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**Nostalgic Mystery Radio**

Old time radio mystery programs brought back to life for today’s fan of the great shows of yesteryear. Including the classics such as Sherlock Holmes, Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, and more.

Latest Episodes:

Ep.339 Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Dead First Helpers Jan 17, 2023

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Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
For over twelve years, from 1949 through 1962 (including a one year hiatus in 1954-1955), this series recounted the cases "the man with the action-packed expense account, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar". Johnny was an accomplished 'padder' of his expense account. The name of the show derives from the fact that he closed each show by totaling his expense account, and signing it "End of report... Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar".
The Dead First Helpers: Johnny goes to work in a Pittsburgh steel mill to solve a series of seniority murders. Originally aired April 11th,1950.

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Ep.338 Barrie Craig Confidential Investigator: Death Buys A Bedroom Jan 16, 2023

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Barrie Craig Confidential Investigator
William Gargan, who also played the better known television (and radio) detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye Barrie Craig while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig's office was on Madison Avenue and his adventures were fairly standard PI fare. He worked alone, solved cases efficiently, and feared no man. As the promos went, he was "your man when you can't go to the cops. Confidentiality a specialty."
Death Buys A Bedroom: On his vacation in the mountains, Barrie meets a beautiful girl, a mysterious body and a dead man aboard the train.
Originally aired July 27th, 1954.

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Ep.337 Nick Carter Master Detective: The Body On The Slab Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Nick Carter, Master Detective, which aired on Mutual from 1943 to 1955. Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick Carter. Then Nick Carter, Master Detective, with Lon Clark in the title role, began April 11, 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Nick's contact at the police department was Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer). The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer.
The Body On The Slab: Nick Carter investigates the case of a husband who disappeared at a bar and finds a sinister conspiracy.
Originally aired November 3, 1943.

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Ep.336 Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot: Death In The Clouds Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Agatha Christie's Death In The Clouds
From seat No.9, Hercule Poirot was ideally placed to observe his fellow air passengers. Over to his right sat a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite; ahead, in seat No.13, sat a Countess with a poorly-concealed cocaine habit; across the gangway in seat No.8, a detective writer was being troubled by an aggressive wasp. What Poirot did not yet realize was that behind him, in seat No.2, sat the slumped, lifeless body of a woman.

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Ep.335 Richard Diamond Private Detective: The Martin Hyer Case Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

Richard Diamond, Private Detective came to NBC in 1949. Diamond was a slick, sophisticated detective, with a sharp tongue for folks who needed it. Diamond enjoyed the detective life, but not as much as entertaining his girl, Helen Asher. After each show, he would croon a number to his Park Avenue sweetheart.
Mr. Powell, a former song and dance man, was perfect for the role. He added an extra dimension to the 40's hokey private eye drama.
Diamond was a rough gumshoe that would often get knocked on the head with a revolver butt or other items. His counterpart on the police force was Lt. Levinson who often accepted Diamond's help reluctantly. Levinson would claim to get stomach trouble whenever Diamond would call him and would take bicarbonate to settle his aching stomach. Although they always seem at odds with each other, Diamond and Levinson were best friends.
The Martin Hyer Case: June Hyre hires Dick to follow her husband. Dick follows him right to a corpse! Originally aired July 23rd,1949.

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Ep.334 The Adventures Of Philip Marlowe: The Lonesome Reunion Jan 10, 2023

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Get this and get it straight. Crime is a sucker's road and those who travel it wind up in the gutter, the prison or the grave.
Philip Marlowe was Los Angeles's toughest detective in the groundbreaking series by Raymond Chandler that helped establish the "hard-boiled" detective subgenre.
The Lonesome Reunion: Marlowe finds himself in Lonesome Arizona, on the trail of the loot from a bank robbery. Originally aired February 12th,1949.

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Ep.333 Dragnet: The Big Press Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

Dragnet ran from June 3rd,1949 to February 26th,1957 on NBC at various times and days and starred Jack Webb as Detective Sergeant Joe Friday. Various partners throughout the show's run were Sergeant Ben Romero (Barton Yarborough), Ed Jacobs (Barney Phillips), and Officer Frank Smith (Ben Alexander).
Webb was the creator/Director of the series and wanted everything to be as authentic as possible, down to the last sound effect. The stories were based on actual police files and "the names were changed to protect the innocent".
Dragnet broke a few radio taboos as well, such as dramatizing sex crimes. Children also were killed on occasion as in the episode "Twenty-Two Rifle For Christmas". The series eventually went to television and ran there for many years.
The Big Press: Two young purse-snatchers, who also beat their victims, are working in a Los Angeles neighborhood. Originally aired June 15th,1950.

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Ep.332 Agatha Christie: The Sittaford Mystery Jan 03, 2023

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THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY

In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a small table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: ‘Captain Trevelyan… dead… murder.’

Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snow drifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot.

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Ep.331 Pat Novak For Hire: Rory Malone Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Pat Novak For Hire: Classic old time radio showing starring Jack Webb (1946, 1949) and Ben Morris (1947-48) as Pat Novak, a street wise guy who rents boats and anything else a good man pays a bad one to do.
Novak is always getting into scrapes when taking on jobs for hire or occasionally as a favor to a friend. When he does, he goes to see "The Only Honest Guy I Know" an ex-Doctor and a boozer named Jocko Madigan (played by Tudor Owens). Novak's nemesis is Lieutenant Hellman of Homicide (played by Raymond Burr and others) who's constantly trying to get Novak sent to the gas chamber.
Rory Malone: Pat Novak gets an offer for $300 from a beautiful woman to stay away from boxer Rory Malone, and $300 from Malone’s manager. Whichever side he ends up on, it’s going to be trouble. Originally aired March 20th,1949.

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Ep.330 The Mysterious Traveler: New Year's Nightmare Dec 31, 2022

Show notes

The Mysterious Traveler ran on Mutual from December 1943 until about September of 1952. This tremendously popular radio show was truly an all around favorite for any mystery lover of the time. It was the brainchild and magnum opus of golden age writing greats Robert Arthur and David Kogan.
New Year's Nightmare: A man goes on a year-end bender and wakes up a year later married to a strange woman. Originally aired January 5th,1947.

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