The I Love a Mystery Companion [Paperback]

Martin Grams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

Longing only for action, adventure and excitement wherever it would lead them, three men fought through vampire-infested jungles, ghost towns of wind-swept Nevada, and defeated mad scientists with werewolf assistants. Jack Packard, Doc Long and Reggie York were those musketeers and from 1939 to 1952, the program gained a cult audience. Young children began their own fan clubs while civic-minded adults protested against the scary stories. This is the official guide to the ultimate of radio thrillers, I LOVE A MYSTERY. Four hundred pages documenting the entire history of the radio program, including a biography of Carlton E. Morse, the creator/producer/director of the series.

Features memories from cast and crew (Mercedes McCambridge, Tony Randall, etc.), a complete episode guide to each and every broadcast including cast lists and plot descriptions, documentation of the I LOVE A MYSTERY novels, comic strips (panels reprinted in the book) the four motion pictures, a reprint of an unused outline for a ten-chapter serial, USO material reprinted, Morse's correspondence, episode guides for Morse's other radio serials like THE WITCH OF ENDOR and CAPTAIN POST: CRIME SPECIALIST, and much, much more! Includes photos and index.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If you happen to be a Carlton Morse or ILAM fan it is an investment you will not regret. -- David Siegel, Author of The Witch's Tale

About the Author

Martin Grams, Jr. is the recipient of the 1999 Ray Stanich Award. Martin is the author and co-author of numerous books including THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS COMPANION, THE HAVE GUN - WILL TRAVEL COMPANION, INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES: BEHIND THE CREAKING DOOR, GANGBUSTERS, RADIO DRAMA: AMERICAN PROGRAMS, THE HISTORY OF THE CAVALCADE OF AMERICA, INVITATION TO LEARNING, INFORMATION PLEASE, and THE CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATER. Martin also contributed to THE ALFRED HICTCHCOCK STORY and IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN. His articles have appeared in FILMFAX Magazine, SCARLET STREET Magazine and SPERDVAC's Radiogram.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: OTR Publishing (October 2003)
• ISBN-10: 0970331053
• ISBN-13: 978-0970331052
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,175,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martin Grams is the author and co-author of more than 20 books, and contributed numerous appendixes and chapters for other books. His book on THE TWILIGHT ZONE was the winner of the 2008 Rondo Award for "Best Book of the Year." His recent book on THE GREEN HORNET has been well-received by critics. Martin is an active member of SPERDVAC, research consultant for a major film magazine and volunteers his time to help the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention held annually in Maryland every September.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading!!!! Required owning, November 8, 2003

By 

Edmund Zebrowski (West Dundee, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The I Love a Mystery Companion (Paperback)

I was able to get a copy of this book early and I must say that it one of the best, most informative books on a radio show I have ever had the pleasure to read. It goes over so much of the behind the scenes and making of the show that one can not help but feel like an expert on the subject once done. The author also helps to snuff out a lot of the fan rumors that have always surrounded the show in the past. The back 2/3 of the book is dedicated to an episode-by-episode guide to the series. For most other series I find this kind of redundant .I mean why do I need to buy a book to read the plot of a show that I already own, but I Love A Mystery is not like other series. You probably already know this if you're a fan, but if you're not then let me give you a bit of history and a shock. I Love A Mystery was a popular "blood and thunder" type action adventure show on radio during the 1940's and 50's. It was written by one of the most prolific and respected radio writers of all time. It at times was very controversial (The Temple of Vampires), and all the time was very entertaining. It even was made into a series of B-movies. Almost 1500 episodes were aired in the double run. Here's the shocker. Less then 200 exist in complete form. It's sad really. So the fact that we have an episode-by-episode guide, not a story by story one is an amazing thing for us fans. The Morse estate keeps a strangle hold on the circulation of the original scripts, so for most of us this is the only way to know what the heck went on after chapter 11 of "The Pirate Loot of the Island of Skulls." We also can now pinpoint where that one fragment of "The Tropics Don't' Call It Murder " REALLY goes. As if a full creation and broadcast history and episode guide were not enough. We also get a lot of info on the other Morse series like "I Love Adventure", "Adventures by Morse", "House of Myth" and others. Martin Grams, Jr has given us fans simply one of the best books ever about one of the greatest shows ever. Standing ovation to you sir!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for the ILAM fan!, January 14, 2004

By 

James S. Jones Jr. (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The I Love a Mystery Companion (Paperback)

I must say that I was very pleasantly shocked and surpirsed when I saw this book was available, and I immediately placed an order for a copy.

Upon receiving it, I was not disappointed. The book gives a very thorough and complete history of one of the greatest radio programs of all time: I Love a Mystery.

The book is not without its flaws. It seems that little time was spent in proofreading, because enjoyment of the book is marred by many typographical errors. While these are easy to spot, and usually of a very minor nature, sometimes they are downright confusing. In one instance, paragraphs were placed out of order.

Also, the book suffers from a lack of organization. While the general history seems to run in a chronological fashion, sections titled "Continuity Problems" or "Writing the Scripts" are peppered throughout, making their placement in the middle of program synopses confusing.

Please do not be discouraged by these errors. This is a very fine and informative book; Martin Grams should be commended for his excellent research and presentation of material that has been awaited by ILAM fans for half a century. Let us hope that these errors (especially the typographical ones) will be corrected in future editions of the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ILAM, May 31, 2007

By 

The Flash (Sacramento CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The I Love a Mystery Companion (Paperback)

If you are a fan of OTR and ILAM in particular this book is essential. Loved every moment reading it.