Carlton E. Morse Script Collection (full view)

Title: Carlton E. Morse Script Collection
Inclusive Dates: 1939-1952
Creator: Morse, Carlton E., 1901-
Extent: 5 linear feet (15 boxes)
Language: Collection materials are in English
Repository: Recorded Sound Reference Center, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Abstract: Photocopies of sixty-four radio scripts written by Carlton E. Morse for the detective series Adventures by Morse, I Love a Mystery, and I Love Adventure.
Location: RPA 00195-RPA 00209

Key Subjects and Formats

The following headings represent names, topics, places, and formats of major significance in the collection.

Topics

Detective and mystery radio programs--United States
Detective and mystery radio programs--United States--Authorship
Detectives--Drama
Packard, Jack (Fictitious character)
Long, Doc (Fictitious character)
Yorke, Reggie (Fictitious character)

Forms of Material

Detective and mystery radio programs
Radio thrillers
Radio scripts
Photocopies

Titles

I love a mystery (Radio program)

Administrative Information

Acquisition of the Collection

The Carlton E. Morse Script Collection was registered and deposited for copyright at the Library of Congress in 1990 and 1991 by the Morse Family Trust. It is housed in the Recorded Sound Reference Center in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, Library of Congress.

Additions

No further additions to the collection are expected.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Karen Fishman in February 2004.

Restrictions on Use of the Collection

Restrictions may exist on copying, quoting, or publishing materials included in the collection. For additional information, contact a reference librarian in the Recorded Sound Reference Center, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 20540-4690; (202) 707-7833.

Restrictions on Access to the Collection

The Carlton E. Morse Script Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [Container number, eg., Box 3], Carlton E. Morse Script Collection, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, Library of Congress.

Biography of Carlton E. Morse

Carlton E. Morse (1901-1993) was born in Jennings, Louisiana, in 1901. He and his family moved to Oregon in 1906 following his parents' purchase of a fruit and dairy ranch. After some years, the family relocated to Sacramento, California. Morse attended the University of California at Berkeley but never graduated.

Morse's early career included working as a newspaper writer for the Sacramento Union, covering radio and police news. He wrote for several other newspapers before landing in 1928 at the San Francisco Bulletin. Due to a change in the paper’s ownership, Morse left that job and became a writer for radio station KGO, writing radio musical shows, mystery dramas, and serials. His well-known radio serial, One Man's Family, debuted in 1932 and ran until 1959, becoming one of the longest-running American radio soap operas.

After retiring to Woodside, California, Morse wrote six novels. In 1984, his first wife of sixty years, Patricia De Ball, died. Carlton E. Morse died in 1993 at the age of 91, survived by his second wife, Millie and daughter, Noel.

Scope and Content of the Collection

When I Love a Mystery debuted in 1939, Carlton E. Morse was quite well known as the writer, director, and producer of the popular radio serial One Man's Family. One Man's Family became one of the longest-running American radio soap operas, broadcasting 3,256 episodes from 1932 to 1959. I Love a Mystery, which Morse also wrote, directed, and produced, aired until 1952. Morse created other radio serials including I Love Adventure, China Town Squad, Adventures by Morse, Family Skeleton, and His Honor, the Barber.

The Carlton E. Morse Script Collection, spanning the years 1939 to 1952, consists of photocopies of radio scripts, a few with annotations. It includes four Adventures by Morse scripts, forty-seven I Love a Mystery scripts, and thirteen I Love Adventure scripts, for a total of sixty-four scripts in 105 folders.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is arranged in three series:

Series 1: Adventures by Morse Scripts, 1944
Series 2: I Love a Mystery Scripts, 1939-1944, 1949-1952
Series 3: I Love Adventure Scripts, 1948

Each series is organized by episode title and then chronologically by year and by story number.

Detailed Description of the Collection

CONTAINER	CONTENTS


	Series 1. Adventures by Morse Scripts, 1944
		6 folders
		RPA 00195 (box 1)
		Adventures by Morse was a fifty-two-week run of mysteries written by Carlton E. Morse after his series I Love a Mystery was cancelled by NBC. It broadcast as a transcribed syndication from 1944 to 1945 in thirty-minute weekly episodes. The radio series was divided into major stories which ran for ten weeks followed by a three-week story line. The show recounted the adventures of Captain Bart Friday, a San Francisco detective, and his assistant, Skip Turner. Elliott Lewis, David Ellis, and Russell Thorson alternately played the role of Captain Friday, while Jack Edwards played Skip Turner.

BOX 1 FOLDER 1		"You'll Be Dead in a Week," undated
			Also titled "You'll Be Dead in a Month."

BOX 1 FOLDER 2		"A Coffin for the Lady," undated

BOX 1 FOLDER 3		"The City of the Dead," episodes 1-5, 1930 September 26-October 24

BOX 1 FOLDER 4		"The City of the Dead," episodes 6-10, 1930 October 31-November 28

BOX 1 FOLDER 5		"Dead Men Prowl," episodes 1-5, 1931 October 28-November 25

BOX 1 FOLDER 6		"Dead Men Prowl," episodes 6-10 1931 December 2-December 30

	Series 2. I Love a Mystery Scripts, 1939-1944, 1949-1952
		4 linear feet
		RPA 00196-RPA 00209 (boxes 2-15)
		I Love a Mystery was the story of three adventurers, Jack Packard, Doc Long, and Reggie Yorke, who wandered the world solving cases for the A-1 Detective Agency. I Love a Mystery first aired on the NBC West Coast network as a daily fifteen-minute serial. In October 1939, Fleishmann's Yeast began sponsoring the program, which now was broadcast nationally. In 1940 it became a thirty-minute weekly program airing Monday evenings on NBC's Blue Network. In 1943 the show changed back to a fifteen-minute serial for CBS and was sponsored by Proctor and Gamble until 1944, when it left the air for five years. In 1949 I Love a Mystery was back on the Mutual network as a fifteen-minute serial, broadcasting weeknights from New York. It ran until 1952. The cast included Michael Raffetto, Barton Yarborough, Walter Paterson, and Gloria Blondell as the lead performers during the West Coast run from 1939 to 1944. In New York, Jim Boles, Russell Thorson, Tony Randall, and Mercedes McCambride performed reruns of previous scripts from 1949 until 1952.

BOX 2 FOLDER 1		"The Snake with the Diamond Eyes," chapters 1-6, 1940 April 4-May 9

BOX 2 FOLDER 2		"The Snake with the Diamond Eyes," chapters 7-13, 1940 May 9-June 27

BOX 2 FOLDER 3		"The Twenty Traitors of Timbuktu," episodes 196-207, 1943 December 17-1944 January 5

BOX 2 FOLDER 4		"The Twenty Traitors of Timbuktu," episodes 208-219, 1944 January 6-January 21

BOX 2 FOLDER 5		"The Twenty Traitors of Timbuktu," episodes 220-232, 1944 January 24-February 9

BOX 2 FOLDER 6		"The Twenty Traitors of Timbuktu," episodes 233-244, 1944 February 10-February 25

BOX 2 FOLDER 7		"You Can't Pin a Murder on Nevada," episodes 300-306, 1944 May 15-May 23

BOX 2 FOLDER 8		"You Can't Pin a Murder on Nevada," episodes 307-314, 1944 May 24-June 2

BOX 3 FOLDER 1		"The Corpse in Compartment C, Car 76," episodes 315-319, 1944 June 5-June 9

BOX 3 FOLDER 2		"The Thing Wouldn't Die," episodes 320-328, 1944 June 12-June 23

BOX 3 FOLDER 3		"The Thing Wouldn't Die," episodes 329-338, 1944 June 26-July 7

BOX 3 FOLDER 4		"Portrait of a Murderess," episodes 428-437, 1944 November 10-November 23

BOX 3 FOLDER 5		"Portrait of a Murderess," episodes 438-447, 1944 November 24-December 7

BOX 3 FOLDER 6		"Bury Your Dead, Arizona," episode 1; episodes 235-240, 1949 November 21; 1939 December 12-December 19

BOX 3 FOLDER 7		"Bury Your Dead, Arizona," episodes 241-248, 1939 December 20-December 29

BOX 3 FOLDER 8		"The Million Dollar Curse," story number 4, episodes 1-7, 1949 December 12-December 20

BOX 3 FOLDER 9		"The Million Dollar Curse," story number 4, episodes 8-15, 1949 December 21-December 30

BOX 4 FOLDER 1		"The Temple of Vampires," story number 5, episodes 1-10, 1950 January 2-January 13

BOX 4 FOLDER 2		"The Temple of Vampires," story number 5, episodes 11-20, 1950 January 16-January 27

BOX 4 FOLDER 3		"The Battle of the Century," story number 6, episodes 1-9, 1950 January 30-February 9

BOX 4 FOLDER 4		"The Battle of the Century," story number 6, episodes 10-22, 1950 February 10-February 22

BOX 4 FOLDER 5		"The Tropics Don't Call It Murder," story number 7, episodes 1-8, 1950 February 23-March 6

BOX 4 FOLDER 6		"The Tropics Don't Call It Murder," story number 7, episodes 9-17, 1950 March 7-March 17

BOX 4 FOLDER 7		"The Tropics Don't Call It Murder," story number 7, episodes 18-26, 1950 March 20-March 30

BOX 5 FOLDER 1		"The Case of the Nevada Man Killer," story number 8, episodes 1-12, 1950 March 31-April 17

BOX 5 FOLDER 2		"The Case of the Nevada Man Killer," story number 8, episodes 13-25, 1950 April 18-May 4

BOX 5 FOLDER 3		"The Turn of the Wheel," story number 9, episodes 1-10, 1950 May 5-May 18

BOX 5 FOLDER 4		"The Turn of the Wheel," story number 9, episodes 11-20, 1950 May 19-June 1

BOX 5 FOLDER 5		"The Blue Phantom Murders," story number 10, episodes 1-7, 1950 June 2-June 12

BOX 5 FOLDER 6		"The Blue Phantom Murders," story number 10, episodes 8-15, 1950 June 13-June 22

BOX 6 FOLDER 1		"The Flight to Death," story number 12, episodes 1-7, 1950 July 30-August 8

BOX 6 FOLDER 2		"The Flight to Death," story number 12, episodes 8-15, 1950 August 9-August 18

BOX 6 FOLDER 3		"Murder in Turquoise Pass," story number 13, episodes 1-7, 1950 August 21-August 29

BOX 6 FOLDER 4		"Murder in Turquoise Pass," story number 13, episodes 8-15, 1950 August 30-September 8

BOX 6 FOLDER 5		"Whose Body Got Buried?" story number 14, episodes 1-7, 1950 September 11-September 19

BOX 6 FOLDER 6		"Whose Body Got Buried?" story number 14, episodes 8-15, 1950 September 20-September 29

BOX 6 FOLDER 7		"Escapade of the Desert Hag," story number 15, episode 1; episodes 92-97, 1950 October 2; 1939 May 23-May 30

BOX 6 FOLDER 8		"Escapade of the Desert Hag," story number 15, episodes 98-105, 1939 May 31-June 9

BOX 7 FOLDER 1		"Trouble at Sea," story number 17, episodes 1-6, 1950 November 13-November 20

BOX 7 FOLDER 2		"Trouble at Sea," story number 17, episodes 7-12, November 21-November 28

BOX 7 FOLDER 3		"Incident Concerning Death," story number 18, episodes 1-7, 1950 November 29-December 7

BOX 7 FOLDER 4		"Incident Concerning Death," story number 18, episodes 8-15, 1950 December 8-December 19

BOX 7 FOLDER 5		"The Case of the Roxy Mob," story number 19, episodes 1-7, 1950 December 20-December 28

BOX 7 FOLDER 6		"The Case of the Roxy Mob," story number 19, episodes 8-14, 1950 December 29-1951 January 8

BOX 7 FOLDER 7		"The Case of the Transplanted Castle," story number 20, episodes 1-9, 1951 January 9-January 19

BOX 7 FOLDER 8		"The Case of the Transplanted Castle," story number 20, episodes 10-18, 1951 January 22-February 1

BOX 8 FOLDER 1		"Murder on February Island," story number 21, episodes 1-9, 1951 February 2-February 14

BOX 8 FOLDER 2		"Murder on February Island," story number 21, episodes 10-18, 1951 February 15-February 27

BOX 8 FOLDER 3		"The Monster in the Mansion," story number 22, episodes 1-11, 1951 February 28-March 14

BOX 8 FOLDER 4		"The Monster in the Mansion," story number 22, episodes 12-23, 1951 March 15-March 30

BOX 8 FOLDER 5		"Eight Kinds of Murder," story number 23, episodes 1-8, 1951 April 2-April 11

BOX 8 FOLDER 6		"Eight Kinds of Murder," story number 23, episodes 9-16, 1951 April 12-April 23

BOX 9 FOLDER 1		"Secret Passage to Death," story number 24, episodes 1-10, 1951 April 24-May 7

BOX 9 FOLDER 2		"Secret Passage to Death," story number 24, episodes 11-20, 1951 May 8-May 21

BOX 9 FOLDER 3		"Terror at Frozen Corpse Lodge," story number 25, episodes 1-9, 1951 May 22-June 1

BOX 9 FOLDER 4		"Terror at Frozen Corpse Lodge," story number 25, episodes 10-18, 1951 June 4-June 14

BOX 9 FOLDER 5		"The Pirate Loot of the Island of Skulls," story number 26, episodes 1-12, 1951 June 15-July 2

BOX 9 FOLDER 6		"The Pirate Loot of the Island of Skulls," story number 26, episodes 13-24, 1951 July 3-July 18

BOX 10 FOLDER 1		"Brooks Kidnapping," story number 27, episodes 1-7, 1951 July 19-July 27

BOX 10 FOLDER 2		"Brooks Kidnapping," story number 27, episodes 8-15, 1951 July 30-August 8

BOX 10 FOLDER 3		"Murder Hollywood Style," story number 28, episodes 1-7, 1951 August 9-August 17

BOX 10 FOLDER 4		"Murder Hollywood Style," story number 28, episodes 8-15, 1951 August 20-August 29

BOX 10 FOLDER 5		"The Gird in the Gilded Cage," story number 29, episodes 1-7, 1951 August 30-September 7

BOX 10 FOLDER 6		"The Gird in the Gilded Cage," story number 29, episodes 8-15, 1951 September 10-September 19

BOX 10 FOLDER 7		"Blood on the Cat," story number 30, episodes 1-10, 1951 September 20-October 3

BOX 10 FOLDER 8		"Blood on the Cat," story number 30, episodes 11-20, 1951 October 4-October 17

BOX 11 FOLDER 1		"The Case of the Terrified Comedian," story number 31, episodes 1-10, 1951 October 18-October 31

BOX 11 FOLDER 2		"The Case of the Terrified Comedian," story number 31, episodes 11-21, 1951 November 1-November 16

BOX 11 FOLDER 3		"The Killer of the Circle M," story number 32, episodes 1-10, 1951 November 19-November 30

BOX 11 FOLDER 4		"The Killer of the Circle M," story number 32, episodes 11-20, 1951 December 2-December 14

BOX 11 FOLDER 5		"Murder Is the Word for It," story number 33, episodes 1-7, 1951 December 17-December 25

BOX 11 FOLDER 6		"Murder Is the Word for It," story number 33, episodes 8-15, 1951 December 26-1952 January 4

BOX 12 FOLDER 1		"Stairway to the Sun," story number 34, episodes 1-10, 1952 January 7-January 18

BOX 12 FOLDER 2		"Stairway to the Sun," story number 34, episodes 11-20, 1952 January 21-February 1

BOX 12 FOLDER 3		"Stairway to the Sun," story number 34, episodes 21-30, 1952 February 4-February 15

BOX 12 FOLDER 4		"The Graves of Whamperjaw, Texas," story number 35, episodes 1-7, 1952 February 18-February 26

BOX 12 FOLDER 5		"The Graves of Whamperjaw, Texas," story number 35, episodes 8-15, 1952 February 27-March 7

BOX 12 FOLDER 6		"The Decapitation of Jefferson Monk," story number 36, episodes 1-12, 1952 March 10-March 23

BOX 12 FOLDER 7		"The Decapitation of Jefferson Monk," story number 36, episodes 13-25, 1952 March 26-April 11

BOX 13 FOLDER 1		"The Hermit of San Felipe, Atabapo," story number 38, episodes 1-10, 1952 May 19-May 30

BOX 13 FOLDER 2		"The Hermit of San Felipe, Atabapo," story number 38, episodes 11-20, 1952 June 2-June 13

BOX 13 FOLDER 3		"The Deadly Sin of Sir Richard Coyle," story number 39, episodes 1-7, 1952 June 16-June 24

BOX 13 FOLDER 4		"The Deadly Sin of Sir Richard Coyle," story number 39, episodes 8-15, 1952 June 25-July 4

BOX 13 FOLDER 5		"The Man Who Hated to Shave," story number 40, episodes 1-10, 1952 July 7-July 18

BOX 13 FOLDER 6		"The African Jungle Mystery," story number 41, episodes 1-10, 1952 July 14-August 1

BOX 13 FOLDER 7		"The African Jungle Mystery," story number 41, episodes 11-20, 1952 August 4-August 15

BOX 14 FOLDER 1		"The Cobra King Strikes Back," story number 42, episodes 1-10, 1952 September 1-September 12

BOX 14 FOLDER 2		"The Cobra King Strikes Back," story number 42, episodes 11-20, 1952 September 15-September 26

BOX 14 FOLDER 3		"The Widow with the Amputation," story number 43, episodes 1-10, 1952 September 30-October 13

BOX 14 FOLDER 4		"The Widow with the Amputation," story number 43, episodes 11-20, 1952 October 14-October 27

BOX 14 FOLDER 5		"I Am a Destroyer of Women," story number 44, episodes 1-7, 1952 October 28-November 6

BOX 14 FOLDER 6		"I Am a Destroyer of Women," story number 44, episodes 8-15, 1952 November 10-November 19

BOX 15 FOLDER 1		"The Bride of the Werewolf," story number 45, episodes 1-7, 1952 November 20-November 28

BOX 15 FOLDER 2		"The Bride of the Werewolf," story number 45, episodes 8-15, 1952 December 1-December 10

BOX 15 FOLDER 3		"Find Elsa Holberg, Dead or Alive," story number 46, episodes 1-6, 1952 December 11-December 18

BOX 15 FOLDER 4		"Find Elsa Holberg, Dead or Alive," story number 46, episodes 7-12, 1952 December 19-December 26

	Series 3. I Love Adventure Scripts, 1948
		3 folders
		RPA 00209 (box 15)
		I Love Adventure, also written and directed by Carlton Morse, continued the story of the characters Jack, Doc, and Reggie from I Love a Mystery. It was broadcast in thirteen episodes as a thirty-minute serial on ABC in 1948 on Sundays from April 25 to July 18. Actors Michael Raffetto and Barton Yarborough played their original roles as Jack and Doc, and Tom Collins played Reggie.

BOX 15 FOLDER 5		1948 April 25-May 16
			"China Coast Incident," 1948 April 25, episode 1 "Great Air Mail Robbery," 1948 May 2, incident 2 "The Devil's Sanctuary," 1948 May 9, incident 3 "The Pearl of Great Price," 1948 May 16, incident 4

BOX 15 FOLDER 6		1948 May 23-June 20
			"The Hundred Million Dollar Manhunt," 1948 May 23, incident 5 "The Girl's Finishing School Kidnapping," 1948 May 30, incident 6 "But Grandma, What Big Teeth You Have," 1948 June 6, incident 7 "The Man with the Third Green Eye," 1948 June 13, incident 8 "Girl in the Street," 1948 June 20, incident 9

BOX 15 FOLDER 7		1948 June 27-July 18
			"The Kwan-Moon Dagger," 1948 June 27, incident 10 "The Assignment with a Displaced Person," 1948 July 4, incident 11 "The Hearse on the Highway," 1948 July 11, incident 12 "The Ambassador Ricardo Santos Affair," 1948 July 18, incident 13

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