Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

Latest Episodes:

Episode 398 – Man in Black (Have Gun – Will Travel) Aug 16, 2020

Show notes

The man called Paladin - a gentleman gunfighter for hire in the west of 1875 - rode from television to radio in Have Gun - Will Travel. A rare radio spin-off of a TV series, it continued the adventures of the gunman who dressed in black and hired himself out to anyone who could pay his fee - a sort of cowboy private eye. John Dehner stars as Paladin in "Three Bells to Perdido" (originally aired on CBS on January 18, 1959); "The Monster of Moon Ridge" (originally aired on CBS on March 8, 1959); and "The Colonel and the Lady" (originally aired on CBS on April 12, 1959).

BONUS - Second Round of Stan (Stan Freberg Show) Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

We'll hear more of The Stan Freberg Show - one of the most original and inspired comedies the radio era ever produced - in this week's bonus episode. Stan and his cast (June Foray, Peter Leeds, and Daws Butler) send up the Miss Universe pageant, American history, The Lux Radio Theatre, and more in episodes originally aired on CBS on July 28 and August 4, 1957).

Episode 397 – Bless You (The Saint) Aug 09, 2020

Show notes

Vincent Price returns as "the Robin Hood of modern crime" in two old time radio adventures of The Saint. Simon Templar solves crimes with charm and style with the help (and car) of his loyal cabbie sidekick Louie. We'll hear "The What-Not What Got Hot" (originally aired on NBC on March 4, 1951) and "Fishes Gotta Eat" (originally aired on April 29, 1951).

BONUS - Take Me Out to the Ballgame (Jack Benny & Our Miss Brooks) Aug 05, 2020

Show notes

In this week's bonus comedy show, we celebrate the return of baseball with a pair of shows featuring stars enjoying America's pastime. First, Jack Benny and his gang listen to the World Series (originally aired on October 10, 1948). Then, Eve Arden's Our Miss Brooks tries to come up with money for uniforms for the school's baseball team (originally aired on CBS on March 26, 1950).

Episode 396 – Let It Rip (Mollé Mystery Theatre & Crime Classics) Aug 02, 2020

Show notes

The crimes of Jack the Ripper and the mystery of his identity have captivated scholars and readers for over a century, including old time radio writers. We'll hear a pair of shows inspired by the still unsolved crime spree of 19th century London. First, the hunt for the Ripper extends to Chicago in "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper," an Armed Forces Radio Service production from The Mollé Mystery Theatre. Then on Crime Classics, Thomas Hyland tells the story "Good Evening. My Name is Jack the Ripper" (originally aired on CBS on June 30, 1954).

BONUS - Just Wild About Harold (Great Gildersleeve & Harold Peary Show) Jul 29, 2020

Show notes

With his booming voice and signature giggle, Harold Peary was an audience favorite during the golden age of radio - first as a foil on Fibber McGee and Molly and later in his own spin-off The Great Gildersleeve. Later, he launched a star vehicle all his own in The Harold Peary Show. We'll hear episodes of both series in this week's bonus comedy episode. First, Gildy is finishing his summer vacation (originally aired on NBC on August 29, 1943). Then, "Honest Harold" falls victim to a con man (originally aired on CBS on October 4, 1950).

Episode 395 – Accustomed to His Face (Private Files of Rex Saunders) Jul 26, 2020

Show notes

Before his award-winning stage and screen turns in My Fair Lady and long before he talked to the animals, Rex Harrison starred as a debonair radio detective in The Private Files of Rex Saunders. Joined by his loyal assistant Alec, Saunders used smarts and a sophisticated flair to solve crimes. We'll hear Rex as Rex in "High Dividends...Or Shallow Graves" (originally aired on NBC on May 30, 1951) and "When Murder Is Along...As a Silent Companion" (originally aired on NBC on July 11, 1951).

BONUS - We Love Lucy (Abbott and Costello & My Favorite Husband) Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

Before her landmark sitcom hit the small screen, Lucille Ball was a comedy star on radio. We'll hear the legendary redhead in a guest spot alongside Bud and Lou on The Abbott and Costello Show (originally aired on NBC on November 18, 1943). Then, as Liz Cooper, she takes French lessons in My Favorite Husband (originally aired on CBS on December 9, 1949).

Episode 394 – Discreet Detection (Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator) Jul 19, 2020

Show notes

William Gargan played several cops on screen and the radio, but his most famous role may have been Barrie Craig, the sardonic New York shamus who qupped his way through cases for five years on the air. We'll hear Gargan in a pair of mysteries, beginning with "Zero Hour" (originally aired on NBC on February 2, 1954). Then we'll hear "Mid-Summer Lunacy" (originally aired on NBC on August 17, 1954).

BONUS - Fun and Fancy Freberg (Stan Freberg Show) Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

For 15 fabulous weeks in 1957, Stan Freberg brought his signature satirical style to radio in one of the last original comedies of the era. Freberg and his immensely talented cast skewered pop culture and presented zany characters that were unlike anything radio had presented before. We'll hear the first two episodes of this too short-lived series, originally aired on CBS on July 14 and July 21, 1957.

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