Podcast Summary: Poison for Wild Bill Hickok

Podcast: Old Time Radio Westerns
Host: Andrew Rhynes
Episode: Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok – "Poison for Wild Bill Hickok" (11-11-53)
Date: November 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode is a digitally restored classic from the "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" radio series, immersing listeners in the golden age of Western radio drama. Marshal Wild Bill Hickok and his affable deputy, Jingles, return to Logan Center—a frontier town gripped by both lawless gangs and the promise of progress—as Bill is invited to help dedicate a new courthouse. What should be a celebration of justice quickly becomes a deadly game, as an assassination attempt on Wild Bill reveals deeper corruption and danger, forcing the lawmen into a dramatic showdown with the town's outlaw kingpin, Blaco.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Highlights

1. Returning to Logan Center

• Wild Bill and Jingles come back to Logan Center for a ceremonial event: Bill is to turn over the first shovel-full of dirt for the new courthouse, symbolizing law coming to the town.
• Jingles, ever comical and light-hearted, banters about stretching his paycheck and satiating his hunger while Bill explains the symbolic importance of the new courthouse.
  • Quote:
    • Jingles: “We rode back over a hundred miles just so you could turn over one shovel full of dirt?” (05:52)
    • Bill: “There’s a little more to it than that, partner. The law is really moving into the West now.” (05:59)

2. The Poison Plot

• Their meal at Chops Cafe is interrupted by Charlie Mock, the cook, who almost serves them poisoned beans.
• Chops, the owner, realizes at the last moment—only after noticing that Charlie tried to pass off rat poison as pepper.
• Charlie, outed as the would-be poisoner, flees to the saloon run by Blaco, notorious town troublemaker and gang leader.
  • Highlighted Incident:
    • Chops: “Harley poisoned them, that’s why!” (06:39)

3. Confronting Blaco and the Tension in Town

• Bill and Jingles pursue Charlie into Blaco’s gambling den but are stonewalled by Blaco, who demands a warrant. The tension thickens as Blaco issues a mafia-style threat about Bill’s fate if he keeps nosing around.
  • Quote:
    • Blaco: “You keep nosing around and somebody else might be turning up a spadeful of that earth and throwing it in your face.” (08:20)

4. Murder in Broad Daylight

• Charlie surges into the street, pleading for help before he’s gunned down, with the shot coming from Blaco's saloon. Blaco feigns ignorance, but Bill and Jingles know he’s involved.
• The town’s corrupt (and nervous) order is laid bare—Blaco’s intimidation has kept citizens and officials on edge for years.

5. Dedication Ceremony and Secret Investigation

• As Mayor Gibbs begins the courthouse dedication speech (15:08), Bill and Jingles sneak into Blaco’s saloon to hunt for murder evidence.
• Jingles’ commentary provides comic relief, even as the stakes rise:
  • “You know, I ain’t as good as I used to be at climbing through windows. Give me a push, will you, Bill?” (15:44)

6. Brilliant Ruse and the Final Standoff

• Bill devises a clever distraction: he throws bullets into the hot stoves, causing them to explode like gunfire, allowing himself and Jingles to escape via the balcony (21:36).
• Armed with the murder weapon—a rifle hidden in Blaco’s woodbox—they return just in time for a showdown as Blaco and his gang regroup.
  • Bill: “One thing’ll put Blaco behind bars.” (20:36)

7. Showdown and Triumph of Justice

• A blistering gunfight erupts in the street as the townsfolk, rallied by Mayor Gibbs, finally stand up to Blaco’s crew.
• Blaco’s confidence crumbles when presented with the evidence.
  • Jingles: “You’re new, you two-legged Gila monster. You’re going to jail for a good long stretch!” (24:05)
  • Bill: “Jingles did. So we’re ready for Blo Bill…” (23:26)

8. Poetic Justice and Closing

• Bill suggests Blaco, the now-defeated villain, should ceremoniously turn the first spadeful of dirt for the courthouse he tried to prevent—digging his own “finish with a bright shiny new shovel.” (26:06)
  • Jingles: “Sure is a pretty picture.” (26:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jingles (teasingly): “I’m not borrowing from you for a whole month. Now, you wait and see.” (05:06)
• Chops (on foiling the poison attempt): “That’s when I looked at the can—saw twasn’t pepper at all, but rat poison.” (12:11)
• Blaco (threatening Bill): “The odds are stacking up, Hickok. Somebody’s gotta get lucky sooner or later…” (08:29)
• Mayor Gibbs (inspiring speech): “As our late great President Abraham Lincoln said… You can’t fool all of the people all the time.” (16:14)
• Bill (on catching Blaco): “Your time’s running out, Blaker. The noose is getting tighter around your neck by the minute.” (14:25)
• Jingles (final note of justice): “Last of the low down crooks in Logan center digging his own finish with a bright shiny new shovel. Sure is a pretty picture.” (26:43)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:18] – The plan for the dedication, and Jingles’ memorable banter
• [06:39] – Poisoned beans: the attempt and Chops’ intervention
• [07:19] – Confrontation at Blaco’s gambling hall
• [13:28] – Charlie Mock shot in the street
• [15:08] – Courthouse dedication; Bill and Jingles sneak inside
• [20:01] – The search for murder evidence in Blaco’s saloon
• [21:36] – Bill’s trick with the stove and bullets for a dramatic escape
• [23:26] – Showdown: Blaco confronted with the murder weapon
• [24:41] – Townsfolk join the fight against Blaco’s gang
• [26:06] – Blaco forced to break ground for the new courthouse

Tone & Style

The episode is brisk, laced with the folksy humor and bombast typical of Western radio dramas. Jingles’ comic relief balances the tension, and Wild Bill exudes calm resolve. The sound design, as advertised, is vivid—with every gunshot, hoofbeat, and creaking door restored to greater clarity, evoking the atmosphere of the Old West.

Conclusion

"Poison for Wild Bill Hickok" exemplifies the classic Western showdown between law and lawlessness, dramatizing the peril and perseverance involved in bringing justice to the untamed frontier. The moral clarity, adventurous spirit, and witty repartee of the leads deliver a timeless entertainment experience.

For more episodes and digitally restored classic Western tales, visit otrwesterns.com.