Magic Island - Single Episodes


(4.7 stars; 160 reviews)

MAGIC ISLAND

Magic Island was a syndicated serial that first aired sometime in 1936 and consisted of one hundred thirty 12-minute episodes. The storyline dealt with a wealthy woman and her search for her long lost daughter. She finds her on a man-made island that can submerge to avoid detection. The series was targeted for a juvenile audience and small children are the main focus of the story line. From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. See "Note" Section below for more information on the OTRR. Information from "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To All Circulating Shows" by Jay Hickerson, and Roger Hohenbrink.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

License

Chapters

Jerry Hall's Proposal 11:37
Leaving L.A. For Magic Island 11:38
Strange Windstorm 11:51
Strange Bank Of Fog 11:31
Tex Bradford Prepares His Straightoscope 12:00
Island In The Viewer 11:46
Pulled By A Magnetic Force 12:00
Joan Is Found On Euclidia 11:56
G-47 Uses His Ray Gun 11:53
False Radio Message 11:59
Island Secrets 11:44
Last Radio Message From Magic Island 11:48
Joan Stays On The Yacht 11:45
The Cloth Factory On The Island 11:34
Staged Escape Attempt 12:01
Soundproof Seawead Cloth 11:26
Homing Pigeon 11:48
Pigeons Released 11:32
The Secret Formula 11:40
G-47 Has The Pigeon & Formula 11:39
A Different Formula 12:02
Trapped In An Elevator 11:54
Elevator Escape 12:02
Stolen Oxygen Tank 12:00
Battleship Approach 12:03
Magic Island Prepares To Submerge 11:38
Radio Signals Within The Island 11:55
Jones & Jerry Board The Sub 11:55
A Woman Commander 12:05
Message To Johnson 12:03
Joan & Jerry Ray Gunned 11:40
Submarine Heads For Johnson's Ship 11:59
Submarine Surfaces To Meet Johnson's Ship 11:53
Johnson Speeds Away 11:53
Tex Contacts Johnson 12:00
Johnson's Ship Runs Out Of Fuel 11:38
Gregory's Yacht Pulled Out Into The Light 12:08
Commander Talks To Johnson 12:23
Everyone Arrives 12:04
Mcleod Poses As Johnson 11:56
Help From The Sub Commander 11:24
The Gas Is Released 11:28
Jerry & Joan Escape 11:11
Transferring Oil 10:56
Escape Attempt Tonight 11:16
Power Shutdown Plan 11:40
Joan Fires At Jerry 11:37
Escape From Guard 11:37
Ready To Throw Switches 11:20
The Alarm Sound 11:27
Swim For The Boat 11:43
Island Sinks & A Successful Escape 11:17
Lighted Buoys Mark The Route 11:21
Out Of Fuel 11:25
Magic Island Sub Catches Up 11:20
Sub Tows The Yacht Back To Magic Island 10:41
Two Guards Knocked Out 11:07
In A Chamber 90 Feet Underwater 11:32
Island Gets Ready To Move 11:27
Chamber Filling With Water 11:05
Tex Is Ray Gunned 11:28
Safe For Three Days 11:24
Keystone Notes 11:42
Locked In Rooms 11:22
Reunited 11:24
Stealing A Sub 11:33
The Warning Signal 11:17
90 Second Intervals 11:22
Attacked From The Air 11:29
Sub Dives To 9000 Feet 11:18
Seconds For The Combination 11:33
Protection Around The Sub 11:25
Stern Section Dumped Off 11:49
Getting Seasick 11:57
Another Sub Follows 11:34
Tex Tries The Radio 11:44
Coded Message Keynotes Hit Sub 12:04
Sailboat Pickup 11:53
Sprayed With A Chemical 11:55
Rescued By Oil Tanker 12:04
Joan & Jerry Stay Behind 11:50
Jerry Shows L.A. To Joan 11:39
Someone's In The House 11:34
Smelling Smoke Alarms Everyone 11:36
Planning The Return 11:37
Joan Is Afraid 11:36
Sailing For The Magic Island 11:36
Joan Questions The Crew 11:23
A Large Bad Storm Causes Problems 11:27
Engineer Peterson Is Taken Prisoner 11:21
Ship Arrives At The Magic Island 11:18
The Descent Into Modern Atlantis 11:12
Everyone Disappears 11:03
Questioned By G47 11:29
A Beautiful Apartment 11:38
The City Is Discovered 11:30
13 Large Cave Rooms 11:10
The Old Skipper Found Caring For Animals 11:34
Meeting Master Builder 11:17
Artificial Volcano Eruption 11:20
Ships Moved Away 11:00
Comparing Notes 11:19
The Pigeons 11:30
Talk About Future Plans 11:43
Jerry & Tex Disappear 11:46
Listening To Radio Broadcast 11:43
Aboard A Test Rocket Plane 11:54
A Test Flight 11:41
Instruments Have Failed 11:38
Rocket Plane Down In The Water 11:29
All Four Are Rescued 11:46
Elaine Has A New Home 11:26
An Airlock Is Discovered 11:23
Making Escape Plans 11:30
A Keystone Note Demonstration 11:13
Tex Is Suspicious Of Elaine 11:21
Daring Escape Attempt 12:06
Landing On Lake Hollywood 11:47
A Second Return Is Planned 11:34
Tex Takes Off With Elaine & Is Seen 11:32
Stopping Reporters Story 11:50
Tex & Elaine Control Euclidia 11:55
Motor Almost Dead 10:57
Island Being Raised 11:14
They Are Sinking 11:33
On A Life Raft 11:21
G47 Surrenders 11:28
G47 Has Disappeared 11:29
G47 Is A Professor 11:30
Enrolling In College 11:22

Reviews

highly recommend


(5 stars)

With thousands and thousands of books and Orr shows available, I must admit a weakness. Over the past several years I've relistened to "Magic Island" 3 times from beginning to end. It's hard to find such a good serial with so many episodes to hold your imagination. Also, this series is unique by not having a 5 minute moaning organ intro before the show actually starts. Highly recommended show

Thank You


(5 stars)

For quite some time now, i've been feeling dangerously close to running out of OTR shows worth listening to. And now with only four episodes left of The Magic Island, that feeling is coming back. Somebody slipped a lot of real science into all the Golly Gee action......and somehow one really does come to care about these Old School American characters. Certainly the best self-contained serial i've heard since City of the Dead (Adventures by Morse). now it looks like i'll have to make do with Jerry of the Circus!

Mystery Solved and Wonderful Memories Revisted


(4 stars)

For sixty years I've had fleeting recall of an old radio show I listened to with my older brother in Vancouver, BC in 1951. As a young child I didn't fully understand what I was hearing but recalled that people were on a boat trapped in a strange, mysterious fog. I've often wondered what it was really about. A few days ago I began an online search for "old radio show boat lost in fog" and very quickly discovered "Magic Island". I am currently working my way through all 130 episodes and enjoying them immensely. What a lovely trip down Memory Lane to a simpler time!

Perfect story for kids of all ages!


(5 stars)

My family started listening on a road trip months ago. It enthralled them...and made the trip a fun journey with Jerry Hall, Joan Gregory and company. Even after the trip, every time we got in the car, it was, "Daddy, can we hear more of The Magic Island?" This is a rare gem on Librivox.

magic island


(5 stars)

awesome series ...sorry I finished it ...but will listen to it again ...the scientific references for a show from 1936 is amazing ...I'd like to know who the writers were and the cast ...

Enchanting


(5 stars)

Just the kind of radio program that keeps you glued to the radio. And that you never want to miss.

Smart, fascinating, addicting best kept secret in OTR


(5 stars)

This is my 2nd review. The recording is perfect, there's no muffling or overly compressed files that make it hard to hear or make out the words, its just like hearing it off of an LP, so thank you very much to the original recorder! I can only describe this genre as "Science Fantasy". It combines fantasy and real science, and fiction science too. It's from the 1930s and as I said remarkably fine recording. Special agent "G-lady" Patricia and her Man Friday "Tex" and boy wonder "Jerry Hall" take a yacht trip to the 30th parallel, to investigate the possible report of Patricia's long lost daughter whom she has not seen since the girl was an infant (from a shipwreck 14 yrs previous) as reported via amateur radio aired by dying sailor who'd miraculously escaped a mysterious island- an amateur report heard by the boy: Jerry is "one of two people in the world with a 1 and a half meter amateur license" that quote was from the program. I think it's around 200 MHz, you'd have to look up the amateur bands and 1930s history to look this up but the show is fantasy, after all. There is a lot of real science in the program, that in the 1930s more of the listening audience would be sure to understand probably better than today's audience.Show aimed toward children ostensibly, but adults were found to be enthralled by the show (like your reviewer) Tubes that need heating up, electro-magnetism, other sorts of then-technology is featured strongly along with amateur and HF/VHF radio. sailing terminology, electronics, and suspensions of disbelief but the writing, acting, and dialogue make this show top shelf, and this is no easy ace given here. Sally Creighton as "Patricia Gregory" her voice is lovely and I found her character believable and quite appealing. Rosa Barcelo as the long-lost daughter "Joan" aka "'Cleostra' (her name given her by "G-47", the evil head man of Euclidia- the Magic Island) Patricia Gregory finds Joan, her long lost daughter on the magic island, named "Euclidia" a created island that can submerge to evade passing ships and planes! What a miraculous James Bond evil lair, created by an (evil?) genius, who has plans to create a one world technocracy. Amazing moments: In the first few episodes, when "Joan" is getting to know her long lost mother, Patricia's character teaches Joan to pray. Patricia weeps with thankfulness and joy, and sadness that her daughter never was taught to pray before. The episode fades out to the words of Joan repeating the word of Patricia :"now I lay me down to sleep.. I pray the Lord my soul to keep.." From The Digital Deli FTP website there is a definitive guide to Magic Island, and it mentions the fact the program refers to science such as: The emerging theory of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) technology and weapons. Hydrogen as a power source. The theory of binary chemical weapons. fascinating program.

Surprising good!


(4 stars)

I've been listening to OTR for close to 15 years and this series somehow missed my attention until last month. Quite good, and despite supposedly being a "young person's show" I found it quite good. Production values are good, acting good, and the recording quality is very good, About a half dozen episodes seem out of order but only by 1 episode and the episodes are so short that you can keep up easily. Don't be dissuaded by the large episode count, they go fast and the story never bogs down.