Tales of the Texas Rangers - Singles


(4.9 stars; 24 reviews)

Individual episodes from the OTRR Maintained set of Tales of the Texas Rangers: a western radio drama that aired on the NBC radio network from July 8, 1950, until September 14, 1952. Modeled after the successful Dragnet program, this series was a police drama that utilized sophisticated scientific techniques to track down criminals in modern Texas, rather than the typical 1800s setting of most westerns.

The show featured Texas Ranger Jace Pearson, played by the popular actor Joel McCrea, and followed a consistent format where an announcer would describe the situation, leading to the Rangers being called in to resolve the case. The series produced ninety-five episodes and one audition episode, with real-life Texas Ranger Captain Manuel “Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas serving as an advisor to ensure realism and accuracy.

After its radio run, the show transitioned to television from 1955 to 1958, with Willard Parker taking over the role of Jace Pearson. Additionally, 22 comic books about the Texas Rangers were published quarterly from 1952 until 1959, featuring McCrea and Parker on the covers.


This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

Chapters

Old Time Radio Researchers Introduction 3:01
Tales of the Texas Rangers Series Synopsis 3:03
Joel McCrea Audio Biography 4:24
April 13, 1950 27:32
Episode 2 29:42
Episode 3 29:33
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:41
Episode 5 29:30
Episode 6 29:34
Episode 007 29:57
Episode 008 29:47
Episode 9 29:32
Episode 10 29:31
Episode 011 29:30
Episode 13 29:44
Episode 14 29:07
Episode 15 29:25
Episode 17 29:47
Episode 18 29:41
Episode 19 29:20
Episode 20 29:45
December 3, 1950 29:28
Episode 22 29:03
December 17, 1950 29:32
Episode 24 (December 24, 1950) 29:36
Episode 25 29:06
January 7, 1951 29:10
Episode 27 29:33
Episode 28 29:30
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:20
Episode 031 29:24
Episode 32 29:30
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:37
Episode 034 29:36
Episode 35 29:34
Episode 036 29:30
Episode 37 29:55
Episode 38 29:30
Episode 39 29:32
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:35
Episode 042 29:29
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:23
Episode 044 29:34
Episode 045 29:33
Episode 046 29:41
Episode 47 29:44
Episode 048 29:41
Episode 49 29:36
Episode 050 29:47
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:30
Episode 52 29:32
Episode 053 29:43
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:42
December 2, 1951 29:39
Episode 056 29:46
Episode 57 29:42
Episode 58 29:38
Episode 59 29:41
Episode 60 29:44
Episode 61 29:44
Episode 62 29:34
Episode 63 29:31
Episode 064 29:42
Episode 65 29:34
Episode 66 28:40
Episode 67 29:51
Episode 068 29:53
Episode 69 29:44
Episode 070 29:47
Episode 071 29:46
Episode 072 29:42
Episode 073 29:50
Episode 074 29:36
Episode 75 29:32
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:39
Episode 77 29:38
Episode 078 29:36
Episode 79 29:42
Episode 080 29:39
Episode 081 29:34
Episode 82 29:47
Episode 83 29:51
Episode 084 29:48
Tales of the Texas Rangers 29:38
Episode 86 29:37
Episode 87 29:37
Episode 088 29:37
Episode 89 29:34
Episode 90 29:40
Episode 91 29:46
Episode 92 29:38
Episode 93 29:32
Episode 094 29:38
Episode 95 29:39

Reviews

Among the best


(5 stars)

Tales of the Texas Rangers is one of the most engaging radio dramas of the golden age of radio. Joel McCrea puts his best into every performance, and Parley Baer (heard as Chester in radio's Gunsmoke) shows up just enough to help him out. Sound quality is uniformly excellent.

The Best


(5 stars)

For me, Tales of the Texas Rangers is the best old time radio show of them all. Stacy Keach directed it and supervised the scripts that were beautifully written.. Joel McCrea is great as Jace Pearson, Parley Bear is excellent,and the stories were beautifully written. They all have a ring of authenticity because they are drawn from real cases of the Texas Rangers who were real heroes -- brave, tough, fair, honest and very smart investigators. I don't think this show has any weaknesses except perhaps for the fact that there are so few episodes; it was only on for two seasons.

Oater


(4 stars)

An unusual feature of some of the episodes was the presence of Jace's horse Charcoal. He was transported by trailer and ridden in areas inaccessible to vehicles. Jace would at times address the horse as "Charky."

Great Show With A Connection


(5 stars)

This series about the Texas Rangers is a great radio show, and it has a special connection for me: My great grandfather was a Texas Ranger from 1935-1947, before becoming Sheriff for Travis County, Texas. So, while there's no way of knowing if my great grandfather was involved in any of these cases, it's cool to think that perhaps he might have been. The stories were taken from actual cases.

Outstanding


(5 stars)

This is a really wonderful series of tales from the Texas Rangers. Joel McCrea is quite superb as Jace Pearson and I was hooked from the very beginning. I was moved to research the Texas Rangers both in the era that this series is set and today's Rangers. Please give this a try as I can't recommend it highly enough and thanks so much for making it available.

Terrific!


(5 stars)

Recently visited the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco, Texas. It was very neat and it made me want to listen to these programs all over again.