Premier Collections: 
Adventures by Morse, Volume 1
Liner notes written by Jim Widner

Click to listen to an audio sample

"If you like high adventure, come with me. If you like the stealth of intrigue, come with me. If you like blood and thunder, come with me..."

When it comes to drama, the name Morse signifies many things to listeners of old time radio. For many, it reminds us of the suspense-thriller series "I Love a Mystery;" for others, it represents a visit to the Barbour family in the long running serial drama "One Man’s Family." But Carlton E. Morse is also the creator and author of the suspense serial offered in this exciting new Premier Collection from Radio Archives: "Adventures by Morse."

Born in Jennings, Louisiana on June 4th, 1901, Morse began his writing career as a young man. He honed his skills by working as a reporter for several newspapers in California and in 1929, with a desire to work in radio, he applied for and got a job with KGO, the local NBC station in San Francisco. He soon proved his talent for both production and writing and was quickly launched upon a radio career that would last for decades to come.

With the end of "I Love a Mystery" in 1944 and a few unsuccessful attempts to revive it, Morse turned to some previous storylines he had written for local radio outlets in the thirties to create a new syndicated series. "Adventures by Morse" offered four 10-part serials along with four 3-part serials for a total of 52 episodes. The mid-forties was a time when transcriptions were used much more frequently by local stations, allowing producers to pre-record programs and distribute them to local stations. Morse created his new series with syndication in mind, renting out the discs to allow stations to produce their own income by selling ad time to sponsors. Since he had created 52 half-hour programs, each episode could be broadcast on a weekly basis for a full year.

In his prime as a creator/writer/producer, Carlton E. Morse was literally a one-man radio factory, producing scripts non-stop and literally writing every single script himself. To maintain such productivity, however, he frequently recycled the plots of his adventure serials, changing character names and locations of events as needed. He also pretty much stuck to the same basic program formats, openings, and sound effects: a gong, sirens and organ music were staples of a Morse adventure series.

The major characters were similar, too: in "I Love a Mystery," for instance, there is the no-nonsense leader, Jack Packard, and his somewhat reckless, wise-cracking sidekick, Doc Long -- complete with a Texas drawl. (The third major character, Reggie York, was always a sort of third-wheel who never seemed to gain traction as a real participant.) In "Adventures by Morse," the lead character is Captain Bart Friday, soul mate to Jack Packard, and Skip Turner, the drawling equivalent of Doc Long. If you aren’t listening closely, you’ll almost think that shows from "Adventures by Morse" and "I Love a Mystery" are all from the same series. That Morse was formulaic is true -- but it was a formula that worked!

In this series, Captain Friday is portrayed by three different actors: Elliot Lewis for the first 13 shows, David Ellis for the next 23 shows, and Russell Thorson completing the run for the final 16 programs. Lewis, best known to old time radio collectors as Frankie Remley on "The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show," later starred with his then-wife Cathy Lewis in "On Stage" and was also the producer/director of "Crime Classics." Ellis was a staple of west coast radio, with both writing and acting credits on many detective/adventure serials including "Escape," "The Adventures of Sam Spade," "Night Beat, and "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar." Thorson is probably best known to radio enthusiasts for his role as Jack Packard in the second run of "I Love a Mystery," heard over the Mutual Broadcasting System in the late forties and early fifties.

Jack Edwards appears in the role of Skip Turner for the entire run of "Adventures by Morse." Another busy west coast actor, Edwards portrayed Doc Long to David Ellis’ Jack Packard in a 1945 audition for a new "I Love a Mystery" series - an early (and unsuccessful) attempt to revive the program.

Heard today, "Adventures by Morse" is an enjoyable and exciting listen. This set includes two of the ten-part serials: "The City of the Dead" and "The Cobra King Strikes Back," with the latter being, for me, much more exciting radio. This was the true genius of Carlton E. Morse: love him or hate him, these serials easily captivate. As Captain Friday asks at the opening of each show, "If you like adventure, come with me;" if you like the other Morse serial adventures, you won’t be disappointed with this one.

The programs in this ten-CD set, released with the cooperation of the Morse Family Trust, have been transferred from Mr. Morse's own personal set of transcription recordings and fully restored for outstanding audio fidelity, making this the best sounding collection of these programs ever released to the public. Here is the complete content of this exciting new Premier Collection:

The City of the Dead
starring Elliot Lewis as Captain Bart Friday and Jack Edwards as Skip Turner

City of the Dead
Out of the night come two youngsters, Jimmy and Phyllis, who find themselves held prisoner in a cemetery by the caretaker - known as the Mayor - and his friend, Doc Tooner. What is the claw-footed creature -- and why was the Mayor shot while investigating phantom church bells?
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

I’ve Dug Up Something Ghastly
Captain Friday, the Mayor’s son, arrives on the scene after Doc Tooner calls him in and discovers that Jimmy and Phyllis appear to be more involved than they first let on. Meanwhile, while searching one of the graves with the others, Jimmy strikes something terrible!
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Body That Walked Off
When a body is dug up, Jimmy panics and is knocked out by Captain Friday. While the others are away from the grave, the body disappears and Jimmy tries to flee but is caught. The body turns out to be Phyllis’ cousin -- but who is the white robed figure?
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

Old Clawfoot Again
Doc, the Mayor, and Captain Friday head over to Lammy Fink’s house where they find three bodies in the cellar. Suddenly the house bursts into flames, completely destroying it and the bodies as well. Meanwhile, back at the Mayor’s house, Phyllis has been stabbed -- in the back!
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Skeleton Walks In
It seems that Jimmy is the chief suspect in the stabbing of Phyllis. As Captain Friday tries to understand the events that have happened, Phyllis screams when she sees a skeleton has walk into the house -- bearing a note of warning.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Ghoul in the Grave
After the skeleton disappears, Captain Friday and Jimmy follow a trail of bones. Meanwhile, Clawfoot has broken into the cottage and attacked Doc Tooner and Phyllis.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

Captain Friday Vanishes
Captain Friday disappears in the cemetery, forcing Jimmy to return. There he finds Doc Tooner and Phyllis recovering from an attack by Old Clawfoot. The missing Mayor returns and accuses Jimmy of being involved in his son’s disappearance. But, with his son’s gold pencil in his pocket and dirt on his trousers, it appears the Mayor might be more involved than he lets on.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

Kidnapping of Clawfoot
A noise is heard in one of the bedrooms and, when the Mayor goes to investigate, he is attacked by someone...or something. As dawn breaks, Jimmy sees Clawfoot kidnapped by some unknown person.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Trail of the Phantom Church Bells
Doc Tooner and Jimmy decide to go down and investigate the sound of the phantom church bells. In the church basement they find the church bell -- and a person, bound and gagged!
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

Where the Pearls Are Hidden
Jimmy hears the whistle alarm he gave to Phyllis and runs off, leaving Doc Tooner with the moaning man they carried from the church basement. Captain Friday returns with the explanation of the events in the "City of the Dead."
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Cobra King Strikes Back
starring David Ellis as Captain Bart Friday and Jack Edwards as Skip Turner

The Cobra King Strikes Back
Dr. Carter and his expedition are on a ship heading to Cambodian territory to find a lost Khmer city. On board, they meet Captain Friday and Skip Turner, who are taking a prisoner named Phen-Lo to the same area. It isn't long before things begin to happen: Dr. Carter’s daughter Celia disappears and Phen-Lo escapes!
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

Something About the Hooded Snake
Upon arrival in Saigon, Captain Friday decides to join forces with the Carter party as they prepare to head into the Cambodian interior. It seems that the French want Friday to go with Carter too, as they fear Phen-Lo might be involved in a possible Khmer uprising. That night, while Celia and Patricia are sleeping, a cobra is released into their room.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Mad King of Angkor
When the party arrives in Angkor to find Dr. Carter, they are told he has gone on ahead. Suspicious, the party plans to try and catch up with the doctor...but, while going to watch a native dance, the Professor, Captain Friday and Skip Turner are kidnapped and placed on an elephant caravan.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Temple of Gorillas
All the members of the party have been kidnapped and carried off to a walled temple in the jungle, the women in one cell and the men in another. Understanding they are being held prisoner, they are surprised to find the doors are unlocked -- but then Celia screams!
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Living Image of Cambodia
Perry disappears, followed by Skip, and the Professor and Captain Friday explore the temple to find what happened to the rest of the group. Eventually re-united, the group is once more taken captive and dragged out of the temple.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

Terror of the Hollow Mountain
Tied to their horses, the party is forced to ride into the mountains. When they arrive at their destination, they are carried through a waterfall into a chamber behind the falls. They continue the difficult passage to find a surprise awaiting them.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Face of the Beast
In an ancient temple, the group is reunited with Dr. Carter and are told they aren't really prisoners but, instead, are now guests of Phen-Lo. Later, Patricia and Celia are attacked by a dog-like man who is killed by Ta-Quan. But was it a dream? Are they indeed prisoners after all?
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

It Was Not Cannibalism
The jungle priests practice lycanthropy and often turn into wolf-like creatures at night under the full moon. It happens again this night -- but with a difference. Phen-Lo has become one and it was he who Ta-Quan had killed. The priests rebel against Ta-Quan and he tells the Carter party he can no longer protect them.
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Fangs and Teeth of the Enemy
A wounded Ta-Quan tells the group that there is just one way in which they can escape from the degenerate Khmer priests, and that that they have to leave tonight. As they travel along the underground pathways, the party is suddenly attacked -- with dire consequences!
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

The Amazing End of an Expedition
The wolf-like priests retreat and, after the night’s events come to a conclusion, the surviving party makes camp at the base of a waterfall. While there, large Cambodian natives fall upon them and carry them down through the waterfall -- and to an amazing conclusion!
1944-45 - 30:00 - Syndicated

This CD set released under license to Nostalgia Ventures Inc.
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