* RANGER BILL (OTR) OLD TIME RADIO SHOWS * 221 EPISODES on MP3 DVD * WESTERNS *
""Ranger Bill, Warrior of the Woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill. Pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snows, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done." That was the opening of Ranger Bill, a Christian radio adventure serial produced under the auspices of the Moody Broadcasting Network and the Moody Bible Institute. There were 206 episodes of Ranger Bill, which ran from 1950 to 1954 in a 15-minute format on WMBI in Chicago, and in syndication as a 30-minute show from 1954 to 1962.
The series followed the adventures of Park Ranger Bill Jefferson. Miron Canaday starred as Bill, the chief forest ranger in the small Rocky Mountain town of Knotty Pine, where the former US Marine lived with his mother. Ranger Bill was your standard radio hero, a paragon of fitness and virtue who could resolve nearly any situation. Ranger Bill and his friends were faced with many situations to solve over the years, from the mundane, like finding lost kids or investigating the problems racing boats were causing on the lake, to the fantastic, including several elephant attacks, spacemen apparently coming from a meteor and trying to find a lost treasure in the Amazon, all the while stressing positive Christian values for young people.
Friends that figured prominently in Bill's adventures included Stumpy Jenkins, an eagle-eyed ranger known for his marksmanship and often called "the Old Timer"; Henry Scott, Bill's teenage ward, was learning the ways of the woods by helping out Bill in the park, along with young ranger Ralph Carpenter; and Gray Wolf, a ranger and a member of the Dakota tribe. Gray Wolf spoke in the typical broken English for the era and genre, but knew how to use the traditional ways of his people and modern forest management methods to help Bill protect the woods. The first episode introduced Bill's boss, Colonel Anders, who sent Bill and Henry to blow up the Pine Ridge Dam in order to stop a forest fire threatening the Pendleton Valley.
The program is still broadcast on the Children's Sonshine Network and on His Kids Radio, both on regional radio stations and internet simulcasts, along with several other similarly Christian-themed programs.
Episode Listings (MP3 format)
First Snow
VIPs Visit Knotty Pine aka The Disappearing Buffalo Herd
Ranger_Bill_54-04-25_ep145_Tony's_Place_aka_Standing_Firm_For_What's_Right
Burning Sands
Twenty Fathoms Under The Sea
The End Of The Rope
The Fire Bug
If the Lord Is for Us
Set The Record Straight
River Of Fire
Ranger_Bill_55-03-09_ep136_Bim,_The_Dog
Hit and Run
Next In Line
Twelve Feet Of Danger
The Second Heart aka Heart Trouble
Ranger_Bill_55-07-06_ep140_The_Man_Who_Couldn't_Remember
Ranger_Bill_55-07-20_ep138_Death's_Half_Mile
The Eviction of Pa and Ma Skunk
Fossil Canyon
Flaming Grass
They Called Him the Jinx
Piggyback
Sleeping Death
The Shortage
The Hermit
Mrs Kane Wins The War
Stumpy Gets Thirty Days
Hidden Treasure aka Trouble At The Double Bar Ranch
Getting Along With The Wrong Crowd
The Handcart Race
The Broken Promise
The Man Who Understood
Ranger_Bill_56-05-16_ep176_Nature's_Vacuum_Cleaner
The Log Jam
Catching A Big Fish With A Small Hook
Overflow
An Old Horse Learns New Tricks
The Hunted
Ranger_Bill_56-11-07_ep146_Sultan,_King_Of_Beasts
Marauder of Goose Lake
A Lesson in Love
The Ice Prison
Skiers In the Sky
The Man With The Limp
Decision For Death
The Laughing Face aka The Wolverine Scare
Ranger_Bill_57-02-20_ep188_The_Boy_Who_Wouldn't_Quit
The Big Headache
Penny Wise and Pound Foolish
Timid Timothy
The Cat In The Wall
The Blessing Of Snow
The Book Farmer
Hot Fire
Dead On Arrival
Earthquake
Houseboat Charlie
Ranger_Bill_57-07-10_ep017_A_Dog's_Worst_Enemy
The Clown of Blue Lake
The Ranger Factory
Ice Pack
The Outsider
The Road to Fame
The Tugboat Cowboy
Mr Sunshine
Glacier Cave-In
10 Fathoms Deep
The Flying Game Warden
The Deep Country
Ranger_Bill_58-04-09_ep025_The_River_That_Wasn't_There
The White Fields
Old Faithful
The Whispering Cave
Rogue Elephant
The Vanishing Mummy
The Fur Thieves
Eddie And Mr Foxy
The Cruel Man
Ranger_Bill_58-07-16_ep028_Jimmy's_Christmas_Miracle_aka_Faith_The_Grain_Of_A_Mustard_Seed
The Fighting Parson
Mystery in Bear Valley
The Falling Giants
Petticoat Rangers
Ranger_Bill_58-11-19_ep153_Henry's_Miracle
Bobsled
The Return of Sitting Bull
Ranger_Bill_59-01-21_epxxx_Charlie's_Nightmare
The Mad Bats
The Hardhead
The Three Legged Deer
They Called Him A Coward
The Cattle Rustlers Of Coconino
Ranger_Bill_59-10-21_ep068_The_Crisis_aka_Stumpy's_Sight
Broken Bootstraps
The Last Fire Call
Ranger_Bill_59-11-11_ep205_Stumpy's_Harmonica_aka_Music_Horrible_Music
Camera Crew In Knotty Pines aka Stumpy In The Movies
Monster Of White Lake aka The White River Monster
Ranger_Bill_60-07-20_ep081_Bridge_Out!_aka_Henry's_Bridge
Birthday Rescue aka Fallen Hunter
Cliff Rescue aka Clean Up Work aka Timmy Climbs Mount Evergreen
Ranger_Bill_60-09-16_ep090_The_Foreman's_Accident_aka_Trouble_In_Tunnel_13
Ranger_Bill_60-09-16_ep090_The_Foreman's_Accident_aka_Trouble_In_Tunnel_13_-_Copy
Ranger_Bill_60-09-28_ep084_Ronnie's_Bear_aka_The_Mad_Bear_aka_Cub_Trouble
Ranger_Bill_60-09-28_ep084_Ronnie's_Bear_aka_The_Mad_Bear_aka_Cub_Trouble_-_Copy
Ranger_Bill_60-10-08_ep085_Henry's_History_Lesson_aka_Henry's_Wagon_Train_Dream
Ranger_Bill_60-10-08_ep085_Henry's_History_Lesson_aka_Henry's_Wagon_Train_Dream_-_Copy
Ranger_Bill_60-11-09_ep102_Oil_Well_aka_Ashby's_Folly
Rules aka The Runaway Boy
The Lost Pig aka Tangerine The Pig
Ranger_Bill_60-12-07_ep103_Marty_Patton's_Piano
Ranger_Bill_61-01-11_ep104_Henry's_Crisis_Of_Faith_aka_Prove_God_Exists
Ranger_Bill_61-01-18_ep105_Water_Tank_Rescue_aka_Smart_Alec's_Water_Tank_Inspection
Ranger_Bill_61-01-25_ep106_Mike's_Horse_aka_The_Horse_Test
He Broke Through The Ice aka They Killed Ranger Bill
Honest Prayer aka Picnic Cave-in
Roving Wolves aka Wolf Attack
The Trouble With Gossip aka Tell Me A Story aka Rumors
Ranger_Bill_61-03-29_ep094_Freddie's_Storuy_aka_Old_Ben's_Gold_aka_Freddie_Burns_From_The_Sun
The Sail Sled aka Full Sails
The New Recruit aka Fully Prepared Ranger
Ranger Bill Times Two aka A Case Of Mistaken Identity
Hearing God To Help The Missionaries aka The Diamond Ring
Legal Rights aka The Shooting Of Mr Prince
Cotton and Candy
Bill Gets Lost In A Cavern aka Transistor Walkie Talkie
The Raging Rapids
Ranger_Bill_61-10-11_ep083_Pete's_Civil_War_aka_Civil_War_Junk
A Little Spark
Ranger_Bill_61-10-18_ep130_Hunt's_Place_aka_Mr_Hunt's_Estate
The White Buffalo
Ranger_Bill_61-11-01_ep128_Henry's_New_Job_aka_Henry's_Grocery_Job
Rabies Scare aka In Shape
Ranger_Bill_61-12-08_ep114_Tom's_Otter_aka_Brightwater,_The_Otter
The Duck Call
Miracles aka Pray For A Miracle
Ranger_Bill_62-01-10_ep009_Henry's_Bus_Trip
Border Town aka Tongues Of Fire
Ranger_Bill_62-03-13_ep117_Contentment_In_God's_Will_aka_A_Need_For_Excitement
Forest Fire aka Hot Fire And Sowing Seeds
Trestle Ice Jam
Run Away aka The River Giant
Fire Bug aka The Fisherman And The Firebug
Ranger_Bill_62-05-16_ep123_The_Fire_Bomber's_Pink_Cloud
The Salesman
The Loudmouth
Tiger Cat
Ranger_Bill_xx-xx-xx_ep023_In_the_Eagle's_Nest
The Abominable Snow Man
Christmas Bells aka Christmas At Knotty Pines
Christmas Program with Bill Pearce
Water Hot Rods
Terror On Finger River
The Wrong Valley
The Man Who Lost God
The Battle At Jenkins Manor
The Prehistoric Monster
The Deadly Laundry Basket
The Measure Of A Man
The One Wire Fence
Ranger_Bill_xx-xx-xx_ep051_Mrs_Murphy's_Chowder
The Self-Made Man
The Locked Bag
A Prisoner On Ice Island
Soup Truck
Lover Boy
The Gospel Goes To Reform School
The Adventure Of The Tarnished Gold
Ranger_Bill_xx-xx-xx_ep060_Danger,_Deer_Crossing
The Secret Of Seal Island
The MountainThat Moved
One Mile Down
Avalanche
Elizabeth And The Stranger
The 25th Man
The Man At The Door
Richard And God
Mystery Island
Crazy Man Comes Back
Rising Curiosity
The Man Of The House
No Good Dog
The Mad Bison
Ceiling Zero
One Man Mountain Lion
The New Rangers
Vacation Cruise Island
The Fallout Shelter
Rattlesnake Same aka Fifty Or Sixty Snakes
Ranger_Bill_xx-xx-xx_ep141_Danger!_Gasoline_Leak
Death On The Waterfront
River Monster
The Floating Death Trap
Chinook
Henry For Mayor
The Jealous Step-Father
Forest Fire Death Trap aka Fire In The Forest
The Crusher
The Old Diehard
The Road Ghost
The Muddy River
Skinner Raises A Storm
The Donner Party Treasure
The Law of the Golden Rule
The Runaway Railroad
Snow White Stallion
Ten Hours Too Much
One Million Years Ago
Typhoid Fever at Stormy Point
The Reckless Driver
A Boy and the Bomb
The Space Rocket
Ranger_Bill_xx-xx-xx_ep210_Sheriff's_Convention
The Battle Of The Lumberjacks
The Seeing Eye Dog
Arson At Brighton College
The Fighting Sissy
Ranger_Bill_xx-xx-xx_ep215_The_Dog_That_Didn't_Forget
The Monkey Chase
Ole Three Toes
Spirits And Spirit
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