Hitchhiker: Tales of the Texas Rangers (February 10, 1952)

“Hitchhiker” is an episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers, the old-time radio show, first broadcast February 10, 1952. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A hitchhiker convinces rancher Hard Carter to help him pass through a police roadblock by pretending to be his nephew. As the manhunt for an escaped prisoner intensifies, Ranger Pearson and Sheriff Ford begin investigating when a gas station attendant reveals he couldn't get a clear look at the supposed nephew.

Rural Boca County, Texas, April 1947. A ranch, gas station, roadblock on Farm Road 102, and surrounding countryside.

Characters: Ranger Jason Pearson, Sheriff Sam Ford, Hard Carter, The Hitchhiker, Charlie Hollister, Clark

Listen for: The tense confrontation between the hitchhiker and the rancher at gunpoint, the casual conversation at the roadblock that nearly goes wrong, and the gradual realization by law enforcement that something is amiss with the stranger's story.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.