Alan Ladd (1913–1964)

“Adventure wanted. Will go anyplace, do anything. Write care of Star-Times, Box Thirteen.”


Finding new ideas for mystery and adventure stories could sometimes be murder for former Star-Times newspaperman Dan Holiday. From 1948-1949 Paramount screen hero Alan Ladd starred as the mystery writer who had the nifty idea of advertising for adventure in the Star-Times. Each week listeners would have a great time following along as he responded to a query which always led to trouble, often big trouble.

Conceived by Ladd and buddy Bernie Joslin, Ladd remained loyal to the old gang at radio station KFWB, where he had gotten his start. Writer Russell Hughes and actress Sylvia Picker were two people who had been kind to him in those early days. Ladd rewarded them for that kindness once he became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Ladd's own production company, Mayfair, brought the show to syndication, but it proved so popular that it had a network run on West Coast Mutual.

Box Thirteen was one of the best things Alan Ladd ever did, in my opinion. It was a high quality show which relied on Ladd’s considerable charisma and talent, rather than a large budget. The stories were terrific, not a dud anywhere in sight. Everything that was great about Ladd, and old radio itself, can be heard and enjoyed in Box Thirteen. It is, in fact, one of the most entertaining shows ever produced for radio.

The aforementioned Sylvia Picker played Holiday’s sweet but ditzy secretary, Suzy. Suzy would always end the show on a humorous note by misapplying a phrase or word. The silliness of her character acted as a balance to the rough ordeal listeners had just heard Holiday make it through. Some episodes were full of intrigue, others murder. A few of the episodes had a sweet bend to them. More fun was crammed into the half hour of this show than perhaps any other on radio.

While I’ve owned the cassette collections from Radio Spirits for eons, I picked up this one from Nostalgia Ventures on CD a couple of years ago. It contains twenty of the first shows from 1948. The sound quality is excellent, and so are the stories. Here are the ones included in this collection:

THE FIRST LETTER — Holiday's first case involves blackmail and murder, and he finds himself on the wrong end!

INSURANCE FRAUD — Did someone vanish so that insurance could be collected by his widow 7 years later?

BLACKMAIL CAN BE MURDER — A body in a closet and an elderly lady make this one adventure Holiday could do without!

ACTOR'S ALIBI — Holiday looks into the murder of a radio star, and Suzy finally becomes his permanent girl-Friday.

EXTRA! EXTRA! — Dan tries to clear a young boy's dad of theft.

SHANGHAIED — Holiday has a very wet adventure!

SHORT ASSIGNMENT — An amateur gumshoe needs Holiday's help.

DOUBLE MOTHERS — Holiday becomes a dad when he meets a little girl on a park bench!

BOOK OF POEMS — Holiday gets poems rather than a letter in Box Thirteen. They are from a dead man....

THE GREAT TORINO — A ticket to see a magic act brings Holiday more entertainment than he wanted.

SUICIDE, OR MURDER? — Did a reporter do himself in, or did he get help?

TRIPLE CROSS — A roulette wheel and a pretty girl add up to big trouble in this adventure.

DAMSEL IN DISTRESS — One of my favorite episodes has Holiday helping a lonely teenage girl. This is the kind of episode which separated Box Thirteen from other shows.

DIAMOND IN THE SKY — Dan's off to Paris, but it's anything but glamorous when he discovers he got suckered! Another of my all-time favorites from this show.

DOUBLE RIGHT CROSS — Dan helps an old friend prove he didn't throw a fight.

LOOK PLEASANT, PLEASE — How did a simple picture lead to Holiday becoming engaged?

THE HAUNTED ARTIST — Is a painting really haunted?

THE SAD NIGHT — A book may lead to a fortune, and death!

HOT BOX — What's in Box Thirteen this week has Holiday attending an auction and bidding on an item. When someone else grabs the item, adventure follows.

THE BETTER MAN — A load of money is attached to a dinner invitation in Box Thirteen.

This collection is nicely packaged in an oversized CD case. The front of the case is as pictured in the photo. The back has a listing of the shows from the 1948 season, which come two episodes per disc, making for 20 shows on ten CD discs. Inside, the discs sit in clear vinyl sleeves with a flap at the top which makes for easy access. A kind of softer, white backing lines each compartment, protecting the disc. What’s nice is that the vinyl or plastic is thick enough that it doesn’t seem to wear as you flip through them as you would a photo album to pick out the show you want to listen to.

Each of these episodes is great in its own way. Like Jimmy Stewart's The Six Shooter, the writing, if examined critically, is just average on certain episodes, but it played off Ladd's charisma and persona just as Stewart's series did, glossing over any minor flaws. In essence, Box Thirteen was wonderful entertainment, and because of that, it was radio at its zenith. It was entertaining and fun. For Alan Ladd fans like myself, owning Box Thirteen is an absolute must.… (more)