Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

When Jack Benny came down with pneumonia in the spring of 1943 and he had to miss a month of shows, an unlikely guest host stepped in to fill his shoes. For four episodes, Orson Welles poked fun at himself and joined in the jokes with Benny's gang - Mary, Phil, Dennis, Don, and Rochester - and showed off his comedy chops on one of the funniest shows of the era. We'll hear all four of those broadcasts from The Grape Nuts and Grape Nuts Flakes Program (originally aired on NBC on March 14, March 21, March 28, and April 4, 1943).

May the Fourth Be With You!

It's one of the biggest Star Wars days in recent memory, with the success of The Mandalorian and the promise of even more stories from the galaxy on Disney Plus. When this date rolls around each year, I fire up my 4Ks (formerly Blu-rays, formerly DVDs, formerly multiple incarnations on VHS) and I revisit the Star Wars Radio Dramas.

Yes. Star Wars on the radio. As a kid who was both discovering the world of old time radio and a rabid Star Wars fan, these shows were like manna from heaven when I first heard them in 1995. I first learned of them in a retrospective article in the glossy quarterly magazine published by the Lucasfilm Fan Club (I was a card carrying member ), and when they appeared in a catalog close to my birthday, it was the only thing I wanted. My parents got me cassette collections of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, and I couldn't tell you how many times I ran through those combined 23 episodes through middle and high school.

The radio adaptation of Star Wars aired in between the theatrical releases of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Coming to the airwaves at a time when American radio drama was all but extinct, this joint production of NPR and the BBC dramatized the first film in the Star Wars trilogy as a thirteen-part series. Not only did it feature several cast members recreating their roles - Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO - but it also featured the classic sounds of the film (Chewbaca's roar, R2-D2′s blips and beeps, the hum of TIE Fighters streaking through space) and John Williams' fantastic score.

Science fiction author Brian Daley expanded upon the film script - the plot of the movie proper doesn't kick in until Episode 3 of the radio series. Episode 1 focuses on Luke Skywalker's life on Tatooine as he watches the stars and dreams of life beyond the farm. Years before scenes were added in the Star Wars Special Edition, Brian Daley added scenes between Luke and his best friend Biggs Darklighter, an Imperial cadet who confides in Luke that he intends to join the rebellion against the Empire. These early scenes give their reunion later in the story more weight as they take part in the mission to destroy the Death Star.

Episode 2 is all about Princess Leia. It establishes her espionage bona fides before she ever comes into possession of the plans for the Death Star. She uses an Imperial officer's leering advances to her advantage and gets him to reveal the secrets of the Empire's ultimate weapon.

It isn't just Luke and Leia who get additional shading. In another move that preceded the Special Edition, Daley adds a scene with Han Solo and a Tatooine mob boss in the hangar of the Millennium Falcon. It isn't Jabba the Hutt but it plays almost exactly the same - and frankly, it plays better than the scene with a young Harrison Ford and a crudely rendered Jabba. Daley wrote three Han Solo novels, and he plugged in perfectly to the seedier side of the galaxy far, far away.

It's scenes like these that give the new actors a chance to put their own spin on the characters, an easier task when they don't have to say the iconic lines of the film. Ann Sachs does a great job as Leia, and Perry King is charmingly roguish as Han Solo. And in a particularly inspired bit of casting, Brock Peters - miles from Tom Robinson - plays the dastardly Darth Vader.

The Empire Strikes Back followed two years later with the whole cast returning plus Billy Dee Williams recreating his screen role of Lando Calrissian and John Lithgow taking the role of Yoda. He's terrific - Lithgow doesn't do a straight impression of Frank Oz, but he captures the character and injects him with additional shading.

There's less original material here - perhaps a testament to the wonderful screenplay penned by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan? - but Brian Daley adds a nice prologue that finds a Rebel convoy cut to shreds by a TIE Fighter ambush. It helps to set the scene for the darker second act of the trilogy. The ten-part series is wonderful, and while some additional "new" scenes might have been nice to include, you really can't go wrong with the story presented.

Plans for a Return of the Jedi radio drama fell through and the final chapter wasn't released until 1996, and even then it was produced by Highbridge Audio and not broadcast on NPR. This may adhere the closest to the film story, save for a nice scene where Luke Skywalker constructs his new lightsaber. Most of the cast is back, but Mark Hamill was sadly absent (though he was enjoying a second career as a voice actor - the farm boy from Tatooine was the Clown Prince of Crime in Batman: The Animated Series). Joshua Fardon does a fine job as Luke, but it would have been a treat to hear Hamill revisit his iconic role thirteen years later. John Lithgow comes back as Yoda, and Ed Asner growls his way through a performance as Jabba the Hutt.

This six-part show suffers a bit in comparison to the first two chapters (as does the movie itself), but it's still engrossing entertainment with all of the music and magic of Star Wars.

I've been revisiting the series and it's as much fun as it was when I first heard it as a kid. The entire trilogy is available in a great CD collection from Higbridge Audio. If you're a fan of audio drama and/or a Star Wars fan, or if you are looking for a gateway to introduce someone to radio theater, check these shows out and take a trip to a galaxy far, far away.

In the first part of a birthday salute to the great Orson Welles, we'll hear him co-star with My Friend Irma leading lady Marie Wilson in a screwball comedy-murder mystery from The Campbell Playhouse. They star as husband and wife private eyes in "There's Always a Woman" (originally aired on CBS on December 17, 1939). Then, Welles recreates his big screen role of Harry Lime in the continuing adventures of the international rogue of The Third Man. We'll hear "The Professor Regrets," a syndicated episode of The Lives of Harry Lime.

The brilliant comedienne Eve Arden brought wit and charm to the role of Connie Brooks, Madison High School's favorite English teacher. She stood at the center of one of radio's best casts, and her performance makes Our Miss Brooks one of the best sitcoms of the era. In honor of her birthday, we'll hear a pair of episodes - first, there's a cafeteria boycott in the works at Madison (originally aired on CBS on March 13, 1949). Then, Miss Brooks joins her students in a summer job (originally aired on CBS on June 19, 1949).

One of radio's finest dramas rode into town on April 26, 1952 with the premiere broadcast of Gunsmoke. The series was created at the request of CBS president William Paley who wanted a "Philip Marlowe in the old West." After the idea kicked around without gaining any traction, producer/director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston developed their idea for a Western made for adults, without the simple "good guys vs. bad guys" feel of The Lone Ranger and other programs. Macdonnell and Meston created Gunsmoke, the story of US Marshal Matt Dillon - "the first man they look for and the last they want to meet." Dillon wasn't a white hat hero - he was a man trying to put his violent past behind him as he fought to keep the peace in Dodge City, Kansas.

John Meston's writing was hailed by producer/director Macdonnell, and Meston would go on to write 183 radio episodes and 196 television episodes of Gunsmoke. Meston was keen to avoid the traits of the stereotypical western hero in his depiction of Dillon, saying "Life and his enemies have left him looking a little beat-up. There'd have to be something wrong with him or he wouldn't have been hired on as a United States marshal in the heyday of Dodge City, Kansas."

William Conrad won the role of Dillon, and he gave the character a weary humor but an absolute fury when needed. Supporting Conrad was one of radio's greatest supporting casts. Parley Baer was Chester Proudfoot, Dillon's amiable deputy. Howard McNear was "Doc" Adams, the town physician with a ghoulish demeanor (and, as one episode revealed, a past in Richmond, Virginia involving a duel with a romantic rival). Georgia Ellis was Kitty Russell, proprietor of Dodge's Long Branch Saloon, as well as a friend, confidant, and lover of Matt Dillon. The relationship between Kitty and William Conrad's Matt Dillon was a key component of the show. Though her true profession was never explicitly stated on the show, in a 1953 interview, producer/director Norman Madconnell said "Kitty is just someone Matt has to visit every once in a while. We never say it, but Kitty is a prostitute, plain and simple." But their relationship was more than what it appeared to be. As Ellis herself said "There was no forgiveness to be given because I don't think Kitty was available to anybody but Matt."

Supporting roles were filled out by some of the best actors in Hollywood radio, many of whom had worked with Macdonnell in other shows like Escape and Philip Marlowe - John Dehner, Larry Dobkin, Harry Bartell, Vivi Janiss, Jeanette Nolan, and more. The landscape of Dodge City and its saloons and jail cells was created by Ray Kemper. Kemper's sounds were as essential a part of that program's success as the acting and the writing. Dodge City came to life with the sounds generated by Kemper and his effects team. To create the sound of a beer being poured at the Long Branch Saloon, a warm can of soda was used. Old microphone cable was twisted together to make the sound of a man mounting his saddle. The sound men are often the unsung heroes of old time radio, and Ray Kemper was one of the finest.

The series presented the grim realities of the west - sickness, death, loneliness - more than any program that came before. Matt Dillon wasn't an infallible hero; he struggled with doubt and disillusionment, and he didn't always get his man. the series paved the way for the new genre of mature Westerns on radio, and it spawned a television adaptation that ran for twenty seasons on CBS. The radio cast lobbied to reprise their roles, but the core characters were recast; even Norman Macdonnell was initially passed over for the TV show; he eventually came on board in 1956, and he guided the program to the number one rating from 1957 until 1961. Today, the radio Gunsmoke (which ran from 1952 to 1961) stands as one of the best dramatic programs from the Golden Age of Radio.

On April 24, 1949, radio fans met Dick Powell as Richard Diamond, Private Detective. The only radio gumshoe who wrapped up his case of the week with a song, Diamond was one of the best sleuths to come out of the radio era thanks to scripts from Blake Edwards and the smooth, polished performance of Powell - an actor who could play both comedy and crime drama. We'll hear three episodes of the series: "The John Blackwell Case" (originally aired on NBC on December 17, 1949); "The Martin White Case" (originally aired on NBC on January 22, 1950); and "The Woman-Hating Killer" (originally aired on NBC on April 12, 1950).

On April 24, 1955, X Minus One premiered on NBC and launched a new wave of adult science fiction stories on the air. A continuation of sorts of NBC's earlier sci-fi anthology Dimension X, X Minus One dramatized stories from the giants of the genre along with original radio plays.

The show's first 15 episodes were new productions of shows from Dimension X, but it soon expanded to more stories that had never been aired on radio. A bright spot of late 1950s radio drama, X Minus One aired over 120 episodes until it left radio in 1958.

Here are my five favorite "adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand may-be worlds" from X Minus One.

"Mars is Heaven" - The first astronauts to land on Mars make a remarkable discovery; their dead loved ones are alive and well on the red planet. Is Mars heaven? Ray Bradbury's classic story makes for excellent radio. (5/8/55)

"Cold Equations" - A pilot is faced with a horrible decision when a young woman stows away on his supply ship to make a surprise visit to her husband. It seems like a harmless lark, but the ship only has enough fuel for the pilot and its cargo - not for the extra passenger. (8/25/55)

"Time and Time Again" - A soldier grievously wounded in battle is suddenly transported back to his 13th birthday, but with all of his memories of the devastating war that lies ahead. Can he use his knowledge of the future to save the world? (1/11/56)

"Skulking Permit" - This darkly comedic story is set on a planet awaiting arrival of a representative from Earth. When they learn how violent Earth can be, they decide to introduce crime to their society to make their visitor more at home. (2/15/56)

"A Gun for Dinosaur" - In the future, safaris can bring hunters millions of years into the past to hunt dinosaurs. But one arrogant client puts his guide and the entire hunting party in jeopardy in this precursor to the dino thrills of "Jurassic Park." (3/7/56)

"I was sitting in my office shooting paper clips at a King size horse fly. It was a little sadistic but he was bigger than I was. Well, about the time I had him down on his knees begging for mercy, the door opened…"

There's nothing in Dick Powell's early career to suggest he was destined to play hard-boiled private eyes. Had his bosses at Warner Brothers had their way, he'd have stayed in the song-and-dance roles on which he built his career. But thanks to a gamble by a director, Powell kicked off a new chapter to his career and the result were some great radio shows, including one of the medium's best - Richard Diamond, Private Detective.

Powell got his start in Hollywood in the 30s as a singer in Warner Brothers musicals, including 42nd Street, and On the Avenue. He was frequently cast in the role of a boyish crooner, even as he approached his 40s. Despite his success, Powell was eager to expand into other roles. His efforts were resisted by Warner Brothers, who wanted to keep Powell right where he was, even if he thought it was the wrong place to be. He pursued the lead role in Double Indemnity, but it ultimately went to another actor pegged in "nice guy" roles - Fred MacMurray.

But later in 1944, RKO and director Edward Dmytryk gave Powell the role he'd been waiting for - Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet, the film adaptation of the Marlowe novel Farewell, My Lovely. The film was a success, and Powell received rave reviews for his performance. In a flash, he had shed the crooner image he'd been desperate to shake and he embarked on the next stage of his career.

Powell recreated his role as Marlowe on the June 11, 1945 Lux Radio Theater broadcast of Murder, My Sweet, and he starred as private detective Richard Rogue in Rogue's Gallery from 1945 to 1946. While it was a fine series, it failed to stand out from the crowd of hard-boiled private eyes littering the airwaves in the postwar years. For his next radio effort, Powell wanted to "make something a little bit different of a standard vehicle." He recorded an audition show as "the man with the action packed expense account," Johnny Dollar, but he passed on the series for a show that sprang from the mind of Blake Edwards. Edwards would later create the outstanding police procedural The Line-Up for radio, develop Peter Gunn for television, and would become a celebrated writer and director of film arguably most famous for the Pink Panther film series with Peter Sellers.

Powell and his producer, Don Sharp, asked Edwards if he had any ideas for a vehicle for Powell. Edwards said he did (a lie), and went home to write what would become the pilot for Richard Diamond, Private Detective. In Edwards' original script, Diamond was a former OSS agent; he would evolve into an ex-cop. One trait he would retain as the script evolved was that Diamond was as quick with a quip as he was with his fists. This played to Powell's natural comedic strengths, and it helped to give the show a unique voice in the sea of detective programs from the era. Unlike other radio shamuses, Diamond would keep up a friendly relationship with his old colleagues on the force - Lt. Walt Levinson, his former partner; and the oafish Sgt. Otis Ludlum, the long-suffering butt of Diamond's jokes. Diamond flirted with every skirt that came through his office door, but he only had eyes for his Park Avenue girlfriend, Helen Asher. Shows would often close at her apartment, where Diamond would sum up his case and (in a nod to Powell's old career) Helen might coax him to do a little singing.

Richard Diamond, Private Detective premiered on NBC on April 24, 1949. Powell was supported by Virginia Gregg as Helen; Ed Begley as Levinson; and Wilms Herbert doing double duty as Sgt. Otis and as Helen's butler, Francis. Joseph Kearns, Peggy Webber, Bill Johnstone, Jack Kruschen, and other West Coast actors filled out the cast. Later in the show's run, Frances Robinson would take over the role of Helen, and Ted de Corsia, Arthur Q. Bryan (Elmer Fudd), and Alan Reed (Fred Flinstone) would rotate in and out as Levinson.

The show ran without a sponsor for the first year before being picked up by the Rexall Drug Company ("Good health to all from Rexall!") in June 1950. In January 1951, the show switched networks and picked up Camel cigarettes as its new sponsor. The show took its final bow on June 27, 1952 (although repeats popped up in the summer of 1953). Powell pulled the plug on the show as he entered a third phase of his career as a successful director and producer.

It was in this capacity that Powell brought Richard Diamond to television in 1957 for a four-season run starring David Janssen in the title role, minus the crooning of the radio series. Janssen would later star as Dr. Richard Kimble on The Fugitive. The Diamond TV show is perhaps best known today for its character of Diamond's secretary, Sam, who was only shown from the waist down to show off her legs. The first actress to furnish Sam's legs was a young Mary Tyler Moore.

In honor of his anniversary, here are ten of my favorite Richard Diamond radio adventures. Sit back and enjoy some sleuthing and singing with Dick Powell and company in these sensational stories.

"The Lillian Baker Case" - This one is a good showcase for Diamond's girlfriend Helen Asher, who gets to take a rare role in the case of the week. At a department store, Helen witnesses an elderly woman shoplifting. It turns out she's a wealthy eccentric, and later that afternoon she dies - allegedly after leaping from her balcony. (9/3/49)

"The Jerome J. Jerome Case" - Joseph Kearns plays the titular eccentric character - a man who claims to be a millionaire, a genius inventor, and a private detective. He wants to partner with Diamond, but as soon as the gumshoe tries to dismiss him it turns out the kook may have information about an actual murder. (9/17/49)

"The Louis Spence Case" - An unusual, but very exciting, episode finds Diamond racing against time to save his old friend Lt. Walt Levinson. A deranged bomber has escaped from prison, and he's taken the lieutenant hostage. Unless the mayor jumps to his death from city hall within the hour, the bomber will blow the precinct - and Walt - to kingdom come. (3/5/50)

"The Statue of Kali" - It's Richard Diamond's version of The Maltese Falcon (complete with Paul Frees doing his best Sydney Greenstreet). An ivory statue is delivered to Diamond by a dying man, and it's being hunted by nefarious characters from all around the world. (4/5/50)

"The Martha Campbell Kidnap Case" - Diamond is hired to deliver the ransom when a wealthy woman is kidnapped, but both he and the lady's nephew are knocked out, the ransom money is taken, and the kidnap victim is killed. Rick has to use some creativity and theatricality to figure out what happened. (7/26/50)

"The Oklahoma Cowboy Murder Case" - Diamond trades the bright lights of the big city for the clear skies of the plains in this episode that was later adapted as an episode of Peter Gunn. Rick heads west to investigate a suspicious death - a wealthy rancher who expired when he fell from his horse. (9/27/50)

"The Cover-Up Murders" - Rick and Walt partner again when a serial killer stalks the city. Part of his MO is to call the police and boast that he'll kill someone that night at eight o'clock. But what appears to be random madness may have a clear motive, and it's up to Diamond to stop the killings before more bodies drop. (11/22/50)

"Blue Serge Suit" - Jim Backus (later Mr. Howell on Gilligan's Island) is Diamond's new client - a tailor whose supply of blue serge is raided and stolen by intruders. When Diamond's own suit is snatched, he's on the trail of a gang of spies. (2/9/51)

"Lady in Distress" - A beautiful woman hires Diamond, and then she drops dead in his office. With nothing to go on - he didn't even know her name - Rick takes the case and tries to learn what had her so scared and what led to her death. It's a story that was recycled quite a few times. Jeff Regan and Johnny Dollar both solved variations of this script, but the Richard Diamond version is my favorite. (2/23/51)

"The Red Rose" - In another story later reworked as a TV episode of Peter Gunn, Diamond is hired to keep a client alive. The man hired a hit man to do away with himself, but he's had a change of heart. Unfortunately, the hit man is a committed professional and he intends to finish the job. (3/2/51)

With the Academy Awards ceremony right around the corner, we'll hear a classic Hollywood comedy recreated for radio. My Man Godfrey picked up six Oscar nominations along with critical acclaim and box office success in 1936. When The Lux Radio Theatre dramatized the film (originally aired on CBS on May 9, 1938), stars William Powell, Carole Lombard, Gail Patrick, and Mischa Auer were joined by David Niven for the story of a bum who becomes a butler overnight and starts a new life with a wealthy family.

We're joining three pairs of husband and wife sleuthing teams as they mix date nights with dead bodies. First, Nick and Nora Charles solve "The Case of the Suspicious Hangover" on The Adventures of the Thin Man (AFRS rebroadcast from October 6, 1944). Then, Pam and Jerry receive an "Invitation to Murder" on Mr. and Mrs. North (AFRS rebroadcast from February 27, 1946). Finally, insurance investigator Pat and wife Jean investigate the mystery behind "The Rickshaw-Red Lipstick" (AFRS rebroadcast from January 30, 1955).

For multiple generations of kids - those who listened on radio and saw the theatrical cartoons and later those who tuned in for the Filmation TV series - Joan Alexander (April 16, 1915 – May 21, 2009) was the voice of Lois Lane. Born April 16, 1915, she was a model and an actress touring with the Yiddish theater before she got into radio. Her birth name was Louise Abrass; she took the first name Joan after big screen star Joan Crawford.

Joan Alexander worked extensively on the air with major roles on several daytime soaps like Lone Journey, Light of the World and This Is Nora Drake. She was in the "girl Friday" business for a pair of radio detectives as Della Street on Perry Mason and Ellen Deering, secretary to Jackson Beck's Philo Vance. Elsewhere, she could be heard on Dimension X, Crime Club, Barrie Craig, and more.

But it's the role of Lois Lane, tough, resourceful reporter, for which Joan Alexander is best remembered. She was the third actress to play the role, but she was cast early in the run and made the part her own. Alexander would co-star with Clayton "Bud" Collyer (voice of Clark Kent and Superman) in over 1,600 radio episodes. The two also voiced their characters in the popular (and still riveting, even today) Superman cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and released theatrically. From 1940 until 1951, Joan Alexander gave voice to one of the most well-known comic book characters of all time, and she helped to cement the character of Lois as a heroine in her own right. Almost every subsequent portrayal of the star reporter owes something to Alexander's performance.

Bud Collyer loved working with her, telling a reporter that "Joan is one of those rare actresses – especially in radio where you can't be seen and have to depend entirely on voice – who can go in on something cold and her instincts are so right as an actress that without even a rehearsal or a read-through, she is right." The two reunited in 1966 as Lois and Clark in The New Adventures of Superman, an animated Saturday morning series produced by Filmation.

Hans Conried gave us one of the all-time great Disney villains as Captain Hook, and he was a memorable menace as Snidely Whiplash. But the greatest showcase for his versatility was radio, where he could play a cavalcade of characters with unique accents and personalities. We'll hear him as Dr. Miller, the long-suffering psychiatrist of Gracie Allen on Maxwell House Coffee Time (originally aired on NBC on December 11, 1947). Then, as Professor Kroptkin on My Friend Irma, he enlists Irma and Jane's help to find him a temporary bride to finalize an adoption (originally aired on CBS on January 13, 1952).

The idea of the gentleman detective conjures up images of smoking jackets and walking sticks: characters like Philo Vance who were as handsome as they were insightful. Captain Hugh Drummond broke that mold. Created by H.C. McNeile, the detective and adventurer is a powerfully built hulk of a man with a face that led to his nickname - "Bulldog." A veteran of World War I, Drummond was a crack shot, good with his fists, talented at poker, and hungry for thrills and excitement. He became one of the most popular sleuths of early Hollywood and the success he enjoyed led to a stint fighting evildoers on the radio - a stint that began on April 13, 1941.

McNeile introduced Drummond first in a story in The Strand. He later reworked the character for a 1920 novel. Like George Valentine, Drummond found post-war life to be dull and took out an advertisement in search of adventure wherever it could be found. His ad memorably read: "Demobilised [sic] officer, finding peace incredibly tedious, would welcome diversion. Legitimate, if possible; but crime, if of a comparatively humorous description, no objection. Excitement essential." The ad is answered by a young woman concerned for her father's safety, and she leads Drummond to a Communist plot to take over England. His client, Phyllis Benton, became Mrs. Drummond, and the mastermind of the plot, Carl Peterson, became Bulldog's arch nemesis. McNeile went on to write ten Drummond novels, five short stories, and three plays before his death in 1937. McNeile's friend Gerald Fairlie picked up the mantle and wrote an additional seven Drummond novels between 1937 and 1957. The character proved very popular in England and influential to boot: Ian Fleming stated that James Bond was Bulldog Drummond from the waist up and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer below.

After two silent films in the early 1920s, Bulldog Drummond was released as a talkie in 1929. Ronald Colman earned an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Drummond (years before he'd take home an Oscar for A Double Life), and the film was hailed by critics. Colman's portrayal of Drummond as debonair and dashing eventually supplanted the rougher around the edges character of McNeile's books; the subsequent films (including a second turn by Colman in 1934) continued the characterization of Drummond as a more sophisticated gentleman adventurer. Ray Milland, another future Oscar-winner, starred in 1937's Bulldog Drummond Escapes before John Howard made the role his own in seven B-movies for Paramount.

It was the success of the film series that spurred interest in a radio series. Producer Hiram Brown (Inner Sanctum Mysteries, as well as another series about a dapper British sleuth - The Private Files of Rex Saunders) packaged the series. Captain Drummond came to radio in 1941 and was originally played by George Coulouris. Coulouris was a veteran of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre and he'd appeared with Welles in Citizen Kane. He starred as Drummond until March 1942 when he was succeeded by Santos Ortega. Ortega was a busy radio character actor; he played Inspector Queen on Ellery Queen, Commissioner Weston on The Shadow, and was also heard as Charlie Chan and in supporting roles on The Adventures of Superman, usually in villainous roles. Ortega stayed with the series for a year, and his replacement was another actor with a track record at radio crime-solving.

Ned Wever stepped into Bulldog Drummond's shoes with the March 15, 1943 broadcast and he stayed with the show until 1949. Wever was a regular player on The Adventures of Superman; he played Jor-El in the series' premiere episode and he appeared as "The Wolf," the first villain the Man of Steel encountered on radio. Coincidentally, in another early serial, he and fellow radio Bulldog Santos Ortega played crooked mine owners who swindled their investors. Later, he played a Nazi agent (more than slightly inspired by Sydney Greenstreet's Kasper Gutman) during the program's memorable "Atom Man" story arc. On the right side of the law, he played Dick Tracy on radio, and his clipped, authoritative delivery was perfect for the dapper British gentleman detective as he'd been reinvented on screen and on the radio.

The McNeile novels had introduced the character of James Denny, Drummond's wartime batman and landlord of Drummond's apartment building. Denny made the jump to radio, where he was reworked as Drummond's valet and sidekick. Everett Sloane (another Mercury Theatre veteran) played Denny for much of the series, alongside Coulouris, Ortega, and Wever. The supporting casts included several great radio actors, including Jackson Beck (Philo Vance) and Mercedes McCambridge (Defense Attorney). In his radio adventures, Bulldog Drummond tackled all manner of crimes - hijackers, atomic spies, gangsters, and killers all went up against the poised captain…and lost.

Despite the character's popularity at the time (the radio series ran until 1954, with Cedric Hardwicke in the role for the final year), Bulldog Drummond has been left behind by popular culture. Aside from a brief James Bond-inspired revival in the late 1960s, the character remains a war-years relic. It's too bad; the B-movies (many of them available on public domain collections of mystery films) are enjoyable romps, and the radio series is a good listen. Hopefully you'll enjoy rediscovering Bulldog Drummond or meeting him for the first time as he steps out of the fog.

"Calling Nick Carter! Another case for Nick Carter, Master Detective. Yes, it's another case for that most famous of all manhunters, the detective whose ability at solving crimes is unequaled in the history of detective fiction - Nick Carter, Master Detective!"

In 1886, readers were introduced to a brilliant detective, a master of both disguise and deduction, who tackled the cases that baffled the police. Think you know who it is? If you guessed Sherlock Holmes, you're a year too early. Arthur Conan Doyle's first Holmes adventure was published in 1887, one year after the debut of Nick Carter, a character who went from dime novels to pulp magazines, and then to film and later radio. Though not as well known today, Nick Carter enjoyed a long career as one of America's most celebrated detectives, and his run on the air began on April 11, 1943.

Carter's first adventure was "The Old Detective's Pupil," which appeared in the September 18, 1886 issue of Street & Smith's New York Weekly. Street & Smith were one of the largest publishers of dime novels in the country; in fact, the plot of the first Nick Carter story was dreamed up by Ormond G. Smith, son of one of the magazine's founders. Writer John Russell Coryell wrote the story and two more before he decided there was more money in writing romances. The character was turned over to writer Frederick Rensselaer Dey, who penned a Carter novel (25,000 words) each week for seventeen years. Carter became so popular that Street & Smith launched a separate magazine devoted to his exploits.

Nick Carter was a clean-cut, teetotaling, private detective. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the world and possessed almost superhuman strength; he could "lift a horse with ease…while a heavy man is seated in the saddle." Nick had been groomed for the gumshoe game from birth by his father, a famous detective named "Old Sim" Carter. Based in a ritzy New York apartment, Nick's cases would take him all around the world. And he was famous all over the world, too. In 1908, the first of three Nick Carter film serials hit French movie screens, with sequels following in 1909 and 1912.

By 1915, the solo Nick Carter magazine had folded, but the character continued to make appearances in Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine. Later, after the company found pulp novel success with the exploits of The Shadow and others, Nick Carter was back in his own pulp magazine. In 1939, Hollywood came calling (albeit several years after French film producers), and Walter Pidgeon starred as Nick in three movies from MGM.

When the character came to radio in 1943, it was in The Return of Nick Carter. Those early shows tipped their hat to the character's pulp origins with subtitled adventures (for example, "Murder in the Crypt…or Nick Carter and the Jackal God"). Actor Lon Clark, a former opera singer, took the role of Nick and kept it until the series left the air in 1955. His 12 years as Nick Carter are bested only by Bennett Kipack's 13 years as Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons. On radio, Carter was presented in the clean-cut mold from the pulps. He had a fancy brownstone house with a crime lab and shooting range in the basement where he'd work out cases with his friends and colleagues Patsy Bowen and reporter "Scubby" Wilson. They'd be called in, sometimes relcutantly, by Sgt. Mathison (affectionately known as "Matty" to Nick) on tough crimes that left the NYPD stumped.

Clark was supported by Helen Choate (a former radio Lois Lane) and later Charlotte Manson as Patsy. Ed Latimer provided the thick Irish brogue for Matty for much of the series. Scripts came from Walter B. Gibson, who wrote the pulp novels and fleshed out the history of Carter's Street & Smith stablemate, The Shadow. Other writers on the show were Edith Meiser, who contributed scripts for Sherlock Holmes, and sci-fi author Alfred Bester. Walter Gibson also worked on the series' short-lived spin-off Chick Carter, Boy Detective (Chick was Nick's adopted son who followed in the family business).

The show, later retitled Nick Carter, Master Detective, aired on the Mutual Network until September 25, 1955 - outlasting several of the better known gumshoes of the Golden Age of Radio. When the radio series ended, Carter didn't hang up his badge and gun. He was resurrected in the 1960s as a James Bondian secret agent in over 200 Nick Carter - Killmaster novels. In 1972, Robert Conrad, late of The Wild Wild West, starred as Carter in a turn of the century mystery set in the Victorian Era that would have served as a pilot for a new series. Unfortunately, this didn't get picked up, but Nick Carter is still kicking over a century after he first appeared in print. His mix of brains and derring-do, with a healthy dose of pulp heroics, are well worth rediscovering or enjoying for the first time.

One of radio's best anthologies of adult science fiction, Dimension X presented adaptations of stories from Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and more. We'll hear two tales from the series - each starring a private detective who gets more than he bargained for when he takes on an unusual case. First, it's a hunt for Martians on Earth in Donald Wollheim's "The Embassy' (originally aired on NBC on June 3, 1950). Then, in "Untitled Story" (originally aired on NBC on August 23, 1951), a gumshoe investigates a formula for eternal life. Finally, we'll hear Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell in Dangerous Assignment on a mission to investigate flying saucers and disappearing planes (originally aired on NBC on April 17, 1950).

Some radio detectives originated in the pages of novels and short stories, while others transitioned from the big screen to the airwaves. In the case of The Falcon, it was a little of each as two different characters were blended into one of radio's longest-running sleuths. The exploits of the gumshoe first came to radio on April 10, 1943.

The first Falcon was introduced by Drexel Drake in a 1936 novel The Falcon's Prey. Drake's Falcon, featured in multiple novels and stories, was Malcolm Wingate, a shadowy crime-fighter and Robin Hood figure born in America but raised in England. Aided by an ex-cop nicknamed "Sarge," the Falcon preyed on evildoers and came to the aid of the oppressed. Drake's Falcon predated Gay Stanhorpe Falcon, a freelance adventurer created by Michael Arlen in his 1940 short story "The Gay Falcon." It was this Falcon who came to the big screen in 1941 with George Sanders (fresh off a movie run as The Saint) starring as the character. As if that wasn't complicated enough, the movie (and its sequels) changed the character's name to Gay Lawrence, with no explanation of how he earned the name "The Falcon." The Falcon of the films began as a replacement for The Saint at RKO, but he evolved into more of a classic private detective. In fact, his third movie, The Falcon Takes Over (1942), was an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely with The Falcon subbing in for Philip Marlowe. After four movies, Sanders had enough and his real-life brother Tom Conway took over the franchise as "Tom Lawrence" in The Falcon's Brother, and played the role for eight more movies.

The success of the films led to a radio version in 1943. The Falcon of the radio was a private eye named Michael Waring, neither the Drake character nor the Arlen character. The radio series referred to the Falcon's past in novels and in films, and Drexel Drake was credited as the character's creator on the air. Just to add another wrinkle to the genealogy of the character, the Waring Falcon hit the big screen in three films starring John Calvert.

Berry Kroger was the first actor to play Waring on the air, and he was succeeded by James Meighan. For the bulk of the run, The Falcon was played by Les Tremayne and Les Damon. The actors shared several roles along with their first name; in addition to The Falcon, they each took a turn starring as Nick Charles in The Adventures of The Thin Man. George Petrie, who played radio private eye Charlie Wild and District Attorney Markham on Philo Vance, was the last actor to play The Falcon on the air.

Most of the shows began with The Falcon answering a phone call from one of his many lovely female companions. He'd politely decline their company for the evening before offering a tease of the adventure he was about to undertake. Like his radio private eye brethren, Waring's cases were about equally divided between clients seeking his help and the police calling him in on tough-to-crack cases. In the early 1950s, owing to the popularity of espionage programs, The Falcon became an intelligence agent for the US Government. His work took him overseas where he battled enemy spies with the same skills he used on gangsters back in the Big Apple.

Despite the long run of the program (The Falcon aired from 1943 until 1954 in multiple runs over NBC and Mutual), only about 100 episodes survive. Most of them come from the Tremayne/Damon years, so listeners today can hear a mix of Falcon adventures both foreign and domestic. With his mix of hard-boiled private eye and suave gentleman adventurer, The Falcon is a great character with whom to spend an evening.

"I rarely leave my house. I do like it here. I would be an idiot to leave this chair, made to fit me." (Rex Stout, Before I Die)

Nero Wolfe made his first appearance in 1934, and his adventures are still being enjoyed nearly eighty years later in books, TV shows, and - beginning on April 10, 1943 - radio dramas. Not bad for a man who hated leaving his house more than nearly anything in the world.

Wolfe, the eccentric genius who weighs a seventh of a ton, was created by writer Rex Stout. Stout made a tidy sum inventing a system to track the money school children saved in their accounts, and he used his earnings and royalties to travel the world and embark on a career as a writer. His first Wolfe novel, Fer-de-Lance, was published in 1934, and Stout would go on to write 33 novels and 39 stories featuring Wolfe until his death in 1975. Over the course of the novels and stories, Stout fleshed out the character, who enjoyed fine food and good beer, tended to his orchids, and solved mysteries when he had to earn a fee, always with the aid of his assistant (and the narrator of the stories), Archie Goodwin.

Stout's brilliant stroke was to combine two archetypes of detective fiction into one duo. Nero Wolfe was a classic refined detective in the mold of Sherlock Holmes, right down to his eccentricities, anti-social personality, and acute agoraphobia. He could listen to clues as they were presented to him in his drawing room and deduce the solution to a crime without ever leaving the chair especially designed for his massive weight. At his side was Archie, a more streetwise sleuth in the mold of (though not nearly as hard-boiled) Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. Archie carried a gun and had an eye for a blonde like his brethren, but he drank milk instead of bourbon and he had a playful demeanor - particularly with his boss and their frequent foil on the police force, Inspector Cramer.

Wolfe came to the screen in 1934 and 1937, but it would take almost ten years for the character to make his radio debut. From 1943 to 1944, ABC aired The Adventures of Nero Wolfe which starred J.B. Williams, Santos Ortega, and Luis Van Rooten as Wolfe during various points in the run. A falling out between ABC and Stout's representatives prevented the series from continuing, but a new version would premier on the Mutual Network in 1946. Francis X. Bushman starred as Wolfe, with Elliott Lewis, a veteran radio actor who would soon take the director's chair on Suspense, as Archie.

But it is the 1950 NBC series The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe that is most fondly remembered and which came the closest to capturing the essence of Stout's stories. First and foremost, they found an actor who could fully embody Wolfe's larger than life persona - Sydney Greenstreet.

A longtime theater actor, Greenstreet's big break came as Kasper Gutman ("The Fat Man") opposite Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon in 1941 at age 62. After receiving an Academy Award nomination for the role, Greenstreet appeared in films like Casablanca, The Mask of Demetrios, and Across the Pacific. At age 71, he was cast as Wolfe, and his trademark characteristics - arched speech, droll laugh, deliberate intonation - perfectly fit Nero Wolfe's larger than life personality.

Over the course of the series, no fewer than six actors were heard as Archie Goodwin. Each of the first three episodes featured a different Archie: Wally Maher (October 20); Lamont Johnson (October 27); and Herb Ellis (November 10). Beginning on November 24, actor Larry Dobkin assumed the role. Dobkin had previously been heard as Louie the cab driver on The Saint and as Detective Lt. Matthews on The Adventures of Philip Marlowe. After eight episodes, Dobkin left and his old co-star Gerald Mohr voiced Goodwin for the next four episodes. Mohr was on a radio detective roll; he had just wrapped his two-year run as Marlowe and would return for a Marlowe summer series a few months after his gig as Archie came to a close. Harry Bartell, a veteran of Escape and Dragnet as well as the Petri Wine announcer for The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, stepped into Archie's shoes for the final ten episodes of the series.

Why so many Archies to one Nero? There's no definite answer. Some have said it was because Greenstreet was difficult to work with; others speculate the revolving door of co-stars was a sign of retooling to see if the ratings would improve.

And while the series was well done, with even Rex Stout praising Greenstreet's performance (he was less complimentary of the program itself), it did not fare well enough in the ratings to earn a second year. The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe wrapped up its run on April 27, 1951. Fortunately for fans, the entire series run are available in great condition. One can listen to the full run and hear Greenstreet lend his one-of-a-kind voice to Wolfe, and even with so many actors playing Archie Goodwin, none is sub-par. Each brings his own style to the character while staying true to Stout's creation. And backing up Greenstreet and his Goodwins every week are a great cast, including Bill Johnstone as Inspector Cramer, Howard McNear, Betty Lou Gerson, Peter Leeds, and Barney Phillips.

Since the radio era came to an end, Nero Wolfe has continued to entertain fans outside of the books. Several TV shows have aired, including one single-season program starring radio veteran William Conrad as Wolfe and an absolutely delightful but criminally short-lived production on A&E with Timothy Hutton as Archie and Maury Chaykin as Wolfe. And for fans who want more audio adventures of the pair, the CBC mounted an impressive series of adaptations in 1982.

"Adventures in time and space…told in future tense!"

Dimension X, one of radio's first and best "adult" science fiction programs, premiered on NBC on April 8, 1950. The series presented a mix of original stories as well as adaptations of works by masters of the genre like Robert Heinlein, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ray Bradbury. It was this collection of adaptations that gave Dimension X a boost in credibility with science fiction fans; earlier shows had consisted entirely of original radio plays.

With radio creative talents like George Lefferts and Ernest Kinoy and New York radio actors like Wendell Holmes, Santos Ortega, Arnold Moss, Joe Julian, and Joan Alexander, Dimension X presented high-quality stories that helped to bring science fiction out of the realm of kids' entertainment, and it helped to pave the way for more sophisticated sci-fi on radio and later television.

Fortunately for fans of these tales of tomorrow, all 50 episodes of Dimension X survive to be enjoyed today. Here are a few of my favorites…

"The Outer Limit" - The one that started it all! This adaptation of Graham Doar's short story centers on a test pilot who vanishes in his experimental aircraft only to return with a dire warning from beyond the stars. (4/8/1950)

"Knock" - "The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock at the door." With that incredible opening, we're off on Frederic Brown's story of the survivor of an alien apocalypse and his unusual relationship with his otherworldly captors. (5/6/50)

"A Logic Named Joe" - Based on a story by Murray Lennister, this one predates/predicts smartphone technology with "Logics." These supercomputers can answer any question, but when they start advising on how to get away with murder it falls to one engineer to save the world. (7/1/1950)

"Mars is Heaven" - Ray Bradbury's classic story was adapted several times for many different radio shows, but the Dimension X version is my favorite. The astronauts on the first mission to Mars are shocked to find the red planet is full of their deceased friends and family members. Is Mars really heaven? (7/7/1950)

"The Martian Chronicles" - More from Ray Bradbury, this collection of vignettes contains comedy, romance, tragedy, and at the end a glimmer of hope as we follow several people who leave Earth behind for life on Mars. (8/18/1950)

"The Roads Must Roll" - This story from Robert Heinlein tells of a future where mechanized roads haul people and goods across the country. When a deadly strike among the engineers threatens to derail the roads and threaten the stability of the nation, it falls to a handful of heroes to keep the roads rolling. (9/1/50)

One of radio's most versatile and in-demand performers, John Brown could be heard in regular roles almost every night of the week through the 40s and 50s. He was Ozzie Nelson's next door neighbor, Dennis Day's boss, and Broadway - narrator of The Damon Runyon Theatre. We'll hear him as Al, the ne'er do well boyfriend of My Friend Irma (originally aired on CBS on May 16, 1947). Then, Brown is Digger O'Dell - "the friendly undertaker" - in The Life of Riley (originally aired on NBC on December 30, 1949).

He's best known for Dragnet and Joe Friday, but there was a lot more to Jack Webb's radio career than the groundbreaking police procedural. We'll hear him in three old time radio mysteries as a trio of down on their luck detectives. First, he's Pat Novak for Hire in "Dixie Gillian" (originally aired on ABC on November 24, 1946). Then, Webb stars in "The Man Who Liked the Mountains" from Jeff Regan, Investigator (originally aired on CBS on August 7, 1948). Finally, it's a tale of jazz and crime in "Gus Trudeau" from Pete Kelly's Blues (originally aired on NBC on July 4, 1951).

Is there anybody who doesn't know Dragnet? Even if you don't know the series or couldn't pick Sgt. Joe Friday out of a line-up, chances are you know the distinct "dum-da-dum-dum" opening. Like the eerie sounds of the theme to The Twilight Zone, the opening notes of the Dragnet march have become shorthand for someone in trouble about to get busted, or the arrival of an authority figure on the scene. This writer discovered the taut police series in between Get Smart and The Dick Van Dyke Show on Nick at Nite in the early nineties, and it wasn't until years later that he discovered the radio series. It's hard for modern audiences to appreciate just how revolutionary Dragnet was when it hit radio. The style it perfected and the approach to docudrama realism it produced can still be seen in TV procedural programs and films today, more than sixty years after it premiered.

But none of it would have been possible without actor, producer, and director Jack Webb. Born April 2, 1920, there was more to the man than Joe Friday's no-nonsense demeanor. Webb was a talented writer, director, and producer, a music aficionado, and - perhaps least well known - a man with a wicked sense of humor. Along with Rod Serling and Quinn Martin, Webb was arguably one of the biggest creative forces in the Golden Age of Television, and he is undeniably a legend of the Golden Age of Radio.

Webb grew up in Los Angeles. His father left before Webb was born, and Webb was raised by his mother and grandmother. As a boy, Webb grew up with a love of movies and jazz music, the latter cultivated by a jazzman tenant in his mother's rooming house.

He enlisted in the Air Force in World War II, but he did not make it through flight training (in his words, he "washed out"). After his discharge, Webb moved to San Francisco where he got into radio. The lack of announcers due to the war left vacancies on the schedule of ABC's San Francisco affiliate KGO, and Webb served as an announcer, DJ, and as host of his own comedy show, The Jack Webb Show, a sketch comedy series that poked fun at current events and featured a house band playing Dixieland jazz numbers. His comedy career on the air would be short-lived, as he turned his attention to the crime genre that would come to define his output for the rest of his career.

During his time at KGO, Webb struck up a friendship with writer Richard Breen and the two collaborated on The Jack Webb Show. The two were approached to fill some holes in KGO's programming schedule, and they created a character who was perfectly suited for Webb's downbeat, naturalistic style. Novak would be a detective of the hard-boiled school, operating out of an office on the San Francisco waterfront, and he would deliver some of the best dialogue this side of a pulp novel.

Pat Novak For Hire premiered on KGO in 1946 and was a hit almost immediately. The combination of Webb's voice and Breen's words was unlike anything radio listeners had heard up until that point. Novak was cynical and world-weary, and he had great reason to be both. He was often double-crossed by his clients; he rarely got the girl; and he was always on the outs with the law, particularly with the block-headed Inspector Hellman. His only friend (if you could call him that) was Jocko Madigan, an ex-doctor and full-time boozer who could come to Novak's aid, but not without dropping a ton of unwanted tipsy advice on Novak.

Despite the success, Webb and Breen jumped ship for reasons that have never fully been explained. ABC soldiered on with Ben Morris stepping in as the new Pat Novak, while Breen and Webb set up shop on Mutual with the very similar program Johnny Madero, Pier 23. Listeners didn't take to Morris in the role, and the series signed off in early 1948. Webb continued in the detective business, and he starred for a season as Jeff Regan, Investigator for CBS before returning to Pat Novak for a national run on ABC in 1949. It was during this period where Webb was beginning to get the ideas for what would become his signature series and role.

In 1948, Webb played the role of a crime scene technician in He Walked By Night. During breaks in the filming, he struck up a friendship with the movie's technical advisor, Sgt. Marty Wynn. Webb believed there was an opportunity to dramatically depict police work in an authentic manner; most radio shows (including Webb's own Pat Novak and Jeff Regan usually played cops as incompetent at best and corrupt at worst). Working with Wynn and other police officers, along with writer James Moser, Webb pitched the concept to NBC. That series would become Dragnet, and its combination of authentic cases and a "ripped from the headlines" style with Webb's signature realistic approach made for a series that - once again - was unlike anything radio audiences had heard.

Webb starred as Sgt. Joe Friday, the epitome of a professional policeman, who rotated in and out of different divisions of the LAPD (Homicide, Narcotics, Traffic, etc.). This allowed Webb and his team to tell a full range of stories, all taken from LAPD files. Sometimes there was a corpse and the thrill of the hunt of a killer; in other episodes, there were stake-outs and spent shoe leather running down leads. Through it all, Webb pushed for authenticity: "We try to make cops human beings. We try to combine the best qualities of the men I've seen downtown, incorporate their way of speaking, make a composite."

Dragnet exploded in popularity not long after it premiered in 1949. A TV version followed in 1951 and a film version hit the big screen in 1954. Perhaps the surest sign of success came in the form of parody when satirist Stan Freberg released his dead-on send-up of the show "St. George and the Dragonet." Webb, who had a better sense of humor than he's given credit for, loved it and allowed the use of the trademark Dragnet theme music.

Even during this time, when he was on Dragnet twice a week on radio and TV, Webb continued to work elsewhere. He created and starred in the short-lived 1951 radio crime drama Pete Kelly's Blues, a Prohibition-era crime drama centered on a cornet player in a Kansas City speakeasy who frequently rubbed elbows with the city's unsavory elements. The series incorporated his lifelong love of jazz into the mystery stories, and Webb strove for authenticity just as he did on Dragnet. Pete Kelly's cornet - the instrument played on the air by Dick Cathcart - was presented to Webb by a San Francisco fan whose father had played it in Chicago speakeasies during the 1920s. This blend of music was something new to dramatic radio, and it coincided with the entrance of jazz into the American mainstream.

Big screen success eluded Webb, and after a few misfires at the box office in the late 1950s, he was back in television. In 1963, he was given the reins of the private eye drama 77 Sunset Strip, which he rebranded in his own style. The series, which had been one of the more "hip" mystery shows on TV, suffered a ratings hit as a result of the shift and was cancelled. Fortunately for Webb, there was still a demand for his style - and his signature series. He was approached by Universal in 1966 to develop a new Dragnet TV movie. The product was so well received that NBC put a new Dragnet series on the air, with Webb back as Sgt. Joe Friday. It's this color run of Dragnet (which aired often on Nick at Nite in the early 1990s) with which Webb is most closely associated. It also kicked off the next phase of his career, as a producer of TV content through his Mark VII production company. In addition to Dragnet, Webb produced the squad car-based police drama Adam-12 and the EMT/paramedic series Emergency!, both of which enjoyed long runs in the late 1960s and early 1970s. (His Adam-12 star Martin Milner got one of his first jobs on the radio version of Dragnet, playing one of Joe Friday's young partners.)

In the early 1980s, Webb was prepping for yet another Dragnet revival, and he tapped Kent McCord of Adam-12 to play Joe Friday's new partner. Before the series could go into production, Webb passed away at the age of 62 from a heart attack on December 23, 1982. In recognition of his long partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department, the LAPD retired 714, Joe Friday's badge number. All flags in Los Angeles flew at half-staff in his honor.

One doesn't need to look far to see Jack Webb's legacy alive and well today. Reality-based police procedurals cover the prime-time landscape, and the realistic style of acting he helped introduce to the mainstream has influenced generations of writers and actors. He was a tireless professional who worked right up until the end of an unfortunately short life, but his body of work will continue to outlive him and entertain new generations of fans.

Over a long radio career, Paula Winslowe effortlessly moved between dramas, thrillers, mysteries, and comedies. But her signature role came in one of the era's best domestic sitcoms as Peg opposite William Bendix in The Life of Riley. As the Riley family's level-headed matriarch, Winslowe gave radio one of its best female characters and created a funny and loving couple with her co-star. We'll hear a pair of episodes - first, Peg's ex-boyfriend sells Riley a life insurance policy (originally aired on NBC on March 16, 1946). Then, Peg tells son Junior the story of her first date with Riley (originally aired on NBC on November 17, 1950).

Academy Award, one of the more prestigious Hollywood radio programs, premiered on CBS on March 30, 1946. The series presented recreations of films that had been nominated for or won - you guessed it - the Academy Award. The Oscar distinction set it apart from other Hollywood anthologies like The Lux Radio Theatre and Screen Directors Playhouse. Humphrey Bogart, Ginger Rogers, Gregory Peck, and Lana Turner were just some of the stars who appeared at the microphone to recreate their screen roles on the air.

Ultimately, that Oscar-prestige helped to spell a premature end for the series, as the cost for licensing the mentions of the Academy Awards (combined with the big salaries for the Hollywood stars) proved prohibitive for a long run. The program came to an end after only 39 episodes, despite being a hit with audiences.

To celebrate the show's anniversary, here are some of my favorite big screen adaptations from the short run of Academy Award.

"Stagecoach" - Claire Trevor is among the passengers on this eventful trip through the west. John Ford's classic film comes to radio without co-star John Wayne, but it's still a great production following an unlikely band of travelers as they try to survive the elements and an Indian attack en route to safety. (Originally aired on CBS on May 4, 1946)

"The Maltese Falcon" - Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet recreate their roles in this abridged production of the classic film noir drama. Sam Spade is on the hunt for the titular black bird, and he's surrounded by characters who will try to woo him or kill him to steal the prize for themselves. (Originally aired on CBS on July 3, 1946)

"Young Mr. Lincoln" - John Ford's tale of the pre-presidential life of Honest Abe gets the radio treatment with original star Henry Fonda. He's superb as Lincoln as a young attorney trying to clear two men of a murder charge. (Originally aired on CBS on July 10, 1946)

"Foreign Correspondent" - One of several Hitchcock films adapted for the program, this radio play finds Joseph Cotten stepping in for Joel McCrea as a reporter abroad in the earliest days of World War II. He stumbles into an assassination plot and must stay alive to get his story back to his readers in the United States. (Originally aired on CBS on July 24, 1946)

"Shadow of a Doubt" - Alfred Hitchcock's favorite film of all the pictures he directed gets a great radio adaptation with Joseph Cotten back at the microphone. He recreates his role as Uncle Charlie, the lovable relative who comes to town with a cloud of suspicion hanging over his head. His niece and namesake Charlie begins to suspect her beloved uncle may be hiding a murderous secret. (Originally aired on CBS on September 11, 1946)

For much of its history, the US Treasury Department was extensively involved in law enforcement. The Coast Guard, the Bureau of Prohibition, the Secret Service - all were under the umbrella of the Treasury at one point. The exploits of its agents - men and women who battled counterfeiters and other crooks - inspired films, comic books, and radio shows. We'll hear Raymond Edward Johnson and Ralph Bell in "The Case of the Faithful Wife" from Treasury Agent (originally aired on ABC on August 11, 1947). Then, Dennis O'Keefe stars as a two-fisted agent in a pair of episodes from T-Man: "The Case of the Bleeding Gold" (audition recorded on April 29, 1950) and "The Case of the Big Mexican Dope" (originally aired on CBS on July 29, 1950).

We mark the first anniversary of our bonus comedy episodes with the shows that kicked off the series. First, Jack Benny and his gang try and solve a murder with an all-star cast of suspects (including Gene Kelly, Rosalind Russell, and Frank Sinatra) in The Jack Benny Program (originally aired on CBS on January 8, 1950). Then, Eve Arden stars as Our Miss Brooks. She's placed in charge of Madison High School's new student banking system (originally aired on CBS on January 30, 1949).

Before his big screen turns in The Hitchhiker and In a Lonely Place, Frank Lovejoy made a name for himself on radio. His best known role was reporter and amateur sleuth Randy Stone in Night Beat, but before that he could be heard on everything from The Shadow to Suspense in supporting and starring roles. We'll hear him as a tough insurance investigator in Here Comes McBride (originally aired on NBC on May 19, 1949). Then, Lovejoy is a private eye guarding a fabulous emerald in "Figure a Dame" from Escape (originally aired on CBS on December 20, 1949). Finally, he stars in "The Girl from Kansas" from Night Beat (originally aired on NBC on June 5, 1950).

It's a birthday salute to Jerry Lewis with a pair of shows from his radio comedy series with partner Dean Martin. The cool crooner and the goofball with the squeaky voice were a hit on the air, on stage, and on the big screen in the late 40s and early 50s, and we'll hear them welcome some big stars to their microphones. First, Dinah Shore stops by (originally aired on NBC on October 5, 1951), and then Marlene Dietrich visits (originally aired on NBC on March 21, 1952).

We're headed to court for three old time radio mysteries starring crusading counselors at law. First, Mercedes McCambridge finds clues and cross-examines to find the truth in "Client Grady Daniels" from Defense Attorney (originally aired on ABC on August 24, 1951). Then, wily New England lawyer Ephraim Tutt springs from the pages of the Saturday Evening Post in The Amazing Mr. Tutt. Will Wright stars as the attorney in "Advice for a Young Lawyer" (originally aired on CBS on July 5, 1948). Finally, Henry Fonda reprises his role of Honest Abe in a radio recreation of Young Mr. Lincoln from Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on July 10, 1946).

We're back with Stan Freberg and company for more from The Stan Freberg Show, The unique blend of satire and shenanigans was one of the last original comedies of the radio era, and though it was short-lived we can enjoy the entire run today. We'll hear the western psychiatric adventures of "The Lone Analyst" (originally aired on CBS on August 25, 1957) and a saga of the ordeals of ice cream men (originally aired on CBS on September 1, 1957).

Before he won a Tony and an Oscar as Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, Rex Harrison had a brief stint as a radio private eye. We'll hear the star of stage and screen as a debonair detective in a pair of episodes from The Private Files of Rex Saunders - "The Most Malignant of Diseases...Namely Murder" (originally aired on NBC on June 27, 1951) and "Until Death Do Us Part" (originally aired on NBC on July 18, 1951). Then, he recreates his big screen role as a British spy out to save a scientist and his daughter from the Nazis in "Night Train" from Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on November 13, 1946).

It's a birthday bash for Lou Costello in this week's bonus comedy show. We'll hear Costello and Bud Abbott trade barbs and backwards logic in a pair of episodes from their long-running radio series. First, Costello wants to join the Merchant Marines (originally aired on NBC on January 25, 1945). Then, Bud and Lou hit the road to hire the Andrews Sisters (originally aired on NBC on April 5, 1945).

It's a trip around the world with three old time radio detectives who walked an international beat. First, Rocky Jordan investigates a killing in Cairo in "The Man With No Name" (originally aired on CBS on October 9, 1949). Then, secret agent Mr. I.A. Moto journeys to Rome in "Escape" (originally aired on NBC on July 22, 1951). Finally, Brian Donlevy stars as Steve Mitchell in Dangerous Assignment on an adventure to Bombay (originally aired on NBC on August 23, 1950).

"Broadway is my beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle - the gaudiest, the most violent…the lonesomest mile in the world."

On February 27, 1949, Broadway is My Beat premiered on CBS. Rising above the din of radio mysteries Broadway is My Beat was a New York-set police procedural that followed Detective Danny Clover as he solved crimes along the Great White Way. Thanks to the expert direction, the sharp writing, and an impressive lead performance, Broadway is My Beat broke the mold of a police drama and holds up today as one of the best shows from the era.

The series premiered in February 1949 on CBS as a competently made police drama with a capable lead performance from stage veteran Anthony Ross as Danny Clover. It attracted little attention from the public and the series left the air after four months. Originating from New York for the first go-round, CBS moved production across the country to Los Angeles and engaged a new production team to retool the series.

The reins were turned over to Elliot Lewis, who was about to break out as one of the great radio talents of the era. Lewis was best known in 1949 as an actor; he starred in the Mutual adventure series Voyage of the Scarlet Queen, and he played Frankie Remley, the dim bulb sidekick of Phil Harris on The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. He cut his teeth in the Armed Forces Radio Service and learned the ins and outs of radio, from scriptwriting to directing, during World War II. Lewis wasn't interested in making just another police drama. He wanted to make the city of New York as much a character on the show as the cops and the criminals. To that end, he employed a team of three sound effects artists to create one of radio's richest soundscapes. It was rare that the sounds of traffic and the hustle of the city weren't heard as Danny Clover walked up flights of stairs at apartment houses or ducked into bars still waking up from the previous' nights revelries.

Lewis added scriptwriting duo Morton Fine and David Friedkin to the Broadway is My Beat team. This veteran radio duo (who would later create the classic 1960s TV series I Spy) put a spin on Danny Clover that was more in line with Jack Webb's Joe Friday than brilliant super-cops. Clover cracked cases through determination and hard work; he was no deductive genius but he wasn't a dullard either. In a June 15, 1950 article in The Sherbrooke Telegram, Fine and Friedkin described Danny Clover as "a nice, human guy who is a policeman and who solves crimes by piling human emotion against human emotion."

But Clover wasn't going to be the man Fine and Friedkin imagined without the right voice at the microphone. Fortunately, the right man got the job. Larry Thor was a CBS announcer (he could be heard introducing Rocky Jordan and other programs) who started acting along with his announcing chores. He brought a dignity and determination to the work of a policeman, and he delivered the lyrical dialogue of the scripts effortlessly. Supporting Clover at police headquarters were Charles Calvert as the quirky desk sergeant Gino Tartaglia, and Jack Kruschen as Clover's sidekick in the field, Detective Muggavan. Just like Clover, these weren't the typical radio cops, but they added some color and levity to the downbeat scripts and harsh world of the series.

The combination of rich performances, poetic, complex scripts, and a vivid soundscape created one of radio's most poignant and memorable police dramas. For much of the run, the show was sustained by CBS and was used to fill gaps on the network's lineup. it moved consistently, which is never the right way to build an audience. The series left the air in 1953, but one listen to Broadway is My Beat today reveals a show that succeeded in spite of its scheduling woes; it wasn't just another radio cop show, and it may be a program that plays better to a 21st century audience more accustomed to realism and morally complex plots than some of the white-hat derring do of the Golden Age of Radio.

We'll close out our Black History Month series with music and comedy from Louis Armstrong. Satchmo teams up with Rochester in an episode of The Jack Benny Program (originally aired on NBC on May 9, 1943). Then, he jams on an episode of the Armed Forces Radio Service showcase Jubilee (recorded on May 24, 1943).

Seventy-two years ago this month, "the man with the action-packed expense account" made his two-fisted radio debut. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar ran until 1962 and helped to bring down the curtain on the golden age of radio. We'll hear three radio adventures of "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator," each starring a different actor as Dollar. First, Charles Russell stars in "Murder is a Merry-Go-Round" (originally aired on CBS on March 11, 1949). Then, John Lund is Dollar in "The Marigold Matter" (originally aired on CBS on January 23, 1953). Finally, Mandel Kramer plays Johnny in "The Three for One Matter" (originally aired on CBS on October 22, 1961).

Eddie Green's signature radio role was as Eddie, the waiter at Duffy's Tavern. But before he joined the cast of the Ed Gardner comedy series, Green was a successful entertainer on stage and screen. He was an actor, director, and songwriter who reached tremendous heights as an African American performer in the first half of the twentieth century. We'll hear Green in a pair of episodes from Duffy's Tavern (originally aired on NBC on November 9, 1945 and December 28, 1945).

We're saluting some of the women who solved crimes during the radio era. First, we'll Meet Miss Sherlock, a scatterbrained amateur detective (originally aired on CBS on September 12, 1946). Then, comedy star Sara Berner shows off her trademark silliness as she sleuths in Sara's Private Caper (originally aired on NBC on June 15, 1950). And finally, Natalie Masters is on the case as Candy Matson - the gorgeous gumshoe from San Francisco - in "A Symphony of Death" (originally aired on NBC on June 20, 1950).

"It's a bird! It's a plane! It's SUPERMAN!"

On February 12, 1940, two years after his debut in the pages of Action Comics, Superman took flight on radio. As he thrilled readers in the comic books and dazzled audiences in movie theaters, the Man of Steel soared on the airwaves, battling the mob, Nazi spies and saboteurs, mad scientists, and aliens from other planets, all while cementing the character's popularity as an American icon.

In fact, much of Superman's mythology grew out of his radio adventures and later worked its way into the comic stories. Plucky cub reporter Jimmy Olsen and blustery newspaper editor Perry White were both original creations for the radio series. Ditto Metropolis Police Inspector Henderson, one of Superman's allies on the police force. The first meeting of Superman and Batman happened on radio in 1945 (they'd appeared on covers of comics before, but radio featured the first story where the characters teamed up), and Superman had his first encounter with his Achilles' heel - Kryptonite - not on the pages of the comics, but on the radio series.

The show was a ratings success practically from the start. Radio veteran Jack Johnstone (who later directed Bob Bailey as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar) directed the early shows, and the series topped the charts among three-day-a-week children's serials. The series aired in syndication until March 9, 1942. Six months later, it returned over the entire Mutual Network in a five-day-a-week series. Directed by George Lowther and later Allen Ducovny, Superman exploded during the World War II era, as Kryptonite was thrown into the mix in 1943 and Superman and his friends fought Nazis as often as they fought domestic villains. One of these baddies led to one of the show's longest and most celebrated storylines when Superman battled a Nazi-engineered, Kryptonite-fueled Atom Man out to avenge the defeat of Germany from October to December 1945.

But it wasn't all fights with Atom Men and imaginary monsters. On the air, Superman fought racial intolerance and bigotry, and today the series is as fondly remembered for its social consciousness as much as for its thrilling adventures. In one memorable arc (the "Unity House" series), Superman defended an interfaith community center from a gang of bigots; in another, he battled the "Clan of the Firey Cross," a thinly veiled substitute for the Ku Klux Klan. Despite pressure from some listeners (and a threatened boycott by the KKK itself), Mutual and Kellogg's, the show's sponsor, stuck by their program, and the series received seals of approval from the Boys Clubs of America, the Associated Negro Press, and the United Parents Association, among others.

At the center of this series, providing the voice of a man who could change the course of mighty rivers and bend steel in his bare hands, was a busy radio actor who initially didn't want the gig. By age 32, Clayton "Bud" Collyer was appearing on all four major networks over several dozen series. And while he won the job by creating two distinct voices for Superman and his secret identity of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, he initially turned down the role. "The whole idea embarrassed me, so I said no," he recalled years later. Collyer would also voice the Man of Steel in the classic cartoons from Max Fleischer, and he returned in 1966 for Filmation's New Adventures of Superman. Later, in the years following the Golden Age of Radio, Collyer would find fame as a game show host on television, anchoring shows like Quick as a Flash and To Tell the Truth. He played Superman in close to 1,700 shows and was the "voice" of the Man of Steel to a generation as much as George Reeves was the "face" on television.

Collyer was backed up by a great cast in the Superman family. Joan Alexander set the template for Lois Lane - smart, spunky, and willing to jump into the fray as no damsel in distress. Julian Noa voiced the perpetually frustrated editor Perry White, and Jackie Kelk (Homer on The Aldrich Family) gave the right dose of "gee whiz" enthusiasm to Jimmy Olsen. But a comic book adventure is lost without a narrator, and for most of its run Superman had a humdinger in Jackson Beck, who famously intoned the legendary introduction that began with "Faster than a speeding bullet!" (Yep, that was coined for the radio series as well.)

Today, the radio adventures of Superman still pack a ton of excitement into every fifteen or thirty minute episode. Even if you can only see him in the theater of your own mind, Superman rockets through the air when Bud Collyer's voice drops an octave, that wind machine kicks in, and Jackson Beck's stentorian boom erupts over the speakers.

On February 11, 1949, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar premiered on CBS and kicked off the career of "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator." Dollar traveled the world investigating cases of insurance fraud until 1962. Each mystery was narrated by Johnny as he itemized his expense account for his bosses at "the home office." The series aired up until the end of the Golden Age of Radio in 1962, and it remains one of the most beloved detective programs of the era.

What made the show work? The format of the show is a great hook - Dollar narrates the story as he itemizes his expense account for his employers. As the case progresses, another expense is rattled off. This was played up for humorous effect in the show's early days, leading to a frequent announcer tag line - "At insurance investigation, he's only an expert. At making out his expense account, he's an absolute genius!" Dollar was sharp, a bit cynical, and had brains to match his brawn.

But in his first several years on the air, Johnny Dollar was a good - but not great - radio detective. There was little about the show to distinguish it from the sea of detective shows cluttering the airwaves. Three different actors (Charles Russell, Edmond O'Brien, and John Lund) played Dollar between 1949 and 1954. (Dick Powell was actually the first to play Johnny Dollar in a 1948 audition program. Before the show went to series, Powell opted to star in Richard Diamond, Private Detective on NBC.) The insurance investigation angle provided a different flavor for the show, but those early shows weren't quite in the same league as Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe. The show actually left the airwaves in 1954, and Johnny Dollar might have ended up as a radio footnote had it not been for a revamped series that returned to the air in 1955.

Under the direction of Jack Johnstone, Johnny Dollar was reinvented as a five-night-a-week 15 minute serial. Johnstone was a veteran radio writer and director who previously brought Buck Rogers and Superman to radio. Just before he took the helm of Johnny Dollar, he served as producer and director for the outstanding NBC western series The Six Shooter, which brought Jimmy Stewart to weekly radio as its star. Johnstone served as producer and director of the new series, and he frequently provided scripts. With 75 minutes instead of 30 for stories every week, Johnstone and his fellow writers could deliver complex plots with plenty of twists and turns and nuanced characters with more depth than the usual supporting players in a weekly detective show.

But talent behind the scenes is only part of the story. Johnny Dollar's renaissance owes as much to the man in front of the microphone - a strong, dynamic actor who breathed life and a personality into the detective. And it was an actor who was no stranger to solving crimes on the airwaves.

Bob Bailey was fresh off a run as private eye George Valentine in Let George Do It when he was cast as Dollar. He sank his teeth into the king-size scripts, and his performance fleshed out the character in a way that the previous actors had never quite managed to nail down. His Johnny Dollar would more often than not get too involved in his cases, and he might fall too hard for a female suspect. He loved to fish, and his clients might exploit that to persuade him to take a dangerous job in a far-off locale where he could be promised a good catch. He was unpredictable, funny, and dangerous. In the early years, Johnny Dollar was just a radio detective. With Jack Johnstone's words and Bob Bailey's voice, he joined the ranks of Marlowe and Spade, characters with long histories on the page behind them.

The series continued in the serial format until 1956 when it returned to 30 minutes once a week. While the individual shows may not have always been as rich as the five-part stories, Bailey's performance remained strong. He remained in the role until 1960, when CBS shut down its West Coast radio operations and moved its dramatic productions to New York. The show continued for another two seasons; Jack Johnstone continued to provide scripts but was replaced as director. Bob Readick and Mandel Kramer starred as Dollar until he turned in his last expense account on the final night of network radio on September 30, 1962.

Nearly all of the episodes of the show survive, and while each actor brought something unique to the character, it is Bailey's Johnny Dollar that stands head and shoulders above them all. His wry humor, his hard edge, and his world-weary cynicism come through in every line of his performance, and there are years of episodes for today's audiences to rediscover and enjoy.

Eddie Anderson, the vaudeville star and comedian with a trademark gravelly voice, made his first appearance on The Jack Benny Program in 1937. He'd become an iconic part of the series and a member of Benny's cast on radio and television for nearly 30 years. Anderson was the first African American actor with a regular role on a national radio series, and his character of Rochester Van Jones was one of the most popular on the show. We'll hear him as Sam in the show's production of Casablanca (originally aired on NBC on October 17, 1943). Then, Anderson stars in the audition recordings of what would have been his own comedy series - The Private Life of Rochester Van Jones (recorded May 12, 1950).

In 14 films and hundreds of radio episodes, Nigel Bruce personified Dr. Watson for generations of Sherlock Holmes fans. The actor created a companion for Sherlock Holmes who was avuncular, fiercely loyal, and awestruck at his friend's deductive powers. We'll hear Bruce opposite Basil Rathbone in "The Telltale Pigeon Feathers" (originally aired on Mutual on January 21, 1946) and with Tom Conway in "The Adventure of the Elusive Emerald" (originally aired on ABC on December 14, 1946). Plus, Bruce recreates his role from Suspicion in a production of The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre (originally aired on CBS on January 21, 1946).

On February 6, 1950, reporter Randy Stone took his first walk on the Night Beat. Frank Lovejoy starred as Randy, an intrepid newspaperman working at the Chicago Star. Every night, Randy explored the darkened streets of the Windy City in search of stories for his column. Randy Stone was looking for the good and the bad of human nature - anything that would make for a good yarn to follow his byline. Along the way, he usually found trouble among the desperate and the dangerous residents of the city at night.

In each episode of the show, columnist Randy Stone went to work when the sun went down and set off through the city streets in search of stories about people that had fallen through the cracks. The "human" in human interest stories was of paramount importance to him, and like a knight on a romantic crusade, Stone did his best to help the subjects of his stories and ensure as much of a happy ending as he could for his column. Randy Stone wasn't a detective; he wasn't even an amateur sleuth like Box 13's Dan Holiday or Casey, Crime Photographer. But he walked the streets of Chicago after dark and as a sucker for a hard luck story, he frequently found himself in conflict with the mob, gamblers and thieves, con men, and killers. He could be taken in by a sob story or come around to discover a perceived villain had been wronged as badly as the victim. He didn't carry a gun, and he wasn't a fighter, but he had dogged persistence in chasing down a story to the end. It was the kind of persistence that was finely honed from walking the streets and wearing out who knows how many pairs of shoes.

On May 19, 1949, an audition program for the series was recorded starring Edmond O'Brien as reporter "Hank Mitchell." Directed by Bill Rousseau (director of hard-boiled private eye shows Pat Novak and Michael Shayne), O'Brien's performance was closer to how he'd sound as Johnny Dollar a year later: tougher, cynical, and harder-edged. Not a bad performance (in fact, it served him well in the role of "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator"), but it was a little too tough for what producers were looking for. Night Beat got a second bite at the apple almost a year later. This time, actor Frank Lovejoy stepped to the microphone as the lead character, rechristened "Randy Stone." Where Hank Mitchell was cynical, Randy Stone was a kind of cock-eyed optimist. Where Mitchell was tough, Stone was compassionate. Of the voices, Randy Stone's sounded more like that of a champion for the little guy. And delivering that winning performance for over 100 episodes was Frank Lovejoy.

Lovejoy had been a radio actor in the 1930s and early 1940s, appearing on Gang Busters and This is Your FBI. He was the first actor to play the Blue Beetle on radio, and he was frequently heard as a supporting player on Sam Spade, Box 13, and Adventures of Superman; he also took more than a few starring turns on Suspense. In films, Lovejoy was often a supporting player in everyman roles in films like The Hitch-Hiker, House of Wax, and In a Lonely Place. This "man of the people" streak to his work served him well as Randy Stone, and Lovejoy delivers one of the best dramatic lead performances from the Golden Age of Radio in Night Beat. It helped that he was given wonderful words to say and characters to say them to with scripts by Larry Marcus, Russell Hughes (main writer for Box 13), and others.

One of the great dramatic shows of the 1950s, Night Beat was anchored by Frank Lovejoy's performance and strong scripts. Though not strictly a detective program, Night Beat often featured stories of crime and killers, of cops and robbers. Night Beat was a bright spot in the Golden Age of Radio as it gradually gave way to the rise of television.

Here are a few of my favorite episodes of this fantastic series. You can celebrate the anniversary of the show's premiere and hear what made it such a unique entry in the world of old time radio drama.

"Zero" – In the show's first episode, Randy Stone stumbles across a young woman on a frantic citywide search for a man about to die because of her clerical error. They hunt high and low through the streets of the Windy City to find the man and to save two lives – the man who mistakenly believes he has a terminal illness and the woman who would never forgive herself if she cost a man his life. (Originally aired on NBC on February 6, 1950)

"I Wish You Were Dead" – Randy is fascinated by a mild-mannered man who claims to have a deadly ability – the power to kill people using only his mind. (Originally aired on NBC on May 22, 1950)

"The Football Player and the Syndicate" – William Conrad guest stars as a college football hero long past his gridiron glory days. Now working as a broken down private investigator and trying to stay a step ahead of his gambling debts, he asks for Randy's help on a job. If he can find a man for a notorious Chicago political boss, he can make enough money to clear his debts and dig himself out of his hole. (Originally aired on NBC on June 12, 1950)

"The City at Your Fingertips" – On a quiet night, Randy lets his fingers do the walking and dials a random phone number. To his surprise, the woman on the other end of the line begs for help. She's being held prisoner by a man who may return to kill her at any moment. Can Randy save her life when even she doesn't know where she's been trapped? (Originally aired on NBC on July 31, 1950)

In honor of Black History Month, we're saluting African American performers in old time radio comedies. Seven years after she became the first Black performer to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel broke another barrier as the first Black woman to headline a national radio series. McDaniel starred as Beulah in the comedy series about the titular maid and housekeeper. We'll hear her in a pair of Beulah episodes (originally aired on CBS on June 27 and June 28, 1950). Plus, she reprises the role in an episode of Philco Radio Time with Bing Crosby (originally aired on ABC on January 19, 1949).

Frontier Gentleman, the story of an English reporter traveling the wild west, premiered on this day in 1958. Along with Gunsmoke, it's one of the best "adult western" dramas of the radio era. While the entire series (an unfortunately too-short run of 41 episodes) is well worth a listen, here are ten episodes that – if you're new to the show – are a great place to start.

"Kendall's Last Stand" – It's the eve of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and Kendall, a small party of soldiers, and an Indian scout break off from the 7th cavalry under the command of General Custer. But Kendall and company may meet the same fate as Custer and his men after they're pinned down by a war party. With limited ammunition, Kendall and the scout seek refuge with a brave widow in her cabin, and they face a long night with their adversaries lurking outside. (Originally aired on CBS on February 23, 1958)

"The Powder River Kid" – Kendall comes across an infamous gunfighter and robber, but the man is wounded and succumbing to gangrene. Knowing his time is running out, the man asks Kendall to kill him and collect the reward on his head so his wife can collect the money. This one features a great supporting performance from Larry Dobkin as the Powder River Kid, and the story is a perfect example of the drama that could come from a well-written "adult western." (Originally aired on CBS on April 6, 1958)

"The Trial" (also known as "Kendall for the Defense") – J.B. Kendall, reporter, becomes J.B. Kendall, attorney in this humorous story of a murder trial held in a makeshift saloon courtroom. There's a defendant who refuses to surrender his shootin' irons, a hostile judge, and a dubious eyewitness that Kendall must overcome to see that justice is served. (Originally aired on CBS on April 13, 1958)

"Aces and Eights" – This is my pick for the best episode of the series. Kendall makes his way to Deadwood just in time to grab a seat at the table for the west's most infamous game of poker. He meets legends Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, and he gets the chance to see the real people behind the tall tales. If you've ever wondered why "aces and eights" is known as a "dead man's hand," this story will give you the answer. (Originally aired on CBS on April 20, 1958)

"Random Notes" – Another great episode with several stories in one. Kendall is taking the stagecoach and takes advantage of the time to recount some of the tales that didn't make it into his regular reports. He's in the audience for an amateur western production of Othello, he witnesses a duel between two women fighting over the same man, he talks to a condemned killer, and he watches as a Chinese shopkeeper gets the last laugh on a group of men who try to cheat him. (Originally aired on CBS on April 27, 1958)

"School Days" (also known as "Duel for a School Marm") – Kendall has barely arrived in a town before he's being pressed into voting for a schoolhouse. The town and its rival city are competing for the attentions of a beautiful young teacher – even though the towns are devoid of children. The teacher doesn't appreciate the predicament and the fact that the men of the towns are willing to go to war to get their educations. (Originally aired on CBS on June 1, 1958)

"Gambling Lady" – Jeanne Bates gives a great performance and has tremendous chemistry with John Dehner in this story of a new gambling palace run by the mysterious "Madam Verdi." As Kendall becomes fascinated with this beautiful, independent western woman, her secret (and deadly) past resurfaces with tragic results. Bates would return as Madam Verdi, also known as "Belle Siddons," in a memorable three-part episode later in the series' run. (Originally aired on CBS on June 29, 1958)

"Justice of the Peace" – In this powerful episode, Kendall meets one of the few women acting as a justice of the peace on the frontier (voiced brilliantly by Paula Winslowe) and he witnesses firsthand as she stands up to a mob hoping to lynch her prisoner – an Indian accused of murder. (Originally aired on CBS on July 13, 1958)

"Mighty Mouse" and "Mighty Tired" – One of the things that I love about Frontier Gentleman is its continuity. Characters recur, Kendall's previous adventures are referenced, and sometimes stories stretch across multiple episodes. In this two-parter, a stagecoach carrying Kendall and a miner is robbed. A blustery lawman is on the case, but all he manages to do is let the thieves (later revealed to be Jesse James and his gang) slip through his fingers. In the follow-up story, Kendall and his miner friend get a chance for justice when they spot some of the robbers on a train. (Originally aired on CBS on July 20 and July 27, 1958).

Two-fisted action, tough guy narration, dangerous dames - the hard-boiled detective shows of the golden age of radio had it all. We'll hear three of those gumshoes in radio mysteries. First, Gerald Mohr is Philip Marlowe in "The Lady Killer" (originally aired on CBS on August 20, 1949). Then, Jack Webb stars as Pat Novak For Hire in "Fleet Lady" (originally aired on ABC on March 6, 1949). Finally, William Gargan plays Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator in "Crimson Queen" (originally aired on NBC on January 4, 1953).

It's a belated birthday party for screen legend Cary Grant with a pair of old time radio showcases for his comedic talents. We'll hear him try to dodge a proposal from Gracie's cousin on The Burns and Allen Show (originally aired on NBC on February 13, 1947). Then, Cary Grant is joined by his wife Betsy Drake in the radio spinoff Mr. and Mrs. Blandings, a series that continues the story from Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (originally aired on NBC on March 18, 1951).

When the mail arrives for George Valentine and Dan Holiday, it means mystery and adventure are soon to follow. Both gumshoes find cases in the responses they receive to their newspaper ads offering their help to people in dangerous situations. We'll hear Bob Bailey in "Destination: Dead End" from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on February 14, 1949). Then, Alan Ladd stars in a pair of syndicated episodes of Box 13 - "Book of Poems" and "The Great Torino."

Sing, dance, act, and make audiences howl with laughter - Danny Kaye could do it all, and he found a magnificent showcase for many of his talents in his own weekly radio series. The Danny Kaye Show found the star at the top of his game surrounded by an A-list supporting cast of Eve Arden, Lionel Stander, and more. We'll hear the first two episodes of the program (originally aired on CBS on January 6 and January 13, 1945).

Crime used to pay for our old time radio super sleuths this week, but Michael Lanyard (The Lone Wolf) and Boston Blackie left their criminal careers behind and used the tricks of their trade to bring crooks to justice. We'll hear three adventures of these reformed robbers. First, Walter Coy stars as the Lone Wolf in "The Golden Santa" (originally aired on Mutual on January 1, 1949). Then, Richard Kollmar is Boston Blackie in a pair of syndicated shows: "The Stolen Radway's Faust" and "Blackie's Framed for Fur Thefts."

It's a party in this week's bonus comedy episode. We're celebrating the birthday of William Bendix and the anniversary of the debut of his radio sitcom The Life of Riley. Join Chester A. Riley, wife Peg, son Junior, and daughter Babs on misadventures in a pair of shows. First, Riley is excited for a promotion at work - but it isn't his (originally aired on NBC on September 7, 1946). Then, Riley's worried his family forgot his birthday (originally aired on NBC on February 8, 1947).