Lordy, Lordy - your host is turning 40. To mark the occasion, I'm looking back at the old time radio detective shows I've enjoyed the most over these many years. Join me as I revisit stories starring Philip Marlowe, Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, The Whistler, The Saint, Richard Diamond, Rocky Fortune, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, as well as why I love them. (Bear with me for the long intro...this old man tends to ramble on these days.)

We're off to the Caribbean with four old time radio mysteries full of island intrigue. An American professor finds murder on sabbatical in "A Passage to Benares" from Suspense (originally aired on CBS on September 23, 1942). Joan Banks pulls Frank Lovejoy into a dangerous salvage operation in "Chain Reaction" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on May 12, 1948).  Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall bring their combined star power to tropical thrills in Bold Venture (a syndicated episode...

In this bonus episode, I'm sharing my five favorite installments of Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator. William Gargan sleuths with a sardonic smile in these radio mysteries, beginning with "The Lost Lady" (originally aired on NBC on June 14, 1953). A client behind bars hires Craig in "For Love of Murder" (originally aired on NBC on August 3, 1954), and Craig helps an old colleague close one last case in "Blood Money" (originally aired on NBC on August 24, 1954). A vacation is a new...

Place your bets and ride along with four old time radio mysteries set in the stables and around the racetrack. Boston Blackie doubts a horse is guilty of murder in a syndicated mystery, and international investigator Frank Race tries to find out who's out to make sure a prize racehorse doesn't make it to the winner's circle in "The Adventure of the Vanishing Favorite." A jockey loses a race and his life in Crime and Peter Chambers (originally aired on NBC on August 3, 1954). And John Gielgud...

We're riding the subway and walking the Great White Way with four radio gumshoes in New York. First, there's a dead body in Richard Diamond's office in "The Fred Sears Murder Case" (originally aired on NBC on June 5, 1949). A man is killed in Times Square by a man with only a month to live in "The Earl Lawson Murder Case" from Broadway is My Beat (originally aired on CBS on June 9, 1951). John Lund heads to the Big Apple in "The Independent Diamond Traders Matter" from Yours Truly, Johnny...

It's an Easter basket of radio comedies for you to enjoy! Jack Benny and his gang take a stroll in the Easter Parade (originally aired on CBS on April 17, 1949); Lucille Ball hunts for the perfect Easter dress in My Favorite Husband (originally aired on CBS on March 24, 1951); and egg dying goes awry at the Harris house on The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show (originally aired on NBC on April 5, 1953).

Break out your bracket for three basketball mysteries from the golden age of radio. First, newspaper editor Steve Wilson ties an assault to a gambling racket in "The Fatal Fix" from Big Town (originally aired on NBC on January 25, 1949). Next, Tony Curtis is a college star under pressure to throw a game in "The McKay College Basketball Scandal" from Suspense (originally aired on CBS on September 24, 1951). Finally, Larry Haines is ex-magician turned PI Mike Trent, who uses his tricks of the...

Grab a pint, don your green, and enjoy a trio of St. Patrick's Day old time radio mysteries. First, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce investigate a murder at one of Ireland's landmarks in "The Adventure of the Blarney Stone" from The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (originally aired on Mutual on March 18, 1946). Then, George Valentine tries to prevent a spectral eviction in "The Ghost of Ireland Betty" from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on September 27, 1954). Finally, Paladin...

Show off those pearly whites and enjoy three old time radio mysteries involving teeth and dentists. First, Casey, Crime Photographer thinks a dentist is linked to a colleague's disappearance in "Tooth for Tooth" (originally aired on CBS on July 15, 1946). Then, a victim's teeth hold the key to solving a murder on Whitehall 1212 (known as "The Murder of Duncan Frazier," originally aired on NBC on December 9, 1951). Finally, Dane Clark tries to find out who's blackmailing a dentist in Crime and...

In this bonus episode, we're saluting the late Anne Whitfield, who passed away on February 15th. We'll hear the actress in a pair of episodes from The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, where she played the couple's youngest daughter Phyllis. First, little Phyllis may become a movie star (originally aired on NBC on November 20, 1949) and then she celebrates her birthday (originally aired on NBC on January 21, 1951).

We're blasting off this week for a trio of mysteries involving rockets and space. First, The Man Called X is in New Mexico to find out who's leaking classified information from a missile test site (originally aired on NBC on April 14, 1951). Next, Philo Vance investigates a murder in an observatory in the syndicated episode "The Star-Studded Murder Case." And finally, Frank Sinatra is hired to take a one-way trip to the moon in "Rocket Racket" from Rocky Fortune (originally aired on NBC on...

In this bonus episode, we're going back to the beginning with the audition recordings for five old time radio detective shows - some that became regular series, some that didn't, and some that changed stars along the way. We'll hear Victor Jory as a Scotland Yard inspector in the tryout for The Hunters (recorded in November 1948) and Dick Powell - before he was Richard Diamond - as Johnny Dollar in that show's audition (recorded in December 1948). Bill Johnstone stars as Lt. Ben Guthrie...

Hope you brought your appetite - this week's show features four mysteries set in the world of food. From restaurants to the grocery store, our detectives have a lot to chew on in these cases. First, Boston Blackie investigates a murder in a Chinese restaurant and Dan Holiday comes to the aid of a beleaguered restauranteur in "Tempest in a Casserole" from Box 13. Dick Powell goes undercover in a butcher's shop in Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on January 7, 1950)...

We're making some large withdrawals at the bank this week with three old time radio tales of bank robbers and the cops who try to catch them. First, the G-Men are at work in "Quartet for Crime" from This is Your FBI (originally aired on ABC on November 24, 1950). Then, a man fresh out of prison signs on for a bank heist in "The Little Things" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on January 14, 1951). And finally, Sgt. Joe Friday is on the trail of a bank robber in "The Big Number" from...

Happy Valentine's Day! No matter how - or if - you're celebrating this February 14th, hopefully you'll enjoy this quartet of Valentine's comedies from the golden age of radio. We'll hear Fibber McGee and Molly (originally aired on NBC on February 10, 1942), My Favorite Husband (originally aired on CBS on February 11, 1949), The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show (originally aired on NBC on February 13, 1949), and Our Miss Brooks (originally aired on CBS on February 19, 1950).

In this bonus episode, we're walking the Night Beat with reporter Randy Stone in my five favorite episodes of this fantastic radio drama series. Frank Lovejoy stars as Stone, always looking for stories for his newspaper column and always ready to help people in need. We'll hear the show's first episode ("Zero," originally aired on NBC on February 6, 1950), where he helps a woman track down a man before he takes his own life, and a meeting with an unusual man who claims to have a sinister...

Love is in the air, but in these old time radio mysteries romance leads to violence. First, Marlene Dietrich's boyfriend takes the rap for a murder she committed in "The Lady from the Sea" from The Philip Morris Playhouse (originally aired on CBS on March 11, 1949). Next, as Ranger Jayce Pearson, Joel McCrea hunts an armed robber who targets couples in Lover's Lane in "Nighthawk" (originally aired on NBC on March 30, 1952). Finally, we'll head back to England in 1684 for "John & Judith -...

Old time radio fans will recognize some of their favorite performers' voices popping up in classic Disney films, and today we'll hear three of those stars in radio mysteries. Before she was Cruella de Vil in One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Betty Lou Gerson was a faded movie star who plans to marry into money in "The Girl Next Door" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on August 20, 1947). And years before he menaced Peter Pan as Captain Hook, Hans Conried played Sam Spade's client - a...

Extra, extra! It's an above the fold bonus podcast where I share my favorite episodes of Casey, Crime Photographer. Casey chases crooks and a great picture for the front page of his paper in these five radio mysteries. First, it's a case of mistaken and identity and murder in "The Red Raincoat" (originally aired on CBS on August 29, 1946) and a killer on the loose in "Death in Lover's Lane" (originally aired on CBS on August 7, 1947). A criminal spares a woman's life and wins her heart in...

Children (and mystery fans) of all ages - join us this week for a quartet of old time radio capers set at the circus. First, a lion tamer is caught in a lethal love triangle in "Serenade Macabre" from Crime Club (originally aired on Mutual on July 24, 1947). Next, Bob Bailey is hired to protect a trapeze artist who's receiving threats in "A Piece of Publicity" from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on June 14, 1948). A trip to the circus leads Bulldog Drummond to "Death Under the...

These spiritulaists can't really communicate with the world beyond our own, but they do manage to inspire a trio of old time radio mysteries where our detective heroes must contend with some mediums who aren't well done. First, Jeff Regan is hired to protect a psychic consultant in "The Man Who Lived by the Sea," (originally aired on CBS on December 18, 1948). Then, IRchard Diamond must expose a phony mentalist who's bilking a family out of their fortune (originally aired on NBC on September...

To kick off 2024, we're hitting the road with three old time radio mysteries centered on cars. First, Boston Blackie investigates a ring of car thieves after his girlfriend's wheels are swiped in a syndicated mystery starring Richard Kollmar. Next, the cops hunt a hit-and-run killer in The Line-Up (originally aired on CBS on August 3, 1950). Finally, Jack Webb is on the trail of a gang that strips cars for their parts in "The Big Paint" from Dragnet (originally aired on NBC on October 20, 1953).

It's Christmas with The Whistler as Down These Mean Streets signs off for 2023! Radio's celebrated sinister storyteller - played by Bill Forman - narrates a quartet of mysteries set against a holiday backdrop. We'll hear "Christmas Bonus" (originally aired on CBS on December 25, 1944), "Letter from Cynthia" (originally aired on CBS on December 25, 1949), "Three Wise Guys" (originally aired on CBS on December 24, 1950), and "Christmas Gift" (originally aired on CBS on December 23, 1951).

We need a little Christmas - and some Christmas mysteries! To celebrate the season, I'm sharing more of my favorite holiday adventures of old time radio detectives. Dr. Watson dresses as Santa and Sherlock Holmes thwarts a robbery in "The Night Before Christmas," with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (originally aired on Mutual on December 24, 1945). On Casey, Crime Photographer, our hero spies a pickpocket at a department store and discovers a case of...