Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

Don’t change the channel! Each of this week’s radio mysteries involve that exciting new medium - television. A man is poisoned on the air as he’s about to reveal a murderer’s identity in a syndicated adventure of Boston Blackie, and the cops of Dragnet pursue phony TV repairmen in “The Big Screen” (originally aired on NBC on August 9, 1951). A TV quiz show unravels a perfect crime in “Marked Man” from...

Superman's amazing adventures continue in the next chapters of "The Atom Man!" The evil Nazi scientist Der Teufel escapes with a piece of kryptonite, and he transforms a young Nazi soldier into his atomic-fueled agent of destruction. Meanwhile, Clark Kent travels the globe in pursuit of Der Teufel in a race to save the world - and his own life! These exciting episodes of The Adventures of Superman ori...

Summer means vacations, but getting out of town doesn’t mean that our detectives can get away from murder and mayhem in these old time radio mysteries. Simon Templar finds multiple murders on a cruise ship in “Murder on the High Seas” from The Saint (originally aired on Mutual on September 18, 1949), and Richard Diamond and Lt. Levinson have a working vacation as they search for a missing man in Boliv...

In just over a week, Superman flies back to the big screen, and we’re celebrating all month long with one of his biggest radio adventures - one that pits him against a Kryptonite-powered Nazi Atom Man! Today, we’ll hear the opening chapters of this epic story (originally aired on Mutual between September 24 and October 5, 1945), as Superman retells his origin and the existence of Kryptonite is discove...

With July 4th right around the corner, we’ve got a quartet of radio mysteries involving great figures and moments of American history. Henry Fonda recreates his role of Young Mr. Lincoln in a radio version of the classic film on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on July 10, 1946). Honest Abe is a lawyer who must clear his wrongfully accused clients of murder. Lee Bowman plays Allan Pinkterton, on...

We’re tipping our deerstalker cap to Basil Rathbone in celebration of his June 13th birthday. Of course, we’ll hear him as Sherlock Holmes in three old time radio adventures from Baker Street - “Murder in the Casbah” (originally aired on Mutual on December 3, 1945), “The Indiscretion of Mr. Edwards” (originally aired on Mutual on February 4, 1946), and “The Adventure of the Uneasy Easy Chair” (origina...

Happy Father’s Day! We’re celebrating dear old Dad with a collection of radio mysteries featuring fathers. First, Ellery Queen and his police inspector father collaborate on a case of smuggling and murder. Larry Dobkin is Ellery in “Number Thirty-One” (originally aired on NBC on September 7, 1947). Next, George Valentine is hired by a convicted killer's son to clear his father’s name. Bob Bailey stars...

“Get this and get it straight!” We’re celebrating Gerald Mohr - the radio actor who brought a two-fisted intensity to Philip Marlowe - in honor of his birthday on June 11. He was one of the best stars of the era, and his performance makes The Adventures of Philip Marlowe one of the best detective dramas of the day. We’ll hear Mohr as Marlowe in “The Easy Mark” (originally aired on CBS on January 29, 1...

Our bonus series spotlighting the serialized adventures of Johnny Dollar continues! In “The Alvin Summers Matter” (originally aired on CBS between October 24 and 28, 1955), the man with the action-packed expense account is in Mexico to track down an embezzler who fled the United States with his loot. But Johnny isn’t there long before he’s pistol whipped and discovers a corpse in his hotel room. Bob B...

Tune in for danger with a collection of radio mysteries that involve the medium of radio itself! Master sleuth Ellery Queen has to solve a murder that takes place in his own studio - right in the middle of his show - in “The Armchair Detective” (originally aired on CBS on March 27, 1946). Then, Dan Holiday is hired by a radio actress who fears for her life in “Actor’s Alibi,” a syndicated episode of B...

They say clothes make the man, but they also make mysteries for this week’s roster of radio detectives. George Valentine hunts a killer where the only clue is his distinctive attire in “Death Wears a Gay Sport Jacket” from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on October 18, 1948) and Philo Vance probes the murder of a dress shop owner in the syndicated episode “The Herringbone Murder Case.” Ri...

Our dogged detectives sniff for clues in five canine-related old time radio mysteries. First, the owner of the best in show pooches is killed at a dog show in a syndicated adventure of Boston Blackie, and a dog “tells” Sherlock Holmes who murdered his owner in “The Case of the Dog Who Changed His Mind” (originally aired on Mutual on September 28, 1947). Philip Marlowe is on the trail of a dog - though...

Happy Mother’s Day! We’re celebrating moms with five old time radio mysteries where they play major roles. In “The Case of the Lucky Shilling,” Sherlock Holmes comes to the aid of a woman whose son is wiped out by a crooked gambler (originally aired on Mutual on January 14, 1948), and George Valentine tries to prove that a woman is not an unfit mother in “Problem Child” from Let George

In this encore presentation, we go back to the summer of 1947 when Philip Marlowe came to the air in his own weekly series with Van Heflin playing Raymond Chandler's private eye. The NBC series featured a mix of original mysteries as well as adaptations of Chandler stories, including the show's premiere episode "Red Wind" (originally aired on NBC on June 17, 1947). A year later, Gerald Mohr would put ...

Lights, camera, action! This week, our old time radio sleuths are tackling cases connected with the movie business and finding mystery on and off screen. First, "the Lyon's Eye" has to protect a movie star from some unscripted violence. Frank Graham stars in "The Hollywood Story, or H is for the Many Things You Gave Me" from Jeff Regan, Investigator (originally aired on CBS on March 22, 1950). Next, D...