Golden Radio Theater
Home/Western/All Star Western Theatre
Western musical variety · Syndicated

All Star Western Theatre

August 11, 1946 – August 14, 1948 · 106 broadcasts

A half-hour of songs, comedy, and a Saturday-matinee Western in miniature, transcribed in Hollywood and heard from August 1946 to August 1948. Emcee Cottonseed Clark ran the show and wrote most of it; Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage supplied the music -- three or so numbers wrapped around a 15-minute dramatic sketch. It began as a spin-off of the same team's Hollywood Barn Dance, itself built to fill the slot Gene Autry's Melody Ranch left empty when Autry joined the Army Air Corps. The hook was the weekly guest: each sketch was usually led by a marquee cowboy-movie star, many of them from Republic Pictures -- Tex Ritter, Johnny Mack Brown, Smiley Burnette, Monte Hale, Ken Curtis, Allan "Rocky" Lane, Dale Evans -- with comics like Jerry Colonna and even Edgar Bergen turning up for a laugh. The plots were pure B-Western: rustlers and stage holdups, water-rights feuds, crooked sheriffs, a singing cowboy setting the frontier right by the last commercial. Because CBS and Mutual sent it out on transcription disks, an unusually large share of the run survives to be heard today.

Collection status: 97 of 106 held (92% complete)
◆ ◆ ◆

Episode Spine

Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.

1946

August 11, 1946 Miss East Goes West Listen (MP3)
An Eastern heiress takes over a Western ranch and finds it overrun with cattle rustlers. Jean Rogers guests.
August 18, 1946 Rose of San Antone Listen (MP3)
A wistful romance played out in the shadow of the Alamo, with singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely.
August 25, 1946 ?? Title Unknown ??
September 1, 1946 Back to Old Wyoming Listen (MP3)
A pampered ranch heir sets out to show his sweetheart -- and himself -- that he's got real grit. Eddie Dean guests.
September 8, 1946 Dude Ranch Serenade Listen (MP3)
Dale Evans tries to put her weekly country-music broadcast on the air from her brand-new dude ranch, with predictable chaos.
September 15, 1946 Clem Norman's Story Listen (MP3)
A rancher's Eastern-bred son turns up in dandy clothes, then startles everyone with quick fists and a quicker trigger. Ken Curtis guests.
September 22, 1946 Drifting Listen (MP3)
A rootless cowhand hiding his past lands on a ranch plagued by gambling -- and the Holt family debuts as a team.
September 29, 1946 The Cowboy Dentist Listen (MP3)
Smiley Burnette plays a country dentist who cracks a bank robbery between choruses of "The Dentist Song."
October 6, 1946 The Beginning of Bill Barlow Listen (MP3)
October 13, 1946 I Came From Texas Listen (MP3)
A tough hombre out of Texas rides in for a rugged Western yarn tailored to Tex Ritter.
October 20, 1946 The Man From Alabama Listen (MP3)
A stranger new to town untangles a baffling stagecoach robbery. Johnny Mack Brown guests.
October 27, 1946 At Sundown Listen (MP3)
A Main Street gunfight ends strangely when the sound crew misses its cue and the shots never ring out. Allan "Rocky" Lane guests.
November 3, 1946 The Bandit Listen (MP3)
Part Old-West romance, part ghost story, with Jackie Cooper.
November 10, 1946 Good Acting Done Cheap Listen (MP3)
A talent agent and Smiley Burnette throw the ranch into pandemonium chasing a plan to rent it out as a movie backlot.
November 17, 1946 Down Mexico Way Listen (MP3)
At a fiesta the Riders scheme to save lovely Lolita from a wedding she doesn't want. Jimmy Wakely guests.
November 24, 1946 From East to West Listen (MP3)
A New York playboy grows into a real Westerner -- and finds romance along the way. William Marshall guests.
December 1, 1946 The Vought Cowboy Listen (MP3)
A bandleader wants a hot new number, and who better to cook one up than the Riders? Ken Curtis guests.
December 8, 1946
December 15, 1946 Star Bar-Bar W Feud with Eddie Dean Listen (MP3)
The Riders try once more to talk a pair of long-feuding old-timers into burying the hatchet over dinner. Eddie Dean guests.
December 22, 1946 The Phantom Rider with Dennis Moore Listen (MP3)
A masked, milk-drinking dandy squares off against an outlaw gang in a Western whodunit. Dennis Moore guests.
December 29, 1946

1947

January 5, 1947 Streets of Laredo with Tex Ritter Listen (MP3)
Tex Ritter arrives wearing a Ranger's badge and sets about taming a lawless town.
January 12, 1947 Benson City Story Listen (MP3)
January 19, 1947 Trail City Murder Listen (MP3)
At a ranch the Riders are visiting, a killer's stinginess with the loot is exactly what trips him up.
January 26, 1947 Wild Cow Milking Rodeo with Monty Montana Listen (MP3)
Down to their last few dollars, the Riders gamble it all on a rodeo. Monty Montana guests.
February 2, 1947 The Marshall of Redrock with Johnny Mack Brown Listen (MP3)
A planted federal agent bags the crooks while the cast blows its lines -- so clumsy it circles back to funny. Johnny Mack Brown guests.
February 9, 1947 Way Down Yonder in Indian Nation with Ken Card Listen (MP3)
A tongue-in-cheek call on the "No-Washy" tribe, with Ken Card.
February 16, 1947 Why DID I Leave Wyoming? with Jerry Colonna Listen (MP3)
Jerry Colonna spins a comic account of his life out West -- including how he came by that moustache.
February 23, 1947 The Trail to Mexico Listen (MP3)
The Riders ride down into Mexico, a country of senoritas and cattle thieves.
March 2, 1947 New Mexico Badman with Red Barry Listen (MP3)
The town's feared outlaw proves a good deal gentler than his reputation. Donald "Red" Barry guests.
March 9, 1947 Alias Mary Smithers with Virginia Mayo Listen (MP3)
A dude-ranch owner arrives incognito to size up the rodeo her hired hands are staging. Virginia Mayo guests.
March 16, 1947 Cripple Creek Feud Listen (MP3)
The Riders try to broker peace between two old-timers who dearly love to hate each other.
March 23, 1947 Matt Simpsons Murder Listen (MP3)
March 30, 1947 Coopers Unconditional Surrender with Jackie Cooper Listen (MP3)
A bashful cowhand gets a crash course in winning over the woman who owns the outfit. Jackie Cooper guests.
April 6, 1947 The Bar-K Dude Ranch with Ken Card Listen (MP3)
Romance blossoms at a dude ranch stocked with two marriageable sisters. Ken Card guests.
April 8, 1947 Texas Adventure with Monte Hale Listen (MP3)
Singing cowboy Monte Hale, between color pictures, stars in a Western written to order.
April 15, 1947 Cattle Drive to Abilene Listen (MP3)
The three Riders leave their ranch jobs behind on orders to push a herd all the way to Abilene.
April 22, 1947 The Lone Bandit with Jimmy Wakely Listen (MP3)
A little detective work begins where all knowledge does -- the town barber shop. Jimmy Wakely guests.
May 3, 1947 The Deacon with Dale Evans Listen (MP3)
Dale and the boys foil a scheme to snap up land on the cheap before the railroad arrives.
May 10, 1947 Bid for Election with Red Barry Listen (MP3)
A crooked sheriff angles for re-election by pretending to have captured a notorious outlaw. Donald "Red" Barry guests.
May 17, 1947
May 24, 1947 Little Hoof Listen (MP3)
Bushwhacked for his gold, an old prospector loses his beloved burro "Little Hoof" -- a rare downbeat ending for the show.
May 31, 1947 Joey with Monty Montana Listen (MP3)
A disabled boy is being exploited by the "friend" who uses him as cover for bank jobs. Monty Montana guests.
June 7, 1947 Sleepy Weed and Smiley with Smiley Burnette Listen (MP3)
A tall-tale comedy adventure about a pair of helium rustlers. Smiley Burnette guests.
June 14, 1947 Hannah Morgan's Son Listen (MP3)
A big-hearted immigrant woman is burdened with a no-good son.
June 21, 1947 The Youngest Dude Listen (MP3)
A pint-sized nine-year-old spitfire runs the Riders ragged -- and comes out on top.
June 28, 1947 Time to Ride Listen (MP3)
A rancher is murdered, and Foy discovers the killer is none other than the judge.
July 5, 1947 Lee Hope Celebration Listen (MP3)
A Chinese laundryman quietly works out who is jumping the local claims, and spares a young woman a ruinous mistake.
July 12, 1947 Loco Louie and East Dude Listen (MP3)
Kit Carson's ghost lends a hand to a daffy old-timer bent on rounding up a gang of badmen.
July 19, 1947 Fires of Sherman Point Listen (MP3)
A rancher robbed three times over braces for it to happen yet again.
July 26, 1947 Sharp Shooting Gal Listen (MP3)
A young woman heads West expecting a mail-order husband and discovers the whole thing was a heartless prank.
August 2, 1947 The Varmit and the Baby Listen (MP3)
August 9, 1947 Scotty Leaves the City Listen (MP3)
An old prospector is taken in by a scheming city woman.
August 16, 1947 Heaven Is a Star with Dale Evans Listen (MP3)
A tender, sad story of a little girl shot by her deranged father. Dale Evans guests.
August 23, 1947 Wipe My Tears Willy (part 2 only) Listen (MP3)
August 30, 1947 A Woman's Place (part 1 only) Listen (MP3)
September 6, 1947 Life and Death and Scotty Listen (MP3)
A thoughtful Western that asks what becomes of water once it leaves the canteen -- and what a life is worth.
September 13, 1947 A Combination That's Hard to Beat Listen (MP3)
Salt air blows through a Western as the boys join a Coast Guard friend to clean out a floating casino.
September 20, 1947 God's Mysterious Way (part 1 only) Listen (MP3)
September 27, 1947
October 4, 1947 One Man's Poison Listen (MP3)
The cure for a hypochondriac? Simple -- just catch something contagious.
October 11, 1947 The Rasin' Bee Listen (MP3)
A young couple's baby arrives the same day fire takes their house, and the neighbors rally round.
October 18, 1947 Cupid's Agent Listen (MP3)
A woman rancher is accused of murdering the husband who left to make his own way.
October 25, 1947 The Banker's Prisoner Listen (MP3)
"Persuading Peggy" and her vanishing ink are back at their tricks.
November 1, 1947 Young Love and Manana Joe Listen (MP3)
A south-of-the-border outlaw takes a smitten young cowhand under his wing, against card sharps and long romantic odds.
November 8, 1947 The Rabbit Listen (MP3)
The peculiar saga of Uncle Edgar, an Easter Bunny escaped from the asylum.
November 15, 1947 To Settle an Account Listen (MP3)
Two claim-jumpers find themselves trapped together by a snowstorm.
November 22, 1947 Hail to the Spirit That Always Was Listen (MP3)
The tall tale of a frontier character known as "Two Bit" Michaelson.
November 29, 1947 Ghost in Little Deer Canyon with Eddy Arnold Listen (MP3)
The boys expose a "haunting" that's really a scheme to grab land on the cheap. Eddy Arnold guests.
December 6, 1947 The Successful Operation Listen (MP3)
A cranky old Texas doctor bristles at the town's new physician -- not knowing the young man is his own daughter's secret beau.
December 13, 1947 Just One Shot Listen (MP3)
Foy and the boys raise a posse and set out after a murderer, with a swing turn on "Slipped Disc" along the way.
December 20, 1947 The Words with Signs Following Listen (MP3)
A Western retelling of the Nativity.
December 27, 1947 Guest - Edgar Bergen Listen (MP3)
Charlie McCarthy heads West and Mortimer Snerd goes down on the farm, with Edgar Bergen.

1948

January 3, 1948 The Big Holdup Listen (MP3)
January 10, 1948 Jerry and His Donkey Hokey Listen (MP3)
Jerry loses his cook's job over his devotion to his donkey -- and there are cowboy songs besides.
January 17, 1948 The Cry Caught the Killer Listen (MP3)
The Riders set out after a marauding mountain lion.
January 24, 1948 The Sheriff Listen (MP3)
The local lawman hands the Riders a herd to move, and the cattle's history looks anything but clean.
January 31, 1948 The Fugitive Listen (MP3)
A furtive stranger flees the law across the frontier, carrying a secret that explains everything -- a well-told chase.
February 7, 1948 The Gold Spurs Listen (MP3)
The theft of a prized pair of spurs threatens to ruin the young silversmith who forged them.
February 14, 1948 Hot Buttered Popcorn with Monty Montana Listen (MP3)
A popcorn trail out of "Hansel and Gretel" leads the Riders straight to a pair of killers. Monty Montana guests.
February 21, 1948 Bus Ride from Santa Teresa Listen (MP3)
Alfred Noyes's poem "The Highwayman" transplanted to a Western setting.
February 28, 1948 The Lost Mine Listen (MP3)
March 6, 1948 Apple Pie and Arsenic Listen (MP3)
The Riders meet "Grandma," whose famous apple pies hide a deadly ingredient.
March 13, 1948 Buried Treasure with Eddy Arnold Listen (MP3)
Someone has been killed in a deserted ghost town, and the mystery is where to even begin. Eddy Arnold guests.
March 20, 1948 Painted on the Wall of a Cave Listen (MP3)
An ancient romance among the first peoples of the West, drawn out with unhurried care.
March 27, 1948 Five Quarters Listen (MP3)
A mine owner called Nugget Nan quietly promises a quarter-stake in the same claim to one buyer too many -- an Old-West farce in the making.
April 3, 1948 Year of the Terrible Blizzard with Nick Lucas Listen (MP3)
The Riders are snowbound in a one-room schoolhouse through a monster storm, with Nick Lucas and his hits.
April 10, 1948 Buffalo Springs Listen (MP3)
A murder frame-up lands squarely on the Riders.
April 17, 1948 Gunsmoke Listen (MP3)
Even in a more settled West, a man finds that some scores can only be squared with a six-gun.
April 24, 1948 Windmill on the River Listen (MP3)
May 1, 1948 Ride of the Rancheros Listen (MP3)
The border's famous pair, the Cisco Kid and Pancho, ride in as guests.
May 8, 1948 Ranch for Sale Listen (MP3)
An Eastern chewing-gum millionaire buys himself a spread and sets out to play at being a cowboy.
May 15, 1948 Circus Pitch Listen (MP3)
When a circus rolls into town, its smallest performer proves the key to cornering a band of crooks.
May 22, 1948
May 29, 1948 The Jockey and the Cowpoke Listen (MP3)
When Michael Roy pays the ranch a call, he turns out to be far more greenhorn than cowhand.
June 5, 1948 Chief Many Horses Listen (MP3)
Lost and parched in the desert, the Riders are pulled back from death by a Navajo leader called Many Horses.
June 12, 1948 Living Western Style Listen (MP3)
Preston Foster lends his voice to the songs and unspools a yarn about the hanging judge, Roy Bean.
June 19, 1948 Nice Weather Today Listen (MP3)
Foy and the boys nearly freeze -- in 128-degree desert heat.
June 26, 1948 Cactus Is Wonderful Listen (MP3)
How does a fellow court a lady cactus-collector? Very carefully.
July 3, 1948
July 10, 1948 Sunshine Johnson Listen (MP3)
A chronic worrier of a rancher strikes oil -- and his troubles are only beginning.
July 17, 1948 The Widow of Rainbow Valley Listen (MP3)
A radio quiz show comes to the rescue of a present-day "pioneer."
July 24, 1948
July 31, 1948
August 7, 1948 The Stony Smith Story Listen (MP3)
A visit with blustering desert rancher "Stony" Smith, who fancies himself the Patton of the sagebrush.
August 14, 1948 Jack the Joker Listen (MP3)
A practical joker finally gets what's coming to him -- right in the funnybone.
The Story

A half-hour of songs, comedy, and a Saturday-matinee Western in miniature, transcribed in Hollywood and heard from August 1946 to August 1948. Emcee Cottonseed Clark ran the show and wrote most of it; Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage supplied the music -- three or so numbers wrapped around a 15-minute dramatic sketch. It began as a spin-off of the same team's Hollywood Barn Dance, itself built to fill the slot Gene Autry's Melody Ranch left empty when Autry joined the Army Air Corps. The hook was the weekly guest: each sketch was usually led by a marquee cowboy-movie star, many of them from Republic Pictures -- Tex Ritter, Johnny Mack Brown, Smiley Burnette, Monte Hale, Ken Curtis, Allan "Rocky" Lane, Dale Evans -- with comics like Jerry Colonna and even Edgar Bergen turning up for a laugh. The plots were pure B-Western: rustlers and stage holdups, water-rights feuds, crooked sheriffs, a singing cowboy setting the frontier right by the last commercial. Because CBS and Mutual sent it out on transcription disks, an unusually large share of the run survives to be heard today.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
Gallery
Art pending