Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

Latest Episodes:

BONUS - Five Favorites: Broadway is My Beat Jan 24, 2026

Show notes

Take a walk down the Great White Way with Detective Danny Clover in my five favorite episodes of Broadway is My Beat. Larry Thor is the policeman with the soul of a poet in one of radio's finest dramas - detective or otherwise. We'll hear "The Suicide Pact Murders" (originally aired on CBS on August 21, 1950), "The Garment District Murders" (originally aired on CBS on April 14, 1951), "The Case of Charles Crandall" (originally aired on CBS on May 12, 195), "The Tom Keeler Case" (originally aired on CBS on September 22, 1951), and "The Gridiron Hero Murders" (originally aired on CBS on November 22, 1952).

Episode 651 - Leading Men of Mystery: Humphrey Bogart (Bold Venture & Humphrey Bogart Presents) Jan 11, 2026

Show notes

We continue our spotlight series of Hollywood heavy hitters who put in time as radio detectives. This week, it's a legend of classic cinema - Humphrey Bogart, star of Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, and so many more iconic films. Bogart headlined Bold Venture, a syndicated mystery-adventure series set in the tropics. His co-star was no less than his real-life wife, Lauren Bacall. We'll hear a pair of syndicated Bold Venture mysteries - "The Tears of Siva," "The Mystery of the Mary K." Plus, Bogie stars in the audition for what would have been his own anthology drama Humphrey Bogart Presents. In this audition recording, Bogart hosts and appears in an adaptation of James M. Cain's story "Dead Man."

Episode 650 - Leading Men of Mystery: Alan Ladd (Box 13 & Screen Director's Playhouse) Jan 04, 2026

Show notes

We kick off 2026 with a month-long series of big screen stars who lent their voices to radio detectives. First up is Alan Ladd, the steely star of classic noir dramas like This Gun for Hire and The Blue Dahlia and westerns like the iconic Shane. We'll hear him in his signature radio role of mystery writer and amateur sleuth Dan Holiday in a pair of syndicated episodes of Box 13 - "Treasure of Hang Li" and "Sealed Instructions." Plus, he recreates his big screen role as an old west detective as The Screen Director's Playhouse presents "Whispering Smith" (originally aired on NBC on September 16, 1949).

Encore - New Year's Evildoers vs. Radio Gumshoes Dec 28, 2025

Show notes

We bid a fond farewell to 2025 with an encore of our New Year's Eve special from 2018. Jack Webb and Gerald Mohr star in New Year's Eve mysteries from Dragnet and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe. We'll hear "The Big New Year's" (originally aired on NBC on March 8, 1951) and "The Old Acquaintance" (originally aired on CBS on December 26, 1948).

BONUS - Christmas Caper Countdown (Part 4) Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

Our bonus series of holiday mysteries wraps up on Christmas Eve with two more tales of seasonal sleuthing. John Stanley and Alfred Shirley are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in "The Adventure of the Christmas Bride" (originally aired on Mutual on December 21, 1947). And Jack Webb stars in a heartwarming case from Dragnet - "The Big Little Jesus" (originally aired on NBC on December 22, 1953).

Episode 649 - Great White Way Christmas (Damon Runyon Theatre, The Whistler, & Broadway is My Beat) Dec 21, 2025

Show notes

Christmas is only a few days away, and we're celebrating with a trio of holiday tales from Broadway - not the world of footlights, chorus lines, and matinee performances, but the seedier side of the street. Our first two tales come from the pen of Damon Runyon. A man is marked for death on Christmas Eve in "Dancing Dan's Christmas" from The Damon Runyon Theatre, and a trio of crooks hunting for lost loot finds a lot more in "Three Wise Guys" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on December 24, 1950). Then we'll hear a holiday mystery starring Detective Danny Clover in Broadway is My Beat (originally aired on CBS on December 24, 1949).

BONUS - Christmas Caper Countdown (Part 3) Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

Christmas is only a week away and we've got a pair of old time radio mysteries for stocking stuffers. Charles Russell stars in a yuletide adventure of Johnny Dollar - "Small Time Swindles of Big Time Department Stores - Or How I Played Santa Claus and Almost Got Left Holding the Sack" (originally aired on CBS on December 24, 1949) - and Sydney Greenstreet tries to save St. Nick in "The Case of the Slaughtered Santas" from The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (originally aired on NBC on December 22, 1950).

Episode 648 - An Array of Archies (New Adventures of Nero Wolfe) Dec 14, 2025

Show notes

Our two-part series on The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe wraps up with the final three actors to play Archie Goodwin opposite Sydney Greenstreet's gargantuan gourmet. Larry Dobkin - who you may know best as Louie, cab driver sidekick of The Saint - is Archie in "The Case of the Deadly Sellout" (originally aired on NBC on January 5, 1951). Gerald Mohr - the voice of Philip Marlowe - stars in "The Case of the Calculated Risk" (originally aired on NBC on January 19, 1951). And Harry Bartell - announcer and actor - plays Goodwin in "The Case of the Final Page" (originally aired on NBC on March 23, 1951).

BONUS - Christmas Caper Countdown (Part 2) Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

Our countdown to Christmas continues with Vincent Price and Frank Sinatra both donning the red suit of Santa Claus! Simon Templar proves "Santa Claus is No Saint" (originally aired on NBC on December 24, 1950) and Rocky Fortune's new gig as a department store St. Nick is anything but merry in "The Plot to Murder Santa Claus" (originally aired on NBC on December 22, 1953).

Episode 647 - A Gaggle of Goodwins (New Adventures of Nero Wolfe) Dec 07, 2025

Show notes

We kick off a two-part series spotlighting The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe in celebration of two December birthdays - Rex Stout, the creator of the gargantuan gourmet, and Sydney Greenstreet, the Oscar-nominated actor who brought the sleuth to radio life. The show ran for just one season but six different actors played Wolfe's loyal assistant Archie Goodwin in those 26 episodes. The series and its star could never settle on a supporting actor, but the unusual revolving door allowed some of radio's best performers to take a stab at the character. We'll hear the first three Messrs Goodwin - Wally Maher in "Stamped for Murder" (originally aired on NBC on October 20, 1950); Lamont Johnson in "The Case of the Careworn Cuff" (originally aired on NBC on October 27, 1950); and Herb Ellis in "The Case of the Dear Dead Lady" (originally aired on NBC on November 3, 1950).

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