New Log of "The Whistler" Now Available (updated as of May 7, 2023)

A PDF document of the log is now available. CLICK HERE to download.

This updated log of The Whistler series is available as a Google Sheet workbook (click here). It is in the form of a spreadsheet workbook and can be downloaded in many formats such as Microsoft Excel. (Please note that some formatting may not be retained in the download and minor adjustments might be necessary to duplicate the on-screen formatting; the data are unaffected).

These are the individual pages of the workbook:

• Main series (through its history as a sustained, then Signal Oil sponsored, then sustained series)

• WBBM Chicago

• Summer 1946 replacement for The Jack Carson Show

• Household Finance Corporation series

• All episodes by date

• All episodes by alphabetical

• Missing episodes

• TV syndicated series (NEW!)

Circulating episodes are identified as network, AFRS, USAFE, and Audio Arts syndications; there are notes for unclear or quirky characteristics, AFRS numbers, and a few programs for which two recordings exist that have different openings.

Please contact me regarding errors and oversights, and of course additional information about recordings that may not be in the collection that this log represents. (suspenseotr@gmail.com)

For background on the series, please view the 2019 presentation from the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, available at YouTube. The information in this log is more-up-to-date based on additional research that corrects and enhances some of the information there.

This log is regularly updated as new information is acquired.

Recently Located "Missing" Episodes

Click title to listen to program

Star Shadow 1944-07-22:  This is a home recording of a Signal Oil broadcast that was in very bad condition (severe hum). It was recovered to be listenable through modern sound processing techniques. A sample of the original sound can be heard in the previously cited YouTube presentation. (Soundcloud)

'Til Death Do Us Part 1944-07-30: This is an episode from the Signal Oil series, edited to become part of AFRS Mystery Playhouse. This title was used three different times on The Whistler but each was a unique storyline. The main character in this episode is named Royce Pargill. (Soundcloud)

The Incident at Hemsley 1948-05-26: This is an AFRS version from the Signal Oil series. It is in some logs as "The Incident at Homsuey" which is incorrect, likely a matter of transcribing notes that were in unclear handwriting. On the same date, the East and Central zones were hearing Bird of Prey under the Household Finance sponsorship. (Soundcloud)

The Great Zantini 1948-09-08: From AFRS disc #38 from the series, and stars Joseph Kearns. This is extracted from the Signal Oil broadcast; the HFC broadcast which starred Frank Lovejoy is still missing. (YouTube)

NEWLY AVAILABLE! (October 2020) Many of the mid-1950s episodes have been available only as home recorded airchecks broadcast over Armed Forces Radio and sponsored by USAFE for its educational programs for service personnel. These were 1960s rebroadcasts of Whistler programs. Better copies have recently become available and they have been audio processed for better sound. The audio quality is still not the best, but it is an improvement. They are available at archive.org and may be listened to or downloaded from there. That page has additional background information about this era of the series. There were new episodes discovered in this collection of recordings:

• 1954-07-11 Out of the Past USAFE home microphone recording (very low quality) 
• 1954-09-12 Landslide USAFE 
• 1955-03-03 Alibi USAFE 
• 1955-03-17 A Matter of Odds USAFE 
• 1955-04-07 Search for an Unknown USAFE 
• 1955-05-19 A Case for Mr Carrington USAFE (now in addition to the AFRS version)
• 1955-06-23 The Cliffs of Wayrum USAFE 
• 1955-09-08 Design for Murder USAFE (now in addition to the AFRS version)

If you're not familiar with how to download files from archive.org, download a helpful PDF file that illustrates the process.