Nostalgic Mystery Radio

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Ep.132 The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Farmer's Daughter Caper Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

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 Farmer's Daughter Caper: Sam needs a room for the night and finds a strange tourist court, a man buried alive, shots in the night and of course a beautiful woman in his bedroom!
Originally aired September 3rd,1950.

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Ep.131 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Telltale Pigeon Feathers Dec 11, 2021

Show notes

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.
From 1939 to 1946, Basil Rathbone played Sherlock Holmes with his friend Nigel Bruce on cinema and radio.
The Telltale Pigeon Feathers: Sherlock's brother Mycroft puts Sherlock on the trail of a spy, and Doctor Watson finds himself arrested for murder! Originally aired January 21, 1946.

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Ep.130 Dragnet: The Big Dare Dec 11, 2021

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 Dare: Friday and Romero investigate the death of a single mother.
Originally aired August 3rd,1950

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Ep.129 The Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Eager Witness Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

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 Eager Witness: Marlowe tracks down the real killer after a witness at a trial seems to be too eager to testify. Originally aired August 27th,1949.

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Ep.128 Tales of the Texas Rangers: Pressure Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

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.
Pressure: Who killed Mike Redford? "Lucifer" confesses but Jace Pearson has his doubts.
Originally aired April 1st, 1951.

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Ep.127 Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot: After the Funeral Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot: the world-renowned, moustachioed Belgian private detective, unsurpassed in his intelligence and understanding of the criminal mind, respected and admired by police forces and heads of state across the globe.
Since his inception over 100 years ago, Poirot has stolen the hearts and minds of audiences from Azerbaijan to Vietnam, and his celebrated cases have been recorded across 33 original novels and over 50 short stories.
After the Funeral: When a man disinherits his sole beneficiary and bequeaths his wealth to others just prior to his death, Poirot is called in to investigate.

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Ep.126 Broadway Is My Beat: The Andrew Jenkins Case Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

Broadway is my Beat is a love affair with noir and hardboiled radio detective series blossomed during the 1940's. The golden age of radio had found a new following in the crime drama genre, and managed to churn out several note-worthy serializations. One of the more popular old time radio shows of the period was Broadway is my Beat which featured the talented Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. Clover truly loved his beat on the colorful and gritty streets of Broadway and it shined through in his passion and dedication to his job. He tirelessly patrolled the city streets and instilled fear into the hoodlums and villains that threatened the peace. Remarkably enough, the program enjoyed a lengthy run from 1949-1954, unlike its other contemporaries who only lasted for a season.
The Andrew Jenkins Case: A missing hick from Indiana named Andrew Jenkins leads Lt. Clover to "Golden" Gold. Originally aired March 6th,1949

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Ep.125 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Murder Beyond the Mountains Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

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.
From 1939 to 1946, Basil Rathbone played Sherlock Holmes with his friend Nigel Bruce on cinema and radio.
Murder Beyond the Mountains: During a time when Sherlock Holmes was believed to be dead, he confronts a murder mystery at a Tibetan monastery.
Originally aired January 14th,1946

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Ep.124 Dragnet: The Big Smart Guy Nov 30, 2021

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 Smart Guy: A woman has been shot to death, the apparent motive robbery. The killer is still at large and it’s Friday’s job to find him…
Originally aired June 8th,1950

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Ep.123 Father Brown: The Absence of Mr. Glass Nov 28, 2021

Show notes

Rough and tough Hard-boiled detectives grab a lot of attention, but who would have a better insight on the nature of human evil than “a man who does next to nothing but hear men's real sins”?
Where could you find a more “soft-boiled” character than the parish priest. Mutual brought The Adventures of Father Brown to the air in 1945. Father Brown was the antithesis of the more celebrated soft-boiled detective, Sherlock Holmes. Where Holmes was a master of deduction, Father Brown relied on intuition based on his familiarity on men’s souls.
The Absence of Mr. Glass: The unusual behavior of a young man sparks concern in a seaside town. Andrew Sachs stars as GK Chesterton's clerical sleuth.

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