The ideas for network TV series come from many sources. Some are original creations and others are adapted from other media—novels, short stories, magazine articles, motion pictures, comic strips, etc. One of the most popular sources for series ideas, particularly in the early days of television, was network radio. Many of radio's most popular, and in some cases least popular, series found their way to television in the 1940s and 1950s. On rare occasions television returned the favor. Have Gun, Will Travel was first seen on CBS television in 1957— the following year an audio version turned up on CBS radio.
Following is a list of network TV series that also aired on network radio. In cases where the radio title differed from the title of the TV series, the radio title is in parentheses. Each listing includes the radio networks on which the series was aired (in alphabetical order, not sequential order) and the years in which the radio version was in production. In addition to the three networks familiar to TV viewers—ABC, CBS, and NBC—there is a fourth radio network, the Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS). It should be noted that ABC was formed in 1943 when NBC, which previously owned two separate radio networks, the “red” network and the “blue” network, sold the “blue” network to Edward J. Noble. The network indications in the listing below, for all programs aired prior to 1943, refer to the NBC red network as “NBC” and to the NBC blue network as “BLUE.”
In addition to the network series that aired on network radio, this listing also includes radio entries for any syndicated TV series which have been included in the body of The Complete Directory. To distinguish the listings for syndicated TV series from their network TV counterparts, they are all preceded by an asterisk.
The sources for this radio information were three books—Tune in Yesterday , by John Dunning, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1976; The Big Broadcast , by Frank Buxton and Bill Owen, Viking Press, 1972; and A Thirty Year History of Programs Carried on National Radio Networks in the United States 1926-1956by Harrison B. Summers, Arno Press and The New York Times , 1972.
*The Abbott and Costello Show; ABC, NBC; 1940, 1942-1949
The Adventures of Ellery Queen (Ellery Queen); ABC, CBS, NBC; 1939-1948
*The Adventures of Fu Manchu (Fu Manchu); CBS, Syndicated; 1932-1933, 1939-1940
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; ABC, CBS, NBC; 1944-1954
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (Rin-Tin-Tin); BLUE, CBS, MBS; 1930-1934, 1955-1956
*The Adventures of Superman; ABC, MBS; 1940-1951
*The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (Wild Bill Hickok); MBS; 1951-1956
The Alan Young Show; ABC, NBC; 1944-1949
The Aldrich Family; BLUE, NBC; 1939-1953
The Amazing Dunninger (Dunninger the Mentalist); ABC; 1943-1944
The Amazing Mr. Malone (Murder and Mr. Malone); ABC; 1947-1950
American Forum of the Air; MBS, NBC; 1937-1956
America's Town Meeting (America's Town Meeting of the Air); ABC, NBC; 1935-1956
Amos ‘n' Andy; BLUE, CBS, NBC; 1929-1960
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts; CBS; 1946-1958
Author Meets the Critics; ABC, MBS, NBC; 1946-1950
Beat the Clock; CBS; 1948-1950
Believe It Or Not; ABC, BLUE, CBS, MBS, NBC; 1930-1938, 1942-1947
The Bell Telephone Hour; NBC; 1940-1958
Beulah; ABC, CBS, NBC; 1945-1954
The Big Story; NBC; 1947-1955
Big Town; CBS, NBC; 1937-1952
Blind Date; ABC, NBC; 1943-1946
Blondie; ABC, CBS, NBC; 1939-1950
Bob and Ray; ABC, CBS, MBS, NBC; 1951-1960
The Bob Hope Show; NBC; 1938-1958
*Bold Venture; Syndicated; 1950-1951
*Boston Blackie; NBC, Syndicated; 1944-1945
Break the Bank; ABC, MBS, NBC; 1945-1955
Buck Rogers (Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century); CBS, MBS; 1932-1936, 1939-1947
Can You Top This; ABC, MBS, NBC; 1942-1954
Candid Camera (Candid Microphone); ABC, 1947-1948, 1950
Capitol Cloak Room (Capitol Cloakroom); CBS, MBS; 1948-1956
Cavalcade of America; CBS, NBC; 1935-1953
Chance of a Lifetime; ABC; 1949-1952
Charlie Wild, Private Detective; CBS; 1950-1951
*The Cisco Kid; MBS; 1942-1943, 1946-1947
Cities Service Band of America (Cities Service Concerts); NBC; 1926-1956
City Hospital; CBS; 1951-1956
The Clock; ABC; 1946-1948
Coke Time with Eddie Fisher (The Eddie Fisher Show); ABC, MBS; 1952-1957
Crime Photographer (Casey, Crime Photographer); CBS; 1943-1950, 1953-1955
*Dangerous Assignment; NBC; 1950-1953
The Danny Kaye Show; CBS; 1945-1946
A Date with Judy; ABC, NBC; 1941-1950
The Dave Garroway Show; NBC; 1949-1953
*Death Valley Days; BLUE, CBS; 1930-1945
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater (The Zane Grey Show); MBS; 1947-1948
Dick Tracy; ABC, MBS, NBC; 1935-1939, 1943-1948
The Dinah Shore Show; CBS, NBC; 1939-1947, 1953-1955
Dr. I.Q. (Dr. I.Q., The Mental Banker); ABC, NBC; 1939-1950
Dr. Kildare; MBS, Syndicated; 1949, 1951-1952
Don McNeill TV Club (The Breakfast Club); ABC, BLUE; 1933-1968
Double or Nothing; CBS, MBS, NBC; 1940-1952
Down You Go; MBS; 1952-1953
Dragnet; NBC; 1949-1956
Earn Your Vacation; CBS; 1949-1950
Easy Aces; BLUE, CBS; 1931-1945, 1948-1949
Escape; CBS; 1948-1954
Ethel and Albert; ABC; 1944-1950
Face the Nation; CBS; 1954-
Famous Jury Trials; ABC, BLUE, MBS, NBC; 1936-1949
Father Knows Best; NBC; 1949-1954
*Favorite Story; Syndicated; 1946-1949
Fibber McGee and Molly; BLUE, NBC; 1935-1957
*Flash Gordon; MBS; 1935-1936
Ford Show (The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show); ABC, CBS; 1952-1955
Ford Theatre; CBS, NBC; 1947-1949
The Frank Sinatra Show; ABC, CBS, NBC; 1944-1947, 1949, 1951, 1956-1958
The Fred Waring Show; CBS, NBC; 1932-1952
The Galen Drake Show; ABC, CBS; 1945-1955
Gangbusters (Gang Busters); ABC, BLUE, CBS, MBS, NBC; 1936-1957
The Garry Moore Show; CBS; 1949-1950
The Gay Nineties Review; CBS; 1940-1944
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (Burns and Allen); CBS, NBC; 1932-1950
The Goldbergs; CBS, MBS, NBC; 1929-1934, 1937-1945, 1949-1950
Grand Ole Opry; NBC; 1939-1957
The Green Hornet; ABC, BLUE, MBS, NBC; 1936-1952
Gunsmoke; CBS; 1952-1961
The Halls of Ivy; NBC; 1950-1952
Have Gun, Will Travel; CBS; 1958-1960
Hayloft Hoedown; ABC; 1945-1949
Herb Shriner Time; CBS; 1948-1949
Hobby Lobby; BLUE, CBS, MBS; 1937-1949
Hopalong Cassidy; CBS, MBS; 1950-1952
The Horace Heidt Show; ABC, CBS, NBC; 1932-1953
The Hour of Decision; ABC, MBS; 1950-1956
Information Please; BLUE, CBS, MBS, NBC; 1938-1948
It Pays to Be Ignorant; CBS, MBS; 1942-1949
It's Alec Templeton Time (Alec Templeton Time); BLUE, CBS, NBC; 1939-1943, 1947
The Jack Benny Show; BLUE, CBS, NBC; 1932-1958
The Jane Pickens Show; NBC; 1952-1956
The Jimmy Durante Show; CBS, NBC; 1943-1950
Juvenile Jury; MBS, NBC; 1946-1953
The Kate Smith Show; ABC, CBS, MBS, NBC; 1930-1951, 1957-1958
Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge; ABC, MBS, NBC; 1938-1949
The Kraft Music Hall; NBC; 1933-1949
Ladies Be Seated; ABC; 1943-1950
Lassie; ABC, NBC; 1947-1950
The Lawrence Welk Show; ABC; 1949-1956
Leave It to the Girls; MBS; 1945-1949
Life Begins at 80; ABC, MBS; 1948-1949
The Life of Riley; NBC; 1943-1951
Life with Linkletter (Art Linkletter's House Party); CBS; 1945-1967
Life with Luigi; CBS; 1948-1953
Lights Out; CBS, MBS, NBC; 1935-1947
The Lineup; CBS; 1950-1953
The Little Show; CBS; 1947
Live Like a Millionaire; ABC; 1950-1953
The Lone Ranger; ABC, BLUE, NBC, Syndicated; 1933-1955
Lux Video Theatre (The Lux Radio Theatre); CBS, NBC; 1934-1955
*The Man Called X;CBS, NBC; 1944-1948, 1950-1952
The Marriage; NBC; 1953-1954
Martin Kane, Private Eye (Martin Kane, Private Detective); MBS; 1949-1952
Mary Margaret McBride; ABC, CBS, NBC; 1937-1954
Meet Corliss Archer; ABC, CBS; 1943-1955
Meet Millie;CBS; 1951-1954
Meet the Press; NBC; 1945-
Michael Shayne; ABC, MBS; 1946-1952
The Milton Berle Show; NBC; 1941-1942, 1947-1948
Mr. and Mrs. North; CBS, NBC; 1941-1956
Mr. District Attorney; ABC, BLUE, NBC; 1939-1953
The Morey Amsterdam Show; CBS; 1948-1949
My Favorite Husband; CBS; 1948-1951
My Friend Irma; CBS; 1947-1954
My Little Margie; CBS, MBS; 1952-1955
My True Story; ABC, NBC; 1943-1961
Name That Tune; NBC; 1952-1953
The Nat “King” Cole Show (“King” Cole Trio Time); NBC; 1947-1948
The National Barn Dance; ABC, BLUE, NBC; 1933-1950
Nero Wolfe (The Adventures of Nero Wolfe); ABC, BLUE, NBC; 1943-1946, 1950-1951
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (Charlie Chan); ABC, BLUE, MBS; 1932-1933, 1937-1938, 1944-1948
Oboler Comedy Theatre (Arch Oboler Plays); MBS, NBC; 1939-1940, 1945
One Man's Family; NBC; 1932-1959
The O'Neills; CBS, MBS, NBC; 1934-1943
The Original Amateur Hour (Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour); ABC, CBS, NBC; 1935-1946, 1948-1952
Our Miss Brooks; CBS; 1948-1957
Our Secret Weapon—The Truth; CBS; 1942-1943
The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show; MBS; 1943-1944
The Pee Wee King Show; NBC; 1952-1955
People Are Funny; CBS, NBC; 1942-1959
The People's Platform; CBS; 1938-1952
The Perry Como Show (Chesterfield Supper Club); NBC; 1944-1950
Perry Mason; CBS; 1943-1955
Pete Kelly's Blues; NBC; 1951
The Peter Potter Show (Jukebox Jury); CBS; 1954-1956
Philip Marlowe (The Adventures of Philip Marlowe); CBS, NBC; 1947-1950
Presidential Timber; CBS; 1948
Public Prosecutor; MBS; 1954-1956
Pursuit; CBS; 1949-1952
Q.E.D. (Mystery File); ABC; 1950-1951
Quick as a Flash; ABC, MBS; 1944-1951
The Quiz Kids; ABC, BLUE, CBS, NBC; 1940-1953
The RCA Victor Show (A Day in the Life of Dennis Day); NBC; 1946-1951
RFD America; MBS, NBC; 1947-1949
The Ray Bolger Show; CBS; 1945
The Ray Milland Show (Meet Mr. McNutley); CBS; 1953-1954
The Red Skelton Show; CBS, NBC; 1941-1953
Richard Diamond, Private Detective; ABC, NBC; 1949-1952
The Robert Q. Lewis Show; CBS; 1951-1955
Romance; CBS; 1947-1960
The Roy Rogers Show; MBS, NBC; 1944-1955
The Saint; CBS, MBS, NBC; 1945-1952
The Screen Directors' Playhouse; NBC; 1949-1951
See It Now (Hear It Now); CBS; 1950-1951
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon; ABC, MBS; 1947-1955
Sheilah Graham in Hollywood (The Sheilah Graham Show); MBS; 1949-1950
The Show Goes On; CBS; 1949-1950
The Silver Theatre; CBS; 1937-1946
The Singing Lady (The Singing Story Lady); ABC, BLUE, MBS, NBC; 1932-1950
Sky King; ABC, MBS; 1946-1954
Smilin' Ed McConnell and His Buster Brown Gang; NBC; 1944-1952
Songs for Sale; CBS; 1950-1951
Space Patrol; ABC; 1950-1955
The Spike Jones Show; CBS; 1947-1949
Stars over Hollywood; CBS; 1941-1954
The Steve Allen Show; CBS; 1952-1953
Stop Me If You've Heard This One; MBS, NBC; 1939-1940, 1947-1948
Stop the Music; ABC, CBS; 1948-1955
Strike It Rich; CBS, NBC; 1947-1958
Studio One; CBS; 1947-1948
Suspense; CBS; 1942-1962
The TV Reader's Digest (The Radio Reader's Digest); CBS; 1942-1948
Tales of the Texas Rangers; NBC; 1950-1952
Tales of Tomorrow; ABC, CBS; 1953
Tarzan; CBS; 1952-1953
The Ted Steele Show; MBS; 1954-1955
Tex and Jinx (Meet Tex and Jinx); NBC; 1947-1948
The Thin Man (The Adventures of the Thin Man); ABC, CBS, NBC; 1941-1950
Think Fast; ABC; 1949-1950
*The Third Man; Syndicated; 1950-1951
This Is Show Business; CBS; 1949-1954
This Is Your Life; NBC; 1948-1950
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet; ABC; 1952
Topper (The Adventures of Topper); NBC; 1945
Truth or Consequences; CBS, NBC; 1940-1957
Twenty Questions;MBS; 1946-1954
Two for the Money; CBS; 1952-1957
The U.S. Steel Hour; ABC, NBC; 1945-1953
Valentino; ABC; 1952-1956
The Victor Borge Show; NBC; 1945-1947
Vincent Lopez; ABC, MBS; 1949-1956
The Voice of Firestone; ABC, NBC; 1928-1956
The Walter Winchell Show (Walter Winchell's Journal); ABC, BLUE, MBS; 1932-1956
We Take Your Word; CBS; 1950-1951
We, the People; CBS, NBC; 1936-1951
What's My Line; CBS; 1952-1953
What's My Name; ABC, MBS, NBC; 1938-1942, 1949-1950
Who Said That?; NBC; 1948-1950
The Wife Saver; NBC; 1932-1942
Winner Take All; CBS; 1946-1952
You Are There; (CBS Is There); CBS; 1947-1950
You Bet Your Life; ABC, CBS, NBC; 1947-1959
Your Hit Parade; NBC; 1935-1959
Youth Wants to Know; NBC; 1951-1955