Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

Click here to listen to Orson Welles as Poirot in "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" from The Campbell Playhouse.

And click here for Maurice Tarplin as Poirot in "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor" from Murder Clinic, plus another Harold Huber Poirot mystery.

Gentleman thieves - both reformed and otherwise - step into the spotlight this week. First, Chester Morris is Boston Blackie - enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend - in "The Missing String of Pearls" (originally aired on NBC on August 11, 1944). Then, Orson Welles reprises his Third Man role in "It's a Knockout" from the syndicated series The Lives of Harry Lime. Finally, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. stars as the legendary thief in Raffles, recreated for the Screen Director's Playhouse (originally aired on NBC on September 14, 1951).

Steve Dunne had big shoes to fill when he was cast as Sam Spade. Dashiell Hammett's private eye had been thrilling listeners since 1946 in weekly adventures starring Howard Duff, but accusations of Communist sympathies cost Duff the gig. Dunne played a younger-sounding, less serious Sam for the final run of episodes. We'll hear two of them - "The Soap Opera Caper" (originally aired on NBC on February 16, 1951) and "The Sinister Siren Caper" (originally aired on NBC on March 16, 1951). Plus, we'll hear him as crime-solving reporter Lucky Larson in Deadline Mystery (originally aired on ABC on August 10, 1947).

The cops of the radio era are on the beat in three old time radio procedural dramas. First, Dan Duryea is the intense, two-fisted Lt. Lou Dana in "The Donald Shelberger Case" from The Man from Homicide (originally aired on ABC on July 9, 1951). Then, we'll hear an Armed Forces Radio Service rebroadcast of The Line-Up known as "Gas Station Robberies" starring Bill Johnstone and Wally Maher. Finally, Larry Thor is Detective Danny Clover in "The Dion Hartley Murder Case" from Broadway is My Beat (originally aired on CBS on February 17, 1950).

We're starting 2022 off with Bob Bailey as "the man with the action-packed expense account!" Bailey stars in a five-part adventure of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar - "The Chesapeake Fraud Matter" (originally aired on CBS between October 17th and 21st, 1955).

It's a star-studded, super-sized holiday bonus episode to close out 2021! We'll hear Tallulah Bankhead as mistress of ceremonies for the Christmas Eve 1950 broadcast of NBC's The Big Show. Listen as Ms. Bankhead welcomes Ed Wynn, Jimmy Durante, Margaret O'Brien, Bert Lahr, and more.

It's our annual holiday bonanza! We'll hear four old time radio detectives doing some seasonal sleuthing. First, Special Agent Taylor searches for Santa in "The Return of St. Nick" on This is Your FBI (originally aired on ABC on December 24, 1948). Next, George and Brooksie find mystery in the department store in "Follow That Train" from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on December 19, 1949). Then, saddle up with Ranger Jayce Pearson in "Christmas Payoff" from Tales of the Texas Rangers (originally aired on NBC on December 23, 1951). Finally, Bob Bailey stars as Johnny Dollar and pens the script for "The Carmen Kringle Matter" (originally aired on CBS on December 22, 1957).

Before he was an Oscar nominee for Broken Arrow, Jeff Chandler was a busy radio actor in supporting and lead roles. He was oblivious to the romantic overtures of Eve Arden on Our Miss Brooks, and he was one of radio's toughest shamuses in The New Adventures of Michael Shayne. We'll hear him in two Shayne syndicated mysteries: "A Problem in Murder" and "The Case of the Purloined Corpse." Then we'll hear Chandler as a detective hunting a killer in the tropics in "Red Wine" from Escape (originally aired on CBS on February 26, 1949).

With Frank Sinatra's birthday right around the corner, it's the perfect time to revisit Rocky Fortune - Ol' Blue Eyes' six-month stint as a radio detective. We'll hear Rocky bounce between jobs and find trouble everywhere he goes in a pair of episodes: "Carnival One Way" (originally aired on NBC on December 8, 1953) and "Too Many Husbands" (originally aired on NBC on February 16, 1954). Plus, he gets a job offer from Jack Benny in an episode of Benny's show (originally aired on NBC on October 8, 1944).

We're saluting John Dehner - the Disney animator and award-winning radio news editor who became one of the radio era's best actors and a great big and small screen character actor from the 50s to the 80s. He found his biggest radio fame in a pair of westerns - Frontier Gentleman and Have Gun - Will Travel - but he was heard all over the dial in everything from Escape to Family Theatre. We'll hear him in the audition recording for The Judge, where he plays a retired judge and unofficial police consultant (recorded March 13, 1952). Then, he's English reporter J.B. Kendall in "Kendall for the Defense" from Frontier Gentleman (originally aired on CBS on April 13, 1958) and the man called Paladin in "The Wager" from Have Gun - Will Travel (originally aired on CBS on July 26, 1959). Finally, Dehner plays an embezzler who may turn to murder in "Rebound" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on June 11, 1950).

Not all radio crimesolvers relied on their fists and .45s. Some solved crimes with charm and their wits, and we'll hear adventures of three of those gentlemen sleuths. First up is Vincent Price as The Saint in "The Case of the Unhappy Homicide" (originally aired on Mutual on November 6, 1949). Then, Ned Wever stars in "Murder in the Ring" from Bulldog Drummond (originally aired on Mutual on October 14, 1946). Finally, it's "Diamonds Can Be Done to Death" from The Private Files of Rex Saunders starring Rex Harrison (originally aired on NBC on May 16, 1951).

It's a birthday party for Dick Powell, but instead of cake we've got four old time radio mysteries starring the singing star turned film noir leading man and radio gumshoe. First, he co-stars with his then-wife Joan Blondell in the comedy-mystery Miss Pinkerton, Inc. (originally aired on CBS on July 12, 1941). Next, Powell is private eye Richard Rogue in Rogue's Gallery. We'll hear "Suspicious Will aka Anson Leeds is Dead" (originally aired on Mutual on January 17, 1946). Then, as Richard Diamond, Private Detective, he solves "The Cover-up Murders aka The Eight O'Clock Killer" (originally aired on CBS on June 7, 1953). Finally, Powell plays "the man with the action-packed expense account" in the 1948 audition recording for Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Cornell Woolrich's stories of crime inspired dozens of films and radio programs, including Rear Window and nearly three dozen episodes of Suspense. We'll hear a pair of his stories recreated for radio, including an offering from "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." Howard da Silva is a cop and a pre-Dragnet Jack Webb is a criminal in "You Take Ballistics" (originally aired on CBS on March 7, 1947). Then, Ella Raines, Alan Curtis, and Brian Aherne star in "Phantom Lady," a production from The Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on March 27, 1944).

Even old time radio detectives faced the supernatural (or seemingly supernatural) once in a while. Today, to celebrate Halloween, we'll hear adventures of three sleuths as they face off against ghosts, curses, and other things that go bump in the night. First, Frank Lovejoy is reporter Randy Stone in "The Black Cat" from Night Beat (originally aired on NBC on November 3, 1950). Then, William Gargan stars as Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator in "Ghost of a Chance" (originally aired on NBC on December 19, 1951). Finally, we'll hear Gerald Mohr in "The Iron Coffin" from The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (originally aired on CBS on July 12, 1950).

Turn down the lights and grab your candy - it's time for the Down These Mean Streets Halloween Special! Join me for a king-sized trick-or-treating trip through the golden age of radio for some comedies and chillers designed to get you in the Halloween spirit. Enjoy Bob Hope recreating his role in The Ghost Breakers as presented on The Screen Directors' Playhouse (originally aired on NBC on April 3, 1949). Then, it's a pair of terrifying tales from Edgar Allan Poe - "The Tell-Tale Heart" from NBC Presents Short Story (1951) and "The Black Cat" from Peter Lorre's Mystery in the Air (originally aired on NBC on September 18, 1947). We'll hear a trio of Halloween comedies from The Jack Benny Program (originally aired on CBS on October 31, 1948), My Favorite Husband (originally aired on CBS on October 28, 1949) and Our Miss Brooks (originally aired on CBS on October 30, 1949). Escape presents an adaptation of The Birds that aired a decade before Hitchcock brought the story to the big screen (originally aired on CBS on July 10, 1954). Finally, Ernest Chappell stars in a wry chiller from Wyllis Cooper in "Don't Tell Me About Halloween" from Quiet Please (originally aired on Mutual on October 27, 1947).

Sherlock Holmes started his career as a radio detective on October 20, 1930, and to mark the occasion we'll hear the brilliant sleuth in four old time radio mysteries. Basil Rathbone stars as Holmes (with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson) in "The Strange Case of the Murder in Wax" (originally aired on Mutual on January 7, 1946). Then, Tom Conway steps in as Sherlock in Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Devil's Foot" (originally aired on ABC on January 13, 1947). John Stanley and Alfred Shirley are Holmes and Watson in the original mystery "The Case of the Bleeding Chandelier" (originally aired on Mutual on June 13, 1948). Finally, John Gielgud is Holmes and Ralph Richardson is Watson in "The Second Stain" (a BBC production broadcast on NBC on January 30, 1955).

Hey, radio fans! It's Jack with a quick message. I've written a Halloween old time radio spoof show, and it's being livestreamed this Saturday, October 23rd at 7:00 pm eastern. We'll have detectives, a spoof of the Lux Radio Theatre, spooky tales from a sinister storyteller, and Orson Welles trying to make up for the War of the Worlds.

If you like the podcasts, I think you'll really dig the show. For tickets and information, visit https://www.ashlandtheatre.org/event/terror-on-the-tracks

Lt. Ben Guthrie led a squad of dedicated detectives on The Line-Up, one of radio's best police procedurals. We'll hear three episodes from the series, beginning with the show's audition program (recorded on May 27, 1950). We'll follow it with "The Check Killer Case" (originally aired on CBS on March 6, 1951) and The Mirthless Moonshiner's Methyl Murders" (originally aired on CBS on March 18, 1952).

Radio sleuthing wasn't always a serious business. Some detectives successfully mixed in comedy with their crimesolving, and we'll hear three examples this week. First, Adolphe Menjou and Verree Teasdale as a husband and wife duo in Deductions Deluxe, an audition recording that aired on Forecast (originally aired on CBS on July 28, 1941). Then, Allyn Joslyn stars as The Amazing Mr. Smith in "The Story of the Hooting Owl" (audition recorded on November 5, 1946). Finally, Lloyd Nolan and Claire Trevor are the operatives of the agency Results, Incorporated. They're on the hunt for a missing mummy in this episode (originally aired on Mutual on December 30, 1944).

When a medical emergency sidelined Herbert Marshall in May 1951, three of his friends and fellow actors stepped in to record three episodes of Marshall's radio espionage drama The Man Called X. Ken Thurston, the titular agent played by Marshall, was "on sick leave," but the forces of evil were fought by three top-notch talents in his absence. We'll hear Van Heflin in "A Man, a Girl, a Plot" (originally aired on NBC May 25, 1951); John Lund in "Stalin Plus Seven" (originally aired on NBC on June 1, 1951); and Joseph Cotten in "The Casbah" (originally aired on NBC on July 6, 1951).

Even if you don't know his name, chances are you know William Conrad's (September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994) voice. You may know it from the jovial narrations of the adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle or the somber voice-over that followed Richard Kimble, The Fugitive. Maybe you'll recall his heavyset but still hard-nosed private eye Frank Cannon or the rascally courtroom antics of J.L. "Fatman" McCabe. Or you may remember him as Matt Dillon, "the first man they look for and the last they want to meet," on the old time radio classic Gunsmoke. Audiences had ample opportunities to meet the actor in his five decades in show business.

Conrad was born John William Cann, Jr. in Lexington, Kentucky on September 27, 1920. He began a career in radio as an announcer and writer for a Los Angeles station before he entered the Air Force in World War II. Like other radio professionals who were enlisted men, he worked with the Armed Forces Radio Service. After the war, Conrad was in demand as a supporting radio player. He could be heard in a variety of roles, with a seemingly endless variety of accents and characterizations, on shows like Escape, Suspense, The Man Called X, and The Adventures of Sam Spade. Some believed he was heard a little too often, and perceived overexposure almost cost Conrad a shot at what would prove to be his biggest radio role.

Producer-director Norman Macdonnell had been tasked by CBS President William Paley to develop a series that would be a "Philip Marlowe of the Old West." Paley was a big fan of Macdonnell's The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr, and wanted a show with a similar feel. Up until that point, radio westerns were primarily kids' stuff. The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, and others rode the range in what amounted to little more than B-movie entertainment (no knock against those shows; it is thrilling to hear the Ranger and Tonto chase down bandits, but compelling drama it is not). Just as Jack Webb brought grit and realism to the police drama with Dragnet, Macdonnell and scriptwriter John Meston saw an opportunity to revitalize the western. When it came time to cast their lead of Matt Dillon, the US Marshal who tried to keep the peace in the "suburb of hell" known as Dodge City, Kansas - Meston pushed hard for William Conrad. CBS had other ideas.

Conrad recalled years later, "I think when they started casting for it, somebody said, 'Good Christ, let's not get Bill Conrad, we're up to you-know-where with Bill Conrad.' So they auditioned everybody, and as a last resort they called me. And I went in and read about two lines…and the next day they called me and said, 'Okay, you have the job.'"

Gunsmoke premiered on April 26, 1952, with a powerful script involving Matt Dillon facing down a lynch mob. The episode (listen to it here) erases any doubts as to whether William Conrad was the right choice for the role. Backing him up every week was one of radio's strongest regular casts. Parley Baer was Dillon's easygoing deputy Chester Proudfoot; Howard McNear was the wry Doc Addams; and Georgia Ellis was Kitty, the saloon owner (and, although it was never explicitly said on the show, prostitute) and Matt's love interest. Rounding out the supporting company every week was a repertory company of actors assembled by Macdonnell, including John Dehner, Larry Dobkin, and Harry Bartell.

There were attempts to bring Gunsmoke to TV as early as 1953, and by 1955 CBS was ready to move ahead. Conrad, Baer, Ellis, and McNear were given token auditions, but none were seriously considered to reprise their roles on the small screen. Conrad never had a shot due to his growing obesity; the network believed viewers wouldn't believe the short, heavy actor as the rugged hero, even though he effortlessly sold the role on radio. Losing the role to James Arness left Conrad embittered. He'd continue to work in radio until the end of network radio drama in 1962, and he went on to a career off-camera in television. Conrad directed episodes of Have Gun - Will Travel, 77 Sunset Strip, and even the TV version of Gunsmoke. He narrated the adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and the exploits of Richard Kimble on all 120 episodes of The Fugitive.

A starring role on the small screen came at last in 1971 when Conrad starred as the titular character in Quinn Martin's Cannon. The private eye drama ran for five seasons and earned Conrad two Emmy Award nominations. As hefty shamus Frank Cannon, Conrad gave TV one of its most memorable detectives, and Cannon's adventures continue to air today in syndication. His private eye credentials went back to 1950, when he filled in for an absent Gerald Mohr in the April 11, 1950 episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.

There was an attempt to revive Cannon with a 1980 TV movie, and the following year Conrad played Nero Wolfe in a short-lived series on NBC. Following a well-received turn as a D.A. opposite Andy Griffith on Matlock, Conrad returned to the small screen in a starring role in 1987 with Jake and the Fatman. Conrad played J.L. "Fatman" McCabe, a Los Angeles prosecutor who relied on investigator Jake Stiles (Joe Penny) to do his legwork (shades of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin again). The show ran until 1992.

Conrad passed away February 11, 1994 at the age of 73. In 1997, he was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. With thousands of performances across dozens of shows, Conrad's voice will live forever, wherever Rocky and Bullwinkle get into misadventures or whenever Matt Dillon is forced to draw his gun to keep the peace.

Three of radio's best gumshoes are on the case. First, Gerald Mohr stars as Philip Marlowe in "The Panama Hat" (originally aired on CBS on October 10, 1948). Then, Howard Duff is Sam Spade in "The Overjord Caper" (originally aired on CBS on June 5, 1949). Finally, we'll hear Dick Powell in "The Misplaced Laundry Case" from Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on September 6, 1950).

In a belated celebration of Batman Day, we're heading to Metropolis for an old time radio adventure of Superman featuring Batman and Robin! The Dynamic Duo is on hand to help the Man of Steel when Lois Lane is framed for murder in "Dr. Bly's Confidence Gang" (originally aired on Mutual between September 4 and September 21, 1945).

Oscar-winner Edmond O'Brien headlines three old time radio mysteries, including a pair of audition recordings as investigative reporters. First, he's "the man with the action-packed expense account" in "The David Rocky Matter" (originally aired on CBS on January 20, 1951). Then, he plays reporter Hank Mitchell in the audition for Night Beat - recorded before Frank Lovejoy won the renamed role of Randy Stone (recorded May 19, 1949). Finally, O'Brien stars as a real Los Angeles reporter who helps to bring down a counterfeiting ring in the audition for The Fourth Estate (recorded June 26, 1946).

Alan Ladd broke out on screen with his performance as a professional killer in This Gun for Hire. He'd go on to find success on screen in noir dramas and westerns and on radio as mystery writer turned amateur sleuth Dan Holiday in Box 13. We'll hear a Lux Radio Theatre recreation of This Gun for Hire (originally aired on CBS on January 25, 1943). Plus, Dan Holiday takes a sea voyage with a killer in "One of These Four" from Box 13.

We're celebrating some of the women detectives of the radio era, including stories inspired by the life and work of a trailblazing woman detective in the New York Police Department. First, Murder Clinic presents an adventure of Madame Rosika Story, the brave, brilliant, and beautiful psychologist and private eye created by Hulbert Footner. We'll hear "The Scrap of Lace" (originally aired on Mutual on September 22, 1942). Then, Policewoman dramatizes the life of Mary Sullivan, the first woman homicide detective in the NYPD. We'll hear "The Case of the Scheming Bridegroom" (originally aired on ABC on June 29, 1947). Finally, Gloria Blondell stars as Holiday Wilde in the audition show for the adventures of a young woman on an international search for her missing father. From 1947, we'll hear "Mr. Fortune and The Court Of Shanghai."

Frederick Ziv was one of the biggest producers of syndicated radio and TV shows in the 1940s and 50s. His programs boasted big name stars, established properties, and great production values, and his companies raked in millions of dollars each year from sales of shows directly to small sponsors and local markets. We'll hear four of his old time radio mystery shows: "The Harry Walker Killing," starring Richard Kollmar as Boston Blackie; Jackson Beck as Philo Vance in "The Poetic Murder Case;" I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews in "No Second Chance;" and Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in "The Blue Moon," a tale of tropical adventure from Bold Venture.

Not all old time radio crimefighters carried badges - or even private eye licenses. Some wore masks in their crusade against evil, and this week we'll hear three of those heroes who waged their wars on crime in disguise. First, The Green Hornet tracks down a gang of swindlers in "Classified Ad" (originally aired on ABC on March 30, 1946). Then, Frank Lovejoy stars as The Blue Beetle in the comic book hero's syndicated adventure "Blasting the Dynamite Ring." Finally, we meet the beautiful Lady in Blue, a wealthy socialite who dons a costume to fight crime in her customized car. Hmm...that sounds familiar. We'll hear the two surviving episodes of her syndicated series.

Before he was writing episodes of Perry Mason, Columbo, and Murder, She Wrote, Emmy-nominee Jackson Gillis got his start in radio. Gillis penned mysteries for several old time radio sleuths, and we'll hear three of them. First, Jack Webb stars in "The Lady With Too Much Hair" from Jeff Regan, Investigator (originally aired on CBS on November 6, 1948). Then, it's adventure in Egypt with Rocky Jordan in "Passport for Vivi" (originally aired on CBS on March 20, 1949). Finally, we'll hear "Run Until Dead" from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on November 14, 1949).

The ninth season of "Down These Mean Streets" kicks off with Bob Bailey as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar "the man with the action-packed expense account" in a five-part old time radio mystery. Johnny enters the world of spiritualists and seances in "The Matter of the Medium, Well Done" (originally aired on CBS between May 14 and May 18, 1956).

Dragnet was an immensely popular radio, and later TV, series that entertained millions of Americans each week for over a decade. It was also strictly overseen by LAPD Chief William H. Parker, who made sure the show painted his department in the best light and glossed over its abuses of power. In the wake of calls for police reform and the systemic racism in law enforcement, it can be tough to separate the procedural storytelling elements from its role as propaganda, but we'll try as we listen to three episodes: "The Big Evans" (originally aired on NBC on March 6, 1952); "The Big Bobo" (originally aired on NBC on July 19, 1955); and "The Big Ruling" (originally aired on NBC on September 6, 1955).

William Gargan couldn't cut it as a private detective in real life, but he was terrific at playing a gumshoe on screen and on radio. We'll hear him in three old time radio mysteries. First, he's ex-sailor turned private eye Ross Dolan in I Deal in Crime in "The William A. Davis Case" (originally aired on ABC on April 5, 1946). Then, he's homicide Inspector Burke in the hybrid murder mystery-quiz show Murder Will Out. Four members of the studio audience try to solve "The Case of the Swindled Songwriters" (originally aired on ABC on May 7, 1946). Finally, Gargan stars as Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator in "The Deadly Fight" (originally aired on NBC on January 23, 1952).

"I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble." (Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon)

Dashiell Hammett wasn't just a writer of detective fiction; he was a real-life detective who also happened to pen some of the greatest mystery novels of the 20th century. His mind and pen brought readers the rough and tumble Continental Op; the urbane and refined Nick and Nora Charles; and arguably the most famous private eye of them all, Sam Spade. Hammett's tenure with the Pinkertons (including work on the infamous Fatty Arbuckle case) provided the DNA for Spade, a cynical shamus with his own moral code. He made his debut in 1929's The Maltese Falcon and while he would appear in another three short stories penned by Hammett, the Falcon and its hunt for a legendary statuette are why Spade is best remembered. Of course, the classic film adaptation by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart as Spade didn't hurt his reputation.

The success of Bogart's Maltese Falcon generated new interest in Hammett's work in the 1940s. As stories were reprinted in hardcover and paperback, Hammett's agent believed Spade's exploits would be perfect for radio. By 1946, the wheels were in motion to bring the detective to the airwaves.

The Adventures of Sam Spade was produced and directed by radio veteran William Spier, who also ran the show on CBS' "outstanding theater of thrills," Suspense. In fact, the audition program for Spade was a reworked Suspense script from two years earlier that originally starred Keenan Wynn. The scripts for that first season (including the audition) were written by an uncredited Jo Eisinger and Robert Tallman. The scriptwriters received no credit, as producers wanted to maintain the illusion that Hammett himself scripted the series. Hammett's name was all over the program, but he had no direct involvement in the series. As he said, "My sole duty in regard to these programs is to look in the mail for a check once a week. I don't even listen to them. If I did, I'd complain about how they were handled, and then I'd fall into the trap of being asked to come down and help."

ABC picked up The Adventures of Sam Spade for a thirteen-week summer run beginning on July 12, 1946. Actor Lloyd Nolan was set to star as Sam Spade, but a schedule conflict forced him to withdraw from the role at the last minute. (Nolan had just ended a run of B-movies for Fox as hard-boiled private eye Michael Shayne, and he would have made a fine Spade.) Former Armed Forces Radio Service announcer Howard Duff won the role of Spade with his audition, beating out radio veterans like Elliott Lewis. Spier was initially unimpressed with the actor, who was about as far from Bogart's iconic portrayal as one could get, but Duff had a champion in Spier's wife, Kay Thompson and she persuaded her husband to give Duff the role.

Duff was ably supported each week by Lurene Tuttle in the role of Spade's scatterbrained (but always loyal) secretary Effie Perrine, along with some of the best actors working on radio on the West Coast, including William Conrad, Joseph Kearns, Wally Maher, Jeanette Nolan, and John McIntire. Each week, Spade would dictate his case report to Effie for his client's review. The fourth wall was often broken, with frequent references to the program itself. "Sam" and "Effie" often weighed in on the performances Duff and Tuttle gave in the dramatizations of "their" adventures.

The series received rave notices in its first year, including an Edgar Award for best radio detective series. By September 1946, the show had moved to CBS, where it would remain until 1950. Robert Tallman continued as a writer, and Gil Doud stepped in to replace Jo Eisinger in 1947. With their scripts and Duff's performance, Sam Spade was one of radio's most popular shows. The sleuth even held his own against the powerhouse of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy across the airwaves on NBC.

The show was revived for a twenty four-week run on NBC on November 17, 1950 with Steven Dunne stepping in as Spade. Lurene Tuttle and William Spier returned from the original run, but there was conspicuously no mention of Dashiell Hammett to be found. Dunne was a fine Spade, but Howard Duff had made the role his own. As radio historian John Dunning noted, not even Humphrey Bogart could have succeeded Duff as Spade by 1950.The show kept a loyal following, but CBS grew wary of Hammett's Communist affiliations (he had joined the Communist Party in the 1930s at the height of the New Deal). After the names of Hammett and Duff turned up in a pamphlet identifying Communists and their sympathizers, the show lost its sponsor (Wildroot Cream Oil) and September 1950 saw Howard Duff's last performance as Spade.

But before the Red Scare and timid sponsors did the show in, The Adventures of Sam Spade consistently delivered some of the best that radio had to offer. With Duff's wry performance and the colorful characters invented by Tallman, Eisinger, and Doud, the show still holds up today as exciting mystery drama.

Make some popcorn for a double feature with two classic film noir dramas recreated for radio. First, Robert Ryan, Robert Mitchum, and Robert Young reprise their roles from Crossfire - a murder mystery that shines a spotlight on the horror of anti-Semitism recreated for Suspense (originally aired on CBS on April 10, 1948). Then, John Garfield and Lana Turner recreate their smoldering chemistry in James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice, adapted for The Screen Guild Theatre (originally aired on CBS on June 16, 1947).

We're saluting the old time radio heroes of the fourth estate - reporters, editors, and photographers who solved the crimes they covered. We'll hear Staats Cotsworth as Casey, Crime Photographer in "Death in Lover's Lane" (originally aired on CBS on August 7, 1947). Then, the staff of the Illustrated Press hunts for a killer in "Death by Plan" from Big Town (originally aired on NBC on November 9, 1948). Frank Lovejoy is Randy Stone in Night Beat and "Wanna Buy a Story?" (originally aired on NBC on September 18, 1950). Finally, Dana Andrews stars in a radio adaptation of Call Northside 777 - the true story of a reporter fighting to clear a wrongfully convicted man - from Hollywood Sound Stage (originally aired on CBS on December 27, 1951).

Six armchair detectives accept the challenge of master of mystery Ellery Queen to solve a baffling mystery before he reveals the solution. Carleton Young and Sydney Smith star as the brilliant amateur sleuth in three old time radio mysteries that present challenges in deduction to the guests in the studio and to you listening at home! We'll hear "The Adventure of the Singing Rat" (originally aired on NBC on January 9, 1943); "The Adventure of the World Series Crime" (originally aired on NBC on September 30, 1943); and "The Scarecrow and the Snowman" (originally aired on NBC on January 20, 1944).

It's back to Baker Street for a belated birthday salute to Basil Rathbone, one of the great Sherlock Holmes stars of the big screen and the airwaves. We'll hear him, alongside Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson - in "The Notorious Canary Trainer" (originally aired on Mutual on April 23, 1945) and "The Case of the Out of Date Murder" (originally aired on Mutual on September 17, 1945). Then, he reunites with Bruce and joins Joan Fontaine in a Screen Guild Theatre production of Suspicion (originally aired on CBS on January 4, 1943).

Gerald Mohr's voice blasted like a .45 automatic when he starred as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe in one of radio's best hard-boiled detective dramas. But the actor could also be heard as the glib gumshoe Archie Goodwin and an amorous French teacher on Our Miss Brooks. We'll hear Mohr in a pair of Marlowe mysteries: "The Heart of Gold" (originally aired on CBS on October 24, 1948) and "The White Carnation" (originally aired on CBS on September 22, 1950). Plus, he's a murderer hiding out in his hometown in "Warm Reception" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on November 19, 1950).

We're throwing an early birthday party for the great Bob Bailey, a radio legend who starred in a pair of long-running detective dramas. We'll hear him as George Valentine in "The Four-Sided Triangle" (originally aired on Mutual on March 21, 1949) and "Out of Mind" (originally aired on Mutual on May 2, 1949) from Let George Do It. Then, he's Johnny Dollar - "the man with the action-packed expense account" - in "The Markham Matter" (originally aired on CBS on November 18, 1956) and "The Confederate Coinage Matter" (originally aired on CBS on July 28, 1957).

We're celebrating Vincent Price's birthday with three of his radio performances - shows that feature him as both sinner and Saint. First, he stars as Simon Templar in "Marvin Hickerson, Private Eye" (originally aired on NBC on December 3, 1950) and "Next of Kin" (originally aired on CBS on February 18, 1951). Then, he's a murderer haunted by his conscience in "Leona's Room" from The Philip Morris Playhouse (originally aired on CBS on February 25, 1949).

When Dashiell Hammett put pen to paper, he forever changed the genre of detective fiction. He created characters and stories that popularized the hard-boiled school, and those tales still entertain readers today. Hammett's works were adapted for successful films, television shows, and radio dramas. In this birthday salute to the author, we'll hear a pair of radio mysteries starring his master private detective Sam Spade: "The Quarter-Eagle Caper" starring Howard Duff (AFRS rebroadcast from November 28, 1948) and "The Shot in the Dark Caper" with Steve Dunne (originally aired on NBC on February 23, 1951). Plus, we'll hear a Suspense adaptation of Hammett's short story "Two Sharp Knives" (originally aired on CBS on December 22, 1942).

Known to generations of television audiences as Perry Mason, Raymond Burr (May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993) found some of his earliest successes during the Golden Age of Radio.

In a role far removed from the upstanding defense attorney he played on TV, Burr appeared as the thick-headed Inspector Hellman, a thorn in the side of Jack Webb's Pat Novak For Hire. It was a performance closer to his screen work; Burr was known as a big screen heavy, and he memorably played the villainous neighbor Lars Thorwald in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Burr also popped up in supporting roles on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, Richard Diamond, The CBS Radio Workshop, and more. But his highest-profile radio work came in Fort Laramie, where he starred as cavalry Captain Lee Quince. Burr's Quince was a thoughtful, contemplative soldier - one who struggled with the harsh realities of his orders and who often rubbed his superiors the wrong way. He was working on Fort Laramie when he got the audition to play Mason. After he won the role, he arrived at a recording session and told co-stars Harry Bartell and Vic Perrin, "Men, we're all going to be rich!" Many of Burr's radio co-stars and fellow actors appeared on Perry Mason, including his Fort Laramie comrades in arms.

After nine seasons and winning a pair of Emmys for his work as Mason, Raymond Burr embarked on an eight season run as another TV detective - wheelchair-bound Robert T. Ironside in Ironside. Burr returned to his signature role in 1985 for the highly-rated TV movie Perry Mason Returns, and he'd follow it up with 25 more Mason movies (and one Ironside reunion picture) before he passed away from cancer in 1993.

In honor of his birthday, here are some of Raymond Burr's old time radio performances - roles that show off his versatility outside of Perry Mason's courtroom.

"Father Leahy and Joe Feldman" - A priest puts Pat Novak (Jack Webb) on the trail of a man newly escaped from prison, and the search leads to murder on the San Francisco waterfront. Raymond Burr is on hand to menace Novak and muck things up as Inspector Hellman. (4/2/49)

"The Henry J. Unger Matter" - In this Johnny Dollar adventure, the fabulous freelance insurance investigator (Edmond O'Brien) is menaced by the titular Mr. Unger, a convict out of jail and eager for revenge. Raymond Burr plays the calculating villain who successfully gets Dollar on trial for murder! (7/20/50)

"The Hollywood Story" - Richard Diamond (Dick Powell) heads to the West Coast to take on a job for a powerful movie producer (Raymond Burr). The man's young girlfriend has threatened him with blackmail, but soon Diamond finds her dead and spots his client fleeing the scene. (8/23/53)

"Playing Indian" - In the first episode of Fort Laramie, Burr's Captain Quince investigates when settlers are killed in what appears to be an attack by rogue Native Americans. But he soon suspects the culprits are disguising themselves and he sets a trap in a homesteader's cabin. (1/22/56)

"Murder on Mike" - Burr is in full villain mode in this "tale well calculated to keep you in Suspense." He plays a writer of radio murder plays who's sick of the critical notes he receives from his director. Burr decides to stage the man's murder, and he records the entire thing for broadcast. (7/28/57)

Tax Day has come and gone, and hopefully your interactions with the IRS were as smooth and painless as possible. This week, we'll hear some old time radio stars contend with the tax man. First, Fibber McGee gets a jump start on his accounting (originally aired on NBC on January 11, 1944). Then, Lou Costello has to come up with some quick cash to pay his tax bill (originally aired on NBC on March 14, 1946).

On May 16, 1942, radio listeners first heard the haunting tune of The Whistler. The anthology mystery series presented tales of murder narrated by "The Whistler," an omniscient storyteller who boasted one of radio's best introductions:

"I am the Whistler, and I know many things for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak."

Each episode of The Whistler followed a person's descent into crime as they carried out what they believed to be a perfect murder, only to be undone in the final scene. As the announcers described it, "The Whistler" was "unique among all mystery programs, for even when you know who is guilty you always receive a startling surprise at the final curtain."

For most of the run, the Whistler was played by Bill Forman, but the storyteller was also voiced by Gale Gordon, Joseph Kearns, and Bill Johnstone. The casts included some of the best stars of West Coast radio, including Kearns, Hans Conried, William Conrad, Gerald Mohr, and Betty Lou Gerson. The radio series spawned a series of Columbia B-movies and ran on the West Coast until 1955.

In honor of its anniversary, here are ten of my favorite strange stories by The Whistler.

Final Return - A woman shapes her blue collar husband into a sharp politician, and he's on the eve of capturing the governor's mansion. But he's fallen in love with another woman. Will his political puppeteer leave the stage gracefully, or will she sacrifice everything to save the career she created? (10/29/45)

Boomerang - This show is unique because the main character is never heard until the very end of the broadcast. Instead, we spend the show in the mind of a housewife who decides to use the panic caused by a serial killer to do away with her husband. Can she frame him as "The Door Bell Killer" and get away with murder? (3/11/46)

Witness at the Fountain - One of the best final twists of the series undoes a murderer's perfect crime in this story starring Howard Duff. Radio's Sam Spade plays a blackmail victim who decides to do away with his tormentor, but he doesn't account for a silent witness. (9/9/46)

Brief Pause for Murder - A long-suffering radio announcer decides to rid himself once and for all of his cheating wife. He concocts a perfect alibi; he'll record himself making his news announcements and play the record while he's committing the crime. What could possibly go wrong? (9/11/49)

The Clever Mr. Farley - Gerald Mohr tries to pull off a con on a train when he meets a beautiful woman with a valuable bracelet. There are more twists and turns in this one than usual, and it all hinges on Mohr's character's pride in being able to read people. (11/27/49)

Return with the Spray - The great Hans Conried plays a man engaged to be married who drunkenly ties the knot with another woman. He tries to kill her, but she survives the attempt and returns with a marriage license and a plan for blackmail. (4/23/50)

Caesar's Wife - Gerald Mohr is back as a paranoid mob boss with a crippling fear. He's a hemophiliac and even the slightest bruise or cut could be fatal. As if that wasn't enough, he suspects his wife is having an affair with a mysterious stranger. (6/4/50)

The Clock on the Tower - A man on death row is slated to meet his fate in a few hours unless his attorney can find a witness who can prove the man's innocence. This is a race against time with a fantastic twist ending. (12/10/50)

His Own Reward - Perhaps the most unusual story presented on "The Whistler," the full details aren't revealed until the very end. It follows a man in dire financial straits who is persuaded to betray his country to a foreign rival for profit. (3/25/51)

A Law of Physics - This twist was so good, it popped up on a 90s Columbo TV movie. An advertising executive plans to bump off a rival, and he uses the brand new device called a car phone to create an alibi. (6/10/51)

On May 16, 1942, listeners heard the first strange story told by The Whistler. The sinister narrator presented tales of men and women plotting and committing murder, only to see their plans undone in a final curtain twist. Bill Forman voices the Whistler in three shows that will keep you guessing: "Boomerang" (originally aired on CBS on March 11, 1946); "The Brass Ring" (originally aired on CBS on September 16, 1946); and "Return with the Spray" (originally aired on CBS on April 23, 1950). Plus, we'll hear Jack Benny present "The Fiddler," his parody of the series (originally aired on NBC on October 20, 1946).

We're spending time with Phil, Alice, Elliott, Julius, and the kids in a pair of shows from one of radio's best sitcoms. First, a new start time for the show causes trouble between Phil and his musicians (originally aired on NBC on September 30, 1951). Then, the kids are pressing Phil for a pool (originally aired on NBC on May 17, 1953).

Without Edith Meiser, Sherlock Holmes might never have found enduring success and popularity in the United States. It was Meiser, a writer and Broadway actress, who persuaded a network and a sponsor that Holmes could be a viable radio property and she singlehandedly wrote his radio adventures for years. Along with faithful adaptations of classic stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Meiser created her own original mysteries. In honor of her birthday, we'll hear three of those original Holmes adventures: "The Case of the Avenging Blade" (originally aired on Mutual on February 1, 1948); "The Adventure of the Sinister Crate of Cabbages" (originally aired on Mutual on May 2, 1948); and "The Complicated Poisoning at Eel Pie Island" (originally aired on Mutual on June 6, 1948).

Orson Welles was already a celebrated theatrical producer, director, and star by the late 1930s. He financed his productions in part from his earnings as a radio character actor. But he became a household name when he stepped into the spotlight - or, to be more precise into the shadows when he was cast as Lamont Cranston, known to the underworld as The Shadow. The success of the series boosted Welles' popularity outside of the world of Broadway, and it helped to launch him into his own radio broadcast (The Mercury Theatre On the Air).

Welles starred as the Shadow for two seasons - one sponsored by Blue Coal from the fall of 1937 until the spring of 1938, and the second syndicated by Goodrich Tires through that summer. For many of those episodes, Welles was joined by actors he'd work with in the theatre and would go on to work with on screen, particularly Agnes Moorehead (as "the lovely Margot Lane") and Ray Collins (as Commissioner Weston, the Shadow's uneasy ally in the police department). Welles left the role after this stint, but despite his short run he may be the actor most associated with the role today.

In later years, The Shadow would evolve (or devolve, depending on your point of view) into more of a traditional detective series where the hero could turn himself invisible. The Welles broadcasts featured complex plots and a Shadow who could not only "cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." This Shadow could manipulate perception, create hallucinations, and he had no compunction about sending villains to their deaths.

In honor of Orson Welles' birthday, here are ten of my favorite episodes from his run as radio's invisible avenger.

The Temple Bells of Neban - Lamont Cranston receives a blast from the past as he investigates a drug ring running rampant in the city. A touring performer was a young girl in the temple where he learned how to cloud men's minds. Not only does she know his secret identity; she has powers of her own, and she wants the Shadow out of the way so she can enjoy the profits of her deadly drug trade. (October 24, 1937)

Circle of Death - A mad bomber stalks the city, detonating explosives in the middle of crowded areas with no trace of how the bombs are delivered. As panic sweeps through town and Commissioner Weston faces pressure to resign, the Shadow sets a daring trap to identify the madman and end his wave of terror. (11/28/37)

The Death Triangle - This one opens on Devil's Island as a whipped prisoner promises revenge on the men who betrayed his attempt to escape. Years later, a celebrated child surgeon (and former political prisoner of the island) has been targeted for death, and he asks the Shadow to save him from a long-simmering vengeance. (12/12/37)

The Poison Death - People all over the city - old and young alike - are succumbing to mysterious poisonings. The police are baffled, and they're shocked when a note signed by the Shadow claims responsibility for the attacks. Lamont and Margot not only have to save the city from a deranged killer; they also need to clear the Shadow's name. (1/30/38)

The Phantom Voice - The Shadow comes to the aid of an upstanding public servant on trial for accepting a bribe. The senator's fate seems certain when filmed evidence is played in court, but Lamont is unconvinced. He's sure a political fixer is behind it, and he discovers the clever plot set up to bring down an innocent man. (2/6/38)

The Silent Avenger - This episode is surprising not only for its subject matter, but for the compassionate view it takes of the people involved. A killer is sentenced to die in the electric chair, and he enlists the aid of his brother - a World War I veteran sniper suffering debilitating PTSD ("shell shock") - to take vengeance on the jury that convicted him. The ace marksman carries out his brother's wishes as the Shadow races to stop him and hopefully get the man the help he desperately needs. (3/13/38)

The White Legion - Orson Welles and co-star Agnes Moorehead make appearances out of character at the end of this episode - the finale of the first season sponsored by Blue Coal. Before we meet the people behind the Shadow and Margot Lane, there's a story of a political mob resorting to kidnapping and murder to advance their agenda in City Hall. (3/20/38)

The Hypnotized Audience - To save his brother from a date with the electric chair, a celebrated dancer hypnotizes a theater of VIPs and abducts the governor. Only Lamont is immune from the effects of the mesmeric trance, and now it's up to the Shadow to save the governor before midnight. This episode and the next two on the list come from the syndicated summer season sponsored by Goodrich Tires. Most of the cast returned, but Agnes Moorehead was replaced by Margot Stevenson - the actress who inspired the name of the Shadow's friend and companion.

Tenor with a Broken Voice - Lamont and Margot investigate a series of fatal "accidents" plaguing an opera house whenever Pagliacci is sung. Is anyone who steps onto the stage doomed, or will the Shadow uncover the secret and save the day?

Murders in Wax - The capture of a notorious criminal is memorialized in wax at a city museum, but a killer is replacing the figures with the corpses of their real-life counterparts one by one. Commissioner Weston is slated as the next victim if the Shadow can't find the ghoulish murderer.