Friday, December 22, 2017

Another 25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas - Day 22: A Dog For Christmas - Dog Star from Suspense (1957)

There may be nothing better than a pet in your home for the holidays.  We are fortunate to have two great cats....at home, but this is our first year in a while that we have not had a dog at the holidays :(  Our beloved Flappy loved Christmas.  Well, he loved people and food - and that is much of what happens at our house over the holidays.  So I totally understand why someone would really, really, really want a dog for Christmas.  What a great present it could be - what a great addition to the family.  And that brings us to a great holiday episode of one of the greatest programs from the Golden Age of Radio - Suspense.  I guess in that series, you never know who or what will drop in.  If you have Sirius XM, you can listen to Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148). It is particularly good this week with all Christmas themed programs.  Or you can see my previous OTR Christmas entries (or drop to the bottom of this message).

Christmas Tree Decorating - November 2016
My Beloved Flappy - Decorating the Christmas Tree in 2016 - I really miss him 😭

Among the very best shows that were broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio, the CBS Network's Suspense really stands out as one of the best of the best.  Radio's "outstanding theater of thrills" had a 20 year run on CBS - starting in 1942.  In fact, the last Suspense episode in 1962 marks the end of the Golden Age of Radio.  One of the reasons why I love listening to the early episodes is because I enjoy the sponsor, Roma Wines.  Their commercials are the best - Salute!  They had numerous Christmas episodes over the years, and I showcased 1943's Back for Christmas last year with the great Peter Lorre and Keenan Wynn and Hume Cronyn as accountants who might be in over their head!

Today's featured episode comes much later in its 20 year run, a few years before the production left Hollywood for New York City.  On December 22, 1957, Suspense featured a story called "Dog Star."  This is the blurb that was in the Los Angeles Times that morning:
Suspense Holidayish
Now for Sunday's shows which also reflect the spirit of the season.  Even Suspense takes on a holiday theme, KNX, at 4 p.m. with 7-year-old Evelyn (Eloise) Rudie starring as a tot whose parents refuse to give her a dog for Christmas.  In "Dog Star" she finds her own pet under mysterious circumstances.
Radio Roundup by Jean McMurphy - Los Angeles Times, December 22, 1957, page F15
Rudie plays Julie, a girl that only wants a dog for Christmas.  Her parents have other ideas and want to get her a bike for Christmas.  But she has her heart set on a dog.  So when she is exploring her neighborhood with a friend, they stumble on a lost dog - who they call Mike.  The poor dog did not seem to have an owner, and a name, and was hurt.  He responds to the name Little Chipka - and was a Cosmonaut.  When his capsule came down in their neighborhood, Julie got the Christmas gift that she was looking for.  But there were others who were looking for Little Chipka - and they were trying to avoid a diplomatic crisis.  In the end, the crisis was averted and Julie finally got her wish come true.

The Dog Star is a sweet Christmas story.  Joining Evelyn Rudie in the case were Norman Alden, Dick Beals, Lou Krugman, Jack Kruschen, Shepard Menken, Shirley Mitchell, Sam Pierce, & Ben Wright.  I hope you have pets in your holidays this year - and luckily there are easier ways to get one!

Here are some links to programs relating to Old Time Radio and Suspense:
          Another 25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2017) & Other Links

          25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2016) 

          25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2015) & Other Links

          25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2014)
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