The Old Time Radio Flier 25 "BOLD VENTURE"

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BOLD VENTURE starred Humphrey Bogart as Slate Shannon, owner of a small "quasi-respectable" Cuban hotel, occupied by a motley shifting cast of characters. Lauren Bacall played his sidekick and "ward" Sailor Duval, a smart talking tender hearted young woman, played by Bacall with sultry, sexy monotones. Jester Hairston played King Moses, the calypso singer.

Bogart, who up to this time had avoided doing a radio series, was lured by that new fangled invention, tape recording. He was interested in the idea of syndication proposed by writers Morton Fine and David Friedkin. It meant that Bogie could do the show in takes, and the music and sound effects could be added later. Three or four shows a week could be recorded and a whole season produced in a very short time leaving the Bogarts free for other endeavours.

They would be paid $4000 per show The ZIV Company who would distribute the series put up $12,000 for each episode, to ensure that the writing and production was top notch.

When Bold Venture was released and first heard over the airways, Bogart was in Africa filming "The African Queen."

The show was designed to the stars images. It was set in Havana, but as Newsweek noted, it could have been Casablanca. It was a pure "Bogie and baby" script. In addition to owning the hotel Slate also owned the boat "BOLD VENTURE," ready to run to the rescue of a friend or search for an enemy. The hotel was a perfect opening for all kinds of Caribbean adventure: a crossroads for modern pirates, treasure hunters, and revolutionaries. The calypso singer King Moses provided musical bridges, incorporating the storyline into his songs. It was never really explained why Sailor was Slates's ward, it was apparent she was perfectly able to take care of herself, and spent the series trying to breach the patented Bogart brush-off when she wanted to get romantic. - The Encyclopedia of Old - Time Radio
By John Dunning

510326 1 Deadly Merchandise (aka Gun Runners) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Shannon and Sailor get involved with a shipment of arms for a planned revolution. But Shannon never picked up the "merchandise" in Key West, and two murders follow because he doesn't have the guns.

510402 2 Kwan Yen Statue (aka Priceless Shanghai Statue) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
A beautiful Chinese girl is killed to get an idol she has smuggled into Havana.

510409 3 Opium Smugglers and Young Girl (aka White Envelope, Six Crates Of Apples, Bills of Lading) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Two tough opium smugglers are up against a young girl, until Slate evens the odds.

510416 4 Johnny Rice Story (aka Thugs and Slugs aka A Bullet For Shannon) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Tough Johnny Rice gets what he wants, including the death of Slate Shannon!

510423 5 Treasure on Flamingo Cay (aka Spanish Gold) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Sailor and Shannon go on a treasure hunt for Spanish gold with some unsavory companions.

510430 6 He Who Laughs Last (aka Dixon and Lane) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Franny Lane, a comic's partner, has been murdered. Shannon is framed for the killing.

510604 11 Blue Moon Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Mr. Cameron asks Shannon to free his daughter from the clutches of Norton and his gambling ship, "The Blue Moon."

510611 12 Tears of Siva (aka Tears of Sheba) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
"The Tears Of Siva" are stolen from a friend of Shannon's named Joe Bishop.

510730 19 Search For Tommy Reed (aka Looking for Tommy Reed) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Ruiz is giving away his money because his brother Juan is going to kill him.

510910 25 Out of Control (aka Phyllis Calvert Murder) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Shannon pulls a dead woman named Phyllis Calvert out of the bay and discovers a triple murderer.

510917 26 Black Tie Affair (aka Slate's Tuxedo Pocket) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
A safe combination in the pocket of a rented Tuxedo leads Shannon and Sailor on another adventure.

511119 35 Twelve Year Promise (aka Oil Wells) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Shannon has inherited half an oil field from a man he hasn't seen in twelve years.

511203 37 Cruise To Batabano (aka Emilio Lopez Story) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
A shipment of silk causes two murders and involves Shannon and Sailor in intrigue when he's hired to deliver a yacht to Batobano and deliver a letter to Emilio Lopez.

511210 38 Voodoo Vendetta (aka Alice Ramsey Kills Husband) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
The husband of Alice Ramsay, a notorious gambler, kidnaps Shannon, swaps papers with him, and has him shot.

511217 39 Tabard of Pizarro (aka Alice Markel Poisoning) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Shannon and Sailor become involved with "The Tabard Of Pizarro."

511224 40 Escape From Guantanamo (aka Paul Brewer Story) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Shannon is asked to help return Paul Brewer, an escaped murderer, to jail.

511231 41 Crazy Old Carlos (aka Carlos And Juan Ruiz Story) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Carlos Ruiz is giving away his money because his brother Juan is going to kill him.

520211 47 I'm Going To Die (aka Isle of Pines) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Rhoda Gonzalez has hired the "Bold venture" to take her to the Isle Of Pines for "a last fling."

520218 48 The One That Got Away (aka Matt Jeffrey Dies) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall

520225 49 Man From Sumatra (aka Welcome back to Civilization) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
George Carson has returned to civilization from Sumatra, and is promptly stabbed to death.

520303 50 The Big KO (aka Joe Ryan Shot) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Joe Ryan and his eleven year old daughter Ruthie check into Shannon's Place.

520310 51 Revenge Is Sweet (aka Joe Ralston) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall

520317 52 Haven's Venezuelan Isle (aka Runaway Wife) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Shortly after a couple check into Shannon's Place, her husband arrives and a corpse shows up soon after.

520407 55 With Friends Like These (aka Death of Rudy Keijon) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
friend Rudy Keijon was killed five years ago in New Orleans. However, Rudy is alive and well and in Havana...tied up by a beautiful woman.

520421 57 Mystery Of The Mary K Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Shannon and Sailor find four men in a drifting boat...machine gunned to death. They are in a lifeboat from the "Mary Kay," a ship missing for a year!

520714 69 Slate's Stolen Identity Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
A southerner hires Shannon and Sailor to take his client off a freighter (the "S. S. Paloma," didn't that ship burn in "The Maltese Falcon.") Slate is shanghaied, his identification papers are taken and he is almost arrested as being Louis Gaspar.

xxxxxx xx Death At The Wedding (aka Frame-up) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
A man is poisoned in Shannon's Place, a private detective is killed on the beach.

xxxxxx xx El Indio Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall

xxxxxx xx Ghost Ship Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall

xxxxxx xx Marriage and Murder (aka Sailor's Dead Husband) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall

xxxxxx xx Russian Roulette Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall

Synopsis provided by RadioGOLDINdex.