Rocky Jordan aired “Count Me Out” on November 7, 1948 as its second episode. We’ve run only five previous episodes of this show and there is only so much new introductory material to be written, so I am cribbing from several previous episodes as introduction to Rocky Jordan for those coming to the show for the first time.
There were several iterations of the show, the first of which aired in 1945 under the title A Man Named Jordan. Only two episodes of this early precursor are known to still exist. This version was set in Istanbul, Turkey but was otherwise the same as its successor. Rocky Jordan proper ran from October 31, 1948 through September 10, 1950 and starred Jack Moyles as Rocky Jordan. An attempt to revive the series with famed Hollywood actor George Raft aired for one season from 1950-51. A couple of half-hearted attempts were made at further revivals in 1955 and ’57, but none of these fifteen-minue episodes survives.
After being chased from St. Louis, MO by his enemies, Rocky landed in Cairo, Egypt and set up his Cafe Tambourine. Modeled on Rick’s Cafe Americain from the 1942 movie Casablanca (Oscar winner, Best Picture, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman), Rocky seems always to find himself at the center of trouble. Egyptian-Muslim police Captain Sam Sabaaya (married with four children) plays it straight and by the book but helps Rocky when he can, while Sabaaya’s Sergeant Greco dislikes Jordan and attempts to pin every mishap and crime on the part-time detective and foreigner.
The writers always strove for authenticity in Rocky’s adventures, researching names of streets and places for accuracy, and the show’s producers even hired an Egyptian writer/consultant in later episodes for further accuracy of detail in regard to the locales and various cultures, Cairo being a centuries-long crossroads and melting pot of the Middle East.
“Count Me Out” features an exotic dancer new to Cairo as the hot new attraction at a rival club. Checking out what may be drawing away some of his business, Rocky visits the club and learns why this beautiful woman is such a novelty. But as always, beauty attracts all kinds, and when several Arab-dressed men enter the club the level of danger increases quickly, for the lovely dancer holds a secret she wishes to share only with Rocky. The well-dressed, business-like Arabs also want to know the secret Tisana imparts to Rocky, and before you know it he is knee-deep in murder and mayhem.
Listen now to “Count Me Out” as Rocky Jordan finds himself in the middle of another scrape with (what else) a beautiful woman and the police, all set against the backdrop of Cairo, Egypt, ancient land of the Pharaohs: the land of adventure, danger, and mystery.
Play Time: 29:30
{Minds afire with exotic places awash with beautiful women and deadly danger after listening to this Rocky Jordan adventure, a chill November Saturday morning in 1948 would find the neighborhood gang bundled up and on their way to the local newsstand in search of more adrenalin-filled voyages to otherwhere, where they might still find issues of the magazines showcased below. Note that all three were publishing bi-monthly at the time.}
{Left: Famous Fantastic Mysteries, Oct. ’48 – Center: Startling Stories, Nov. ’48 – Right: Weird Tales, Nov. ’48}
To view the entire list of weekly Old Time Radio episodes at Tangent Online, click here.