''Cafe Istanbul'' is an

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

foreign intrigue and adventure program in the United States. It was broadcast on ABC January 6, 1952 - December 28, 1952.

Format

''Mademoiselle Madou'' was the singer in Cafe Istanbul, a cabaret located somewhere in the Far East. Patrons of the cafe included "spies, criminals and the Secret Police," and Madou became involved with some of them in each episode.Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 57-58.

Jack O'Brian John Dennis Patrick O'Brian (August 16, 1914 – November 5, 2000) was an entertainment journalist best known for his longtime role as a television critic for '' New York Journal American''. Career After the death of Dorothy Kilgallen, his ...

, a reviewer for International News Service, wrote in his radio-television column that the program, "which fills the air with a flavor mixed generously of throaty innuendo, sinister and exotic citizens of foreign extraction, is a fairly unbelievable mishmash but we have no complaints much on that score." He concluded that it was an "earful of sultry fun."

Personnel

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

played Mademoiselle Madou, a role that was "created specifically for" her. Dietrich was apparently the power behind the show. In the book ''Dietrich Icon'', Gerd Gemünden and Mary R. Desjardins wrote, "A radio executive told ''Colliers'': 'The radio show is her package. She got the idea for it — based on the role she played in ''The Blue Angel'' — and she hires the actors and writers with her own money." They also cited an article in ''Time'' that described Dietrich as sitting up until 3 a.m. "pecking out 17 pages of script revisions for the first show." Ken Lynch played ''Christopher Gard'', "an American young man of mysterious connections, who holds a unique place in the affections of Mlle. Madou". Arnold Moss played police Colonel Raul Felki, who didn't know "whether to make love to Madou or throw her in jail." Marx Leebe was the director, and Leonard Blair was the producer. Bernard Green provided the music.

References

{{Reflist 1952 radio programme debuts 1952 radio programme endings American Broadcasting Company original programming American radio dramas 1950s American radio programs