The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen

 

 

Log Entry, the ketch Scarlet Queen, Philip Carney, master.

Position: 3 degrees, 7 minutes North, 104 degrees, 2 minutes East.

Wind: fresh to moderate.

Sky: fair.

Remarks: departed Singapore after being guest at an unsuccessful wedding.

Reason for failure: The Winchester Rifle and the Ambitious Groom

 

The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen was an adventure series heard over Mutual stations from the 3rd July 1947 until 25th Feb 1948. It starred Ellott Lewis as Captain Philip Carney, master of the ketch Scarlet Queen "the proudest ship to plough the seas" and Ed Max as Mr. "Red" Gallagher. Some other notable Hollywood radio & movie actors who made appearances in the series were Jeff Chandler, William Conrad, John Dehner, Verna Felton, Bill Johnstone, Jack Kruschen, Cathy Lewis, Roddy McDowell, Ben Wright and Barton "Doc" Yarborough

 

The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen begins in San Francisco and each show tracks the voyage from port to port as the Scarlet Queen sails the Pacific in a quest for a $10 000 000 treasure. The action of one episode can carry over into the next episode, but although there is a continuing thread (the $10 000 000 prize) the series should not be considered a serial.  Each show is a complete 30-minute adventure. Listen closely, as the sound effects really help transport the listener to exotic Pacific locations. The producer for the entire series was James Burton.  Writers were Gil Doud and Robert Tallman. Sound effects were done by Ray Kemper, Bill James and Tom Hanley.  The musical score was by Richard Aurandt.

 

There are 35 episodes which comprise the initial (and only) run of the series. Of these 33 are in existence and of quite good quality. Only Episodes Nos. 7 & 10 are missing.

Whilst the show may have finished in February1948, it was to (sort of) return in May 1950 when Lewis reassembled the writing team, cast himself as Captain Mathew Kincaid, Ed Max as "Red" Gallagher and produced a Pilot for a new 30 min stand-alone series. This time there was to be no continuing thread and it was titled The Log of the Black Parrot.

Unfortunately it wasn't taken up by the networks (because of TV perhaps?) and as such there is only a single episode in what could have been another great sea-faring adventure series.

 

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 25Mb - download time will depend on your (broadband) speed

 

VSQ_1947-07-03 Episode No.1.mp3

 

 

These two MP3 CDs contain all 33 surviving episodes of The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen plus the original Pilot for the series (1947-02-02) which starred Howard Duff - the script was the same as that used in Episode No.1 (1947-07-03) of the series proper. Also included is the single episode of The Log of the Black Parrot (1950-05-06).

 

A.      The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen

1.               1947-07-03 No.1 "The Shanghai Secret"                     

2.               1947-07-10 No.2 "The  Report from the White Jade Buddha"                    

3.               1947-07-17 No.3 "The Spaniard and the Laskar Pirates"                       

4.               1947-07-24 No.4 "The Boston Geisha and Chesapeake Bay"

5.               1947-07-31 No.5 "The Lily in the Chimopo Bar"

6.               1947-08-07 No.6 "The White Cargo Act and Ah Sin"

7.               1947-08-21 No.8 "The Story of the Eight Historic Periods"

8.               1947-08-28 No.9 "The Barefoot Nymph and the Mother Hubbard Jacket"

9.               1947-09-11 No.11"The Jewel Thieves and the Straw Filled Dummy"

10.            1947-09-18 No.12         "The Courtship of Ana May Lamour"

11.            1947-09-25 No.13         "Shore Leave and the Unhappy Wife"

12.            1947-10-02 No.14         "The Fat Trader and the Sword of Apokaejhan"

13.            1947-10-09 No.15         "Tattooed Beaver and Baby Food for Pare Pare"

14.            1947-10-16 No.16         "Ah Sen and the Balinese Beaux Art Ball"

15.            1947-10-23 No.17         "Grafter's Fort and the Black Pearl of Galela Bay"

16.            1947-10-30 No.18         "King Ascot and the Maid in Waiting"

17.            1947-11-06 No.19         "The Lonely Sultan of Isabella de Basilan"

18.            1947-11-13 No.20         "Kang's Treasure and the Ghost of Tongolan"

19.            1947-11-20 No.21 "The Beautiful Girl in the Bargain Basement"

20.            1947-11-27 No.22         "Huntsman's Quarry and the Dead Chinese"

21.            1947-12-03 No.23         "The Green Tourist and the Temple Bell"

22.            1947-12-10 No.24         "The Wandering Master and the Warlord At Rest"

23.            1947-12-17 No.25 "Red Beard and the Bag Of Pearls"

24.            1947-12-24 No.26         "The Fifteenth Lama and the Wise Guy from the East"

25.            1947-12-31 No.27 "Hattie McCormick and the Patient Stowaway"

26.            1948-01-07 No.28         "The Derelict and the Wandering Buoy"

27.            1948-01-14 No.29 "The Fang, Rubies and the Black Siamese"

28.            1948-01-21 No.30         "The Ambitious Hostess on South Bridge Road"

29.            1948-01-28 No.31         "The Bubble Dancer and the Buccaneers"

30.            1948-02-04 No.32 "The Pegleg Skipper and the Iberian Blade"

31.            1948-02-11 No.33         "Rocky the Third and the Dead Man's Chest"

32.            1948-02-18 No.34         "The Queen Anne Pistols and the Dealer on King                                                            George Road"

33.            1948-02-25 No.35 "The Winchester Rifle and the Ambitious Groom"

 

1947-02-02 Audition "Death Of David R. Malone"

                                    Unsold pilot, stars Howard Duff and Elliott Lewis -                                     the same script was used in Episode No.1

 

1950-05-06 No. 1  "The Log of the Black Parrot"

                                    Unsold pilot for a follow-up series starring Elliott                                              Lewis and Ed Max as Capt. Matthew Kincaid &                                              "Red" Gallagher

 

 

Old Time Radio Home