Nostalgic Mystery Radio

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Ep.319 Dragnet: The Big Parrot Dec 12, 2022

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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 Parrot: Arson in a rooming house is covering up a double murder.
Originally aired November 16th,1950.

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Ep.318 The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal In Bohemia Dec 08, 2022

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Sherlock Holmes, fictional character created by the Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The prototype for the modern mastermind detective, Holmes first appeared in Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual of 1887. As the world’s first and only “consulting detective,” he pursued criminals throughout Victorian and Edwardian London, the south of England, and continental Europe.
A Scandal In Bohemia: Sherlock Holmes finds himself evenly matched when he is employed by the King of Bohemia to retrieve an indiscreet photograph from the American actress and singer, Irene Adler.

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Ep.317 Pat Novak For Hire: Rubin Calloway's Pictures Dec 05, 2022

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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.
Rubin Calloway's Pictures: Pat Novak comes across a man tossed in the bay, who gives him the key to a bus locker. A woman pays him $200 to bring her the contents of the locker. Originally aired March 13th, 1949.

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Ep.316 Tales Of The Texas Rangers: Conspiracy Dec 05, 2022

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Tales of the Texas Rangers, a western adventure old-time radio drama, premiered on July 8, 1950, on the US NBC radio network and remained on the air through September 14, 1952.
Movie star Joel McCrea starred as Texas Ranger Jayce Pearson, who used the latest scientific techniques to identify the criminals and his faithful horse, Charcoal (or "Charky," as Jayce would sometimes refer to him), to track them down. The shows were reenactments of actual Texas Ranger cases.
Conspiracy: A woman’s complaint that her husband was murdered and inconsistencies in the stories of local law enforcement send two Rangers down to an oil boom town to investigate. Originally aired April 15th,1951.

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Ep.315 Richard Diamond Private Detective: The Man Who Hated Women Dec 01, 2022

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 Man Who Hated Women: A serial killer is on the loose, slashing women and threatening Lt. Levinson's job! Originally aired July 16th,1949.

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Ep.314 The Adventures Of Sam Spade: The Civic Pride Caper Nov 30, 2022

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The Adventures of Sam Spadewas a suspense/detective radio show starring Howard Duff in the colorful title role along with Lurene Tuttle as his secretary Effie. It was based on the private detective character created by Dashiell Hammett, well-known from the book and movie The Maltese Falcon. The show ran from 1946 to 1951. Duff was replaced by Steve Dunne in later episodes.
The Civic Pride Caper: After an auditorium collapses, Garrett Welsh, the architect, hires Spade to find out why it happened. Originally aired April 13th,1951.

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Ep.313 Nick Carter Master Detective: The Substitute Bride Nov 29, 2022

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 Substitute Bride: A friend of Nick Carter’s suspects his fiancee’ may be an imposter. Originally aired November 17th,1943.

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Ep.312 The New Adventures Of Nero Wolfe: The Party For Death Nov 25, 2022

Show notes

Nero Wolfe is a fictional character, a brilliant, oversized, eccentric armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky.
He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street in New York City, and he is loath to leave his home for business or anything that would keep him from reading his books, tending his orchids, or eating the gourmet meals prepared by his chef, Fritz Brenner. Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's sharp-witted, dapper young confidential assistant with an eye for attractive women, narrates the cases and does the legwork for the detective genius.
The Party For Death: Archie attends a cocktail party at which Nero Wolfe expects the guest of honor to be murder! Originally aired February 16th,1951.

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Ep.311 Jack Benny: The Turkey Murder Trial Nov 23, 2022

Show notes

Jack Benny was among the most beloved American entertainers of the 20th century. He brought a relationship-oriented, humorously vain persona honed in vaudeville, radio, and film to television in 1950, starring in his own television series from that year until 1965.
The Turkey Murder Trial: Jack has a strange dream wherein he is tried for murder by a court of turkeys. Originally aired November 30th,1947.

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Ep.310 Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: They Do It With Mirrors: Pt.5 Nov 18, 2022

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Miss Jane Marple doesn’t look like your average detective. Quite frankly, she doesn’t look like a detective at all. But looks can be deceiving... For a woman who has spent her life in the small village of St Mary Mead, Miss Marple is surprisingly worldly. But as she often points out she has had every opportunity to observe human nature.
They Do It With Mirrors Miss Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in a Victorian mansion which doubles as a rehabilitiation centre for delinquents. Her fears are confirmed when a youth fires a revolver at the administrator, Lewis Serrocold. Neither is injured. But a mysterious visitor, Mr Gilbrandsen, is less fortunate – shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building.
Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not.

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