Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

Latest Episodes:

Episode 383 – Mild-Mannered Reporter (Adventures of Superman) May 03, 2020

Show notes

Even though he could leap tall buildings in a single bound and bend steel in his bare hands, most of Superman's radio adventures were down to earth. In many shows, the Man of Steel (and his alter ego Clark Kent) battled gangsters and swindlers rather than mad scientists and monsters. We'll hear Clayton "Bud" Collyer as Superman with Joan Alexander as Lois Lane in two thirty-minute mysteries: "One Minute to Death" (originally aired on ABC on November 19, 1949) and "The Diamond of Death" (originally aired on ABC on December 17, 1949).

BONUS - Dynamic Duos (Abbott and Costello & Martin and Lewis) Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

Two classic comedy pairs headline our midweek bonus episode. First, Bud and Lou perform some of their classic routines in an episode of The Abbott and Costello Show (originally aired on NBC on February 27, 1947). Then, Dean and Jerry welcome guest Henry Fonda to The Martin and Lewis Show (originally aired on NBC on June 5, 1949).

Episode 382 – Vocalist Violence (Richard Diamond, Private Detective) Apr 26, 2020

Show notes

There was no other radio detective like Richard Diamond - a tough, glib ex-cop turned private eye who had a powerful pair of fists and a healthy set of pipes. Dick Powell starred as the singing gumshoe in one of the era's best detective dramas. We'll hear a trio of shows - "The Fred Sears Murder Case" (originally aired on NBC on June 19, 1949); "The Angelino Giuseppe Case" (originally aired on NBC on January 7, 1950); and "The Bald Head Case" (originally aired on NBC on September 20, 1950).

BONUS - Say Goodnight, Gracie (Burns and Allen) Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

For this week's bonus comedy episode, we'll visit with George Burns and Gracie Allen. The beloved comedy couple kept audiences laughing from the vaudeville stage to their own radio show and on to their long-running TV series. We'll hear Gracie take inspiration from her favorite radio sleuths and play detective (originally aired on NBC on March 6, 1947). Then, Jack Benny stops by to start a musical act with George (originally aired on NBC on January 8, 1948).

Episode 381 – Members Only (Crime Club) Apr 19, 2020

Show notes

Murder and mayhem leap from the printed page to the airwaves in The Crime Club. This anthology show blended adaptations of mystery novels with original radio plays to deliver tales of mystery emceed by the eerie tones of the club's Librarian. We'll hear "Dead Men Control" (originally aired on Mutual on March 20, 1947) and "Death Swims at Midnight" (originally aired on Mutual on August 27, 1947).

BONUS - Taxes Take a Holiday (Milton Berle & Jack Benny) Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

Tax Day has been pushed out a few months, but there's no reprieve for the stars of this week's comedy bonus show. We'll hear Milton Berle present a salute to income tax in The Milton Berle Show (originally aired on NBC on March 9, 1948). Then, Jack Benny gets a visit from a pair of inquisitive IRS agents in an AFRS rebroadcast of The Jack Benny Program (original episode aired on CBS on March 16, 1952).

Episode 380 – Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight (The Whistler & Philip Marlowe) Apr 12, 2020

Show notes

Before she menaced puppies as Cruella de Vil, Betty Lou Gerson was one of radio's busiest character actresses. Her husky voice and powerful characterizations added flair to shows like Suspense, Escape, Johnny Dollar, and Sam Spade. We'll hear her as a murderess trying to stay a step ahead of her conscience in "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on July 16, 1947). Then, she co-stars in "The Indian Giver" from The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (originally aired on CBS on August 13, 1949).

BONUS - Easter Parade (Fibber McGee and Molly & Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show) Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

With Easter right around the corner, our midweek comedy break finds two of radio's funniest couples preparing for the holiday. First, Fibber McGee and Molly are after a new Easter dress (originally aired on NBC on March 23, 1948). Then, Phil Harris, Alice Faye, and Elliott Lewis as Frankie Remley are going out to eat for Easter in The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show (originally aired on NBC on March 25, 1951).

Episode 379 – Read All About It (Big Town) Apr 05, 2020

Show notes

The citizens of Big Town were protected from mobsters, racketeers, and fraudsters by the crusading staff of the Illustrated Press. Editor Steve Wilson (Edward Pawley) and society reporter Lorelei Kilbourne (Fran Carlon) chased down leads with the help of their colorful crew of friends and sources and shined the light of justice on evildoers. We'll hear three radio mysteries: "Double Murder" (originally aired on NBC on October 12, 1948); "I Remember Murder" (originally aired on NBC on November 30, 1948); and "The Fatal Alibi" (originally aired on NBC on May 3, 1949).

BONUS - No Fooling (Mel Blanc & My Favorite Husband) Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

It's another midweek dose of quarantine comedy from the Golden Age of Radio! We'll hear a pair of shows featuring goofs and gags for April Fool's Day. First, the man of a thousand voices headlines his own series in The Mel Blanc Show (originally aired on CBS on April 1, 1947). Then, Lucille Ball plans to fool My Favorite Husband (AFRS rebroadcast from April 1, 1949).

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