The Line-Up Radio Program
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The Line-Up MP3 Cover Art

Wrigley's Doublemint gum co-sponsored much of The Line-Up's run

Chrysler used The Line-Up to promote its Plymouth Line-Up for 1952

It wasn't much of a stretch to mate The Line-Up with automobile sponsors. Ford chimed in for 1952 as well.
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Background
The Line-Up stands as one of the most well-produced crime dramas of The Golden Age of Radio. The cast is comprised of top-tier, A-List talent from top to bottom. With Elliott Lewis directing his cast of some of the finest voice talent of the era--and top-drawer sound technicians to match--this series remains one of the best examples of the Crime Drama genre. Think of Calling All Cars, minus the jingoistic flag-waving, updated to contemporary 1950s crime themes, and peppered with the more authentic radio-verité atmospherics of Unit 99, Night Watch, and Dragnet, and you have The Line-Up.
It's also been one of the most difficult series to collect over the years. The good news is that with new episodes surfacing each year, there's every possibility that we'll soon have a complete run of the series to enjoy in its entirety.
Bill Johnstone gives his usual solid performance as Lieutenant Ben Guthrie of the San Francisco Police Department. He's aided for the first year of the run by the equally solid Wally Maher, with his gritty, sardonic voice characterizations. The stellar list of non-recurring talent represents some of the most respected names in Radio--and Television: Raymond Burr, Jay Novello, Joe Kearns, Elliott Lewis, Virginia Gregg, Ed Begley, Bill Bouchey, Herb Butterfield, Barton Yarborough, Wilms Herbert, Jeanette Nolan, Ted de Corsia, Howard McNear and Bill Conrad. It just doesn't get better than that.
The premise of each episode is prefaced with a gritty, highly realistic line-up, replete with background atomospherics and actors realistically speaking over each other, but with an underlying investigation--or two--under discussion below the background noise of the introductory line-up and exposition. The subject matter of each episode was hard-hitting, often harsh, but highly realistic criminal sub-plots.
The series is also remembered for the loss of one of Radio's finest and most popular voice talents. Wally Maher, still a relatively young man, had lost a lung to a protracted illness just months before the series first aired. By just over a year into The Line-Up's run, Maher was again hospitalized and passed away during that hospitalization. Raymond Burr, who'd already been introduced in a couple of semi-recurring roles, added his talent to The Line-Up for the remainder of its run in an effort to make up for the loss of Wally Maher.
By the early 1950s, Television's own Crime Dramas were taking root and offering greater and greater competition to the Crime Drama genre, especially. Crime Dramas, as contrasted with Detective Dramas had become more and more documentary in style and substance, on Radio, Film, and Television. The public's desire for even more realistic depictions of Crime Dramas fueled their greater success on Television versus Radio, and the crime drama genre began to lose its long-standing attraction over Radio.
Detective and Mystery Dramas, by contrast, could continue to create as highly stylized and convoluted plots as ever on Radio, and thus remained a significant presence over Radio for another eight to ten years. But it was becoming clear that Television was fast learning how to capture the imagination of Radio listeners, and the days of Radio's media dominance were clearly nearing their end.
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Series Derivatives:
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Armed Forces Radio Service [AFRTS] Series END-340 |
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Genre: |
Anthology of Golden Age Radio Crime Dramas |
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Network(s): |
Columbia Broadcasting System, The AFRTS, and several other local affiliates and networks. |
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Audition Date(s) and Title(s): |
None |
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Premiere Date(s) and Title(s): |
50-07-06 01 'Three Young Girls Murdered' |
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Run Dates(s)/ Time(s): |
1950 Summer Run: 50-07-06 50-08-24, Thu, 8 pm
(Summer replacement for FBI In Peace and War)
1950 September Run: 50-09-02 50-09-23, Sat, 8:30 pm
50-09-28 - 51-03-01 Run: Thursday
51-03-06 - 51-07-03 Run: Tuesday, 10:00 pm
51-07-12 51-08-23 Run: Thursday, 9:00 pm
51-09-05 51-09-26 Run: Wednesday, 9:00 pm
51-10-04 51-12-27 Run: Thursday, 10:00 pm
52-01-08 52-08-05 Run: Tuesday, 10:00 pm and 9:00 pm
52-09-10 - 52-11-26 Run: Wednesday, 10:00 pm
52-12-12 - 53-02-20 Run: Friday, 8:30 pm
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Syndication: |
AFRTS |
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Sponsors: |
Wrigley, 1952 Plymouth, and 1952 Ford |
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Director(s): |
Elliott Lewis, Jaime Del Valle |
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Principal Actors: |
William Johnstone as Lieutenant Ben Guthrie, Joe Kearns and Wally Maher as Detective Sergeant Matt Grebb. Non-Recurring: Raymond Burr, William Conrad, Elliott Lewis, Virginia Gregg, Jay Novello, Francis X Bushman, John McIntire, Howard McNear, Clayton Post, Ed Begley, Sidney Miller, Joseph Du Val, Bill Bouchey, Herb Butterfield, Barton Yarborough, Sammie Hill, Mary Lansing, Wilms Herbert, Jeanette Nolan, Hy Averback, Tony Barrett, Dick Ryan, Ted de Corsia, Peter Leeds. |
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Recurring Character(s): |
Lieutenant Ben Guthrie [Bill Johnstone], Detective Sergeant Matt Grebb [Joe Kearns, Wally Maher], Detective Sergeant Quine |
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Protagonist(s): |
Varies from episode to episode |
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Author(s): |
Varies from episode to episode |
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Writer(s) |
Morton Fine, Blake Edwards, Milton Geiger, Richard Cline. |
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Music Direction: |
Eddie Dunstedter |
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Musical Theme(s): |
Unknown |
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Announcer(s): |
Dan Cubberly |
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Estimated Scripts or
Broadcasts: |
132 |
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Episodes in Circulation: |
71 |
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Total Episodes in Collection: |
53 |
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Provenances: |
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RadioGOLDINdex (David Goldin), Jay Hickerson Guide, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, 'The Directory of The Armed Forces Radio Service Series', Dick Judge Line-Up Log, Martin Grams' Radio Dramas.
Notes on Provenances:
All above cited provenances differ in one form or another. The most helpful provenances were the log of the RadioGOLDINdex and newspaper listings.
There are several 'gotchas' laying in wait for anyone attempting to log this series. That being said, there's also been a lot of often intentionally poor due diligence regarding this series throughout the 'OTR' years, for purely commercial reasons. This is unacceptable.
1. The first 'gotcha' was the long-standing representation by several of the most prominent 'OTR Traders' (sellers), that there were nine (9) episodes in the initial Summer Replacement run. In fact, the provenance in Episode #3, announces that the FBI In Peace and War series will resume August 31, 1950, in 'six weeks'. That being the 3rd episode, the 8th episode would therefore be the last of the Summer Replacement Run, Q.E.D.. This information is absent in all publicly available logs, with the exception of the most recently updated Jay Hickerson Guide log. Sadly, there is apparently no monetary incentive for high-volume 'OTR Dealers' to acknowledge this correction for their clients' benefit. Deliberate misinformation apparently drives naive consumers to return to the same source over and over again to obtain revised or corrected compilations--with yet another purchase.
2. The next 'gotcha' is the Suspense provenance in the 'Cully Price and the Spartan Payroll' episode. Most log creators/dealers--to this day--cite a 51-06-14 date for this episode. But as the Suspense announcement in the credits states, the 'this Thursday' episode of Suspense is to be a special Gregory Peck-hosted episode dealing with 'narcotics and teenagers'. That makes that episode the 51-06-14 episode, 'The Truth About Jerry Baxter'. Therefore, since that episode aired Thursday, June 14, 1951, then the correct date for 'Cully Price and the Spartan Payroll' must be the Tuesday, two days previous, or June 12, 1951.
3. The third 'gotcha' is 'The Drinkler Kidnapping' episode, previously undated. The provenance contained in intact episodes comes from the announcement at the beginning of the recording, stating that the beginning of the 1952 Democratic National Convention will be delayed a couple of hours. The 1952 Democratic National Convention took place between July 21 - 26, 1952. Since this episode ran during the 'Tuesdays at 9:00 pm or 10:00 pm' run, then the only Tuesday falling withing that window had to be the 22nd of July. Therefore the correct date for 'The Drinkler Kidnapping' has to have been 52-07-22, Q.E.D..
4. The fourth 'gotcha' is the provenance for the 'Gas Station Attendant Killed' episode, previously undated. The intact recording contains a five-minute newsbreak by Robert Trout immediately following the credits. Within that newsbreak, Trout cites two key historical news announcements: a.) That the Iranian Government has broken diplomatic relations with Great Britain, over a dispute about Iran's refusal to return a handbook on diplomatic relations to Great Britain; b.) That the Coalition Government of Austria has fallen after a shakey seven-year rule. Given the historical import of both announcements, the date of that newsbreak can be traced to October 22, 1952. This gives the 'Gas Station Attendant' episode a date of 52-10-22, Q.E.D.
5. The last 'gotcha' is resolved with the provenance contained within the 'Betty Matthews' episode, dated 52-11-26. The announcement within that episode states that 'Betty Matthews' is the last Wednesday episode and that there will be no show the following week, with the series resuming the following Friday. This provenance gives the 'Filling Station Holdup' episode, previously misdated '52-12-05' a correct date of 52-12-12, also a Friday.
6. There are also several anecdotaly misnamed episodes throughout the run: among the undated episodes there are several generic 'narcotics' themed episodes. Our research disclosed four distinct, undated scripts with a narcotics or drug-dealing theme. In addition the episode about a murdered body found in the trunk of a car should be 'Bennie Kirk's Wife Found Dead In A Trunk', since the episode reveals that the 'Greens' were both using an alias while they were 'on the lam'.
7. There are also two previously undisclosed 'rehearsals' in current circulation:
- 'Dorothy Shelton', dated either 52-12-24 or 52-12-25
- 'The Younger Hold-Up', currently undated.
What you see here, is what you get. Complete transparency. We have no 'credentials' whatsoever--in any way, shape, or form--in the 'otr community'--none. But here's how we did it--for better or worse. Here's how you can build on it yourselves--hopefully for the better. Here are the breadcrumbs--just follow the trail a bit further if you wish. No hobbled downloads. No misdirection. No posturing about our 'credentials.' No misrepresentations. No strings attached. We point you in the right direction and you're free to expand on it, extend it, use it however it best advances your efforts.
We ask one thing and one thing only--if you employ what we publish, attribute it, before we cite you on it.
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We don't pronounce our Golden Age Radio research as 'certified' anything. By the very definition, research is imperfect. We simply tell the truth. As is our continuing practice, we provide our fully provenanced research results--to the extent possible--right here on the page, for any of our peers to review--or refute--as the case may be. If you take issue with any of our findings, you're welcome to cite any better verifiable source(s) and we'll immediately review them and update our findings accordingly. As more verifiable provenances surface, we'll continue to update the following series log, as appropriate.
All rights reserved by their respective sources. Article and log copyright 2009 The Digital Deli Online--all rights reserved. Any failure to attribute the results of this copywritten work will be rigorously pursued.
[Date, title, and episode column annotations in red refer to either details we have yet to fully provenance or other unverifiable information as of this writing. Red highlights in the text of the 'Notes' columns refer to information upon which we relied in citing dates, date or time changes, or titles.]
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The Line-Up Biographies
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William Llewellyn
'Bill' Johnstone
Radio, Television, Film and Stage Actor
(1908-1996)
Birthplace:
New York City, New York
Radiography:
1937
Les Miserables
1938
The Shadow
1938
Great Plays
1939
The Campbell Playhouse
1940
The Cavalcade of America
1940
The Columbia Workshop
1945
The Pacific Story
1945
Arch Oboler's Plays
1945
Theatre of Romance
1947
The Theatre Guild On The Air
1946
The Mercury Summer Theatre
1947
The Whistler
1947
The Lux Radio Theatre
1947
Superman [Audition]
1947
Doorway to Life
1948
Ellery Queen
1948
Hallmark Playhouse
1949
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe
1949
The Adventures of Frank Race
1950
Pursuit
1950
Family Theatre
1951
The Line-Up
1951
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
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Bill Johnstone in Dragnet, c. 1952
Bill Johnstone and Jeanette Nolan of the Cavalcade of America dramas have been heard in more historical Mr. and Mrs. roles than any pair in radio. Off the air Bill is a bachelor. Miss Nolan is married to Actor John McIntire. (c. 1938)

Bill Johnstone and Agnes Morehead in The Shadow, c. 1938

Bill Johnstone, c. 1944
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Bill Johnstone was one of the most prolific actors in Radio. Although precious little information is available on his private life, his radio life was arguably more varied and prodigious than virtually any of his peers.
While he's probably most immediately associated with his long-running role as Lamont Cranston, 'The Shadow', he's equally remembered by thousands of his fans as the voice of Lieutenant Ben Guthrie in the poorly documented, but highly collectable radio program, 'The Line-Up'.
So varied were his roles over the years that he'll be equally well remembered for his hundreds of appearances in Cavalcade of America, as the Autolite spokesperson for hundreds of Suspense episodes, and for memorable roles in Lux Radio Theatre, This Is Your FBI, Dragnet, and virtually every other detective genre drama series of the era.
My first acquaintance with Bill Johnstone was in his poignant role as the very Patrician John Jacob Astor in 1953's Titanic. I was quite surprised to square that very Patrician image with the over one thousand radio appearances I've heard him in over the years. That wonderfully kind face and demeanor juxtaposed with the often hard-boiled, two fisted, action oriented characters he most often portrayed in Radio simply reinforced my deep respect for his voice talent.
I'm sure there's some sort of back-story why he didn't appear more in film or on the small screen, but one of his all too rare appearances in Television struck me as one of his finest. It was a small role in the 1952 Dragnet episode, 'A .22 Rifle for Christmas'. In it he portrayed the father of a young boy who'd been accidentally shot and killed shot by his young son's best friend. I won't spoil it for you if you haven't had the opportunity to see it, but it's one of the most memorable moments I can remember from that entire series.
Bill Johnstone is one of those handful of legendary radio actors that will always be inseparably associated with the most golden moments of the Golden Age of Radio. |
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Walter 'Wally' Maher
(Detective Sergeant Matt Grebb)
Radio, Stage, and Film Actor
(1908-1951)
Birthplace: Cinncinati, Ohio, U.S.A.
Radiography:
1936 The Lux Radio Theatre
1943 The Cavalcade of America
1943 Tommy Riggs and Betty Lou
1943 The Jack Benny Program
1944 Suspense
1945 The Eddie Bracken Show
1945 Arch Oboler's Plays
1946 The New Adventures of Michael Shayne
1946 The Whistler
1948 Let George Do It
1949 Richard Diamond, Private Detective
1949 The Adventures of Philip Marlowe
1950 Family Theatre
1950 Night Beat
1950 The Line-Up
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Wally Maher's comparitively sparse entry from the October 1940 edition of Lew Lauria's Radio Artists Directory

Wally Maher as a court clerk preparing to pass around Bob Hope's late alimony payments to his three ex-wives in The Big Broadcast of 1938

Wally Maher as pilot Cliff Parsons in 1939's Nick Carter, Master Detective.

Wally Maher spot promotion for 1943's Tommy Riggs and Betty Lou
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From the November 7, 1943 edition of The Cedar Rapids Tribune:
Wally Maher
Alias Michael Shayne
The fellow who plays Michael Shayne every Tuesday night is no stranger to the role of crime fiction. Wally Maher figures he's been killed more times than any other actor working in radio. He's been chewed by alligators, attacked by vampires, gassed, shot and various other methods of elimination. Wally never played a tough guy until he came to California, his forte is light comedy. In only half a dozen out of 127 pictures has he played light comedy, the rest were heavies.
After starting a radio career in his home town of Cincinnati, he went to New York where he won a host of theatrical roles. Then came Hollywood in 1935 where he continued his radio work and started on pictures. Wally likes comedy, so he likes Michael Shayne. He doesn't like to play tough guys so "Shayne" is as easygoing as a sleuth can be and still keep his self-respect.
He likes to read detective stories, but his favoilte reading is American and Irish history, with, the accent on the latter. His grandparents on both sides came from Tipperary. He has three children, two girls and a boy. Two of the children look like their mother, who is of Italian decent, but Wally says all of them are Irish at heart.
Wally can speak Italian, and when he was working as baggage clerk on the Southern Pacific, he used to go out and greet ths prisoner trains loaded with Italian PWs on their way through Glendale. He talked to them in Italian and used to get a kick out of watching their faces light up.
With his extensive theatrical experience, Wally Maher is capably suited to the role of the "private eye," "Michael Shayne." His secretary-girl friend, Phyllis, is right in there pitching, too. For the best in mystery dramas, "Michael Shayne" is on the air Tuesday nights at 9 o'clock.
Wally Maher had a solid movie career under his belt long before he lent his unmistakable voice talent to Radio. Indeed his filmography reads as long as his radiography. His stocky build and expressive face provided him with regular work as a character actor, but it was his highly distinctive voice that set him apart. Though from Ohio, his uncanny ability to project a gruff, irascible, but humorous East Coast--or West Coast--'tough' earned him countless roles in Radio as a hard-boiled thug, police detective, or adventurous sidekick.
He was a pretty straight foil for Bill Johnstone in The Line-Up, but his wonderfully animated role as George Valentine's nemesis, Lieutenant Riley, in Let George Do It, was in this author's humble opinion, some of Mr. Maher's most satisfying and entertaining work.
Destined to be often confused with Herb Butterfield or Wilms Herbert, Wally Maher's distinctive chortles and grunts usually made the identification of his voice unimpeachable. He debuted as the lead in The Adventures of Michael Shayne, and would have been just as enjoyable as Jeff Chandler, had he secured that role for the entire run of the program. Indeed, the series' creator, Brett Halliday, reportedly preferred Wally Maher's depiction of his protagonist.
Sadly, Wally Maher was hospitalized while appearing in The Line-Up and Let George Do It. He'd had a lung removed shortly before the beginning of the The Line-Up, with Raymond Burr often filling in for him near the end. He passed away December 27, 1951 at St. Vincent's Hospital, in Los Angleles at the age of 43, after an all too brief career of 22 years in Stage, Film and Radio.
It's the wonder of Golden Age Radio that preserves his memory for most of us . . . and what wonderful memories they are.
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