Whitehall 1212 - Single Episodes
Old Time Radio Researchers Group
WHITEHALL 1212 Named after the then famous telephone number of Scotland Yard -- the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Force, Whitehall 1212 was a weekly crime drama radio show. It ran from November 18, 1951 until September 28, 1952. The stories were true and stated to be "the plain unvarnished facts, just as they occurred". The show, in their own words, presented some of the "most baffling cases" as hosted by the fictitious Scotland Yard Chief Superintendent John Davison. Davison was said to be the curator of the Yard's "Black Museum" a name given it in 1877. Artifacts described in the show were the basis for the story about the crime. Whitehall 1212 was actually produced in the United States at NBC. The stories were well researched by Percy Hoskins, Chief Crime Reporter of the London Daily Express, and by the Writer-Director, Wyllis Cooper. Also, the show had the official support of the Yard. The cast were all British, which gives the show an authentic air and appeal. The stories are told from the view of the police who did the hard work in solving the case, and thus it down plays some of the more sensational aspects. In comparison, at the same time, Orson Welles was on a show titled The Black Museum . It was a production of British commercial radio producer Harry Alan Towers and told the story in a more dramatic fashion. The two shows closely paralleled each other, and ran during the same timeframe. The Black Museum was run in the United States on the Mutual Network from January 1 to December 30, 1952. Wyllis Cooper was noteworthy for his work on Quiet Please , and Lights Out . However, working from purely factual basis for the stories limited his artistic expression. Still, the stories were well presented and compelling. Information for this synopsis was taken from The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, and Wikipedia. From the Old Time Radio Researchers Group. See "Notes" Section below for more information on the OTRR.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
Chapters
Reviews
The Best
Ms ATXGault
Great find. You will enjoy if you like Orson Welles The Black Museum bc these dramatizations tell the same story but POV of the CID. Not sure about the case of the Magenta Blotting Pad (Paper). Nothing in the title has anything to do with the story. Nothing at all. Unless I'm confusing this with fly paper.
BRAVO ...
ever.thus
... such quality, through and through; saying too much about work of this highest calibre can serve as a distraction; my review is so minuscule and minor when set against this work of absolutely rare brilliance that is woven perfectly throughout this master work; if I were asked to draw one's attention to a specific aspect I would demure from same; however if pressed to speak, that's exactly what I would draw a bead on, every single spoken word and phrase; from the choices available in the dictionary of the language onward to the structure and emphasis of the phrasing; my review condensed to just a few words: an admonition to listen carefully to every single spoken word; be not distracted, do not miss hearing every single spoken word; each a rare gem precisely placed in the construction of a woven tapestry worthy to grace the walls of the Holy One And Only One: Step Aside, Genius at Work.
A LibriVox Listener
Start out well but later shows seem increasingly divorced from reality, I simply do not believe that the police would follow such procedures as are described. The jolly music used in some of the links between scenes is largely inappropriate and must have been selected by a lunatic...
Old school drama
Joe Bloggs NZ
Old school drama. Interesting stories that demonstrate the darker side of the human condition.