Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

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Episode 158 - Footlights and Felonies (Broadway is My Beat) Feb 28, 2016

Show notes

Head back to the Great White Way and the crime behind the bright lights and buzz of the city in Broadway is My Beat. Detective Danny Clover walks "the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world" in two episodes of one of radio's finest police procedurals. First, Anthony Ross stars as Clover in "The Fixed Prize Fight Case" (originally aired on CBS on March 27, 1949). Then, Larry Thor takes the lead in "The Georgia Gray Murder Case" (originally aired on CBS on April 28, 1951).

Episode 157 - And the Winner Is... (Rocky Fortune, Philip Marlowe, & Rex Saunders) Feb 24, 2016

Show notes

Just in time for the Academy Awards, "Down These Mean Streets" presents a bonus episode featuring a trio of Oscar-winning radio detectives. First, Frank Sinatra is Rocky Fortune in "Shipboard Jewel Robbery" (originally aired on NBC on October 20, 1953). Then, Van Heflin is Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe in "Trouble is My Business" (originally aired on NBC on August 5, 1947). Finally, Rex Harrison stars in "Hidden Thoughts Of A Feminine Mind…Concerned With Murder" from The Private Files of Rex Saunders (originally aired on NBC on July 4, 1951).

Episode 156 - Heavenly Days (Adventures of Father Brown) Feb 21, 2016

Show notes

Short, stout, and wielding only an umbrella, G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown may be the unlikeliest of detectives. The parish priest uses his insight into human nature - and his understanding of the evil side of that nature - to uncover the truth and bring the guilty to justice. Karl Swenson stars as the kindly and keen-minded Father Brown in "The Three Tools of Death," an Armed Forces Radio Service rebroadcast of an episode originally aired on Mutual on July 22, 1945.

Episode 155 - Dying is Easy, Comedy is Hard (Suspense) Feb 14, 2016

Show notes

February 14th isn't only Valentine's Day. It's also the birthday of radio's most famous comedian, Jack Benny. The perpetually 39 year old Benny was born February 14, 1894. His landmark radio program was a popular hit for over two decades, and he remains one of the most influential comedians of the twentieth century. In honor of his birthday, we're celebrating the legendary funnyman with one of his dramatic turns at the microphone. We'll hear Benny going for drama instead of belly laughs in a mystery from "radio's outstanding theater of thrills - Suspense." Benny stars in "Murder in G Flat" (originally aired on CBS on April 5, 1951).

Episode 154 - The Big Apple Matter (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar) Feb 07, 2016

Show notes

In 1960, CBS moved production of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar to New York. Longtime leading man Bob Bailey stayed behind, and the network tapped another Bob - Bob Readick - to fill the shoes of the man with the action-packed expense account. Readick, an actor since childhood, starred as Dollar from December 1960 to June 1961 as the show embarked on a new era on the East Coast. We'll hear Bob Readick as Johnny Dollar in "The Lone Wolf Matter," originally aired on May 21, 1961.

Episode 153 – Friend of the Court (A Life in Your Hands) Jan 31, 2016

Show notes

Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason, brings you A Life in Your Hands – a courtroom mystery drama that puts you in the middle of a murder trial. Follow Jonathan Kegg – neither prosecutor nor defense lawyer, but amicus curiae – an impartial observer dedicated to finding the truth. Kegg questions witnesses on both sides to ensure that the truth comes out and to see that justice is done. Carlton KaDell plays Kegg in "Judge Cook Shot," originally aired on NBC on August 29, 1950.

Episode 152 – All the World's a Stage (Adventures of Leonidas Witherall) Jan 24, 2016

Show notes

Leonidas Witherall runs a prestigious boys school, writes a popular detective series, and is a dead ringer for William Shakespeare. He's also an amateur detective who can't help stumbling into mystery and murder. From the pages of novels by Alice Tilton comes The Adventures of Leonidas Witherall, starring celebrated stage actor Walter Hampden as Witherall. Aided by his housekeeper Mrs. Mullet, Leonidas solves cases and gets double takes from theatre fans. We'll hear "The Corpse Meets a Deadline," originally aired on Mutual on April 22, 1945.

Episode 151 - Amazing Stories (Amazing Mr. Malone) Jan 17, 2016

Show notes

Craig Rice blended hard-boiled mystery and screwball comedy in the exploits of John J. Malone. The hard-drinking, rumpled criminal defense attorney played private eye to solve his cases in mysteries that were in a league of their own. The zanier elements of his character were toned down when he came to radio in The Amazing Mr. Malone, but listeners could still enjoy the adventures of a character quick with a quip and sharp-eyed enough to spot any clue. We'll hear Frank Lovejoy as Malone in "Cleanliness is Next to Godliness," originally aired on ABC on August 28, 1948.

Episode 150 - All-American Spade (Deadline Mystery & Sam Spade) Jan 10, 2016

Show notes

We salute actor Stephen Dunne, the second man to wear Sam Spade's trench coat on radio. After struggling to break out of bit parts on the big screen, Dunne found success on radio in a number of shows. In 1950, after rumors of Communist ties cost Howard Duff the gig, Dunne stepped into the role of Sam Spade and put his own spin on the shamus for 24 episodes. His affable, easy-going qualities and smooth voice served him well as he later transitioned into television. We'll hear him today as reporter "Lucky" Larson in "A Boy Asks for Help" from Deadline Mystery (originally aired on ABC on August 10, 1947). Then, Dunne is Spade in "The 25-1235679 Caper," originally aired on NBC on January 5, 1951.

Episode 149 - Saints Preserve Us (The Saint) Jan 03, 2016

Show notes

The Saint hit radio in January 1945, but Leslie Charteris' "Robin Hood of Modern Crime" didn't find long-lasting success on the air until 1947 when big screen star Vincent Price donned Simon Templar's halo. In honor of his radio anniversary, we'll hear two mysteries starring the Saint. Price is Templar in "No Hiding Place" (originally aired on November 19, 1950). Then, Tom Conway steps in as the heavenly hero in "Death of a Cowboy" (originally aired on July 1, 1951).

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