Bold Venture

 

 

 

Bold Venture: Adventure, intrigue, mystery, romance starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, together in the sultry setting of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean! Bold Venture!

 

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were open to a venture, and that was radio syndication, thanks to that new wonder: tape recording. Over a few months and from an informal recording studio, Bogie & Bacall did a radio series supported by a quality cast of Hollywood radio talent. Music was added later by the stalwart David Rose and the finished production was titled Bold Venture and syndicated from 1951 by the Frederic W. Ziv Co. Interestingly by the time of the initial launch of the series, Bogie was in Africa working with another beauty on another boat called "The African Queen."

 

In "Bold Venture", Bogie plays Slate Shannon, the owner and proprietor of a dubious Havana hotel, and Bacall is Sailor Duval, his sultry, wisecracking sidekick, whose exact status is questionable. Jester Hairston plays the calypso-singing aide-de-camp King Moses, whose witty rhymes comment on the plot as it whips along. Shannon's hotel attracts cutthroats, gamblers, and other denizens of the deep to its nautical watering hole, so Shannon is ready to do what it takes to keep the peace, or get a piece of the action. In addition to owning the hotel, Slate Shannon also owns a boat, the Bold Venture, "ever ready to roar to the rescue of a friend or search for an enemy".

 

This show is like a fun-house mirror of real life (and reel life), with the requisite toughs, quips and plots as knotted as ropes on a well-used dock. The set-up is not unlike Bogie and Bacall's "To Have and Have Not" film of 1944.

 

In all 78 thirty minute episodes of Bold Venture were produced - of these, 57 have survived.

(Originally it was felt that only 33 episodes had survived but in 2008 another 24 were "discovered", much to the excitement of Bogie/Bacall fans)

 

Want to check out an episode? - why not "taste & try"?

 

This episode can be freely downloaded to your computer - just right button click on any link below and chose "Download Linked File" (or words to that effect). The file is on an average about 18Mb - download time will depend on your (broadband) speed

 

BV_1952-03-24 Robbed By Joe Ralston.mp3

 

This 2 MP3 CDs contains all of the surviving 57 episodes of "Bold Venture" as well a 60 minute Lux Theatre dramatization of "To Have and Have Not" in which Bogie and Bacall recreate their screen roles - fabulous

 

Bold Venture Radio Log

 

1.           BV_1951-03-26 Death By A Fighting Bird.mp3

2.           BV_1951-04-02 The Kuan Yin Statue.mp3

3.           BV_1951-04-09 Six Crates Of Apple Juice.mp3

4.           BV_1951-04-16 Thugs & Slugs.mp3

5.           BV_1951-04-23 Spanish Gold.mp3

6.           BV_1951-04-30 He Who Laughs Last.mp3

7.           BV_1951-05-07 Espionage and Murder in San Tomas.mp3

8.           BV_1951-05-14 A Muncie Murderess in Havana.mp3

9.           BV_1951-05-21 False American Passports.mp3

10.       BV_1951-05-28 Sailor Framed For Murder.mp3

11.       BV_1951-06-04 The Blue Moon.mp3

12.       BV_1951-06-11 The Tears Of Siva.mp3

13.       BV_1951-06-18 Half Million Reasons to Find Cary Martin.mp3

14.       BV_1951-06-25 The High Price Of Treason.mp3

15.       BV_1951-07-02 Russian Roulette.mp3

16.       BV_1951-07-09 Mystery Of The Mary K.mp3

17.       BV_1951-07-16 The Chaney Wedding.mp3

18.       BV_1951-07-23 The 12 Year Old Promise.mp3

19.       BV_1951-07-30 Voodoo Vendetta.mp3

20.       BV_1951-08-06 Search For Tommy Reed.mp3

21.       BV_1951-08-13 Sunken Treasure at 20 Fathoms.mp3

22.       BV_1951-08-20 Ghost Ship.mp3

23.       BV_1951-08-27 Jenny Ward, Slate's Old Flame.mp3

24.       BV_1951-09-03 The Key To Death.mp3

25.       BV_1951-09-10 Suicide Or Murder.mp3

26.       BV_1951-09-17 Slates Tuxedo Pocket.mp3

27.       BV_1951-09-24 Murder In The Yucatan Peninsula.mp3

28.       BV_1951-10-01 Slate Shannon Sucker.mp3

29.       BV_1951-10-08 Slate Shannon Held For Ransom.mp3

30.       BV_1951-10-15 Camellias And A Ruby.mp3

31.       BV_1951-10-22 Passage For Mario Carada.mp3

32.       BV_1951-10-29 Darby And Joan Incorporated.mp3

33.       BV_1951-11-05 Mutineers Of The SS Marino Victory.mp3

34.       BV_1951-11-12 Bold Venture Stolen.mp3

35.       BV_1951-11-19 Slates Stolen DaVinci.mp3

36.       BV_1951-11-26 Paolo Framed For Jewel Robbery.mp3

37.       BV_1951-12-03 Cruise To Bata Bano.mp3

38.       BV_1951-12-10 Slate's Stolen Identity.mp3

39.       BV_1951-12-17 Tabard Of Pizzaro.mp3

40.       BV_1951-12-24 The Paul Brewer Story.mp3

41.       BV_1951-12-31 Crazy Old Carlos.mp3

42.       BV_1952-01-07 Innocent In Trujillo.mp3

43.       BV_1952-01-14 An Invitation To Death.mp3

44.       BV_1952-01-21 Background Shots Can Kill You.mp3

45.       BV_1952-01-28 Revenge Equals Murder Times Two.mp3

46.       BV_1952-02-04 A Backstabbing at Shannon's Place.mp3

47.       BV_1952-02-11 Isle Of Pines.mp3

48.       BV_1952-02-18 Matt Jeffrey Dies.mp3

49.       BV_1952-02-25 Welcome Back To Civilization, Dead Man.mp3

50.       BV_1952-03-03 Ruthie Ryan's Father.mp3

51.       BV_1952-03-10 El Indio.mp3

52.       BV_1952-03-17 Diamond Smuggling.mp3

53.       BV_1952-03-24 Robbed By Joe Ralston.mp3

54.       BV_1952-03-31 Haven's Venezuelan Isle.mp3

55.       BV_1952-04-07 With Friends Like These.mp3

56.       BV_1952-04-14 Sailor's Dead Husband.mp3

57.       BV_1952-05-12 Senor Rufio.mp3

 

Plus the Lux Theatre dramatization of To Have and Have Not:

 

LT_1946-10-14 To Have and Have Not (stars Bogie & Bacall!)

 

 

 

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