185998 1755, shows:
"The Hammer", "Sheath Knife", "The Spotted Sheet", "The
Shoe" (many contain others).
Other Logs or Books:
* THE BLACK MUSEUM log, Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514
Reader Feedback:
Special thanks has to go to Paul Urbahn for providing copies of all
shows he had and lots of additional information. Besides Paul:
* From Arlene Osborne: Titles "The Center-Fire Bullet", "The Notes"
and "Strichnine Poison". She also sent her full list of shows.
* From Bob Kimmel: Titles "The Medicine Bottles", "The Sheath
Knife" and "The Black Bag".
* From Steve Kelez (Radio Showcase): "The Center-Fire Bullet" and
"The .22 Caliber Pistol" are the same.
* From Darrell Anderson and Andy Emmerson: The actual Black Museum
does exist.
* From Al Hubin: Alternates titles.
* From Dick Judge: A couple more alternates, some type corrections
and a list of story lines.
Last Update: May 20, 2004
This log is informational only. It does not imply that I or my
references have these shows for trade or sale. The shows may still
be protected under copyright law and should be obtained only from
authorized dealers.
The log may be freely reproduced and published on a no-profit basis.
Please send error corrections or additional information to Frank M.
Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044 (email: wb2ntp@arrl.net).