Dead or Alive (radio serial)

Dead or Alive is an Australian radio serial by Edmund Barclay. The series was a follow up to Barclay's successful serial Khyber.

It is set in the Klondike in 1898.

The series was very popular and was produced again by the ABC in 1938 and in 1943. Leslie Rees called it "lively".

Cast

 * Frank Harvey as Trooper Myles Minton
 * Babe Mayhew
 * Hilda Scurr as a dancehall girl, “Snowdrop Sue, the Lullaby Lady”
 * Ronald Morse as “Silver” Smythe, a professional gambler
 * Viv. Edwards as Hiram "Web-Foot” Winter

Select episodes

 * Episode 1 - Frozen Gold (20 April 1936) - "This new and original Radio Serial opens in the Klondike Gold District in the year 1898, immediately prior to the mad stampede which flooded the country between Fort Yukon in Alaska and Dawson City in Canada with gold-maddened pros-pectors. One of the earlier prospectors, with his wife, was discovered murdered in their lonely cabin, the only witness to the crime being a huge dog. This opens the first of the series of thrilling adventures in this bleak and desolate country of the Klondike, in whioh the leading parts are taken by members of that gallant corps, the North-west Mounted Police."
 * Episode 2 - Get Your Man (27 April 1936) "Over the terrible Chilkoot Pass comes a maddened stampede of gold-crazed humanity, and with them the girl Dawn, who is to mean so much to Trooper Myles Minton."
 * Ep 3 Chinook - "With this third instalment comes a delightfully human and entertaining character in Scotty McAlister, a storekeeper in Dawson City This absorbing episode concludes with the arrival of the “Chinook,” the Spring wind, which thaws the ice, brings a promise of the short, but pleasant Summer, and heralds the arrival of the gold-stampede over the mountains. The “Chinook,” usually the harbinger of pleasant things, on this occasion signalises its arrival with stark tragedy."
 * Ep 4 Goldrush - "Again the Silent Killer strikes, just as part of the mystery surrounding Dawn Danvers is about to be solved. Investigations by the Mounted Police are held over because of the first wave of the gold-rush, which, sweeping down the passes, brings hordes of gold-maddened prospectors into the Klondike. The Episode closes on a high note of excitement as Trooper Minton and King, his dog, fight a lone battle against the toughs of the Trail. "
 * Ep 5 Dawn - "A little light is thrown upon the mystery of the Secret Killer, but still his identity remains unsuspected. Who is it? In this Episode the growing friendship between Trooper Myles Minton and the girl, Dawn, nearly comes to grief upon a surprising and bitter revelation. "
 * Ep 6 Over the Arctic Circle - "Dawn Danvers, disheartened by her reception in Dawson City, foolishly agrees to accompany Silver Smythe on a trip north. Sergeant Dunbar orders Trooper Minton to bring the girl back and charge her with the murder of the Indian Chief."
 * Ep 7 - Not So Slow (1 June) - "Trooper Myles Minton cleverly turns the tables on his enemies, and the girl Dawn is brought back to Dawson City to face the charge of murder. "
 * Ep 8 Duty or Love (8 June 1936) - "Webfoot’s plan to snatch Dawn from the hands of tne police succeeds, and once again Trooper Myles Minton is to take the trail."
 * Ep 9 A False Clue (15 June 1936) - "Trooper Myles Minton and Sergeant Dunbar think at last that they have discovered the identity of the “secret killer, but once more they find that the clues lead them astray."
 * Ep 10 The Killer Strikes Again (22 June) - "Events rapidly move to a thrilling climax as Trooper Myles Minton, with a flash of inspiration, realises the identity of the Secret Killer."
 * Episode 11 - Paid in Full (last episode) (29 June) - "Trooper Myles Minton is brought face to face with the Secret Killer but finds him to be beyond the reach of the law. Hilary and Myles find their happiness together, while Fauntleroy Devereaux proves his manhood at last."