K.A.C. 2019 - T - 20 ...

           Good morning! We continue our Christmas For Your Ears presentation with a different kind of story today ... one that you could hear on your brand-new Philco, such as the beauties pictured here. Radio during its Golden Age covered all spectrums, from comedy to drama and everything in between. The programs got most inventive with the coming of the holiday season, as everyone wanted to have some sort of Christmas Special to bring in a wider audience. That was easy enough for the variety shows and the comedies, but required a little more juggling for others - such as the radio Westerns. One of the best was Have Gun - Will Travel. This show was unique for a number of different reasons - as Wikipedia states: 

Richard Boone as Paladin on TV

     "Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series was rated number three or number four in the Nielsen ratings every year of its first four seasons, and it is one of the few shows in television history to spawn a successful radio version. That radio series debuted November 23, 1958, more than a year after the premiere of its televised counterpart."

     The TV series starred Richard Boone as Paladin, a soldier of fortune who offered his gun for hire to those who needed help. He was an unlikely cowboy; a cultured man, well-read and affable, who charged $1000 a day for those who could afford it or offered his help for free to those who were poor or whose cause he felt strongly about. The premise has been done many times over the years with slight changes, and it lent itself to many interesting scenarios.

     The radio show was unique in its own right, as Wikipedia relates: 

John Dehner as Paladin on Radio

     "The Have Gun – Will Travel radio show broadcast 106 episodes on the CBS Radio Network between November 23, 1958, and November 27, 1960. It was one of the last radio dramas featuring continuing characters and the only significant American radio adaptation of a television series. John Dehner  ... played Paladin ... initially, the episodes were adaptations of the television program as broadcast earlier the same week ^..."

     


 The episode featured here today, 'Hanging Cross', was the Christmas episode for the TV series and aired on December 21st, 1957; then aired on radio exactly one year later, on December 21st, 1958. John Dehner, by the way, was an inspired choice to play Paladin on radio; an excellent character actor with a cultured voice and manner, he brought just the right talents to the role on the air. 

     Without further ado, give a listen to this 'Christmas Miracle' set in the Old West:

      https://archive.org/details/500OTRChristmasShows/1958-12-21_CBS_Have_Gun_Will_Travel_-_Hanging_Cross.mp3 

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      Switching gears entirely (with 'switch' being the operative word here), it's that time again - December 5th, the Eve of Saint Nicholas, or Krampusnacht, the night of revelry given over to Mr. K - got any bad children what need a good swift reminder to be good? Got any who are past hope? Let Krampus Removal Services take care of those pesky critters!  And not just bad kids - our Lady Krampus services (as seen in this Edwardian Christmas Card) takes care of those errant or lackadaisical husbands and lowlife men in your life - call now! I can't decide if this fellow in the basket is praying for his life or looking forward to the punishment to come ... maybe both!

     Speaking of our mascot, we've written a number of pieces on him over the years, but if you're new to the whole Krampus phenomenon or just need a quick refresher on who he is and why he's so popular, this link will get you up to speed:

     https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/12/131217-krampus-christmas-santa-devil/ 

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     More tomorrow!