This week's Radio Corner show was a needle in a haystack. 

Though Art Linkletter's House Party was on the air for 24 years, it seems that nobody saved any of the episodes. 

I searched everywhere, and just as I was about to give up, I found the website of the granddaughter of a radio engineer who had recorded an episode of House Party in 1947.  The photo is the label of that recording.

And here's the show, just for you.

Though you should never use a rock tumbler to clean collectible coins, there are times when a tumbler can help you in your metal detecting hobby. 

This podcast tells you how.

For more articles on metal detecting and treasure hunting, check out http://treasuremanual.com.

Nightwatch was the first true-life, real-time radio police procedural.  Reporter Don Reed rode with Culver City, California cop Don Perkins on the night shift. 

Reed's tape recorder saved for posterity the drama of Officer Reed's exploits.

The show ran just one year near the end of the old-time radio era, from April 1954 to April 1955.  This episode, Three Time Loser and Shotgun Boy, aired on August 7, 1954.

Softball is probably one of the most expensive sports ever, right? 

No, not right!  Not at all. 

Compare our costs to the price of bowling, fishing, hunting, golf - and folks, it ain't so bad.

Listen to the show, then tell me what hobby or pastime YOU do that costs a lot more than softball.  Bet we get quite a list!

For free articles on coaching, managing, and playing adult slowpitch softball, and a look at my book, visit http://slowpitchbook.com.

Will Rogers Junior was much like his father - down-home, folksy, and always spouting gems of country wisdom.  

And Rogers of the Gazette was the perfect program for him. 

Rogers played a small-town newspaper editor who was constantly called upon to solve the problems in his community. 

With Georgia Ellis (radio's Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke) as his assistant Maggie Button, and Gunsmoke's Chester, Parley Baer, as the local doctor, there are several voices in this show you'll recognize. 

This episode also features Howard McNear, Gunsmoke's Doc Adams and Andy Griffith's Floyd the Barber.

From July 8, 1953, this is Newspaper Being Taken Over.

Metal detecting is probably the most expensive hobby ever, right? 

No, not right!  Not at all. 

Compare our hobby to bowling, fishing, softball, golf - and folks, it ain't so bad.

Here are some numbers to pass on to the little lady (or in some cases, for the little lady to pass on to her significant other) when he/she raises an eyebrow at the cost of that metal detector.

Check out my book, The Metal Detecting Manual, and read a few free articles about treasure hunting while you're there.

Peg Lynch is a national treasure.  She's still going strong at 95, and as funny as ever.

She assures us that she comes from a family of good genetic stock, her grandmothers living well into their 100s.  Speaking of one of them, Peg says: "She collected three war pensions.  Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World War I.  And I think she was a drummer boy in the Revolutionary War."

Peg performed last week at the Old-Time Radio Convention in Cincinnati.  She was a national radio fixture from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, first writing and starring in Ethel and Albert, then writing and starring in The Couple Next Door (same show, new name).  She wrote nearly 800 shows over two decades. 

Peg and her late partner, Alan Bunce, played a married couple who talked with each other.  A simple concept, and absolutely hilarious.  But rather than me talk about it, let's just listen to it.

Here are two 15-minute shows:  Ethel and Albert, More Storage Space, from June 4, 1945, and The Couple Next Door, Barking Test for Brownie, from May 7, 1959.

Should the pitcher use a big glove, a small glove, a light glove, a heavy glove? 

What about that favorite baseball glove you used in high school or college?

Does it really make much difference?

This show is for newbie pitchers who aren't sure what glove they should be using when they pitch.

For more articles on coaching, managing, and playing adult slowpitch softball, visit http://slowpitchbook.com.

Rin Tin Tin is known as the Dog That Saved Warner Brothers.  There are still rumors that he beat out Emil Jannings for the 1929 Oscar for Best Actor, but the Academy was too embarrassed to give the Oscar to a dog. 

Be that as it may, Rin Tin Tin ruled Hollywood from the late 1920s into the Depression.  He was discovered as an orphan pup by American soldier Lee Duncan somewhere along the French-German border in 1918.  When he died in 1932, news bulletins broke into radio programming around the world to report that Rin Tin Tin had passed away.

Rin Tin Tin enjoyed a second round of fame in the 1950s, when he became the star of a television series.  For most of 1955, Rin Tin Tin was also on the radio again. 

This episode, The Ambassador, first aired on November 13, 1955.

Treasure hunter Aaron Marcy says it's like playing the lottery, except if you don't win, you get all your money back.  

It's called Kitchen Table Koinshooting, it was "invented" by legendary treasure hunter Karl von Mueller, and anybody can play.  

This show tells you how. 

(THIS JUST IN - One listener tells me that for the past four years, he has averaged 150 silver coins per year with this method).

The photo is the cover of a pamphlet written by Karl under his psuedonym Deek Gladson.

For articles on getting better depth with your metal detector, what accessories you should be using, and much more, including a look at my book The Metal Detecting Manual, visit http://treasuremanual.com.

How much do you know about old-time radio? 

Match wits with the experts at the Cincinnati Old-Time Radio Convention!  This week's show was recorded at last year's convention, and it consists of the questions and answers from the 2011 Old-Time Radio Trivia Bowl. 

This year's convention is Friday and Saturday of this week - April 13 and 14, 2012. 

We need contestants for this year's contest, and if you're coming to the convention, I urge you to play the game!  Grab three partners - there are four players to a team - and put your heads together to answer the old-time radio questions. 

This is a photo of last year's winners.  Take a look - don't you think YOU could beat these guys?  C'mon, give it a try!

Complete rules are at http://CincyOTR.info. 

If you make it to the convention, please look me up.  I'd love to meet you!

Whether you like it or not, you pay taxes to support your local library. 

Here's how the avid softballer can take advantage of his or her library. 

Where to find books on softball, and why the books on baseball (which are much more plentiful than softball books) can also help you play softball better.

More tips on hitting, pitching, fielding, and coaching adult slowpitch softball here:  http://slowpitchmanual.com.

Bill Stern was the Walter Winchell of sports commentary. 

His stories were outrageous, dramatic, exciting, and often false. 

But he was so interesting to listen to that most listeners forgave him his exaggerating. 

Stern was on the air from 1937 until 1956, and the sensationalist broadcasters of today could learn a lot from listening to old tapes of Bill Stern. 

Here are two of his shows.  The first, from December 7, 1945, features boxing legend Joe Louis.  The second, from February 18, 1949, has New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel as guest.

Back in show #77, we talked about business cards for treasure hunters.  In this show, we take another look at the do's and don't's of business cards. 

Why a card can be TOO good-looking, why it can scare people away, with several tips about what NOT to put on your treasure hunting business card.

For more tips on treasure hunting and using a metal detector, and a look at my book The Metal Detecting Manual, visit http://treasuremanual.com.

Take It or Leave It was a quiz show that doubled the prize with each correct answer.  First you won a dollar, then two, then four, and on up to the top prize of $64.00. 

When the show went to television, it worked the same way, but the top prize was a thousand times more - hence the show name, The $64,000 Question.

The radio show was on the air from 1940 to 1952, and over the years it had several well-known hosts, including Phil Baker, Eddie Cantor, Garry Moore, and Jack Paar.

This episode, which first aired on November 8, 1942, featured special guest Jack Benny.

How does pitching strategy in co-rec softball differ from pitching strategy in all-guy or all-girls ball?

Should you have a guy pitching and a girl catching, or vice-versa? 

Are there situations where it might make sense to intentionally walk a guy? Or to intentionally walk a girl?

This show looks at some of the differences in the two games, and how a change in strategy may help you win some ball games.

For more tips on coaching, managing, pitching, hitting, and fielding adult slowpitch softball, visit http://slowpitchbook.com.

Red Ryder was a juvenile western that for a time rivaled and even topped The Lone Ranger in the Hooper ratings. 

First a series of short stories, then a newspaper comic strip, Red Ryder was so popular in the early 1940s that it spawned a series of movies and a comic book. 

Red Ryder was responsible for tons of branded merchandising items, including the Daisy Red Ryder BB rifle made famous in the movie A Christmas Story.

The radio series was on the air from 1942 to 1951.

Red Ryder was called "Red" because he had red hair and wore a red shirt.  He had a sidekick called Buckskin and a native American juvenile partner named Little Beaver. 

This episode, The Law Comes to Stovepipe, first aired on January 12, 1943.

Here's how you can apply 19th century philosophy to 21st century treasure hunting. 

The profits made from the ideas in this program were responsible for the founding of Temple University, and the lecture from which they came was as famous in its day as the Gettysburg Address and the Bill of Rights.  ("Its day" being the late 1800s through the early 1900s.) 

Confused? 

Listen to the show and it will all be clear.

For more tips on treasure hunting, and a look at my book The Metal Detecting Manual, visit http://treasuremanual.com.

Red Skelton began working in show biz when he was ten years old. 

He did vaudeville and burlesque, and he made his first radio appearance in 1937. 

He soon had his own show, and he was on the air with his own program (first radio, then TV) for 32 years.

In this episode, from January 8, 1950, Red is required to take a physical for CBS.

So you've just been named the manager of your new church co-rec softball team. 

What's the best way to set up your batting order?

This show suggests a simple but solid method to get started, and then offers suggestions for fine-tuning your line-up as the season progresses.

For more tips on coaching, managing, and playing adult slowpitch softball, read my articles (and buy my book) at http://slowpitchbook.com.

There were a lot of quiz shows on old-time radio, but none were quite like Author, Author. 

Famous authors, led by Ellery Queen, had to create a story that made sense out of a nonsense situation that was thrown at them. 

Ellery Queen was really two people - a pair of cousins named Manfred Lee and Frederic Dannay. 

This is the pilot episode, and the host here is humorist-poet Ogden Nash.  When the show was picked up for the regular schedule three months later, the host was humorist S.J. Perelman.

This pilot episode, The $2,001 Watch, was originally broadcast on January 4, 1939.

Coin World magazine is well worth a look by treasure hunters. 

In recent issues, you'd have learned that because our pennies and nickels cost more to make than they're worth, we may be getting new pennies and nickels, unlike anything we've seen before.

And yet another bill has been introduced in Congress to replace dollar bills with dollar coins - this one sponsored by two heavyweight senators, Iowa's Tom Harkin and ex-presidential candidate John McCain.

And for our friends in Canada - it looks like there will be a new loony, replacing the current one.  It will be lighter and made of multi-ply steel. 

These stories and more, in this edition of In the Treasure Corner.

Warm weather will soon be here - you need a copy of my book!  Check it out at http://treasuremanual.com.

Yukon 2-8208!

Old-time radio aficianados know that as the phone number for Candy Matson, San Francisco's female private eye. 

Created by Monty Masters and starring his wife Natalie Parks in the title role, Candy Matson ran on radio for three years, from 1949 to 1951.

This episode, Devil in the Deep Freeze, was originally broadcast on November 10, 1949.

A Reminder:  The Cincinnati Old-Time Radio Convention is almost here!  For all fans of old-time radio, the show will be held Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14.  Come meet Bob Hastings, star of radio's Archie, and Lt. Elroy Carpenter on McHale's Navy.  Complete details at http://CincyOTR.info.

Co-rec softball is a whole other game. 

Five men, five women, with two of each in the infield, two of each in the outfield, and one of each at pitcher and catcher. 

What's the best defensive strategy for a new coed team that is just getting started? 

Where do you put your best players, your worst players, your good gloves and your slow runners? 

How does your infield affect your outfield? 

We offer a good starting placement, but you may have to change things around a bit to get the most out of your unique set of players.

I've written a book on coaching, managing, and playing adult slowpitch softball.  Check it out, along with some helpful articles, at http://slowpitchbook.com.

The Old Gold Comedy Theater was a short run (just one season, 1944-45) program that attempted to turn 90-minute movie comedies into 30-minute radio comedies. 

The show was not as successful as it should have been, lasting just one season, 1944-45. 

The host, Harold Lloyd, had been a movie star in the silent era, and was perhaps thought to be no longer relevant. 

And the shows had to move very fast and leave out a lot to finish in just 30 minutes. 

Still, the program was able to draw many of the biggest box office stars of the time, from Lucille Ball To Edward G. Robinson to June Allyson to Dick Powell.

This episode, Brewster's Millions, is about a man who must give away a million dollars in 30 days, or lose an inheritance of 30 million dollars. 

It aired on March 18, 1945.

Facebook users are under 13 years old, and over 100.

Soon, there will be one billion members.  That's three times as many Facebook users as there are people in the United States.

With all this activity, there is bound to be something for the metal detecting community there.

In this show, we take a look at how treasure hunters can use Facebook to do things besides laugh with friends and insult enemies.

For more tips on metal detecting and treasure hunting, and a look at my book, The Metal Detecting Manual,  visit http://treasuremanual.com.

The Falcon was a private detective who first appeared in a short story, and it was so popular that it spawned 16 Falcon movies in the 1940s. 

The radio version was on the air from 1943 to 1954. 

Over the course of its run, five different actors played the Falcon:  Berry Kroeger, James Meighan, Les Tremayne, Les Damon, and George Petrie.

This episode, The Case of the Puzzling Pinup, was broadcast on November 19, 1950.

Facebook users are under 13 years old, and over 100. 

Soon, there will be one billion members.  That's three times as many Facebook users are there are people in the United States. 

With all this activity, there is bound to be something for the slowpitch softball community there.

In this show, we take a look at how softballers can use Facebook to do things besides laugh with friends and insult enemies.

For more tips on coaching, managing, and playing adult slowpitch softball, visit http://slowpitchbook.com.

Roy Rogers was the King of the Cowboys (after Gene Autry relinquished the throne), and Dale Evans was Queen of the West. 

Together they rode the happy trails on Trigger and Buttermilk.

Where the Lone Ranger had silver bullets, Roy and Dale had a German shepherd  named Bullet. 

And where Gene Autry had a comic sidekick named Frog, Roy had a comic sidekick named Pat Brady. 

Roy's radio show was on the air from 1944 to 1955.  This episode, Ed Bailey's Bad Luck, originally aired on October 12, 1951. 

A "reality" treasure hunting TV show is due to air in the spring, and it looks like a doozy. 

A pro wrestler, his "enforcer" son, and his wife from Joisey (that's how some people say New Jersey) comprise the team that will "convince" homeowners to let them dig up their property - with a bulldozer. 

As Dave Berry says, I am NOT making this up.

I also discuss a reality treasure show that is now available on the internet.  The URL is http://exploringhistorystreasures.com.  (And the URL to purchase the downloads is here.)

Check out my own reality at http://treasuremanual.com.

Blondie was the most popular comic strip in America in the early 1930s, and in 1938 it became a movie series, with 28 films made and released in just the next 12 years. 

Blondie and Dagwood were played by the same actors in the movies and on the radio.  Penny Singleton was a redhead who had to dye her hair blonde for the part, and Arthur Lake played Dagwood.

The radio series began in 1939 and ran until 1950. 

This episode, The Entertainment Committee, ran on April 8, 1940.

Another show aimed at the newbies. 

What piece of equipment is more important to your softball game than your glove? 

What's the best glove size for an infielder, an outfielder, a pitcher? 

When should you not swing at a good pitch? 

These questions pose no problems for the long-time players, but newcomers to adult slowpitch softball have problems with them. 

This show will help you get started on the right foot.

For more tips on playing, coaching, and playing adult slowpitch softball, visit my book site, http://slowpitchbook.com.

Elliott and Cathy Lewis were two of the most talented radio actors who ever lived.  They were equally at home doing comedy and drama.

They appeared in thousands of radio shows, and in 1953 they starred in their own weekly radio theater. 

This show, Cathy and Elliott Lewis On Stage, showcased their talents for a year and a half, but it was created near the end of the radio era, and the explosion of television took away much of its luster. 

This is the premiere episode, from New Year's Day, 1953.  It's a fun story about a man who posed for a perfume ad, and found himself lusted after by the entire female population.  Sheldon Leonard (the smooth-talking "tout" on the Jack Benny Program) is hilarious in this show, The String Bow Tie.

Reality TV!  Has anything ever been so misnamed? 

Twice last year I was approached by reality television producers looking for a host for their proposed treasure hunting shows.

In this podcast, I explain what they wanted to do, and why I turned them down. 

For some REAL reality, read my book, The Metal Detecting Manual (http://treasuremanual.com).

Most of our shows are episodes of popular, well-remembered old-time radio shows.  This one is different - it's the pilot episode of a show that was not picked up as a regular series. 

It had two names:  The announcer calls it The Adventures of Max Chandler, but old-time radio fans call it The Whisper Men. 

Karl Swenson starred as Max Chandler, a spy-fighting radio commentator.  Karl was best known in radio as Lorenzo Jones in the series of the same name, and in television he played Lars Hanson on Little House on the Prairie.  He was also Eddie Haskell's father in Leave It to Beaver.

This episode of The The Whisper Men was broadcast on the Mutual network on October 20, 1945.

What's the best way for an outfielder to catch a routine fly ball? 

Which foot should an infielder have forward when he's waiting for the batter to hit the ball? 

Surprisingly, many long-time players don't know the answers to these questions. 

This episode of In the Softball Corner looks at some of the often-overlooked basics of playing defensive softball.

For more tips on coaching, managing, hitting, pitching, and fielding adult slowpitch softball, visit http://slowpitchbook.com.

Double or Nothing was a quiz show that ran for 14 years.  Over that time there were four hosts:  Walter Compton, John Reed King, and Todd Russell, and Walter O'Keefe.

Prizes were small, but the emcees were interesting enough that the program always drew a good audience. 

John Reed King, the host of this episode, was a World War II news correspondent for CBS before he moved to the Mutual Network and took over Double or Nothing.

This episode, from August 12, 1945, is unique in that early in the show it has a incorrect war bulletin.  A newsman breaks into the program to announce that Japan has agreed to sign the surrender papers agreeing to the Allies terms.  But later in the show another bulletin interrupts, stating that the first bulletin was in error and that Japan had made no such announcement.  (The actual announcement came three days later.)

Can a small town library really help you find places to hunt for old coins and relics? 

You bet! 

In this show, learn which parts of the library seem to help but really don't, and which parts can actually lead you to local treasure.

And check out my tips on how to find valuable, useful information in your library that remains hidden to other people.

For more metal detecting secrets, visit http://treasuremanual.com.

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, was the longest-running radio detective show of all time.  In the 18 years it was on the air, it aired 1,690 episodes. 

Mr. Keen began in 1937 as a three-a-week serial, and in December 1943 it became a half-hour stand-alone show. 

Mr. Keen was played by Bennett Kilpack, and his dimwitted partner, Jim Clancy, was played by Mike Kelly.

This episode, The Case of the Leaping Dog, first aired on April 13, 1944.