Voyage of the Scarlet Queen
Various
1947-48 Series of Adventures on the high seas starring Elliot Lewis and later Howard Duff star as ship's master Philip Carney.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
Chapters
Reviews
Great adventure show!
gl1200phil
Having been a fan of OTR much of my life, I was quite pleasantly surprised when I heard these for the first, time rather recently, probably in the last four or five years. They are quite well written and occaisionally have a twist at the end that just might catch you unaware. I also have been quite amazed at times, due to the adult situations, that I have never heard of, from any of its contemporaries. Without being specific, just think about sailors, drinking onshore and the sort of women that might frequent bars "down on the docks" and some of the situations that might occur. I don't know if it is because I live under a rock or if these shows just aren't that well known, because I had thought I was a little familiar with most of the popular shows from wayback and had never heard of "The Scarlet Queen". Maybe its because it seems like the pre-onderance of the old shows, especially the most popular, were all comedies and these rest were considered second tier. On my list, I think this would have to be in the ten overall and in the non-comedy list easily the top 5. This show has aged quite well and still holds up well after 70 years.
Parallels with Star Trek
DougLeary
TV network execs may have thought of Star Trek as "Wagon Train to the stars," but it was more like Scarlet Queen to the stars. When Voyage of the Scarlet Queen aired in 1947-48, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had recently been discharged from the navy and was trying to break into script writing. Nearly twenty years later the voice of William Shatner would intone his first log entry. For three seasons the Enterprise would arrive weekly at some planet, the captain and first officer would beam down and immediately run into trouble, get into at least one fistfight and solve the problem. Then the ship would set sail for the stars, with the officers having a laugh on the bridge. Of course the wandering adventurer theme is a common one, but the technical parallels between Scarlet Queen and Star Trek have always made me think the adventures of Phil Kearney and Red Gallagher must have planted seeds in young Roddenberry's mind.
A major case of Deja Vu
oatka
Memories from LONG ago prompted me to search for "The Scarlet Queen" and, bless the Internet, this site came up. A bunch of us kids used to listed to this show back in 1950 and we always had arguments about the people in the show and the situations - and dreamed of doing the same thing someday. The first time I listened to the first show this week and heard "Stand by to make sail!" a TON of memories came flooding back. I'm at the age where I can't remember something from a week ago, but a few hints from this show and it's "Oh yeah, I remember that!". Many thanks to those that made this show available. I'll ration myself to one show a night for the next month and enjoy every minutes of it.
Definitely one of the top ten of all time.
pizzaboss
There are MANY other series that are/were much better publicized and thus, well-known and popular but i feel this is one of the best written and best performed of the series from that period. Only others like Sam Spade, Richard Diamond, The Fat Man, Rocky Jordan and a few others match both writing and voice-acting quality. The characters engage us and in that involvement they make themselves both believable and enjoyable.
Simply The Best
just-another-fan
The only downside to this show is that it only lasted 30-something episodes. I love the fact that while episodic, it managed to carry an overarching plot through the run of the show. This is one of the best radio shows that combines action, adventure and noir, all at the same time, and still manage to toss in a bit of humor. This show was way ahead of its time. Wish there was more like it!
Really fun series
vrteach
I'm almost through listening to the series, and I'll be sorry to be done with them. Interesting characters, and even better descriptions of the towns and islands encountered (mostly south of the equator). Maybe the first half of the episodes have a nice cohesion as the Scarlet Queen sails her zig-zag way across the Pacific on the quest for a historic treasure, while encountering the nefarious Contsantino Gang. Later episodes are not connected, but still engaging.
Don't Miss a Trip on the Scarlet Queen
Jo46
This show is one of the best I've heard! The writing is superb, the dialogue believable, the sound effects and music are exciting. The (now historical) references to the locations are filled with tantalizing descriptions. And the acting talent? Amazing! I will not give in to the temptation to "binge listen" but will stretch the episodes out to enjoy as long as possible. (Then, I'll probably re-listen!)
Voyage of the Scarlet Queen
Andrew Jorge
For the most part to gain, the program had no discernible effects on reading or math attainment. For slightly older youth, the program had no effects on achievement, years of schooling, completion of high school or enrollment in higher education, or employment. http://www.researchpaperspot.com/