HOPALONG CASSIDY Radio Show by Dick Judge Feb 14, 2005
What red-blooded kid of the early 1950s didn't listen to Hopalong Cassidy
on the radio. A western that was greater than The Roy Rogers Show or
Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. Hoppy was a hero to one and all. He and his
sidekick, California Carlson, roamed the Southwest in thrilling stories
week after week. Almost every tale had a little mystery in it, and almost
every story ended with Hoppy's boiserous laugh.
Clarence Mulford, the author of the Hopalong Cassidy stores, created a hard-
fisted, rough and tought cowboy. Nowhewre's near or liked the loveable Hoppy
of the movies and radio series. He became a hero in black and on a white
horse - a super hero of the West. He rescued damsels and cowboys in trouble,
along with ranchers and bankers and railroad owners always against the bad
guys - robbers, thieves, rustlers and the like.
William Boyd was Hoppy and his sidekick was played by either Andy Clyde or
Joe DuVal. Boyd who began his movie career in the days of silent films was
a forgotten man until he was asked to portray Hopalong Cassidy in the movies
of the 1940s. By 1946 or so he had been in over 60 Hoppy movies and was
crowned the king of the cowboys. He became the hero of kids around the
world and this lasted until another resurgence in the form of the Hoppy
radio series. Once more he attained the fame and regards of kids and
adults. During the radio years, TV versions of his early films began appear-
ing on televison. His early movies were edited for televison of the day
and once more Bill Boyd entertained his fans. There's more - with the success
of these old movies, still another series of original TV films came. And
once again Bill Boyd as Hoppy was an immediate success
The radio series were a hard sell. And the owners could find no takers.
When this series began it was offered to the various networks. They wanted
nothing to do with it so the owners had to sell it in syndication. But, af-
ter a short time it became extremely successful that later on it was heard
on the Mutual and CBS networks.
For the most part the Hopalong Cassiday Radio Show was in syndication. There
were many starting dates beginning in 1948. The dates used in this log is
just one of those.
Following the chronological order below is the alphabetical listings.
If need be, the author of this log can be found at dickjudge@juno.com.
Number of shows in the RADIO series: 104
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Date No. Title Story line
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50-01-01 001 Dead Man's Hand Hoppy gets a letter asking for his
help but it turns out to be forged
50-01-08 002 The Rainmaker of Eagle Nest Hoppy decides to settle down near
Mountain the mountain but finds trouble when
he gets there
50-01-15 003 Coltsville Terror Bad weather forces Hoppy and
California into a deserted church
and the deserted town of Coltsville
50-01-22 004 The Mystery of Skull Valley Hoppy and California find some
Spanish coins
50-01-29 005 Renegades of the San Rafael John Carter is accused of selling
his ranch to a water company and
fellow anchers are upset because
that's the only water
50-02-05 006 The Phantom Bandito Hoppy stops a youngster from
poisoning himself
50-02-12 007 Murder on the Trail Man on his way to secret Lost Can-
yon is killed
50-02-19 008 Hoppy Takes a Chance One of Hoppy's hands is an ex-con;
he is accused of killing a stage-
coach driver
50-02-26 009 The Voice of the Dead California's cousin dies and he and
Hoppy go for a reading of the will
50-03-05 010 Ten Strike Gold Ambushed stage coach
50-03-12 011 The Red Rock Mesa The boys come across a ranch house
that is burned down
50-03-19 012 The Empty Saddle It's round-up time at the Bar 20.
Hoppy's top hand is late getting
back from a dance, but his horse
isn't
50-03-26 013 The Failure Young man sells his ranch thinking
he is a failure at ranching, then
decides to help a man run for
sheriff
50-04-02 014 The Bandits of Ridge Creek Tom Henkle loses his ranch and is
sent to jail after stolen bank mon-
ey is found at his place
50-04-09 015 The Killers of Sandy Gulch William Taylor is convicted of
killing a banker. He escapes jail
and his wife asks Hoppy to clear
him
50-04-16 016 The Red Death Hoppy and California come across a
dead man who is red all over
50-04-23 017 The Coyote's Creed Ricky Curtis asks for help. His
cattle have been stampeded and his
water poisoned
50-04-30 018 Bullots for Ballots Trouble brews in Gila Corners
where folks are determined to
elect a new sheriff
50-05-07 019 The Green River Payoff Hoppy and Sheriff Perry are after
a gang of bank robbers
50-05-14 020 The Man Who Made Willy Whirl Joe Gregory accuses Hoppy of being
a blackmailer
50-05-21 021 Range War Many ranchers, including Hoppy,
find they are 100 head of cattle
short at round-up time
50-05-28 022 The Letter from the Grave Hoppy gets a letter from a friend
that was mailed last week, but
written 15 years ago
50-06-04 023 Death Paints a Picture A picture in a dead man's pocket
is a clue to the death of the man
he was looking for
50-06-11 024 The Border of Nowhere Hoppy challenges corrupt mayor who
wants to charge Hoppy cattle trail
insurance of $2 for each head
50-06-18 025 The Medicine Man Hoppy meets up with a patent
medicine man and a little later
$20,000 from a cattle sale disap-
pears
50-06-25 026 The Flying Outlaw Pigeons are used as means of comm-
unications to steal gold shipments
50-07-02 027 The Sundown Kid On the trail Hoppy runs into a
young man who is out of his head -
suffering from sunstroke and a
bullet-creased ear
50-07-09 028 Hoppy Sees Red California is fit to be tied. The
new cook walks out, leaving a big
big pile of dirty dishes and pans
50-07-16 029 Hoppy and the School Marm The school teacher breaks the win-
dows of a new saloon and gambling
hall. Later she disappears and
Hoppy looks for her
50-07-23 030 The King of Cinnabar Young rancher that had been be-
friended by Hoppy, refuses to pay
$1 a head per month for using the
"King's" range for watering his
cattle
50-07-30 031 The Shell Game Hoppy and California are in NYC and
California goes to see an old girl-
friend, Hashknife Lil
50-08-06 032 Blood Money The boys comes across a man burying
a suitcase. Right after that another
man comes by and digs it up
50-08-13 033 The Disappearing Deputy An Indian deputy and friend asks for
help. When Hoppy arrives his friend
has disappeared
50-08-20 034 The Whistlin' Ghost The boys visit California's old
home town. They come to a cabin,
hear some whistling from a ravine
and shots are fired at them
50-08-27 035 An Old Spanish Custom On a cattle buying trip to Don Or-
tega's ranch they find burned
buildings and the Don near death.
He says men are after his buried
treasure
50-09-03 036 The Secret of Martin Doon A land survey for a railroad was
incorrectly done on purpose
50-09-10 037 And Four to Go Man comes riding onto the Bar 20.
He is shot and killed in front of
Hoppy. He has a list of four names
in his pocket and Hoppy is on the
list. Why?
50-09-17 038 The Red Terror The Red Terror is a fighter who
kills a man he's boxing. Hoppy
knows that this was done on purpose
50-09-24 039 Hoppy and the Iron Horse Accidents are happening to the rail-
road and the chief suspect is the
brakeman who is married to the
boss' daughter
50-09-30 040 Gunsmoke Rides the Stage- The stage is held up amd the mine
coach Trail payroll taken. Suspect is a nester
with red hair
50-10-07 041 Tinker's Dam Stage is held up and the bandit was
dressed in black including his
horse that had a black cloth over
it
50-10-14 042 Hoppy Pays a Debt Hoppy helps a young man who has a
$10,000 gambling debt
50-10-21 043 Hoppy Turns on the Heat Banker asks for help in getting a
$14,000 loan back from a dance hall
owner
50-10-28 044 Death Runs Dry Big drought and a local rancher is
putting in an irrigatiom ditch but
there has been a series of acci-
dents
50-11-04 045 Melody of Murder The boys are on a stage with a
wealthy Chinese man who wants to
buy a ranch. He is later found
murdered
50-11-11 046 The King of Spades Story line not known
50-11-18 047 Hoppy Takes the Bull by Hoppy is after a prize bull that is
the Horns offered for sale but he thinks
that there's something wrong
50-11-25 048 Dead or Alive Three men escape from prison, one
of them being Hoppy's old prospect-
ing partner
50-12-02 049 The Mystery at Three Oaks Why is a defunct mine so valuable
that men are fighting and killing
over picking up all the shares
50-12-09 050 The Plague of Parson's Folly An old-timer is found shot in the
back in an abandoned church
50-12-16 051 Mystery at the Diamond Z Two men are arguing over a ranch.
The owner wants to sell before the
mortgage is foreclosed
50-12-23 052 The Santa Claus Rustlers Christmas story. Fast-talking boy
runs away from home. He wants to
make some quick money to buy a tree
and presents for his parents
50-12-30 053 The Golden Lure Hoppy and California are asked to
escort a girl home by her father.
They think she's 10 but she turns
out to be a very attractuve 19
year old girl
51-01-06 054 The Case of the Last Word A series of bank robberies have
cleaned out local ranchers
51-01-13 055 Bad Medicine at Rimrock Young boy is hunted for a murder
Hoppy doesn't think he committed
51-01-20 056 The Frightened Town It's a range war and Hoppy steps in
to protect a doctor who wants to
treat a wounded man
51-01-27 057 The Killer in Black California is sought as a killer
after his clothes is switched with
the real killer
51-02-03 058 Coming Attraction, Murder Hoppy visits an old Scottish friend
and becomes a bodyguard to a French
songbird
51-02-10 059 Wet Beef and Dry Bones A woman asks Hoppy to help her find
her husband who is missing after
going into a haunted canyon
51-02-17 060 The Black Grass Fever Hundreds of cattle are dying and
the vet says this is because of
black grass fever but there is no
such disease
51-02-24 061 The Cold Country In a gold strike town Hoppy's
friend wants to run away because
he is falsely accused of killing
his wife
51-03-03 062 The Buckshot Badman A rider is found shot in the back
with a shotgun. The man he worked
for also was killed the same way
51-03-10 063 The Boss of Vinegar Bend The "Boss" sells some worthless
land to a widow and her daughter,
both new to the West
51-03-17 064 The Land of the Gunhawks Hoppy and California are after a
friend's son who thinks he killed
a man and has run away
51-03-24 065 The Devil's Drum Taking a shortcut, the boys come
across what was an abandoned cabin
with food still warm on the table
but no one is around
51-03-31 066 Hoppy Elects a Sheriff Who shall be elected? A man of
law and order or a figure-head
for the forces of evil
51-04-07 067 Peril at Pier Nineteen The boys are in San Francisco and
an Australian rancher is robbed of
his cash with which he was to buy
cattle from Hoppy
51-04-14 068 Death Crosses the River Passenger on a stagecoach is killed
and the bandits take his suitcase
which is later determined to be
Hoppy's
51-04-21 069 Stagecoach West The boys come across a burned down
stagecoach horse exchange station.
California think the Injuns done it
51-04-28 070 The Unwilling Outlaw Young man is mistaken for the Pana-
mint Kid. After being sentenced to
hang he escapes and asks Hoppy to
help clear his name
51-05-05 071 Kidnapper's Trail A senator and his daughter are
coming to town. But before they
arrive, the senator's daughter is
kidnapped
51-05-12 072 The Bandit of Blackton Bend Saloonkeeper and newspaper publish-
er agree to a fist fight that is to
settle their differences
51-05-19 073 Hook, Line and Murder On a fishing trip California snags
the body of a man who has been
missing for two days
51-05-26 074 The Phantom Panther A panther is said to have been
killing and stampeding cattle, but
no one has ever seen him
51-06-02 075 Hoppy Plays a Hunch Rancher on his way to pay off the
last loan installment on his ranch
is waylaid and robbed of his money
51-06-09 076 A Jailer Named Satan Evil sheriff forces his prisoners
to work as hands on his ranch
51-06-16 077 The Man in the Yellow Mask A man thinks his son is the masked
bandit who has been on a robbing
and killing spree
51-06-23 078 Run, Sheep, Run Ranchers are angry because one of
their own has sold out to a sheep-
man
51-06-30 079 Hoppy Meets His Match Hoppy is mistakenly taken to be a
long lost Prince. He is forced into
marrying a wealthy woman who
claims to be a Princess
51-09-22 080 Apaches Don't Need Guns Apaches are on the warpath. A man
stumbles into camp with an arrow in
his back
51-09-29 081 A Shot in the Dark A man causes resentment in town be-
cause of his Eastern background. He
has turned into a gambler and a
drinker and his wife asks Hoppy to
help
51-10-06 082 The Gunhawk Convention The bad guys have taken over town
and have taken $10,000 in gold away
from Hoppy and California
51-10-13 083 The Gunfighter in Short A 13 year old is after the man he
Pants thinks killed his father
51-10-20 084 The Songbird of Santa Fe Hoppy promises a dying man that
he will deliver a ring
51-10-27 085 Bayou Drums Mean Death While Hoppy and California are in
New Orleans, a strange old woman,
a priestess of voodoo, is causing
trouble
51-11-03 086 Clean-Up of Caribou Mesa Hoppy and California are almost
hanged as rustlers
51-11-10 087 Six Little Men Who Were While on a train, Hoppy and Calif-
Green ornia meet a man who is later push-
ed off the moving train by six men
51-11-17 088 Junior Badman Townspeople think the bank is being
robbed but it turns out to be a 10
year old boy
51-11-24 089 The Devil and El Diablo An outlaw who disappeared years ago
is back causing havoc once more
51-12-01 090 The Lawyer of Laredo Largest ranch owner in California
is killed and Hoppy is asked to
find out who did it
51-12-08 091 The Secret in the Hill Sheriff offers a reward of $500 for
a killer Dead or Alive. Hoppy wants
to know why
51-12-15 092 The Memory of Mace Melot Red-haired saloon girl takes a shot
at Hoppy because she thinks he is a
gunman after her boyfriend
51-12-22 093 The Spider Woman Old woman is chased by horsemen
because she has cursed some men
and they later die
51-12-29 094 The Killers of Lion Canyon Hoppy finds an old friend hurt bad
by what are supposed to be caused
by a mountain lion
52-01-05 095 The Wastrels of Juarez The cashier and new teller of the
local bank have absconded with all
the assets
52-01-12 096 Gambler's Luck Rancher down on his luck borrows
$10,000 to make money playing poker
but gets involved with a crooked
card player and loses everything
52-01-19 097 Danger Wears Two Faces Hoppy and California are helping a
friend by trailing his beef herd
that has been rustled
52-01-26 098 California or Bust A friend of Hoppy's is in jail on a
murder charge and he comes to the
rescue
52-02-02 099 Death Comes Invited A bank robbery, the sheriff who
has been shot, and a crooked
deputy make a great story
52-02-09 100 The Bull Fight A rancher upgrades his stock with
some pure-bred bulls. One is shot
and he blames Hoppy for this
52-02-16 101 The Women of Windy Ridge A friend of Californa's is holed
up in her house. She was wrongly
accused of killing the marshal
52-02-23 102 Right Rope, Wrong Neck Hoppy and California are on their
way to help a friend who faces the
rope. They have his pardon but he
escapes before they get there
52-03-01 103 Stampede at Semple's Who crosses first, Hoppy or another
Crossing trail boss. They have a fist fight
and Hoppy wins - or does he?
52-03-08 104 Cowtown Trouble Shooters There's a feud between two cattle
(Last show in the series) buying companies
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Below is the alphabetical listing - - -
50-09-10 037 And Four to Go
51-09-22 080 Apaches Don't Need Guns
51-01-13 055 Bad Medicine at Rimrock
51-05-12 072 Bandit of Blackton Bend, The
50-04-02 014 Bandits of Ridge Creek, The
51-10-27 085 Bayou Drums Mean Death
51-02-17 060 Black Grass Fever, The
50-08-06 032 Blood Money
50-06-11 024 Border of Nowhere, The
51-03-10 063 Boss of Vinegar Bend, The
51-03-03 062 Buckshot Badman, The
52-02-09 100 Bull Fight, The
50-04-30 018 Bullots for Ballots
52-01-26 098 California or Bust
51-01-06 054 Case of the Last Word, The
51-11-03 086 Clean-Up of Caribou Mesa
51-02-24 061 Cold Country, The
50-01-15 003 Coltsville Terror
51-02-03 058 Coming Attraction, Murder
52-03-08 104 Cowtown Trouble Shooters (Last show)
50-04-23 017 Coyote's Creed, The
52-01-19 097 Danger Wears Two Faces
50-01-01 001 Dead Man's Hand
50-11-25 048 Dead or Alive
52-02-02 099 Death Comes Invited
51-04-14 068 Death Crosses the River
50-06-04 023 Death Paints a Picture
50-10-28 044 Death Runs Dry
51-11-24 089 Devil and El Diablo, The
51-03-24 065 Devil's Drum, The
50-08-13 033 Disappearing Deputy, The
50-03-19 012 Empty Saddle, The
50-03-26 013 Failure, The
50-06-25 026 Flying Outlaw, The
51-01-20 056 Frightened Town, The
52-01-12 096 Gambler's Luck
50-12-30 053 Golden Lure, The
50-05-07 019 Green River Payoff, The
51-10-13 083 Gunfighter in Short Pants, The
51-10-06 082 Gunhawk Convention, The
50-09-30 040 Gunsmoke Rides the Stagecoach Trail
51-05-19 073 Hook, Line and Murder
50-09-24 039 Hoppy and the Iron Horse
50-07-16 029 Hoppy and the School Marm
51-03-31 066 Hoppy Elects a Sheriff
51-06-30 079 Hoppy Meets His Match
50-10-14 042 Hoppy Pays a Debt
51-06-02 075 Hoppy Plays a Hunch
50-07-09 028 Hoppy Sees Red
50-02-19 008 Hoppy Takes a Chance
50-11-18 047 Hoppy Takes the Bull by the Horns
50-10-21 043 Hoppy Turns on the Heat
51-06-09 076 Jailer Named Satan, A
51-11-17 088 Junior Badman
51-05-05 071 Kidnapper's Trail
51-01-27 057 Killer in Black, The
51-12-29 094 Killers of Lion Canyon, The
50-04-09 015 Killers of Sandy Gulch, The
50-07-23 030 King of Cinnabar, The
50-11-11 046 King of Spades, The
51-03-17 064 Land of the Gunhawks, The
51-12-01 090 Lawyer of Laredo, The
50-05-28 022 Letter from the Grave, The
51-06-16 077 Man in the Yellow Mask, The
50-05-14 020 Man Who Made Willy Whirl, The
50-06-18 025 Medicine Man, The
50-11-04 045 Melody of Murder
51-12-15 092 Memory of Mace Melot, The
50-02-12 007 Murder on the Trail
50-12-16 051 Mystery at the Diamond Z
50-12-02 049 Mystery at Three Oaks, The
50-01-22 004 Mystery of Skull Valley, The
50-08-27 035 Old Spanish Custom, An
51-04-07 067 Peril at Pier Nineteen
50-02-05 006 Phantom Bandito, The
51-05-26 074 Phantom Panther, The
50-12-09 050 Plague of Parson's Folly, The
50-01-08 002 Rainmaker of Eagle Nest Mountain, The
50-05-21 021 Range War
50-04-16 016 Red Death, The
50-03-12 011 Red Rock Mesa, The
50-09-17 038 Red Terror, The
50-01-29 005 Renegades of the San Rafael
52-02-23 102 Right Rope, Wrong Neck
51-06-23 078 Run, Sheep, Run
50-12-23 052 Santa Claus Rustlers, The
51-12-08 091 Secret in the Hill, The
50-09-03 036 Secret of Martin Doon, The
50-07-30 031 Shell Game, The
51-09-29 081 Shot in the Dark, A
51-11-10 087 Six Little Men Who Were Green
51-10-20 084 Songbird of Santa Fe, The
51-12-22 093 Spider Woman, The
51-04-21 069 Stagecoach West
52-03-01 103 Stampede at Semple's Crossing
50-07-02 027 Sundown Kid, The
50-03-05 010 Ten Strike Gold
52-01-05 095 The Wastrels of Juarez, The
50-10-07 041 Tinker's Dam
51-04-28 070 Unwilling Outlaw, The
50-02-26 009 Voice of the Dead, The
51-02-10 059 Wet Beef and Dry Bones
50-08-20 034 Whistlin' Ghost, The
52-02-16 101 Women of Windy Ridge, The