Bold Venture

Bold Venture was a syndicated radio series starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall that aired from 1951 to 1952. Morton Fine and David Friedkin scripted the taped series for Bogart's Santana Productions.

For the racehorse, see Bold Venture (horse).
Bold Venture
Slate (Humphrey Bogart) and Sailor (Lauren Bacall) cruise the Caribbean aboard the Bold Venture. (Bogart and Bacall pictured here on their private yacht Santana.)
GenreAdventure
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
SyndicatesFrederic W. Ziv Company
StarringHumphrey Bogart
Lauren Bacall
Jester Hairston
Written byMorton Fine
David Friedkin
Directed byHenry Heyward
Produced bySantana Productions
Original release1951 – 1952
No. of episodes78

Synopsis

Salty seadog Slate Shannon (Bogart) owns a Cuban hotel, Shannon's Place,[1] sheltering an assortment of treasure hunters, revolutionaries and other shady characters. With his sidekick and ward, the sultry Sailor Duval (Bacall), tagging along, he encounters modern-day pirates and other tough situations while navigating the waters around Havana. Aboard his boat, the Bold Venture, Slate and Sailor experience "adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean."

Calypso singer King Moses (Jester Hairston) provided musical bridges by threading plot situations into the lyrics of his songs.[2] Music for the series was by David Rose.[3]

The series combined elements of a number of past Bogart/Bacall film collaborations, most notably To Have and Have Not which also cast Bogart as a boat owner in the Caribbean who reluctantly becomes involved in intrigue while romancing Bacall. The relationship between Shannon and King Moses, and his ownership of an inn, is strongly reminiscent of the dynamic between Rick Blaine and Sam in Casablanca.

Production

Beginning in March 1951, the Frederic W. Ziv Company syndicated 78 episodes via electrical transcription.[4] Some sources have claimed that the 78 episodes include reruns, and that there were only around 30 episodes but more than 50 shows have now come to light. Heard on 423 stations, the 30-minute series earned $5,000 weekly for Bogart and Bacall.[3]

57 episodes are now known to exist, some are known by more than one title which can make it appear that there are more.

Radio episode guide
  • 12 Year Promise (a.k.a. Oil Wells)
  • A Backstabbing at Shannon's Place (a.k.a. Joe Norman, The Laughing Sailor)
  • A Bullet For Shannon (a.k.a. Thugs And Slugs/Johnny Price Story)
  • Alice Ramsey's Husband (a.k.a. Poison Darts/Voodoo Vendetta)
  • A Muncie Murderess in Havana
  • An Invitation To Death
  • Background Shots Can Kill You
  • Blue Moon
  • Camellias and a Ruby
  • Carlos & Juan Story (a.k.a. Crazy Old Carlos)
  • The Chaney Wedding (a.k.a. Death At The Wedding)
  • Cruise To Batabano (a.k.a. Emelio Lopez Story)
  • Darby and Joan Incorporated
  • Death By A Fighting Bird (a.k.a. Deadly Merchandise/Smuggling Arms)
  • Death Of Rudy Keijon (a.k.a. With Friends Like These/Bob Yancy arrests Slate for murder)
  • Diamond Smuggling
  • El Indio
  • Espionage & Murder in San Tomas
  • False American Passports
  • Ghost Ship
  • Half Million Reasons to Find Cary Martin (a.k.a. We Want Cary Martin)
  • Haven's Venezuelan Island (a.k.a. Gene Moore's wife/Claudia)
  • Innocent in Trujillo
  • Isle Of Pines (a.k.a. I'm Going To Die/Rhoda Gonzalez)
  • Jennie Ward, Slate's Old Flame
  • Kwan Yen Statue (a.k.a. Quam Yi Statue)
  • Louis Gaspar Case (a.k.a. Slate's Stolen Identity/Bring Me The Body of Slate Shannon)
  • Murder in the Yucatán Peninsula
  • Murder Of Franny Lane (a.k.a. He Who Laughs Last/Murder Is No Joke/Slate Shannon accused of murder)
  • Mutineers of the S.S. Marino Victory
  • Mystery Of The Mary K
  • Passage for Mario Carada
  • Paul Brewer Story (a.k.a. Escape From Guantanamo)
  • Paolo Framed for Jewel Robbery (a.k.a. Supapo's Greed)
  • Revenge Equals Murder Times Two
  • Robbery By Joe Ralston (a.k.a. Revenge Is Sweet/The Big Road)
  • Russian Roulette
  • Ruthie Ryan's Father (a.k.a. The Big K.O.)
  • Sailor Framed For Murder
  • Sailor's Dead Husband (a.k.a. Marriage And Murder/Freddie Naye)
  • Search For Tommy Reed
  • Senor Rufio
  • Six Crates of Apples, White Envelope (a.k.a. Bill Of Lading/Dope Smugglers)
  • Slate Framed for Refinery Robbery
  • Slate Shannon Held for Ransom (a.k.a. Danger at Tina's Parakeet)
  • Slate Shannon Sucker
  • Slate's Stolen DaVinci
  • Slate's Tuxedo Pocket (a.k.a. Black Tie Affair)
  • Spanish Gold (a.k.a. Treasure On Flamingo Cay)
  • Suicide or Murder (a.k.a. Out Of Control/Phyllis Calvert murder)
  • Sunken Treasure at 20 Fathoms (a.k.a. Sunken Spanish Gold)
  • Tabard of Pizarro (a.k.a. Alice Markel poisoning)
  • The Dead Matt Jefferies (a.k.a. The One That Got Away)
  • The High Price of Treason
  • The Key To Death
  • The Tears of Siva (a.k.a. Star of Sheba)
  • Welcome Back to Civilization, Dead Man (a.k.a. Man From Sumatra/George Carson Killed)

Television

Ziv brought Bold Venture to television in 1959 with 39 episodes directed by William Conrad. The series starred Dane Clark as Slate Shannon, Joan Marshall as Sailor Duval and Bernie Gozier as King Moses. Mark Dana played Philip Keith Baker, Lisa Gaye played Leta, and Karen Scott played Tina.[5] Morton Fine and David Friedkin were the producers.[2]

Because of unstable conditions in Cuba, the setting was changed to Trinidad. Locations included the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California.

Listen to

References
  1. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  2. Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-7864-1198-8. Pp. 20-21.
  3. "Bogart Airer Costs 600G". Billboard. January 13, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  4. Dunning, John (7 May 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. pp. 109–110. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  5. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
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