Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Sherlock Holmes - 39-06-11 The Missing Submarine Plans
Posted: September 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode presents a lively and comedic take on Sherlock Holmes, performed by the classic Jack Benny cast, blending detective drama with sharp satire and Golden Age radio humor. The star-studded cast parodies the iconic Holmes tale, with Benny as Sherlock, Mary Livingston as Lady Barrow, and other familiar voices filling out a set brimming with puns, gags, and period banter. The show artfully mixes tongue-in-cheek radio advertisements with the main story, offering listeners a vibrant window into the vaudevillian radio tradition.

Key Discussion Points & Segment Breakdown

1. Opening Banter & Hollywood Parody (00:00-06:34)

• Jack Benny and Don Wilson open with customary banter and advertisements for Jello, poking fun at radio commercials and Hollywood gossip columns.
• Fake "Hollywood Reporter" segment lampoons celebrity culture and tabloid rumors.
• Notable lampooning: "Hollywood, that small body of land entirely surrounded by racetracks." (Jack Benny as Jimmy Benny the Fiddler, 02:03)
• Running gags about beauty salons and the casting of Jack Benny in new Paramount films.

2. Cast Antics & Breaking the Fourth Wall (06:34-11:00)

• Comedic exchanges about Phil Harris's trips to a beauty salon, Walk Tegan, Illinois, and misadventures in elevators.
• Confusion and fast-paced joke delivery exemplify the ensemble's chemistry.
• Announcement of their upcoming live broadcast from Jack's hometown, Walk Tegan, and jokes about local culture.
• Mary Livingston's ongoing banter about needing new clothes for the trip.

3. Sherlock Holmes Parody: "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (15:56-27:05)

• (15:56) Jack Benny transitions to the night's main attraction, a parody detective drama.
• Scene opens in Sherlock Holmes’s study in London with playful banter: "Excuse me, Watson. Hello. Sherlock Holmes on this end. Are you on your end?" (Jack Benny, 17:00)
• Mary Livingston as Lady Barrow brings a case of mysterious murders tied to the Baskerville curse: "Before each death, we always hear the howling of a dog on the lonely moor outside the castle. Oh, it's ghastly." (Mary Livingston, 19:38)
• The team satirizes Holmes’s deductive methods—the murderer is ultimately revealed through a mock seance with Madame Zarathi (Mary Livingston), including a fake "victim's" spirit breakdown and comical confession from Kenny Baker's character.
• Scene-stealing moments:
  • "Are you sure Sir Hugo is dead?" "He doesn't giggle when we dust him off." (19:05)
  • "I give this picture [Man About Town]... plenty on the bell." (Jack Benny, 06:04)
• Rapid-fire puns, self-aware jokes about radio sponsors, and ad-libs.

4. Notable Quotes & Comic Highlights

• "Well, that'll do it every time." (Jack Benny, on dying calming someone down, 18:58)
• "The first time I ever saw Sir Hugo on top of a table." (Jack Benny, arrived at the mock crime scene, 23:21)
• "Put in a nickel please, for five more minutes." (Mary Livingston as the medium, joking about running out of 'spiritual' time, 26:17)
• Mary: “You won't get it of course.” Jack: “Of course. Make a note of that, Watson.” (19:52)
• “Gee, I wish I could do that. You fall down that elevator shaft a couple of more times and you'll be all set.” (Jack Benny to Kenny Baker, 21:24)

5. Radio Comedy Traditions & Meta Moments

• Frequent breaking of the fourth wall with in-character asides about sponsors, acting, and play structure.
• Jabs at the sponsor: “…he was very fond of jell.” (Don Wilson, 22:56)
• Advertisement parodies are seamlessly woven into the narrative, especially within the parody mystery.

6. Music & Cultural References

• Kenny Baker performs "And the Angels Sing" (14:13-15:56), a brief respite before the play.
• The episode riffs on contemporary Hollywood names, trends, and locations, placing Sherlock Holmes squarely within American 1930s pop culture.

7. Conclusion & Final Jokes (27:05-28:37)

• Final faux-ad for Jello integrates recipe tips into the play’s wrap-up.
• Brief apologies for comedic oversights, followed by dog howls and confusion about whether the sound was a train or a canine.
• Signature sign-off with the Jello jingle.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00-02:03 – Opening theme, sponsor plug, and start of Hollywood parody
• 09:00 – Beauty parlor jokes and town planning antics
• 11:00 – Introduction to the night’s Sherlock Holmes play
• 15:56 – "And the Angels Sing" performed by Kenny Baker
• 17:00 – Beginning of Sherlock Holmes parody play
• 19:38 – Explanation of the Baskerville curse
• 21:17 – Arrival at Baskerville Castle
• 23:21 – Gathering suspects; spiritualist segment commences
• 26:17 – Coin-operated séance gag and murderer’s confession

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Mary Livingston (as the medium, 26:17): “Put in a nickel please, for five more minutes.”
• Jack Benny (as Holmes, 19:05): “Are you sure Sir Hugo is dead?”
  Mary: “He doesn’t giggle when we dust him off.”
• Self-referential: “Maybe I can help you, Mr. Holmes.” – “How?” – “Sir Hugo himself will tell me.” (24:11)
• Sponsor meta-joke: “Doctor, can you give us any information about the late Sir Hugo?” – “Yes, he was very fond of jell.” (22:56)

Tone & Style

The cast, led by Jack Benny, delivers fast-paced, smartly-timed vaudevillian humor, full of puns, playful insults, and audience-winking asides. There’s constant interplay between the mythos of Sherlock Holmes, the business of radio sponsoring, and the foibles of Hollywood celebrity—a hallmark blend for old-time radio variety.

Listener Value

This episode is a showcase of classic American radio, equally accessible as a parody of detective fiction and a time capsule of pre-television entertainment. The skits’ brilliance lies in their comedic timing, the effortless mingling of commercial plugs and story, and affectionate lampooning of pop culture.

Even for those unacquainted with the original programs or the historical context, the episode’s humor and structure make for charming, easy listening—a reminder of radio’s golden era and its enduring comic legacy.