Leon Janney (Actor)

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(04-01-1917 - 10-28-1980) Age 63

Leon Janney played Vaudeville as a young boy and began in radio in 1926, soon moving to the legitimate stage. He appeared in one Little Rascals film and many radio dramas.

 

He appeared in the following 84 episodes of Radio Mystery Theater
Date Episode Title Plot
01/06/1974 0001 The Old Ones Are Hard to Kill An old lady rents a room to a sick boarder. She runs into problems with his strange deathbed confession.
01/08/1974 0003 The Bullet An accident kills a man but he is made to return to Earth to trade places with the fated victim.
01/29/1974 0024 The Man Who Heard Voices Can euthanasia ever be completely willed by the sufferer? A well-respected lawyer's life is disrupted by the voice of his wife whom he had killed in mercy and threatens the affair he had started after his wife took sick
01/30/1974 0025 Mother Love An unusual favor and $6000 are all a fortune teller needs to grant the wish of a desperate woman to conceive
02/01/1974 0027 Dead Ringer A woman accidentally comes across a dead ringer for her husband. She decides to enlist his cooperation to help dispose of her husband
02/08/1974 0033 Conspiracy to Defraud The hero is a federal detective sent to France in order to track down heroin supplies. The villain is a Greek drug dealer who is not ready to even spare his girlfriend.
02/18/1974 0041 Blizzard of Terror A bitter couple gets caught up in a deadly storm and seek shelter in a remote cabin. But there is someone already there. And that someone might just be a homicidal maniac.
02/19/1974 0042 Sea Fever A fearsome captain of the seas inflicts the ultimate punishment for people who even dare to look at his wife. But some people can't contain their passions for her.
02/26/1974 0046 The Edge of Death A farmer can't do anything but watch helplessly as his wife is slowly consumes by an undefined illness. One day he finds a strange case and an even stranger person without a mouth seeking it desperately. He becomes convinced that the case contains a miracle remedy that can save his wife.
03/07/1974 0053 The Creature from the Swamp A man lets himself into more trouble than bargained for when he rescues a woman from a swamp and she is apparently pursued by a swamp creature.
03/19/1974 0059 Frankenstein Revisited The 400th anniversary coverage of Baron Von Frankenstein might just be a bad idea for a news item. Especially since the good doctor and his creation are eager to attend.
04/04/1974 0069 The Thing Inside A couple buy a curious paper weight made from glass in a curio store. The artist husband soon gets obsessed with it and the wife suspects his involvement in the death of an avaricious developer. She also thinks he is being controlled by an evil spirit.
04/09/1974 0071 The Murder Museum A wax museum made especially for infamous criminals is an eerie concept. Things become creepy when it becomes the place for the re-enactment of a past murder as an exhibit protests his inclusion in the museum.
04/23/1974 0079 The Ghost Driver A driver killed the proprietors of a country inn. Now his ghost is after the present proprietors along with the residents of the inn.
05/15/1974 0092 The Forever Man A luckless man is offered every material comfort in the world through free cars, houses and monetary wealth by a millionaire. The latter only wants to swap their souls in exchange so he can regain his youth.
05/21/1974 0095 The Longest Knife A mother makes a promise to avenge her son who has been murdered by a third world dictator.
06/04/1974 0101 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge To escape an appointment with the gallows at Owl Creek Bridge, a confederate spy embarks on a dangerous journey through hostile territory in order to reach Dixie.
06/27/1974 0111 Yesterday's Murder Determined to change her fate, a woman is granted the chance to go back in time to set her life in order.
07/11/1974 0117 The Devil-God After inheriting a sprawling ranch, a young couple discover that the estate is home to a wild and beautiful Palomino stallion. What they don't know is that the horse belongs to a powerful deity who is angered by their attempts to claim the steed as their own.
08/19/1974 0135 The Hands of Mrs. Mallory Shortly after the death of her husband, Mrs. Mallory loses control of both her hands mysteriously. She meets a woman in Central Park who seems to have lost her legs in a similar manner and decides to consult her doctor. The consequences are beyond her expectations.
09/03/1974 0143 The Imp in the Bottle A man buys an amulet that can make his wishes come true. But in order to salvage his soul, he must dispose of it before he dies by selling it for a lesser price than he had bought it for.
09/25/1974 0152 The Deadly Blind Man's Bluff In a terrible mishap, a riveter loses his eyesight. While he keeps up his physical strength, he slowly goes on a downward spiral emotionally. Besides that, his apartment is within earshot of his former construction site, making him feel much worse. The police warn the riveter and his wife about an escaped murder convict in their area, and a meeting between the two is preordained.
10/24/1974 0165 A Cage for Augie Karo A seasoned thief discovers a way to pull off the perfect crime while in jail. A fellow prisoner hands him a special chemical that will allow him to sleep for centuries. But has he calculated how the world around him will change with the passage of time?
10/28/1974 0166 Possessed by the Devil A young boy who happens to be a minister's son is admitted to a hospital with fatal wounds. Though his health improves, he has lost his soul forever.
11/12/1974 0173 I Must Kill Edna A hardened middle-aged man marries a wealthy lady for pragmatic reasons. When he falls in love with a young girl at the same time, he conspires to kill his wife using her obsession with rattlesnakes, .
11/28/1974 0180 The Aaron Burr Murder Case In a re-enactment of a famous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The actor portraying Hamilton is killed by when his partner's gun fires real bullets instead of blanks. The police investigate and soon find that all evidence point towards the real Aaron Burr as the perpetrator of the crime.
12/12/1974 0186 Is the Lady Dead? An extremely wealthy man marries a woman on the spur of a moment. His wife dies soon after the marriage, and this affects him in such a way that he becomes obsessed with the desire toreclaim her from the grave. His behavior distresses his family and longtime butler.
01/02/1975 0195 The Reluctant Killer A professional football player becomes disillusioned with the brutality of the game and leaves. But his wife and her mother accuse him of domestic violence and send him to prison. He comes back to avenge the injustice.
01/12/1975 0203 The Cask of Amontillado A young lady is forced to sleep with her husband's greedy and lecherous backer to avert a fiancial disaster. In order to avenge this dishonor, the man extends an irresistible invitation to him.
02/13/1975 0222 A Small Question of Terror In a state run by a mysterious being called 'The Protector', a lady, her boyfriend and her mother are tortured over a joke they made. The lady must utilize her brains and talent to get them all out safely.
03/03/1975 0232 The Wakeful Ghost A young man visiting his family in Ireland seeks the help of a ghost and a leprechaun to get hold of the woman he loves.
03/24/1975 0244 The Deadly Double An evil twin escapes from mental asylum to hijack her sane sister's life and switch places with her. But can she carry out her role even with her sister's boyfriend as her sister tries to claw her way out of the asylum?
04/03/1975 0250 The Garrison of the Dead A hustler is hanged for killing a reporter who wrote about him. After death, he is offered a second chance at life where his cherished dream of being a writer might be granted. But does he want it anymore?
04/14/1975 0256 The Intermediary Childhood cruelty unhinges a man named Frank Ellington as he gets possession of the house where his stepmother tortured him. But he is convinced to relocate there by his wife whom he soon suspects to be an agent of his dead stepmother.
04/18/1975 0259 A Challenge for the Dead Police officer Johnny Gordon pursues his namesake criminal for the young priest. But his wife starts cheating on him with the criminal and he is resolved with a vengeance to track him down.
05/02/1975 0267 The Final Witness An average Joe becomes the accidental witness to the murder of a friend. But his nerves fail him in the witness stand and the murderer is acquitted. Soon after his friend starts paying visits much to his horror and only extreme steps will appease his spirit.
05/19/1975 0276 The Diamond Necklace Ostentation has tragic consequences for a couple with modest means as they borrow a diamond necklace to show off at a party. They end up losing it and the husband is forced to take a huge loan from an evil financier. But a mere debt is not their salvation as murder, death by accident and suicide soon follow in its wake.
06/18/1975 0293 Frame-Up In order to seize her wealth, a woman falls prey to a set-up masterminded by her two-timing spouse. Refusing to take the rap for a crime she did not commit, she takes struggles to clear her name in court not just for her sake, but for the welfare of her step-daughter.
06/26/1975 0298 That Hamlet Was a Good Boy When the proprietor of a factory is murdered, his grieving son vows vengeance and sets out to entrap his greedy uncle and his faithless mother in this modern take on William Shakespeare's ‘Hamlet.'
07/03/1975 0302 Murder Will Out In order to exact revenge on the man who murdered his father, a police officer from New York travels to Maine in search of the killer. He is forced to examine his values and beliefs when he finally finds him.
07/18/1975 0311 The Spots of the Leopard After exposing a ring of organized crime within the company he was employed with, a dock worker and his wife are placed under the witness protection program to safeguard their lives. Unable to adapt to her new circumstances, his wife vainly tries to return to the life she left behind.
07/30/1975 0317 He Moves in Mysterious Ways In order to provide emotional support to a depressed dancer and help prepare her for surgery, a hospital pastor risks his own health to give her the courage to overcome her injuries and dance again.
08/07/1975 0322 To Die Is Forever In order to save his dying wife from terminal cancer, a wealthy eccentric gives orders to have her cryogenically frozen until a cure is found. His plans to accompany her in deep freeze is disrupted when the ghost of a deceased relative takes possession of his body.
08/29/1975 0335 Murder by Proxy Finally released from prison, Tim Cohain is out for revenge against the jury foreman that put him there in the first place- Ed Hunter.
09/27/1975 0353 The Thomas Jefferson Defense In order to exonerate him being indicted for murder, Thomas Jefferson must defend an Indian chief from the county sheriff and the narrow viewpoint of the prevailing time.
10/13/1975 0361 The Last Lesson In order to pay off his huge debts, a compulsive gambler shackles himself to a plain but extremely wealthy woman. Things don't go according to plan when she makes him work for his money and he must kiss his lazy and idle days goodbye.
10/24/1975 0367 The Summer People In search of a quiet place to work and improve on their respective crafts over the summer, an artistically gifted couple stumble upon Granville, an all-too perfect town that they have difficulty leaving - even when they want to.
11/10/1975 0376 The Public Avenger An executive assistant harbors a sneaking suspicion that her mild-mannered colleague is actually a vigilante possessing super powers in disguise.
11/21/1975 0383 The Hanging Judgement A husband and wife exchange gunfire after a heated altercation. When the woman ends up dead from a shot in the back, the man and his servant are tried for murder.
11/27/1975 0386 The Dead, Dead Ringer An ex-cop finds work as a messenger for local mobster. When he delivers the message, he is surprised to walk into a murder. The woman has a smoking gun in her hand, and a body on the floor. When he sees that he is a dead ringer for the woman's dead husband, he suspects that something fishy is going on.
12/09/1975 0393 Stitch in Time Despite being estranged for over nine years, a billionaire welcomes his 19-year old niece into his home. His secretary is wary of the girl and her suspicions are soon proven right.
05/17/1976 0483 Blind Witness When a blind woman unknowingly experiences the killing of an innocent pharmacist, she begins her life on the run. It's a race against time to save her from the shooter as the police scour the city for their main witness.
06/03/1976 0488 Blue Justice A restless ghost seeks justice from an assistant prosecutor who knowingly convicted him and sentenced him to death. The unearthing of two blue ribbons takes them to the path of the truth.
06/17/1976 0492 Pension Plan On the eve of retirement, a purchasing manager discovers he is penniless and that an entire life of being honest and straightforward has brought him no reward. His values are tested when he realizes that living by his principles were all for naught.
06/28/1976 0495 Forty-Five Minutes to Murder Inconsistencies in the official statement given by a businessman regarding his wife's murder move a brilliant defense attorney to scrutinize it further. All evidence point towards foul play and the answers he seeks can be found in poison.
07/26/1976 0501 The Brain without Mercy A mad scientist removes the brain from a severely injured hijacker to ascertain where he left the loot he got away with. Just how far will he go in the name of science?
07/29/1976 0502 Shotgun Wedding Charlie, a man of about 30, is invited by his co-worker, Gus, to meet his daughter. Gus feels that Charlie will fall instantly in love with Elaine. When Charlie meets her, he does fall in love with her. Then things begin to get strange. Charlie goes back to visit his beloved, but he finds the house and its occupants gone.
09/02/1976 0512 The Magic Cay Tom Reynolds is bored of his life and the rat race. He takes a vacation, without his wife and children, on a remote Caribbean island full of powerful magic. After a few days of introspection, a beautiful woman washes ashore, seemingly dead. But it's soon apparent that she's alive and that's about all that's apparent.
09/09/1976 0515 A Two-Bit Fortune Mike Wilson, auto mechanic, does automotive work for a bum who philosophizes about wealth and claims to be Millionaire Stanford Spruce. Mike doesn't believe him, neither about who he is, nor about wealth not being all it's made out to be -- not until he finds out that he's Spruce's only heir to a Billion Dollar empire.
09/16/1976 0519 Dr. Peterson's Pills The country doctor in Maine appears to have a pink pill cure-all for every ailment, but his miracle skills have a price now to be paid...
10/12/1976 0534 The God Killer A typist is accused of murdering the author for whom she works. She insists that the murderer was a character from a novel fighting for his survival.
10/30/1976 0544 Witches' Sabbath Witches celebrating their holy day, witches conspire to kill a man with murderous intentions.
11/05/1976 0547 The Secret Chamber Thomas Tatum Tattersaul, a realtor, tells the story of Felicity Hargrave who, after losing her lover in war, disappeared only to reappear as a ghost. This is the story of how and why the Hargrave House, a colonial that dates back to the Revolution, is no longer haunted.
11/23/1976 0553 The Awakening A police detective investigates the murder of a psychiatrist. His only clue is a tape of the murderer consulting with his psychiatrist just before the murder.
11/30/1976 0557 Now You See Them, Now You Don't The President wants to know the details of time travelers:  During World War 5, soldiers experiencing combat fatigue are transport themselves back in time to the present.
12/17/1976 0567 A Quiet Evening at Home A woman goes to a train station to meet her lover so they can leave their spouses. But when she witnesses a murder, her lover leaves her and she fears testifying because her husband will find out.
01/10/1977 0580 Two Renegades
At the turn of the century, a case of mistaken identity lands a professional con man at the forefront of the Panamanian army.  His failure as a General becomes apparent with his lack of skills and Panama’s enemies learn to take advantage of his weakness.
02/08/1977 0597 The Aurora Group
A man\'s problems begin after finding a quarter in his new suit dated nearly ten years into the future. After his discovery, he becomes plagued by visions of a future in which he murders his wife and becomes desperate when other objects from beyond begin appearing in his presence.
02/21/1977 0604 Orient Express An estranged couple chance upon an unlikely reunion aboard the legendary Orient Express en route to Czechoslovakia. In this tale of international intrigue set during the Cold War, a shrewd reporter and sassy lounge singer become entangled in a web of lies and they must work together to uncover the truth.
03/03/1977 0610 The Overcoat In post-revolutionary Russia, a man devotes his entire savings to purchasing a new coat to satisfy his boss. The rest of his life's problems are related to that coat.
04/22/1977 0639 The Prisoner of Zenda The coronation of a new king is disrupted when the king's brother drugs him. A distant relative who closely resembles the king steps in to take his place at the coronation.
05/19/1977 0650 A Matter of Customs Detective novel enthusiast Millie and her husband Sam go on a sea cruise where they repeatedly encounter another couple. One of the couples keeps changing husbands, causing suspicion in the other.
05/27/1977 0655 Guilty Secret A Senator finds himself in the middle of a presidential race with a terrible secret he must conceal. He is sure that people know of an indiscretion from his past and will use it against him.
06/14/1977 0665 Murder One A wealthy widow is being blackmailed by her maid for killing her husband. So she tries to frame her for her own crime.
07/01/1977 0675 Revenge Set in an 1880's western town, a wealthy man comes to town bent on revenge on three men who wronged him many years prior. His reasons for revenge are startling.
07/19/1977 0685 The Mysterious Island After escaping a prison camp via hot air balloon, two union soldiers and a reporter land on a mysterious island where they have an unseen benefactor seeing to their needs.
08/29/1977 0701 To Be a Rose A psychotic murderer kept incarcerated in a mental asylum recounts the days of him being a sensitive poet and how he fell in love. But his beloved broke his heart and drove him over the edge.
10/21/1977 0727 Sorry to Let You Go What happens when technology takes on the job of governance? A quirky story about a man in his 50's being expelled from his job because the computer finds him too aged to be productive. When he looks for other job options, all computers give him the same answer. When he is finally driven to suicide in order to be able to claim his insurance, yet another computer steps in to prevent him. And his wife has no idea that he is unemployed
12/26/1977 0759 The Ghosts of Yesterday A socialite past her prime is asked to identify the person responsible for the death of her family and her whole village in a war pogrom. But she is long past those events and disinclined to raise the curtain on her less than modest background for the fear of endangering her present.
05/29/1978 0841 The Rich Ostrich An ostrich from a local circus makes off with a sizable diamond from an Arab delegate leading to a delicious farcical tale.
06/14/1978 0850 Charlie, the Actor Reverence gives way to fury and intrigue as a police officer ordered to protect the king of an obscure country finds him to be an escaped criminal from his former place of residence.
08/02/1978 0874 The Devil's Brew A baseball player leaves home to become a professional player in the big leagues. But the devil holds him ransom for shaming his parents.
08/30/1978 0886 The Biggest Fish in the World A delightful farce centered around a woman who tries to enlist the help of the police to save her husband who has been accidentally swallowed by a whale at an amusement park. But an animal rights enthusiast impedes this rescue effort.
12/29/1978 0937 The Dead House In a visit with the evening caretaker of a morgue in a town in Germany, Twain hears a morbid story of how a man exacted revenge on the people who murdered his family.

10 Responses to Janney Leon

CAN ANYONE DIRECT ME TO RADIO BROADCASTS OF LET'S PRETEND STARING LEON JANNEY.AS I RECALL HE PLAYED MOST OF THE MALE ROLES.

James William Pinson Sr.

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James - the most complete Lets Pretend radio shows I ve ever located is at Old Time Radio.

Chris

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LJ always makes an episode interesting.

Brian

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Leon Janney (84 episodes) was born on April 1st. Leon Janney has most distinctive voice on CBSRMT, and has veterans of radio drama with a lot of shows under their respective belts.

Frank

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Leon Janney is my favorite

Christine

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If you watched TV during the 60's and 70's , YOU HEARD LEON JANNEY ! Janney did 100's of voice-overs for TV commercials and PSA's . . .He was the narrator on the popular Sat. morning cartoon " WACKY RACES " (1967-1969 ) Also, He starred/appeared in episodes of these old time radio series: ( partial list ) Suspense - The Mysterious Travler - X minus One - Inner Sanctum - Columbia Workshop - and starred in his own show: " The Adventures of Dick Cole," an action show aimed at young boys. He also was seen as a kid and teen in the popular movie series "Penrod and Sam" (1930) His unique voice and talent for accents and altering his voice for different roles made him a perfect fit for CBSRMT. He died too young in 1980. One of my personal top 10 voice actors.

Charlie Stuckey

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Happy 100th birthday to one of my favorites from the Mystery Theater, Mr. Leon Janney, an actor of radio, television, film, and stage! Janney was a child actor in the 20s and 30s who transitioned well into a career in the NYC area after WWII. I only wish that he had gotten a birthday spotlight today.

Dan in South Jersey

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I'm always amazed by Jack Grimes's youthful-sounding voice, myself.

Daniel

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Here are at least two more more "adult" image of the great Leon Janney: I think it's amazing when you look at the wealth of TV and movie appearances CBSRMT actors have made: The Munsters (Gwynne), Car 54, Where Are You (Janney AND Gwynne), Charley (Janney), The Exorcist (Mercedes McCambridge), a bunch of Woody Allen movies (Tony Roberts), etc.

Jim Harrison

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Leon Janney was a very well known Hollywood child star in the 1920s and 30s. He appeared in over 50 films and television programs including his role of Spud in a Little Rascals short. His TV appearances included the daytime soap operas, Another World and the Edge of Night. In the 40s he appeared in dozens of radio dramas including Gangbusters, Charlie Chan and Suspense. He had roles in 20 Broadway productions and did voice over work in hundreds of commercials.

Charlie

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