Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

Latest Episodes:

BONUS - Superman Summer: The Atom Man (Part 4) Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

Superman recovers after his first fight against the Atom Man while Henry Miller finds a new ally in his quest to kill the Man of Steel and rule the world! The epic adventure continues in these episodes that originally aired on Mutual from November 5 to November 16, 1945.

BONUS - Superman Summer: The Atom Man (Part 3) Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

The Atom Man is in Metropolis! The Nazi agent with kryptonite in his veins gets a job at the Daily Planet as reporter "Henry Miller," and the Man of Steel is about to meet his greatest and deadliest enemy. Superman and the Atom Man have their first titanic battle as this epic story continues in these chapters that originally aired on Mutual between October 22 and November 2, 1945.

Episode 632 - TV is the Thing This Year (Boston Blackie, Dragnet, Whistler, & Johnny Dollar) Jul 13, 2025

Show notes

Don't change the channel! Each of this week's radio mysteries involve that exciting new medium - television. A man is poisoned on the air as he's about to reveal a murderer's identity in a syndicated adventure of Boston Blackie, and the cops of Dragnet pursue phony TV repairmen in "The Big Screen" (originally aired on NBC on August 9, 1951). A TV quiz show unravels a perfect crime in "Marked Man" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on March 16, 1952), and John Lund stars as Johnny Dollar in "The Philip Morey Matter," as the insurance investigator looks into the nervous breakdown of a popular television star (originally aired on CBS on October 13, 1953).

BONUS - Superman Summer: The Atom Man (Part 2) Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

Superman's amazing adventures continue in the next chapters of "The Atom Man!" The evil Nazi scientist Der Teufel escapes with a piece of kryptonite, and he transforms a young Nazi soldier into his atomic-fueled agent of destruction. Meanwhile, Clark Kent travels the globe in pursuit of Der Teufel in a race to save the world - and his own life! These exciting episodes of The Adventures of Superman originally aired on Mutal between October 8 and October 19, 1945.

Episode 631 - No Rest for the Weary (The Saint, Richard Diamond, Mr. and Mrs. North, & Barrie Craig) Jul 06, 2025

Show notes

Summer means vacations, but getting out of town doesn't mean that our detectives can get away from murder and mayhem in these old time radio mysteries. Simon Templar finds multiple murders on a cruise ship in "Murder on the High Seas" from The Saint (originally aired on Mutual on September 18, 1949), and Richard Diamond and Lt. Levinson have a working vacation as they search for a missing man in Bolivia in Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on CBS on May 31, 1953). Mr. and Mrs. North plan a little getaway, but they have to stop a killer from making their own getaway in "No Vacation for Murder" (AFRS rebroadcast from September 1, 1953). And on a vacation in Maine, Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator finds a corpse in a haystack in "Hay is for Homicide" (originally aired on NBC on August 31, 1954).

BONUS - Superman Summer: The Atom Man (Part 1) Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

In just over a week, Superman flies back to the big screen, and we're celebrating all month long with one of his biggest radio adventures - one that pits him against a Kryptonite-powered Nazi Atom Man! Today, we'll hear the opening chapters of this epic story (originally aired on Mutual between September 24 and October 5, 1945), as Superman retells his origin and the existence of Kryptonite is discovered by the Man of Steel's enemies!

Episode 630 - Investigations for Independence Day (Academy Award, Cavalcade of America, The Whistler, & Johnny Dollar) Jun 29, 2025

Show notes

With July 4th right around the corner, we've got a quartet of radio mysteries involving great figures and moments of American history. Henry Fonda recreates his role of Young Mr. Lincoln in a radio version of the classic film on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on July 10, 1946). Honest Abe is a lawyer who must clear his wrongfully accused clients of murder. Lee Bowman plays Allan Pinkterton, one of America's most celebrated detectives, as he investigates a case of robbery and murder in "The Pinkerton Man" from The Cavalcade of America (originally aired on NBC on November 18, 1946). A recently released convict falls in with a gang that forges correspondence from historical figures in "Letters from Aaron Burr" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on November 20, 1949). And "the man with the action-packed expense account" hunts for a stolen original copy of the Gettysburg Address. Bob Bailey stars as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in "The Meek Memorial Matter" (AFRS rebroadcast from March 3, 1957).

Episode 629 - Pinch of Basil (New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & Cavalcade of America) Jun 22, 2025

Show notes

We're tipping our deerstalker cap to Basil Rathbone in celebration of his June 13th birthday. Of course, we'll hear him as Sherlock Holmes in three old time radio adventures from Baker Street - "Murder in the Casbah" (originally aired on Mutual on December 3, 1945), "The Indiscretion of Mr. Edwards" (originally aired on Mutual on February 4, 1946), and "The Adventure of the Uneasy Easy Chair" (originally aired on Mutual on May 13, 1946). Plus, he plays John Adams in his pre-presidential days as a lawyer defending British soldiers involved in the infamous Boston Massacre. We'll hear Rathbone in "John Yankee" from The Cavalcade of America (originally aired on NBC on August 29, 1950).

Episode 628 - Detectives for Dad's Day (Ellery Queen, Let George Do It, The Big Guy, & Philip Marlowe) Jun 15, 2025

Show notes

Happy Father's Day! We're celebrating dear old Dad with a collection of radio mysteries featuring fathers. First, Ellery Queen and his police inspector father collaborate on a case of smuggling and murder. Larry Dobkin is Ellery in "Number Thirty-One" (originally aired on NBC on September 7, 1947). Next, George Valentine is hired by a convicted killer's son to clear his father's name. Bob Bailey stars in "The Father Who Had Nothing to Say" from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on September 13, 1948). Then, meet private eye Joshua Sharp - known to his kids as The Big Guy. Henry Calvin plays the shamus and doting dad in "The Unheard Voice" (originally aired on NBC on May 7, 1950). And finally, Philip Marlowe hunts for a missing son for an ailing father. Gerald Mohr plays Marlowe in "The Last Wish" (originally aired on CBS on July 19, 1950).

BONUS - Dollar Days: The Valentine Matter Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

Our run through the serialized adventures of Johnny Dollar brings us to the Big Easy! In "The Valentine Matter" (originally aired on CBS between October 31 and November 4, 1955), Johnny's on a case in New Orleans when he runs across one of Prohibition's most notorious bootleggers - a man who's been marked for death by some old enemies.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected