Nostalgic Mystery Radio

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Ep.269 Pat Novak For Hire: The Lydia Reynolds Case Sep 12, 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.
The Lydia Reynolds Case: Lydia Reynolds, a wealthy but insane young lady, hires Novak to be her bodyguard. Originally aired November 23rd,1947.

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Ep.268 Richard Diamond Private Detective: The Fred Sears Murder Case Sep 12, 2022

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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 Fred Sears Murder Case: A dysfunctional wealthy couple argue over the evening newspaper. She is a socialite who is running around on her husband, and she is worried he might be heading out to kill her lover. Originally aired June 19th,1949.

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Ep.267 Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Moving Finger Pt.2 Sep 08, 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.
The Moving Finger: Troubled war veteran Jerry Burton and his sister Joanna rent a cottage in a seemingly tranquil English village which is plagued by a spate of poison pen letters... and murder.

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Ep.266 Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Moving Finger: Pt.1 Sep 08, 2022

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Ep.265 The Adventures Of Sam Spade: The Stopped Watch Caper Sep 06, 2022

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The Adventures of Sam Spade was 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 Stopped Watch Caper: A house of horrors includes a butler who resembles Frankenstein, radioactive poisons and man-eating plants!
Originally aired April 10th,1949.

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Ep.264 Nick Carter Master Detective: The Glass Coffin Sep 05, 2022

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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 Glass Coffin: Murder and mayhem in an old movie studio...a "reel" mystery!
Originally aired September 27th.1943.

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Ep.263 Dragnet: The Big Car Sep 01, 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 Car: In four months, 15 food markets in Los Angeles have been held up and robbed. The bandit is well-dressed and well-armed, and a bright red Pontiac looks like a clue for the police. Originally aired November 30th,1950.

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Ep.262 Sherlock Holmes: The Hound Of The Baskervilles Pt.2: Death On The Moor Aug 29, 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.
The Hound Of The Baskervilles: The Baker Street sleuth probes an ancient curse stalking a noble family on Dartmoor.
Originally aired June 1998.

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Ep.261 Sherlock Holmes: The Hound Of The Baskervilles Pt.1: The Powers Of Evil Aug 29, 2022

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Ep.260 Tales Of The Texas Rangers: Blood Harvest Aug 26, 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.
Blood Harvest: Jace Pearson investigates the murder of a rancher killed over his alfalfa crop.
Originally aired January 21st,1951.

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