Ann of the Airlanes - Aunt Hattie Stows Away

Summary

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Podcast Summary: “Ann of the Airlanes – Aunt Hattie Stows Away”

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Episode Date: March 28, 2026
Featured Show: "Ann of the Airlanes – Aunt Hattie Stows Away"

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Episode Overview

This episode transports listeners back into the thrilling world of "Ann of the Airlanes," a serialized radio drama from the Golden Age of Radio. The main plot revolves around Ann Burton, who is caught up in a diamond smuggling plot stretching from Florida’s Everglades to Africa, as she and her allies attempt to outwit the criminal leader known only as "Doc." The episode centers on a tense pre-flight sequence as Ann’s whereabouts are uncertain and her allies scramble to uncover and thwart the smugglers' plan.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Setting the Scene and Stakes ([00:40] – [03:25])

• Narrator’s Recap: The episode opens with a brief catch-up on recent events: Ann Burton has vanished after delivering a critical message. Government agents Art Morrison and Aunt Hattie Jackson are awaiting her at a remote airfield, joined by Zebulon Abercrombie ("Zeb"), who discovered the diamond mines at the heart of the smuggling operation.
• Smuggling Plot Revealed: Zeb agrees to help Secret Service expose the smuggling gang and pinpoint the mine location.
• Radio Clue: Headquarters intercepts Ann’s voice over a plane transmitter, suggesting she’s still hidden in the transport aircraft destined for Africa, piloted by Jack Baker, who is undercover among the smugglers.

2. Preparing for the Transatlantic Flight ([03:25] – [09:05])

• Technical Logistics:
  • The crew, including Jack Baker and the gangsters Vic Morgan and Joe, prepares a heavily-fueled airliner for the long journey.
  • Discussion centers on whether the plane has sufficient range, factoring in altitude, air resistance, and the effect of headwinds and tailwinds.
  • Jack explains the advantages of flying at high altitudes:
    “At 300 miles an hour and flying at 20,000 ft… we’ll save about one third by taking the higher altitudes.” (Jack Baker, [04:10])
  • Comic Relief: Joe’s worries about oxygen and a past failed flight are ribbed by Vic as “fairy stories,” only for Jack to confirm their truth and value to the plan ([06:07]).
• Weighty Concerns:
  • The loading of mysterious “supplies”—suspected contraband—into the baggage compartment is noted as heavy, which impacts fuel efficiency and altitude.
    • "That means we won’t be able to get as much altitude and save as much gas as we would if we were flying light." (Jack Baker, [07:00])
  • Vic outlines the smugglers’ method: establishing clandestine bases for short hops to avoid government notice.

3. Ann’s Secret and a Tight Escape ([09:29] – [10:07])

• Ann in Hiding:
  • Once the plane is momentarily empty, Ann emerges from concealment, considering leaving a secret note for Jack.
    • "If I only knew how to work [the radio], I might send some kind of message... I could write Jack a note and put it in one of the earphones." (Ann Burton, [09:29])
• She’s interrupted and forced back into hiding as the others return.

4. Suspicion and Clues Mount ([10:47] – [12:03])

• Parachute Intrigue: The crew spots another aircraft dropping a parachutist close by, escalating the urgency to take off before being discovered ([11:03]).
• Found Item: Joe finds an automatic pencil inscribed with Ann’s name.
  • Jack is stunned, realizing Ann has recently been in the cabin:
    • "An automatic pencil. And it’s engraved, Ann… you say you found it just a few minutes ago?" (Jack Baker, [11:53])
  • Joe quietly shares the discovery with Jack instead of Vic, hinting at his possible sympathy for Ann.

5. Departure and Cliffhanger ([12:14] – [12:37])

• The crew hurriedly boards the plane and sets course for Cape St. Roque, South America.
  • "All right, we’re on our way to Cape St. Roque." (Jack Baker, [12:24])
• Narrator’s Tease: The episode closes with questions: Does Joe know Ann is hidden aboard? Why does he protect this secret from Vic? What will become of Ann and Jack as the criminal plot advances?

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Flight Planning:

  “That 4,200 miles gives us plenty of leeway, so there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
  — Vic Morgan ([05:17])

• On Transatlantic Smuggling:

  “You don’t pick up planes every day that’ll fly the Atlantic non-stop with a load.”
  — Jack Baker ([07:29])

• Ann’s Resourcefulness:

  “I could write Jack a note, but where could I leave it? The radio headphones... I can fold up a note and put it in one.”
  — Ann Burton ([09:29])

• Detection of Ann’s Presence:

  “An automatic pencil. And it’s engraved, Ann… you say you found it just a few minutes ago?”
  — Jack Baker ([11:53])

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Key Timestamps

• 00:40: Episode plot recap and stakes established by the narrator.
• 03:25 – 09:05: In-depth flight planning, technical discussion, gang’s strategy, and smuggling logistics.
• 09:29: Ann’s secret activity and plan to contact Jack.
• 10:47: Parachute spotted, sense of danger increases.
• 11:53: Clue (Ann’s pencil) discovered, Jack and Joe’s secret exchange.
• 12:24: Takeoff to South America; episode transitions to the next chapter.

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Tone & Style

The episode carries a blend of suspense and witty banter, with snappy exchanges between the crooks and Jack, and Ann’s inner monologue reflecting her determination and quick thinking. The sense of peril and resourcefulness, along with the classic radio drama’s pulpy energy, are present throughout.

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For listeners new to “Ann of the Airlanes,” this episode is a gripping entry point—offering intrigue, technical thrills, and classic radio suspense as Ann’s fate hangs in the balance, the smugglers scheme anew, and friends and foes alike draw closer to a dramatic confrontation.

Transcript

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[Jack Baker]

Over valley and mountain, river and plain,

[Narrator]

through wind and storm ride Zan of the airlines. Having dropped out of sight completely after delivering an important message, Ann Burton is thought to be trying to make her way out of the Everglades of Florida. Art Morrison, radio inspector, and Aunt Hattie Jackson await her arrival at an emergency landing field near Miami when they are joined rather unceremoniously by an old fellow who gives the name of Zebulon Abercrombie. Zeb, as he prefers to be called, was the original discoverer of the diamond mines from which the illicit diamond smugglers are obtaining their rough stones. And he was forced to leave Africa by the leader of the smugglers known as Doc, who now menaces the future of Ann and pilot Jack Baker. Zeb agrees to join the government Secret service in ferreting out the members of the gang and to show Morrison the exact location of the mines. They are interrupted in their plans by the reception of a radio call from Secret Service headquarters telling that the voice of Ann has been heard over the transmitter of the plane that is to be used by the smugglers in their projected flight to Africa. From the same source, it is learned that Jack Baker, who is piloting the ship while he pretends to join the smugglers, is about ready to take off. But has Ann been able to leave the seclusion of the transport cabin, or will she be found there by the two gangsters, Vic and Joe, before Jack learns she has not escaped? Let's go to the secret landing field in the heart of the Everglades and learn what we can.

[Joe]

Gee whiz, 3,100 gallons of gas and all that oil. I don't see how them trucks made

[Vic Morgan]

it through that road. Those drivers are just better at it than you are, Joey. Which is no compliment to them either. He has enough gas.

[Jack Baker]

Baker talking to me.

[Vic Morgan]

Morgan, cut your motor so you can

[Jack Baker]

hear me, will you?

[Vic Morgan]

That's better, I said. You think that's enough gas for the trip?

[Jack Baker]

Well, if it isn't, I Don't know just where you'd put anymore. We've got every drop these tanks will hold. And getting this ship off a field of this size is not gonna be a snap, I can tell you, with all that gas. Well, we'd better make it the first time, that's all.

[Joe]

Gee, I wish there was a fire department to sort of stand by. I'd feel a lot safer.

[Vic Morgan]

Are you getting cold feet, Joey? You haven't answered my question yet, Baker. You think that's enough gas to take us across?

[Jack Baker]

Well, at 300 miles an hour and flying at 20,000ft, or maybe just a little higher, we'll burn the same fuel that we would at 10,000, doing 200, that is, in the same time. In other words, we'll save about one third by taking the higher altitudes 20,000ft.

[Joe]

Boy, we won't be able to breathe at all unless we got those oxygen things they wear.

[Jack Baker]

Oh, sure we will. This job has a sealed cabin and the air we get is supercharged like the air that goes into the carburetor when we reach the higher altitudes. You get it?

[Joe]

No, but go on. I'll probably get it after a while.

[Vic Morgan]

Joey don't catch on fast, that's all. How much gas will it take to get us to Africa? I'll put it that way.

[Jack Baker]

That's what I was trying to get at, Morgan. At 200 miles an hour. These motors have been tested to use up about 200 gallons an hour.

[Vic Morgan]

Which roughly puts us somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean if we try it non stop. Is that it?

[Jack Baker]

Joey isn't the only one that doesn't quite understand the theory of substratosphere flying. It seems that 200 gallons at 200 an hour was at 10,000ft. Now, by flying higher, we remove part of the resistance because the air pressure on the ship is about one half what it is at the lower levels. And so, allowing for a bit of efficiency that is lost by the lower pressure, we find our gas mileage stepped up about one third. Which means that our 3,100 gallons should take us something better than 4,200 miles.

[Vic Morgan]

You see, Joey, that 4,200 miles gives us plenty of leeway, so there's nothing to be afraid of.

[Joe]

Unless maybe we should happen to hit a wind which ain't blowing our direction.

[Jack Baker]

That's right, Joe. Any headwind we hit will just knock that many miles off our gas mileage. And a tailwind will add to it.

[Joe]

Yeah, I remember reading in the papers a few years ago about a French Fellow that tried to fly to America and he had to fight a wind all the way. And so when he got just a little over halfway across the ocean, he found that he didn't have gas enough to make it. So he just turned around and went back.

[Vic Morgan]

He flew over halfway across and didn't have enough gas to make it, so he flew back. Joey, listened to. I think the Everglades have been too much for you. Now quit trying to tell us fairy stories and start getting that stuff in the shack down here to the ship. Now, see that you don't let it fall in the water. Get it?

[Joe]

Okay, Vic. I ain't telling stories. You can ask Jack.

[Vic Morgan]

The idea of telling stuff like that. You see, that's what I was telling you. Baker Joe is all right sometimes. Only he's, well, sort of weak above the eyes, that's all.

[Jack Baker]

Joe's absolutely right about that story. It actually happened. You see, the tailwind added enough mileage. For instance, if it was a 40 mile an hour wind, it added 40 miles every hour to his mileage. While it was taking that away from the mileage on his way out. Or a difference of 80 miles every hour and the miles covered on the same amount of gas. How do you see?

[Vic Morgan]

Yeah. Yeah, I suppose I do. Now, what do you think of our chances with this ship?

[Jack Baker]

I think we'll make it. If that stuff that came in on that truck isn't too heavy. Just what was that anyway?

[Vic Morgan]

Supplies, Baker, Supplies.

[Jack Baker]

I get it.

[Vic Morgan]

Okay.

[Jack Baker]

Well, this transport is built to carry about 40 passengers in ordinary service. But the weight of the extra gas naturally cuts that down quite a bit. So the weight of those, well, supplies, as you call them, means quite a bit, especially on the takeoff.

[Vic Morgan]

Well, I can tell you this much. Those two fellows on the truck had quite a time loading this stuff into the baggage compartment.

[Jack Baker]

In other words, it's heavy. And that means that we won't be able to get as much altitude and save as much gas as we would if we were flying light.

[Vic Morgan]

Well, maybe I can relieve your mind a little with this bit of news. The reason we picked on this new transport ship, which is a little bigger than anything else, is because we're kind of pioneering a new airline, see? In other words, we're fixing it so this flying diamonds back here and sending supplies back over to Africa is going to be put on a regular schedule. Just like the transatlantic and the Trans Pacific passenger planes. Only we don't have the custom officials nosing into our business.

[Jack Baker]

All very interesting, Morgan, except that you don't Pick up planes every day that will fly the Atlantic non stop with a load. And keeping preparations for such a flight undercover for any length of time will be quite a job in itself. And once the suspicion leaks out, it won't be long until the government starts to work.

[Vic Morgan]

And then, Baker, you just tend to flying this ship for us. And we'll take care of the government. Now here's how we keep this whole thing in the dark. We don't try any non stop flight, see? That is just at present we're going to establish bases and make flights in short hops and from secluded points that won't create any publicity, you see.

[Jack Baker]

Very clever. But a plane leaving the United States and later showing up in, say, Cape Town, South Africa. Well, no one will be foolish enough to believe that someone trundled that plane across the Atlantic in a rowboat.

[Vic Morgan]

A little paint, a little change of license numbers now and then. Won't leave any holes like that. So here's where we come in. With this ship, we're stopping at several places and leaving some of these supplies so that the people that are already there can start to work.

[Jack Baker]

You don't mind telling me the first stop then, do you?

[Vic Morgan]

Of course not. The first place we head for will be a little place just south of the. That cape that sticks out there in South America.

[Jack Baker]

Oh, you mean Cape St. Roque?

[Vic Morgan]

Yeah, that's it. Well, that's where we stop first. Say, what's that noise I've been hearing all this time? That kind of buzzing?

[Jack Baker]

Well, that's the radio transmitter. I just wanted to see how it was acting since we sent that message to Springfield a while ago. We never got an answer from them, by the way.

[Vic Morgan]

Of course we didn't. You don't suppose that the Doc is foolish enough to do any sending, do you? So they can find out where we are.

[Jack Baker]

Oh, that's right. I never thought of that.

[Vic Morgan]

Well, it just shows you the Doc is a pretty wise guy. And that's just a warning to anybody that might get ideas about sending messages from airplanes. The Doc has a few stations himself. And his operators know how to locate transmitters too.

[Jack Baker]

I get it, Morgan. You don't have to worry about that.

[Vic Morgan]

I wasn't worrying, I was just reminding, that's all. Say, we better go up and give Joe a lift with that stuff. We should have had the guy with the truck do that.

[Jack Baker]

If you don't mind, Morgan, I'll stay here and check these motors over a bit so that.

[Vic Morgan]

I'm afraid I mind, Baker. I already told you where we're heading. And I'm not gonna let you get out of my sight until we land in Africa.

[Jack Baker]

Okay. We might as well leave this cabin door open if we're coming back.

[Ann Burton]

My, I thought they'd never leave. Gosh, but it's stuffing that baggage compartment. Now, if they'll just stay away long enough for me to get behind that shed. The radio is on. If I only knew how to work it, I might send some kind of a message. I could write Jack a note, but where could I leave it? The radio headphones. No one will use them but him. I can fold up a note and put it in one of the earphones. What did I do with my pencil? Oh, here it is. That scrap of paper will have to do. Let's see. Jack just left before you. Is that someone coming? Oh, it is. And I haven't a chance to get outside. I'll have to get back into that compartment and wait until they leave again.

[Joe]

Gee, I get all the heavy work to do, but I guess maybe it's. I don't know. What's this? Say, I wonder if.

[Vic Morgan]

I guess we can put that stuff in the baggage compartment, huh, Baker?

[Jack Baker]

Okay. Well, ought to just about get it. Hey, Joe, what are you doing up here in a cabin?

[Joe]

I was just throwing this grub away where we could get it. Right handy. You never know when you're going to get hungry.

[Vic Morgan]

How are those motors heading, Baker?

[Jack Baker]

The motors are okay. I think that all we need now are some instructions from Doc.

[Vic Morgan]

I told you that Doc will not be using his radio station for a day or so, didn't I? Not while the government is trying to check him. And after that, they'll have to locate his new wavelength and start all over again. No, we got all the instructions we need, Baker.

[Joe]

Say, listen. Do you fellas hear anything?

[Vic Morgan]

Not a thing. Except. Say, that sounds like a plane to me.

[Jack Baker]

Probably just some of the boys from Pensacola on their way home.

[Vic Morgan]

Hey, there it is right over there. And it's an air cat. Looks like something dropping from it.

[Joe]

Gee, it's a guy with a parachute. See, it opened up, Baker?

[Vic Morgan]

I don't know, but that cat and that guy are jumping. Lookin pretty fishy. Hey, what is that? Maybe you didn't have anything to do with it, but we're not taking any chances. We're taking off right now.

[Jack Baker]

Morgan, you know as well as I do, I haven't had any opportunity to communicate with anybody even. Even if I'd wanted to.

[Vic Morgan]

All right, all right. But we're not taking any Chances.

[Jack Baker]

Come on.

[Vic Morgan]

Get those motors warmed up. I'll run up to the shack and lock up. And, Joe, take care of Baker while I'm gone.

[Joe]

Okay. I guess I better get these chocks out from under the wheel.

[Jack Baker]

All right, Joe. I'll climb in and head her around. The wind is okay for a takeoff from this end, so we'll just let her sit.

[Joe]

Okay, Baker? Okay.

[Jack Baker]

Wonder just what that Aircat was doing over here. Who was in that parachute, I wonder. If it was Ann again, she wouldn't be making another trip back here.

[Joe]

Well, I guess that's all. Say, Jack, here's a little thing I found on the floor of the cabin a few minutes ago when I come back.

[Jack Baker]

An automatic pencil. And it's engraved. Ann, you say you found it just a few minutes ago here?

[Joe]

Yeah, and it wasn't there an hour ago because I looked all over the floor then for a quarter I dropped.

[Jack Baker]

I don't understand how it could be in here.

[Joe]

I don't either. Especially when I know that nobody has left this cabin. But you'd better put that pencil away, because here comes Vic. And maybe you wouldn't want him to know about it. Maybe.

[Jack Baker]

Joe, I don't know how to thank

[Joe]

him or skip it. Oh, here he is. All set, Vic.

[Vic Morgan]

Okay, all set. You ready, Baker? All set. Then here's your char on that course. Now let's get out of here quick.

[Jack Baker]

All right, we're on our way to Cape St. Roque.

[Narrator]

Jack Baker and the two gangsters off on the first leg of the trip that is to take them to South Africa. Can it be that Joe suspects that Ann Burton is concealed in the baggage compartment? And why did he not tell Vic instead of confiding to Jack? Will Morrison and Aunt Hattie locate the secret field now empty and land? Or will they proceed to Springfield in an effort to learn the secret of the Tyler Sanitarium? We're just as anxious as we know you are to learn the answers in the next three thrilling episode of Anne of the Airlines.

[Vic Morgan]

Sam.

[Narrator]

It.

[Jack Baker]

Tyler redick here from 2311 Racing. Another checkered flag for the books.

[Vic Morgan]

Time to celebrate with Chumba. Jump [e-mail].

[Jack Baker]

let's check Chumba. No purchase necessary.

[Vic Morgan]

BTW Group void where prohibited by law.

[Jack Baker]

CTNC21+ sponsored by Chumba Casino.

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