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Quack Doctors in Old Time Radio

Laugh along with comedic tales of quack doctors with Amos & Andy, Jack Benny, and more. Hear the dramatized tales of quackery in Dragnet, Dr Kildare, Straight Arrow, Casey Crime Photographer, and more!

Quack Doctors

23 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 9 hours, 40 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
11 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from October 12, 1950:

"Dragnet: The Big Quack"



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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Joke Quack Ad The scientific practice of medicine is an ancient and noble art. If we hold the nobility of doctors in such high regard, then we can understand the revulsion we feel towards Quacks.

The title quack comes from an archaic Dutch term kwakzalver, or "hawker of salve". During the Middle Ages "quack" meant to shout. This aggressive promotion gave rise to the "Medicine Show", which in turn is one of the ancestors to Minstrel shows and Vaudeville.

There is no precise definition of what constitutes a quack. Some forms of alternative medicine have been called quackery, whether they are based on protoscience, experimental medicine, spirituality or religious faith, or simply some sort of con game. The most common conception of a quack is that he uses a chimera of medical knowledge to run a scam.

No one is better equipped to deal with a scam than a straight shooter like Sgt Joe Friday on Dragnet. In "The Big Quack" a con man is selling phony psychiatry diplomas and seeing 'patients' on the side. The cops get involved when he begins robbing his patients' homes.

Jack WebbLionel Barrymore as Dr. Gillespie and Lew Ayres as Doctor Kildare are determined to shut down a quack who makes patients believe that his electronic machine is helping them until their savings are gone! By then it is nearly too late for Kildare and Gillespie to treat them. Can he 'cure' Gillespie in disguise?

On This Is Your FBI, the agents have to track down a team of swindlers who are supplying illicit drugs to young men who are trying to avoid the draft. A pair of crooks convince the residents of a mining camp that there is an epidemic spreading so that they take over all the mining claims on Straight Arrow. Casey, Crime Photographer learns the story of a 'Doctor' who seems to be able to cure diseases at his private hospital which reputable physicians declare incurable.

The centerpiece of our Quack Collection is a few broadcasts from Doctor David Brinkley. Brinkley grew up on a mountain farm but wanted nothing more than the be a doctor. His father had been an Appalachian country doctor and a Confederate Army medic during the Civil War. The younger Brinkley never had the time or money to study at a real medical school, but he was able to buy a diploma from a disreputable school. He settled for a while in Milford, Kansas, and had enough skill to help patients during the Influenza epidemic in 1918. Later he began experimenting with patent medicine with varying results when the AMA caught up with him and shut down his practice. He managed to obtain a license to practice in Los Angeles, and he also discovered the power of radio.

Brinkley opened the first radio station in Kansas in 1923, and began marketing his therapies over the air. When his questionable practices got him shut down again, he moved his radio operations to the Texas-Mexico border. They routinely heard about Doctor Brinkley's therapy as far away as Finland! Nothing was too good for patients who were "physically able and financially able" to visit his clinic.

John Brinkley

See also:

Listeners may also be interested in: Polio in Old Time RadioVaccines and Plagues in Old Time Radio, The Doctor FightsMedicine USA, Medical File, Medical Milestones, Doctor John Brinkley (Medical Quack), Quack Doctors in Old Time Radio, and Cancer and Tumors.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    23 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 9 hours, 40 min
    23 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 9 hours, 40 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 23 shows - total playtime 9 hours 40 minutes
    2. Amos and Andy 431126 Man s Best Friend.mp3
    3. Amos and Andy 470318HospitalizationPlan.mp3
    4. Amos and Andy 470527 143 Kingfish Runs Rest Home.mp3
    5. Amos and Andy 471111 Sapphires Brother Leroy Strikes It R.mp3
    6. Amos and Andy 480420SapphiresUncle.mp3
    7. Amos and Andy 490424 206 Andy Inherits $2,000.mp3
    8. Casey 480115 220 Miracle.mp3
    9. Dr John Brinkley Xera 193941 [excerpts].mp3
    10. Dr John Brinkley Xera 390000 His Book.mp3
    11. Dr John Brinkley Xera 390000 Kidney Test.mp3
    12. Dr Kildare 510119 Ep52 Dr Conlon, Quack.mp3
    13. Dragnet 501012 070 Big Quack.mp3
    14. Jack Benny 500122 2120 I Was Betray.mp3
    15. Jack Benny 510121 2220 Jack Goes To.mp3
    16. Jack Benny 510304 2226 Jack Goes To.mp3
    17. Jack Benny 510527 Jack Meets Speed Rigs At Doctors Office.mp3
    18. Jack Benny 520309 4th Tv Show Of Season.mp3
    19. Jack Benny 521109 Jack Goes To Doctor For Vitamin Shot.mp3
    20. Jack Benny 541107 2607 Jack Sees Doctor.mp3
    21. Jack Benny 541128 899 Dennis Sees Psychiatrist.mp3
    22. Jack Benny 541226 2614 Day After Christmas, Dennis Cold.mp3
    23. Straight Arrow 481216 33 Doctor And Quack.mp3
    24. This Is Your Fbi 450525 008 Draft Dodgers Dr Woodbury.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    23 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 9 hours, 40 min
    23 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    total playtime 9 hours, 40 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 23 shows - total playtime 9 hours 40 minutes
    2. Amos and Andy 431126 Man s Best Friend.mp3
    3. Amos and Andy 470318HospitalizationPlan.mp3
    4. Amos and Andy 470527 143 Kingfish Runs Rest Home.mp3
    5. Amos and Andy 471111 Sapphires Brother Leroy Strikes It R.mp3
    6. Amos and Andy 480420SapphiresUncle.mp3
    7. Amos and Andy 490424 206 Andy Inherits $2,000.mp3
    8. Casey 480115 220 Miracle.mp3
    9. Dr John Brinkley Xera 193941 [excerpts].mp3
    10. Dr John Brinkley Xera 390000 His Book.mp3
    11. Dr John Brinkley Xera 390000 Kidney Test.mp3
    12. Dr Kildare 510119 Ep52 Dr Conlon, Quack.mp3
    13. Dragnet 501012 070 Big Quack.mp3
    14. Jack Benny 500122 2120 I Was Betray.mp3
    15. Jack Benny 510121 2220 Jack Goes To.mp3
    16. Jack Benny 510304 2226 Jack Goes To.mp3
    17. Jack Benny 510527 Jack Meets Speed Rigs At Doctors Office.mp3
    18. Jack Benny 520309 4th Tv Show Of Season.mp3
    19. Jack Benny 521109 Jack Goes To Doctor For Vitamin Shot.mp3
    20. Jack Benny 541107 2607 Jack Sees Doctor.mp3
    21. Jack Benny 541128 899 Dennis Sees Psychiatrist.mp3
    22. Jack Benny 541226 2614 Day After Christmas, Dennis Cold.mp3
    23. Straight Arrow 481216 33 Doctor And Quack.mp3
    24. This Is Your Fbi 450525 008 Draft Dodgers Dr Woodbury.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    23 recordings on 11 Audio CDs. Total playtime 9 hours, 40 min
    23 recordings on 11 Audio CDs
    total playtime 9 hours, 40 min

    Quack Doctors Disc A001

    1. Dr John Brinkley Xera 193941 [excerpts]
    2. Dr John Brinkley Xera 390000 His Book
    3. Dr John Brinkley Xera 390000 Kidney Test

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A002

    1. Amos and Andy 431126 Man s Best Friend
    2. This Is Your Fbi 450525 008 Draft Dodgers Dr Woodbury

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A003

    1. Amos and Andy 470318HospitalizationPlan
    2. Amos and Andy 470527 143 Kingfish Runs Rest Home

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A004

    1. Amos and Andy 471111 Sapphires Brother Leroy Strikes It R
    2. Casey 480115 220 Miracle

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A005

    1. Amos and Andy 480420SapphiresUncle
    2. Straight Arrow 481216 33 Doctor And Quack
    3. Amos and Andy 490424 206 Andy Inherits $2,000

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A006

    1. Jack Benny 500122 2120 I Was Betray
    2. Dragnet 501012 070 Big Quack

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A007

    1. Dr Kildare 510119 Ep52 Dr Conlon, Quack
    2. Jack Benny 510121 2220 Jack Goes To

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A008

    1. Jack Benny 510304 2226 Jack Goes To
    2. Jack Benny 510527 Jack Meets Speed Rigs At Doctors Office

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A009

    1. Jack Benny 520309 4th Tv Show Of Season
    2. Jack Benny 521109 Jack Goes To Doctor For Vitamin Shot

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A010

    1. Jack Benny 541107 2607 Jack Sees Doctor
    2. Jack Benny 541128 899 Dennis Sees Psychiatrist

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quack Doctors Disc A011

    1. Jack Benny 541226 2614 Day After Christmas, Dennis Cold

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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