The Thundercloud: Wild Bill Hickok (October 9, 1953)

Wild Bill Hickok, old-time radio on Stupid Potato

“The Thundercloud” is an episode of Wild Bill Hickok, the old-time radio show, first broadcast October 9, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato: no sign-up, no app.

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What happens

Wild Bill Hickok and his deputy Jingles ride out to meet their Indian friend Wild Bird, who warns them that a rifleman is hiding behind a rock nearby. After the hidden man fires and Hickok wounds him, the pair learn that Chief Thundercloud has taken up the war path again after two ranches and a wagon train were attacked. Hickok suspects a rancher named Blaine is connected to the raids, so the lawmen set out to find the source of the trouble. The Wild Bill Hickok series, starring Guy Madison and Andy Devine, aired on October 9, 1953.

The Old West, near a big oak tree, a rock on the trail, a ranch, and a nearby fort

Characters: Wild Bill Hickok, Jingles, Wild Bird, Chief Thundercloud, Blaine, Colonel Wilson

Listen for: The rifle shot from behind the big rock and the cavalry charge against the Indian raiders

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.