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Saddest Old Time Radio Shows

Grab your tissue and get ready for a good cry, these are the Saddest Episodes in Old Time Radio.

Saddest Old Time Radio

41 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 20 hours, 1335 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
21 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from December 19, 1951:

"Dragnet: Rifle For Christmas"



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

The ancient Greeks taught that the flipside of comedy is tragedy. Literary tragedy follows some well-defined rules to elicit the greatest emotional response. Greek dramatic tragedy is defined by elements such as hubris, or the sin of pride which leads to the fall of a hero. In other instances, sadness is the result of a loss of innocence, the sense that the world is changing, perhaps not for the better, but inevitably and there is nothing we can do about it.

Ralph EdwardsArtistically, it seems easier to make listeners laugh than it is to make them cry because people simply prefer to laugh. The philosopher Aristotle taught that tragedy was a means of cleaning the soul through the experience of catharsis. Only by experiencing the bitter can we truly enjoy the sweet, we can only understand the light after we have experienced the dark.

Some would argue that there is enough genuine sadness in the world that there is no need for tragedy in art. We would like to point out that sometimes the thing which will make us the happiest is to enjoy a good cry, and with that in mind we present the following stories and more.

  • Amos 'n' Andy, Wartime New Year's Eve Program, NBC, December 31, 1943. A tragic lesson wrapped in a comedy can be especially effective, as we see when Amos says goodbye to the year 1943, a year which has had more than its share of tragedy and War along with local troubles. In a dream sequence, Amos sees the old year as a condemned thug, ably played by Edward G. Robinson, who has briefly escaped from the Death House but his fate is sealed. Andy appears to remind us that good things happen in even the worst years. This makes 1943's shocking on-air suicide all the more poignant.
  • Truth or Consequences, Christmas Episode, 1947. Ralph Edwards usually rides herd on nonstop merriment, which listeners would naturally expect with Santa's annual visit so close. In this episode, the show visits a disabled veteran at the Long Beach Veterans Hospital. The producers use the magic of radio to take him to his hometown of Greenville, Tennessee for a surprise visit with all his friends.
  • Arch Oboler's Plays, Dragnet"Johnny Got His Gun," 1941. A chilling vision of a veteran lying in a hospital bed, the War has left him without eyes, ears, mouth, arms, or legs. The powerful acting of James Cagney shows what it is to live without being able to communicate with any other human being, to be doomed to simply remember.
  • Suspense, "The Long Night," July 13, 1958. This is the second time Frank Lovejoy has performed this script for Suspense, the story of a pilot, lost and blind during a night flight over the Midwest. As frightening as the situation is, since the first performance, Lovejoy has achieved his private pilot's certification.
  • Quiet Please, "Adam and the Darkest Day", November 7, 1948. One of the last people on Earth tells what it was like, thirty years ago, when the bombs began to fall.
  • Dragnet, ".22 Rifle for Christmas" December 22, 1949. The Christmas season takes a terrible turn when one young boy shows his special present to his young friend with incredibly tragic results.

See also: Tales of Tragedy

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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    COMMENTS

    The disc I listened to was Lights Out and CBS Radio Workshop. The CBS Workshop episode is well written,and well acted, and to be honest, is pretty sad. The Lights Out episodes were "The Dark" and "Valse Trieste". Both of them are were horror stories. I guess the sad part for them is that the protagonists have untimely fates in both episodes.

    Dan Verified Purchase

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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.



    41 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 20 hours, 1335 min
    41 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 20 hours, 1335 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 41 shows – total playtime 20 hours, 22 minutes
    2. 21st Precinct 530915 Dog Day.mp3
    3. Amos Andy Show 431231 New Years Eve With Edward G Robinson.mp3
    4. Arch Obolers Plays 400309 51 Johnny Got His Gun.mp3
    5. Bimb 500217 022 Dion Hartley Murder.mp3
    6. Casey Crime Photographer 471225 Santa Claus Bums Blvd.mp3
    7. Cbs Radio Mystery Theater 740311 E0054 Thing In Cave.mp3
    8. Columbia Workshop 390824 001 Meridian 71212.mp3
    9. Dragnet 501005 Big 38.mp3
    10. Dragnet 511220 132 22 Rifle For Christmas.mp3
    11. Dragnet 511227 133 Big Sorrow.mp3
    12. Dragnet 541116 274 Big Dog.mp3
    13. Ft 490629 124 Necklace.mp3
    14. Grand Central Station 491224 Miracle For Christmas.mp3
    15. Lights Out 371229 072 Dark.mp3
    16. Lights Out 380330 84 Valuse Trieste.mp3
    17. Lights Out 421013 002 21m54s Revolt Of Worms.mp3
    18. Lights Out 421103 05 Neanderthal.mp3
    19. Lights Out 430105 014 Fast One Aka Speed.mp3
    20. Lights Out 430803 44 Murder Castle Hq.mp3
    21. Lights Out 470716 002 Death Robbery.mp3
    22. Macabre 611211 05 Midnight Horseman.mp3
    23. Mercury Summer Theater 460621 E03 Hitch Hiker.mp3
    24. Mysterious Traveler 440227 013 Good Die Young.mp3
    25. Nbc Short Story 510314 Lottery.mp3
    26. Quiet Please 480809 060 Thing On Fourble Board.mp3
    27. Quiet Please 481107 073 Adam And Darkest Day.mp3
    28. Quiet Please 490417 096 Shadow Of Wings.mp3
    29. Snt 460928 Our Town By Thornton Wilder.mp3
    30. Suspense 430525 043 Sorry Wrong Number 12844 28100 29m17s.mp3
    31. Suspense 461205 222 House In Cypress Canyon.mp3
    32. Suspense 480207 Donovans Brain.mp3
    33. Suspense 530525 514 Pigeon In Cage 12844 27924 29m06s.mp3
    34. Suspense 550524 I Saw Myself Running.mp3
    35. Suspense 550712 Kaleidoscope.mp3
    36. Suspense 561104 672 Signalman 6444 14518 29m36s.mp3
    37. Suspense 561118 674 Long Night 12844 29584 31m13s.mp3
    38. Suspense 570818 712 Peanut Brittle 12844 28519 29m44s Afrs.mp3
    39. Suspense 580713 Long Night.mp3
    40. Truth Or Consequences 471220 Christmas Show.mp3
    41. X 1 550825 015 Cold Equations.mp3
    42. X Minus One 570109 Saucer Of Loneliness.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    41 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 20 hours, 1335 min
    41 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    540 MB – total playtime 20 hours, 22 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 41 shows – 540 MB – total playtime 20 hours, 22 minutes
    2. 21st Precinct 530915 Dog Day.mp3
    3. Amos Andy Show 431231 New Years Eve With Edward G Robinson.mp3
    4. Arch Obolers Plays 400309 51 Johnny Got His Gun.mp3
    5. Bimb 500217 022 Dion Hartley Murder.mp3
    6. Casey Crime Photographer 471225 Santa Claus Bums Blvd.mp3
    7. Cbs Radio Mystery Theater 740311 E0054 Thing In Cave.mp3
    8. Columbia Workshop 390824 001 Meridian 71212.mp3
    9. Dragnet 501005 Big 38.mp3
    10. Dragnet 511220 132 22 Rifle For Christmas.mp3
    11. Dragnet 511227 133 Big Sorrow.mp3
    12. Dragnet 541116 274 Big Dog.mp3
    13. Ft 490629 124 Necklace.mp3
    14. Grand Central Station 491224 Miracle For Christmas.mp3
    15. Lights Out 371229 072 Dark.mp3
    16. Lights Out 380330 84 Valuse Trieste.mp3
    17. Lights Out 421013 002 21m54s Revolt Of Worms.mp3
    18. Lights Out 421103 05 Neanderthal.mp3
    19. Lights Out 430105 014 Fast One Aka Speed.mp3
    20. Lights Out 430803 44 Murder Castle Hq.mp3
    21. Lights Out 470716 002 Death Robbery.mp3
    22. Macabre 611211 05 Midnight Horseman.mp3
    23. Mercury Summer Theater 460621 E03 Hitch Hiker.mp3
    24. Mysterious Traveler 440227 013 Good Die Young.mp3
    25. Nbc Short Story 510314 Lottery.mp3
    26. Quiet Please 480809 060 Thing On Fourble Board.mp3
    27. Quiet Please 481107 073 Adam And Darkest Day.mp3
    28. Quiet Please 490417 096 Shadow Of Wings.mp3
    29. Snt 460928 Our Town By Thornton Wilder.mp3
    30. Suspense 430525 043 Sorry Wrong Number 12844 28100 29m17s.mp3
    31. Suspense 461205 222 House In Cypress Canyon.mp3
    32. Suspense 480207 Donovans Brain.mp3
    33. Suspense 530525 514 Pigeon In Cage 12844 27924 29m06s.mp3
    34. Suspense 550524 I Saw Myself Running.mp3
    35. Suspense 550712 Kaleidoscope.mp3
    36. Suspense 561104 672 Signalman 6444 14518 29m36s.mp3
    37. Suspense 561118 674 Long Night 12844 29584 31m13s.mp3
    38. Suspense 570818 712 Peanut Brittle 12844 28519 29m44s Afrs.mp3
    39. Suspense 580713 Long Night.mp3
    40. Truth Or Consequences 471220 Christmas Show.mp3
    41. X 1 550825 015 Cold Equations.mp3
    42. X Minus One 570109 Saucer Of Loneliness.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



    41 recordings on 21 Audio CDs. Total playtime 18 hours, 57 min
    41 recordings on 21 Audio CDs
    total playtime 18 hours, 57 min

    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A001

    1. Lights Out 371229 072 Dark
    2. Lights Out 380330 84 Valuse Trieste
    3. Columbia Workshop 390824 001 Meridian 71212

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A002

    1. Arch Obolers Plays 400309 51 Johnny Got His Gun
    2. Lights Out 421013 002 21m54s Revolt Of Worms

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A003

    1. Lights Out 421103 05 Neanderthal
    2. Lights Out 430105 014 Fast One Aka Speed

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A004

    1. Suspense 430525 043 Sorry Wrong Number 12844 28100 29m17s
    2. Lights Out 430803 44 Murder Castle Hq

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A005

    1. Amos Andy Show 431231 New Years Eve With Edward G Robinson
    2. Mysterious Traveler 440227 013 Good Die Young

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A006

    1. Mercury Summer Theater 460621 E03 Hitch Hiker
    2. Suspense 461205 222 House In Cypress Canyon

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A007

    1. Lights Out 470716 002 Death Robbery
    2. Truth Or Consequences 471220 Christmas Show

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A008

    1. Casey Crime Photographer 471225 Santa Claus Bums Blvd

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A009

    1. Suspense 480207 Donovans Brain

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A010

    1. Quiet Please 480809 060 Thing On Fourble Board
    2. Quiet Please 481107 073 Adam And Darkest Day

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A011

    1. Quiet Please 490417 096 Shadow Of Wings
    2. Ft 490629 124 Necklace

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A012

    1. Grand Central Station 491224 Miracle For Christmas
    2. Bimb 500217 022 Dion Hartley Murder

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A013

    1. Dragnet 501005 Big 38
    2. Nbc Short Story 510314 Lottery

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A014

    1. Dragnet 511220 132 22 Rifle For Christmas
    2. Dragnet 511227 133 Big Sorrow

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A015

    1. Suspense 530525 514 Pigeon In Cage 12844 27924 29m06s
    2. 21st Precinct 530915 Dog Day

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A016

    1. Dragnet 541116 274 Big Dog
    2. Suspense 550524 I Saw Myself Running

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A017

    1. Suspense 550712 Kaleidoscope
    2. X 1 550825 015 Cold Equations

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A018

    1. Suspense 561104 672 Signalman 6444 14518 29m36s
    2. Suspense 561118 674 Long Night 12844 29584 31m13s

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A019

    1. X Minus One 570109 Saucer Of Loneliness
    2. Suspense 570818 712 Peanut Brittle 12844 28519 29m44s Afrs

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A020

    1. Suspense 580713 Long Night
    2. Macabre 611211 05 Midnight Horseman

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    Saddest Old Time Radio Disc A021

    1. Cbs Radio Mystery Theater 740311 E0054 Thing In Cave

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