Old Time Radio Mysteries & Detectives
Listen to many of the finest mystery and detective programs ever presented during radio's golden days. From the minds of the great 40s detective writers like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett to the more realistic 1950s shows like Dragnet , The Line Up, and Broadway Is My Beat, radio offered a great array of mystery and detective stories.
Come and join us -- let's listen to some of the finest programs in the mystery & detective genre that radio had to offer!
Gerald Mohr as Marlowe
Adventures of Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe was the creation of Raymond Chandler in his 1939 novel The Big Sleep. The hard-boiled and tough talking private detective then appeared in a number of subsequent books by Chandler.
It is said that Chandler favored Gerald Mohr over all other actors who played Marlowe.
Give a listen to this really fun radio noir series and you will understand why.
Howard Duff as Sam Spade
Adventures of Sam Spade
The Adventures of Sam Spade was an extremely popular radio show, starring Howard Duff in the lead role. It was so popular that the show's sponsor, Wildroot Hair Oil, ran a series of clever ads they disguised as comic strips and placed in newspapers, magazines, and comic books. The strip featured radio's Sam Spade promoting the hair tonic.
Come now and listen to one of the most popular detective shows on radio in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Duff is tremendous as Spade and Lurene Tuttle plays Effie, his ever-loyal, ever-efficient office staff of one.
Ben Alexander and Jack Webb
Dragnet
Dragnet was a precedent-shattering radio landmark that became a national institution -- and its influence is with us even today.
Joe Friday was just another workaday guy in an inexpensive suit, trudging through his daily routine. In Webb's hands, however, the characterization took on a fascinating edge of realism.
Dragnet is a national treasure. It started on radio - and radio is where it remains at its very best!
Gang Busters
Gang Busters
Gang Busters each week featured interesting and dramatic crimes from the actual files of law enforcement organizations from around the country.
The show made its debut in January, 1936 and quickly became known for its opening sound effects: A barrage of blaring police whistles, convicts marching in formation, police sirens, machine gun fire, and squealing tires -- followed by an authoritative voice announcing the episode for the night.
The show frequently starred prominent actors such as Richard Widmark and Art Carney. Joan Banks, who later played many TV roles, was a regular cast member and there were many appearances made by her real-life husband, Frank Lovejoy.
Come and enjoy this immensely popular old time radio program -- it's gang busters!
Listen to episodes of Gang Busters
A Police Line Up
Line Up
In a way other programs did not, The Line Up literally brought its audience along to view a case from as close to its beginning as it possibly could. The creators of this outstanding radio program saw an opportunity to make each episode intimate as they have the listener walk alongside Lieutenant Ben Guthrie.
So come behind the scenes of a police headquarters in a great American City, where, under the cold, glaring lights, will pass before us the innocent, the vagrant, the thief, the murderer. This is The Line Up!
Listen to episodes of The Line Up
Sydney Greenstreet as Nero Wolfe
New Adventures of Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe was a licensed private detective -- but in reality his work as a sleuth served more as a diversion from his more sophisticated interests. Wolfe collected rare books, he dressed impeccably, was a prize-winning horticulturist specializing in orchids, and, perhaps above all else, was a world-class gourmet. Did we mention Wolfe tipped the scale at close to 300 pounds?
As you listen you will determine one thing is clear -- if Nero Wolfe had come along just a few years earlier he would have been held in the same high esteem as Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, or any other of the great radio detectives.
Listen to episodes of The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe
Vincent Price as Simon Templar
The Saint
Vincent Price is most often associated with the radio program The Saint. He played Simon Templar between 1947 and 1951 over three different networks: CBS, Mutual and NBC.
Price was very good as Templar, as character who has been described as: "A hero who can go into a brawl and come out with his hair combed". Listen to the tongue-in-cheek stories about the suave Simon Templar, gentleman detective, hero to the downtrodden and nemesis to the dishonest rich and elite.
You, too, will agree that The Saint is great fun.
Listen to episodes of The Saint
Bob Bailey
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
Johnny Dollar is a freelance insurance investigator who gets called in when companies suspect insurance fraud. It is up to Johnny to investigate, track down and identify crimes that have been comitted -- sometimes even murder.
As you listen to Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, notice how he painstakingly pursues each case to its conclusion. Extensive research has obviously gone into each script, and as you travel with Johnny around the country and the world, you are in for exciting fun!