Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

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BONUS - Superman Summer: Meet Jimmy Olsen Jul 08, 2022

Show notes

Before he was getting into trouble on the George Reeves TV show, before he starred in his own comic book series - even before he appeared in the comics - Jimmy Olsen made his debut as a character on the Superman radio show. His first appearance came in the storyline we'll hear today - an adventure that pits Superman against a protection racket shaking down the candy shop owned by Jimmy's mom. These episodes originally aired between April 15 and April 26, 1940).

Episode 493 - Working Vacation (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar) Jul 03, 2022

Show notes

Even on vacation, Johnny Dollar isn't far from mystery and murder. We'll hear Bob Bailey as "the man with the action-packed expense account" in "The LaMarr Matter," a five-part adventure that originally aired on CBS between March 26 and March 30, 1956. Plus, we'll hear him as Johnny Dollar in "The Ideal Vacation Matter" (an AFRS rebroadcast of a show from September 22, 1957).

Click here to listen to "The Jolly Roger Fraud," the five-part Johnny Dollar story that leads into "The LaMarr Matter."

BONUS - Superman Summer: The Secret of Stone House Jul 02, 2022

Show notes

Superman returns in this week's bonus episode! A brilliant scientist and explorer has disappeared, and Clark Kent joins the man's daughter as she investigates. The pair travel to the scientist's remote mansion, where they discover a priceless relic and come under attack from a secret society who will kill to get it back in these episodes that aired between April 1 and 12, 1940. Plus, we'll hear a bonus half-hour adventure of Superman - "The Case of Double Trouble" (originally aired on ABC on March 9, 1949).

Episode 492 - June Brides (Michael Shayne, Box 13, & This is Your FBI) Jun 26, 2022

Show notes

June has historically meant weddings, and we're celebrating happy couples everywhere with three wedding-themed old time radio mysteries. First, Wally Maher is Michael Shayne who attends a wedding and discovers the father of the bride has been poisoned (originally aired on Mutual on May 14, 1945). Then, Dan Holiday poses for a picture with a woman and finds himself engaged to a $15 million fortune. Alan Ladd stars in "Look Pleasant, Please," a syndicated mystery from Box 13. And finally, Special Agent Jim Taylor (Stacy Harris) leads the hunt for a pair of swindlers running a marriage racket on sailors and soldiers. We'll hear "The Traveling Bride" from This is Your FBI (originally aired on November 9, 1951).

BONUS - Superman Summer: Danger in Direville Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

The Wolf and the Yellow Mask are back! The villains Superman battled in his first radio adventures return with a plot to hold an entire town for ransom. Fortunately, Lois Lane and Clark Kent are on the scene to cover the story, and the Man of Steel is on hand to tangle with this dangerous duo once again. This six-episode serial aired between March 18 and March 29, 1940.

Episode 491 - Out to Sea (Sherlock Holmes, Let George Do It, & Rocky Fortune) Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

We're setting sail with three old time radio detectives who find capers on cruise ships. First, Basil Rathbone tries to stop a shipboard poisoner in "Murder by Moonlight" from The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (originally aired on Mutual on October 29, 1945). Then, Bob Bailey is undercover as a cruise athletic director to catch some smugglers in "Serenade to the Southern Star" from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on June 13, 1949). And finally, Frank Sinatra is Rocky Fortune as he tries to clear his own name and solve "The Shipboard Jewel Robbery" (originally aired on NBC on October 20, 1953).

BONUS - Superman Summer: The North Star Mine Jun 17, 2022

Show notes

When Superman saves a woman from a burning building, it's only the start of a new adventure for the Man of Steel. His latest adversaries are a pair of swindlers who will kill to cover up their crimes. Frank Lovejoy makes an appearance in this Superman serial that originally aired between March 4 and 15, 1940.

Episode 490 - Meeting Mr. Marlowe (Adventures of Philip Marlowe) Jun 12, 2022

Show notes

Philip Marlowe came to radio in his own weekly series seventy-five years ago this month with Oscar-winner Van Heflin starring as Raymond Chandler's private eye. Though his run as Marlowe aired for only 13 weeks, it was a terrific series that featured adaptations of several of Chandler's own Marlowe stories - a rarity for radio detectives pulled from books. We'll celebrate the anniversary with all five of the show's surviving episodes: "Red Wind" (originally aired on NBC on June 17, 1947); "The Daring Young Dame on the Flying Trapeze" (July 1, 1947); "The King in Yellow" (July 8, 1947); "Trouble is My Business" (August 5, 1947); and "Robin and the Hood" (August 19, 1947).

BONUS - In a Single Bound (Adventures of Superman) Jun 10, 2022

Show notes

In honor of Superman Day, we're going back to the Man of Steel's first adventure on radio. We'll hear the final hours of the planet Krypton, Superman's arrival on Earth and his assumption of the identity of Clark Kent, and his first battle against evil. Bud Collyer stars as Superman in these shows that originally aired between February 12 and March 1, 1940.

Episode 489 - Horses of a Different Color (Bulldog Drummond, Philo Vance, & The Saint) Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

Three old time radio detectives head to the racetrack this week for a trio of mysteries in and out of the stables. First, Ned Wever is Bulldog Drummond in "Death Plays the Races" (originally aired on Mutual on May 20, 1946). Then, as Philo Vance, Jackson Beck solves "The Murdock Murder Case." Finally, Tom Conway is The Saint in "Peter the Great" (originally aired on NBC on June 24, 1951).

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