
Bob Bailey & Virginia Gregg
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio is a podcast featuring the best vintage detective radio programs. Each week from Monday through Saturday, we feature six of Old Time Radio's great detective series from the beginning of the show to its very last episode. And as a bonus, twice a month we also post a public domain movie or TV mystery or detective show video.
Along the way, I'll provide you my commentary and offer you opportunities to interact.
Subscribe to the show by clicking your favorite podcatcher in the sidebar.
And don't forget to follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
- Your host, Adam Graham
Listen to "The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio" on Spreaker.
Currently Featuring
YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR THE FALCON BROADWAY’S MY BEAT DRAGNET MR. AND MRS. NORTH CHARLIE CHAN… and more!
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Recent Posts
NBC, OTR Detective, Podcast, The Big Story
The Big Story: Hot Lead Catches a Cold Blooded Killer (EP5052)
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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Today’s Mystery: Miami Herald reporter William Adams joins the investigation after a well-dressed stranger is found shot to death beneath a bridge in the Everglades. With little to identify the victim beyond an old newspaper and a loaded die, Adams begins tracing the dead man’s movements, searching for the clue that can lead authorities to his killer.
Original Radio Broadcast: October 8, 1952
Originating in New York
Cast:
- Jim Stevens as William Adams
- Cameron Prudhomme
- Bill Zuckert
- Jean Gillespie
- Ruth York
- E. Sam Raskin
- Michael O’Day
- Cameron Andrews
Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day: Deanna, Patreon supporter since December 2024.
Thank you to our latest Platinum Patreon supporter: Margie, who has been supporting the show since September 2016
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey…http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call 208-991-4783
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Become one of ourfriends on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter@radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Podcast
The Saint: The Return of Harry Morgan (EP5051)
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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Today’s Mystery:Simon Templar agrees to help Wendy Brown, who fears the return of Harry Morgan, a notorious criminal she double-crossed before he fled the country. When a former prizefighter with advance knowledge of Morgan’s arrival is murdered, Simon begins to suspect there is more behind Morgan’s homecoming than a simple quest for revenge.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: November 12, 1950
Originating from Hollywood
Cast:
- Vincent Price as Simon Templar, The Saint
- Joan Banks as Wendy Brown
- Larry Dobkin as Louie
- Paul Frees as Sammy
- Ed Max as the bartender
- Barney Phillips as Kerrigan
- Tony Barrett as Marlowe
- Written by Louis Vittes
- Directed by Helen Mack
- A James L. Saphier production
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey…http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call 208-991-4783
Become one of ourfriends on Facebook.
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter@radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Mystery Special, NBC, OTR Detective, Podcast
Dragnet: The Big Badge (Peggy Webber Special) (EP5050s)
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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Today’s Mystery:
Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero hunt for the “Badge Bandit,” a violent criminal who poses as a police officer to rob and assault his victims. After weeks of investigation, the search becomes dangerously personal when Friday and Romero encounter the suspect during a massive overnight manhunt.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: May 4, 1950
Originating from Hollywood
Cast:
- Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday
- Barton Yarborough as Ben Romero
- Peggy Webber as Joe Friday’s mother
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day: Joey, Patreon supporter since June 2019
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
ABC, Counterspy, NBC, OTR Detective
Counterspy: The Postal Pirates, Part Two (A0118)
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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Today’s Adventure:
David Harding and Harry Peters move to break up a widespread parcel-post theft ring, but their raid on the gang’s New York warehouse uncovers two deaths made to look like a murder-suicide. Harding suspects that the apparent solution is a setup and sets out to uncover who is really behind the killings.
Original Radio Broadcast: September 22, 1949
Originating from New York
Starring Don McLaughlin as David Harding; Mandel Kramer as Peters
To subscribe to this podcast and, go to https://greatadventures.info/
Become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon supporter of the day: Bruce, Patreon supporter since March 2024.
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
CBS, OTR Detective, Podcast, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar
Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Bolt out of the Blue Matter (EP5050)
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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Today’s Mystery:
Johnny Dollar travels to the Massachusetts coast after the niece of retired sea captain Amos Weatherby reports a threat against her uncle’s life. She believes a former fiancé with a sinister past has returned to make good on that threat, and Johnny arrives just as a powerful storm approaches the Weatherby home.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: July 26, 1959
Originating from Hollywood
Cast:
- Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar
- Virginia Gregg
- Carleton G. Young
- Ralph Moody
- James McCallion
Written, produced, and directed by Jack Johnstone
When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com
Become one of our Patreon Supporters at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Thank you to our Patreon Supporter of the Day: Tom, Patreon supporter since April 2019
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Dragnet, NBC, OTR Detective, Podcast
Dragnet: The Big Shakedown (EP5049)
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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Today’s Mystery:
Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith investigate a bookmaker’s claim that a police officer has been demanding weekly payments in exchange for allowing him to operate. But when no one matching the man’s name or description can be found in law-enforcement records, Friday and Smith begin searching for an extortionist who may not be a policeman at all.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: May 22, 1952
Originating from Hollywood
Cast:
- Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday
- Herb Ellis as Frank Smith
- Also featuring Vic Rodman and June Whitley
Script by Jim Moser
Music by Walter Schumann
Technical advisors: Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, and Sergeant Vance Brasher
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day:
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Broadway's My Beat, CBS, OTR Detective, Podcast
Broadway’s My Beat: The Harry Moore Murder Case (EP5048)
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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Today’s Mystery:
Detective Danny Clover investigates the murder of successful construction contractor Harry Moore, a man with no apparent enemies, whose recent behavior had taken him far from his comfortable life. Clover follows Moore’s unexplained visits to the Bowery, where he discovers a connection to a dangerous man—and a mystery that reaches much closer to home than it first appears.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: June 2, 1952
Originating from Hollywood
Starring: Larry Thor as Lieutenant Danny Clover; Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia; Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan
Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day: George, Patreon supporter since October 2015
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
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