30 minute detective/adventure show
Rocky Jordan was a radio series about an American restaurateur in Cairo who each week became involved in some kind of mystery or adventure. The show was broadcast on CBS from October 31st 1948 to September 10th 1950. and then again from June 27th 1951 to August 22nd 1951. The character of Rocky Jordan had been introduced to listeners in a similar show called A Man Named Jordan that was broadcast in 1945 but set in Istanbul rather than Cairo.
Cast
The two lead roles were those of Rocky Jordan and Captain Sam Sabaaya of the Cairo Police. For most of the show's history Jordan was played by veteran radio actor Jack Moyles, but he was replaced by a movie star, George Raft, for the brief 1951 run. Jay Novello played Sabaaya throughout the entire series. Other roles were played by members of Hollywood's Radio Row, and the announcer was Larry Thor.
Characters
Rocky Jordan
Rocky Jordan (Jack Moyles/George Raft) is the proprietor of the Café Tambourine located, according to the announcer, "not far from the Mosque Sultan Hassan," though he is originally from St. Louis.
As an American restaurateur in a North African country, Jordan is somewhat similar to the Rick Blaine character in the film Casablanca, though the Café Tambourine is apparently a much less salubrious venue than Rick's Bar. The announcer describes it as being "Crowded with forgotten men, and alive with the babble of many languages". Each episode sees Jordan confronted with a "crime, a mystery, a beautiful woman, or a combination of the three".
Precisely why Jordan is in Egypt is left deliberately vague, though he apparently has enemies in St. Louis so can't go back home.
Other characters
Two further characters appear in some but not all episodes, Chris and Sergeant Greco. Chris is the bartender at the Café Tambourine, while Greco is one of Sabaaya's underlings. Greco has a particular dislike of Jordan, and invariably tries to make his life difficult, often by arresting him as the chief suspect in whatever crime Jordan is trying to solve. He's also ambitious and eager for promotion.
Style
A deliberately Eastern feel was created by careful use of music and sound effects, and the writers Larry Roman and Gomer Cool took care that the characters used the names of real streets in Cairo. Much of the information the writers used for this came from a book called the Pocket Guide to Egypt that the US Army had produced for servicemen sent there during the War. The Oriental-sounding music composed for the show by Richard Aurandt is considered to be of exceptional quality.
Text from Wikipedia
Purchase as a download, purchase as CD(s), or listen for free
Purchase as CD $4.50
All of our Old Time Radio Programs are in MP3 format. You can play them on your computer, you can transfer them to MP3 players (like the IPod), but, by and large, you cannot play them on stereos, walkmen, or car radios.
The sound quality of Old Time Radio Programs can vary greatly. Some episodes are excellent, others you have to turn up the volume a little and ignore the static. All of the episodes can be listened to and enjoyed. You can listen to our free samples to get a feel for how the programs sound.
You may also like: Ghost Corps
Episode List
rocky-jordan_481121 Man In The Morgue.Mp3
rocky-jordan_481205 Strangers Three.Mp3
rocky-jordan_481212 Ace High Straight.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490116 Case Of The Sleepy Camel.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490306 The Two O'clock Man.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490320 Passport For Vivi.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490327 Everything Shipshape.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490403 Portrait Of Rocky.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490424 Consignment For Naples.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490501 Fall Guy.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490508 Lady In Disguise.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490522 Make Up Man.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490529 Desert Betrayal.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490605 Man Thay All Loved.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490612 Man From Damascas.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490619 The Big Ditch.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490703 The Map Of Murder.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490717 The Race.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490724 The Coward Of Mutakahn.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490731 Bar Lache.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490807 Gold Fever.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490814 Cairo Vendetta.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490821 The Gum Queen.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490904 A Stranger To The Desert.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490911 Adventure With Andrea.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490918 The Nile Runs High.Mp3
rocky-jordan_490925 Momento From Adelaide.Mp3
rocky-jordan_491002 Pattern For Revenge.Mp3
rocky-jordan_491009 The Man With No Name.Mp3
rocky-jordan_491016 Quest For Traneeneh.Mp3
rocky-jordan_491023 Dierite Bowl.Mp3
rocky-jordan_491106 Black Ball.Mp3
rocky-jordan_491113 Strange Death Of Van Dorn.Mp3
rocky-jordan_500106 Smoke Screen.Mp3
rocky-jordan_500115 The Loomis Affair.Mp3
rocky-jordan_500205 Return Of Toni.Mp3
rocky-jordan_500212 Madame Dulock's Daughter.Mp3
rocky-jordan_500416 Adventure In Zaqaziq.Mp3
rocky-jordan_500604 Word Of A Bishop, The.Mp3
rocky-jordan_500910 Trail Of The Assassin.Mp3
rocky-jordan_550825 The Song Of Moses (part 1) Rehersal.Mp3
