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Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)
30 episodes
Encore - Multiple Mr. Marlowes
Ep 2 · Aug 9, 2026 · 2 hr 41 min
Note: Some dental surgery prevented recording a new episode, so enjoy this encore from 2025 featuring several different actors starring as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe! Many actors have brought Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe to life. Humphrey Bogart, Elliot Gould, Danny Glover, and Liam Neeson are just a few of the men to portray the legendary private eye on the big and small screens, but today we'll hear four actors who played Marlowe on radio. First, Van Heflin is Marlowe in a radio ad…
Episode 678 - Same Sleuth, Different Voice: Michael Shayne
Ep 1 · Aug 2, 2026 · 1 hr 34 min
We kick off a new podcast season (our 14th!) and begin a new month-long series spotlighting detectives who were played by multiple actors on the air. Up first is Michael Shayne, Brett Halliday's private eye who might as well have been different characters in his various incarnations. He was first played by Wally Maher as a clever, wisecracking gumshoe with a lovely secretary, but when Jeff Chandler took over the role, Shayne became ultra-hard boiled - a two-fisted, down on his heels detective wh…
Episode 677 - Summer in the City: San Francisco (Gregory Hood, Candy Matson, Pat Novak, Sam Spade, & The Line-Up)
Ep 68 · Jul 26, 2026 · 2 hr 24 min
Bad guys left some clues in San Francisco, and our collection of local sleuths won't let the crooks get away with their crimes. We wrap up our month of cross-country travel with heroes from the city by the bay. First, we'll hear "The Murder of Gregory Hood" from The Casebook of Gregory Hood (originally aired on Mutual on June 17, 1946) and Natalie Masters as Candy Matson in "The Cable Car Murder Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 7, 1949). Next, Jack Webb is on the waterfront beat in "George…
Episode 676 - Summer in the City: Los Angeles (Philip Marlowe & Dragnet)
Ep 67 · Jul 19, 2026 · 2 hr 2 min
Our travels across the country continue with two of the signature sleuths of the City of Angels: private eye Philip Marlowe and Sgt. Joe Friday of the LAPD. We'll hear Gerald Mohr as Marlowe in "The Ebony Link" (originally aired on CBS on May 10, 1951) and "The Hiding Place" (originally aired on CBS on May 9, 1950). Then, Jack Webb stars in "The Big Drills" (originally aired on NBC on May 10, 1951) and "The Big Jules" (originally aired on NBC on June 19, 1952) from Dragnet.
BONUS - Super Summer: Superman vs. Kryptonite (Part 6)
Ep 66 · Jul 15, 2026 · 1 hr 57 min
Our final installment in our Super Summer bonus series is super-sized with the last seven chapters of this epic Superman adventure! Will Superman recover his memory? Will "Big" George Latimer get his revenge on the Man of Steel? And how will Clark Kent explain his mysterious absence from the newsroom? Find out in the concluding installments of "Superman vs. Kryptonite," originally aired on Mutual between June 18 and June 27, 1947.
Episode 675 - Summer in the City: New York (Broadway is My Beat, Richard Diamond, & 21st Precinct)
Ep 65 · Jul 12, 2026 · 1 hr 34 min
We're visiting some of the world's biggest and busiest cities this summer, and while we're in town we'll rub elbows with some of their resident sleuths. Our series kicks off with the Big Apple and three radio mysteries set on the streets of New York. Dick Powell suspects there's more to the story of a Central Park hit and run case in Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on August 29, 1949); Danny Clover investigates "The Joan Fuller Murder Case" from Broadway is My Beat (o…
BONUS - Super Summer: Superman vs. Kryptonite (Part 5)
Ep 64 · Jul 8, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
As "Bud Smith," the amnesiac Superman is a home run-crushing, strike-out hurling baseball phenom! But "Big" George Latimer still hunts for the missing Man of Steel and the crew at the Daily Planet is looking for Clark Kent. This epic adventure continues with the next five chapters, originally aired on Mutual between June 11 and June 17, 1947.
Encore - Four for the 4th
Ep 63 · Jul 5, 2026 · 2 hr 5 min
Happy 4th of July and a happy 250th birthday to the USA! In honor of this momentous occasion, I'm sharing an encore presentation of four American history mysteries. Henry Fonda recreates his role of Young Mr. Lincoln in a radio version of the classic film on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on July 10, 1946). Honest Abe is a lawyer who must clear his wrongfully accused clients of murder. Lee Bowman plays Allan Pinkterton, one of America's most celebrated detectives, as he investigates a ca…
BONUS - Super Summer: Superman vs. Kryptonite (Part 4)
Ep 62 · Jul 1, 2026 · 1 hr 15 min
As our epic adventure continues, Superman escaped from "Big" George Latimer, but his exposure to the kryptonite robbed him of his memory. Soon he trades his trademark cape and costume for a baseball uniform as a pitcher with an unbelievable arm in the next five chapters of the story that originally aired on Mutual between June 4 and June 10, 1947.
Episode 674 - Double Duty Detectives: Bob Bailey (Let George Do It & Johnny Dollar)
Ep 61 · Jun 28, 2026 · 2 hr 13 min
We wrap up our month of actors who played multiple detectives on the air with Bob Bailey. Bailey played wisecracking gumshoe George Valentine on Let George Do It before he stepped in as Johnny Dollar and made the role of "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator" his own. We'll hear him as George in "Come and Get Me" (originally aired on Mutual on May 16, 1949) and "The Silent Waterfall" (originally aired on Mutual on January 9, 1950). Then, he's Johnny Dollar in the five part mystery…
BONUS - Super Summer: Superman vs. Kryptonite (Part 3)
Ep 60 · Jun 24, 2026 · 1 hr 15 min
The stakes are higher than ever for Superman as this epic adventure continues! "Big" George Latimer may have figured out how to use the Kryptonite to wipe out Superman once and for all, as Batman and Robin continue their desperate search for the Man of Steel. We'll hear every exciting minute in these five chapters that aired on Mutual between May 28 and June 3, 1947.
Episode 673 - Double Duty Detectives: Gerald Mohr (Philip Marlowe, Nero Wolfe, & Johnny Dollar)
Ep 59 · Jun 21, 2026 · 2 hr 19 min
We continue our look at actors who played multiple gumshoes on the air with Gerald Mohr - who, for my money, gave us the definitive portrayal of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. But Mr. Mohr wasn't only Mr. Marlowe on the air. He also put in a four-episode stint as Archie Goodwin to Sydney Greenstreet's Nero Wolfe. We'll hear Mohr as Marlowe in three radio mysteries: "The Hard Way Out" (originally aired on CBS on November 28, 1948); "The Feminine Touch" (originally aired on CBS on May 7, 1949)…
BONUS - Super Summer: Superman vs. Kryptonite (Part 2)
Ep 58 · Jun 17, 2026 · 1 hr 15 min
Our bonus series starring the Man of Steel continues with the next five chapters of the epic adventure "Superman vs. Kryptonite." The dynamic duo Batman and Robin step in to help their super friend, who is threatened by corrupt political boss "Big" George Latimer in these exciting installments that aired on Mutual between May 21 and May 27, 1947.
Episode 672 - Double Duty Detectives: Dick Powell (Rogue's Gallery, Richard Diamond, & Johnny Dollar)
Ep 57 · Jun 14, 2026 · 2 hr 35 min
Our salute to actors who played multiple radio detectives continues with Dick Powell, who transformed himself from a comedic crooner to a hard-boiled hero on the big screen. We'll hear him as two private Dicks - Richard Rogue from Rogue's Gallery and as Richard Diamond, Private Detective. He's Rogue in "The Triangle Murder Case" (originally aired on Mutual on February 21, 1946) and "The Corpse I Didn't Kill" (originally aired on Mutual on June 13, 1946). Then he's Diamond in episodes known as "T…
BONUS - Super Summer: Superman vs. Kryptonite (Part 1)
Ep 56 · Jun 10, 2026 · 1 hr 26 min
Supergirl flies back to the big screen this summer (with a cameo from her cousin from Metropolis), and to celebrate we present an epic radio adventure of the Man of Steel. From the spring and summer of 1947, it's "Superman vs. Kryptonite," a story that begins when an old enemy of Superman's comes into possession of the hero's Achilles heel. We'll hear the first five parts of the story - episodes that originally aired on Mutual between May 14 and May 20, 1947.
Episode 671 - Double Duty Detectives: Tom Conway (Sherlock Holmes & The Saint)
Ep 55 · Jun 7, 2026 · 2 hr 7 min
For June, we're spotlighting stars who played multiple detectives on the air and our first leading man is Tom Conway. In 1946, he took over the deerstalker cap from Basil Rathbone on The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and in 1951, he donned Simon Templar's halo as Vincent Price's replacement on The Saint. We'll hear Conway as Holmes - with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson - in "The Darlington Substitution" (originally aired on ABC on January 4, 1947) and "The Adventure of the Scarlet Worm" (original…
Episode 670 - All the Write Moves: John Dickson Carr (Suspense & Cabin B-13)
Ep 54 · May 31, 2026 · 1 hr 24 min
Our month-long spotlight series on mystery writers concludes with John Dickson Carr, master of the locked room mystery who was recently referenced in Wake Up Dead Man. We'll hear some thrillers penned by Carr for Suspense as well as episodes of his own mystery anthology series Cabin B-13. From Suspense, it's "The Burning Court" (originally aired on CBS on June 17, 1942) and the first half of "The Hangman Won't Wait," starring Sydney Greenstreet as Carr's amateur sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell (originall…
BONUS - Five Favorites: Sherlock Holmes Classic Adventures
Ep 53 · May 28, 2026 · 2 hr 29 min
For this month's bonus episode, we're back on Baker Street for my five favorite radio adaptations of Sherlock Holmes adventures penned by Arthur Conan Doyle. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce star in "The Speckled Band" (originally aired on Mutual on November 12, 1945), and Bruce and Tom Conway star in "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" (originally aired on ABC on February 3, 1947). Then, John Stanley and Alfred Shirley are Holmes and Watson in "The Red Headed League" and "The Sussex Vampire" (…
Episode 669 - All the Write Moves: Dorothy L. Sayers (Suspense)
Ep 52 · May 24, 2026 · 2 hr 8 min
Our spotlight mystery writer of the week is Dorothy L. Sayers, the English writer, poet, and essayist whose work evolved and advanced the detective genre with characterization and humor. She's best known for the adventures of aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, and we'll hear one of his exploits adapted for Suspense - "The Cave of Ali Baba" (originally aired on CBS on August 19, 1942). We'll also hear three more of Ms. Sayers' stories adapted for "radio's outstanding theater of thri…
Episode 668 - All the Write Moves: Agatha Christie (Campbell Playhouse, Murder Clinic, & Suspense)
Ep 51 · May 17, 2026 · 2 hr 29 min
Our month-long salute to mystery writing legends continues with the queen of crime herself - Agatha Christie. She wrote over sixty novels, dozens of short stories, and created two of the genre's most beloved sleuths - Hercule Poirot, the fastidious and brilliant Belgian detective, and Miss Marple, the kindly amateur investigator. We'll hear four of Dame Agatha's tales recreated for radio: "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" with Orson Welles as Poirot from The Campbell Playhouse (originally aired on C…
Episode 667 - All the Write Moves: Dashiell Hammett (Lux Radio Theatre, Suspense, Fat Man, Academy Award, & Sam Spade)
Ep 50 · May 10, 2026 · 3 hr 6 min
Our month of classic mystery writers continues with Dashiell Hammett - the former Pinkerton operative whose celebrated characters include Sam Spade, the Continental Op, and Nick and Nora Charles. Radio shows based on his sleuths were some of the most popular on radio until Hammett became a casualty of the Red Scare. We'll hear some of his stories recreated for radio: an adaptation of "The Thin Man" from The Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1936; "Two Sharp Knives" - adapted…
BONUS - Happy Birthday, Orson Welles
Ep 49 · May 7, 2026 · 1 hr 30 min
In honor of his May 6th birthday, we're saluting the great Orson Welles with a pair of radio performances set on Baker Street. First, he's the great detective himself in "The Immortal Sherlock Holmes" from The Mercury Theatre On the Air (originally aired on CBS on September 25, 1938). Then, he's Holmes' archnemesis Professor Moriarty - opposite John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson as Holmes and Watson - in a syndicated production of "The Final Problem."
Episode 666 - All the Write Moves: Raymond Chandler (Suspense, Mollé Mystery Theatre, & Philip Marlowe)
Ep 48 · May 3, 2026 · 2 hr 6 min
For May, we're spotlighting authors whose works inspired old time radio mysteries. First up is Raymond Chandler - best known for creating the iconic Los Angeles gumshoe Philip Marlowe. We'll hear a pair of Chandler's Marlowe stories adapted for radio - "Trouble is My Business" with Van Heflin (originally aired on NBC on August 5, 1947) and "Red Wind" with Gerald Mohr (originally aired on CBS on September 26, 1948). Plus, we'll hear adaptations of two other Chandler mysteries: "Pearls are a Nuisa…
Episode 665 - Downbeat Pete (Pete Kelly's Blues)
Ep 47 · Apr 19, 2026 · 2 hr 6 min
Our month of Jack Webb continues with his most unusual crime drama - Pete Kelly's Blues, a show that incorporated Webb's love of jazz into its weekly mysteries. Kelly played cornet in a combo at a Kansas City speakeasy during Prohibition, and each episode featured vocal and instrumental musical numbers. Though it didn't last long on radio, Webb brought Pete Kelly's Blues to the big screen with a cast that included Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald. We'll hear four episodes of the short-lived series:…
Episode 664 - Your Lyon Eyes (Jeff Regan, Investigator)
Ep 46 · Apr 12, 2026 · 2 hr 9 min
Our Jack Webb series continues this week with Jeff Regan, Investigator - another stint as a hard-boiled gumshoe before he picked up Joe Friday's badge on Dragnet. Regan was the long-suffering operative of Anthony J. Lyon's International Detective Bureau, and "the Lyon's eye" was always thrown into whatever dangerous case his boss took on with no questions asked. We'll hear Webb as Regan in four radio mysteries: "The Lady with the Golden Hair" (originally aired on CBS on July 31, 1948); "The Man…
BONUS - Five Favorites: Dragnet
Ep 45 · Apr 8, 2026 · 2 hr 33 min
Our month-long salute to Jack Webb continues with his signature series and my five favorite radio episodes of Dragnet. We'll join Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday as he keeps the streets of Los Angeles safe from crooks of all stripes. We'll hear "The Big Bomb" (originally aired on NBC on July 13, 1950); "The Big Saint" (originally aired on NBC on April 26, 1951); "The Big Bunco" (originally aired on NBC on April 17, 1952); "The Big Bull" (originally aired on NBC on September 14, 1952); and "The Big Littl…
Episode 663 - Waterfront Webb (Pat Novak for Hire)
Ep 44 · Apr 5, 2026 · 2 hr 8 min
We kick off a new month-long series saluting the great Jack Webb in honor of his April 2nd birthday, and we're starting with Pat Novak for Hire - his ultra-hard boiled series that put him on the map. Novak never looked for trouble but always found it on the San Francisco waterfront, and we'll hear him try to keep his head above water in four radio mysteries: "Jack of Clubs" (originally aired on ABC on February 20, 1949); "Fleet Lady" (originally aired on ABC on March 6, 1949); "John St. John" (o…
BONUS - Eggs and Bunnies (Nick Carter & Nero Wolfe)
Ep 43 · Apr 2, 2026 · 60 min
Easter is almost here, and we've got a pair of old time radio mysteries with a twist on the bunny and his basket. Lon Clark stars as Nick Carter, Master Detective in "The Case of the Chemical Chickens," a story of explosive eggs (originally aired on Mutual on April 13, 1947). Then, a rabbit farm that ends up the scene of a murder as Sydney Greenstreet and Larry Dobkin star in "The Case of the Brave Rabbit" from The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (originally aired on NBC on December 1, 1950).
Episode 662 - Statues for the Sleuths: Van Heflin (Philip Marlowe & Man Called X)
Ep 42 · Mar 29, 2026 · 2 hr 9 min
For the final installment in our month-long series of Oscar-winning radio detective stars, we shine the spotlight on Van Heflin. The star of Shane and 3:10 to Yuma won his Best Supporting Actor prize for his work in Johnny Eager, but on radio he starred as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe in the character's first regular series. We'll hear him as the Los Angeles gumshoe in three radio mysteries - "Red Wind" (originally aired on NBC on June 17, 1947), "The King in Yellow" (originally aired on NB…
BONUS - Play Ball! (Boston Blackie & The Saint)
Ep 41 · Mar 25, 2026 · 57 min
A new baseball season begins this week, and we're throwing out a ceremonial radio first pitch with a pair of mysteries set around the diamond. First, Boston Blackie investigates when a player is murdered in the middle of a game in a syndicated mystery starring Richard Kollmar. Then, Vincent Price investigates a gang of crooked gamblers out to fix some ballgames in "Baseball Murder" from The Saint (originally aired on NBC on September 3, 1950).
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