Month: August 2014

EP1352s: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Molly K Matter Omnibus Edition

Bob Bailey

Johnny investigates the sinking of a boat with a $500,000 insurance policy and a captain who tries to stop him from getting to the truth.

Original Air Date: October 10-14, 1956

Support the listener support campaign.

When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey.

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

DVD Review: The Father Dowling Mysteries, Season One

The Father Dowling Mysteries was a delightful mystery series starring Tom Bosley (Happy Days) and Tracy Nelson as Chicago-based Father Frank Dowling and Sister Stephanie “Steve” Oskowski, a priest and nun constantly finding themselves in the the thick of mysteries. The duo first appeared in a 1987 TV movie before joining the 1989 NBC line up as a mid-season replacement before moving to ABC in 1990 for another mid-season replacement season and its only full season. Having aired on NBC and ABC, the DVD release, of course, comes from CBS Home video. Father Dowling was a character created by Ralph McHenry in a series of popular novels, but the novels really don’t appear to have come much into play in the stories.

The first season set collects the 1987 Movie, “The Fatal Confession” as well as the seven episode first season of Father Dowling.

Ultimately, this isn’t a series made by the cleverness of its mysteries or bone-chilling suspense, or CSI-like crime scene details. In the end, Father Dowling stands firmly on the charm and chemistry of its two protagonist and Bosley and Nelson are wonderful to watch.

Bosley is very believable as Father Dowling. He does a perfect job creating that balance that’s required in a clerical detective. Dowling is clever, but he’s also compassionate. He cares about catching the bad guy but he also cares about people’s souls and lives. In so many ways, Frank Dowling is a bit of a throw back to a gentler era in television that spawned characters like Andy Taylor. He was truly good and kind, and also didn’t take himself too seriously.

Sister Steve is street smart but also very compassionate. The biggest flaw with the way the series played the character was that in each episode, they had to have her do something you wouldn’t typically expect a nun to do usually in the line of duty but sometimes not: beating the neighborhood boys at basketball playing pool, fixing a car, mixing drinks at a bar, or teaching an aerobics class. It was all in the line of work. Sometimes, it was humorous, though it times it could get goofy and a little repetitive. The first few episodes had her being able to do every single thing well. Thankfully, in the “Face in the Mirror Mystery,” they finally had her undertake a task she couldn’t do well: rollerskating.

Rounding out the regulars were Father Dowling’s cranky housekeeper Marie (Mary Wickes) and the very particular Father Phil (James Stephens) who would appear in the first and last episodes of the 1989 series before becoming a regular. As for the episodes themselves:

“The Fatal Confession” had some good moments in it as Father Dowling looks into the apparent suicide of a former parishoner, but the last quarter of it or so was just too much like a soap opera

“The Missing Body Mystery,” the feature length first episode of the 1989 series begins with a man stumbling into St. Michaels and dying. When Father Dowling returns after calling the police, the body is gone. His stability is called into question and the bishop wants to relieve him and replace him with Father Phil. It’s a great story and a solid beginning.

“What Do You Call Girl Mystery,” is a story about a slain high-priced call girl that manages to tell a good story without being exploitative or sleazy.

“The Man Who Came to Dinner Mystery,” is probably the only clunker in the first season. Steve’s ex-fiance (played by Nelson’s then-husband William Moses) witnesses a murder but when he shows up with the police, the body’s gone. Even worse someone’s trying to kill him. This story not only has a similar plot to a much better episode that aired two weeks previously as a well as a weak conclusion, but it tries to create dramatic conflict over Steve’s decision to become a nun and fails.

The main problem is that we’re told that Steve was almost ready to marry her ex when she ran off to the convent to become a nun. Why would a young woman make this very radical decision? All of the reasons Sister Steve gives such as “it was the right thing for me” don’t really ring true. It’s impossible to believe a nun would say or if someone wanted to be a nun with such weak reasons, that the Catholic church would allow it. Of course, treating the subject realistically may have required too much religiosity for network TV executives liking. But if you can’t do it well, why do it at all? Why try introduce a dramatic subplot that’s not believable?

The season got back on track with the two part, “Mafia Priest Mystery,” in which Father Luciana, the son of a mafia family becomes Father Dowling’s new Assistant. He’s trying to make a break with the family business but is drawn into an effor to help his brother Peter go straight and finds himself framed for murdering the DA. This is a great story with a lot of tension, suspects, and situations. We do learn whodunit about half away through the second episode but there’s still some great suspense including a delightful train chase. I also appreciate how the episode highlights both Frank and Steve’s compassion as they deal with and minister to members of the crime family even while trying to find the killer.

“The Face in the Mirror Mystery,” is actually a pretty decent story despite the fact that the premise of an “evil twin” of the main character has been done to death. This is  a great cat and mouse game between Father Dowling and his twin brother Blaine, though the payoff scene is a little silly.

The season concluded with, “The Pretty Baby Mystery,” which has a woman chased by armed men leaving her baby in the church. Father Dowling and Steve try to find the mother and end up getting arrested by the Feds. This is another episode that really respects the characters’ vocation and differentiates them from the typical TV detective. The episode also marked the return of James Stevens as Father Phil, who has become the Bishop’s assistant.

Overall, the first season of Father Dowling was thoroughly enjoyable. It manages to be a mostly well-written family friendly detective series with likable characters. It treats its main characters with respect, but also manages a great deal of humor and warmth. I’ll look forward to future seasons.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

If you enjoyed this post, you can have new posts about Detective stories and the golden age of radio and television delivered automatically to your Kindle.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that items purchased from these links may result in a commission being paid to the author of this post at no extra cost to the purchaser.

 

EP1352: Dragnet: Production 5 aka The Helen Corday Murder

Jack Webb

Friday and Romero search for a man who killed a waitress.

Original Air Date: July 7, 1949

Support the show

Become one of our friends on Facebook…

Take the listener survey .

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

 

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Peerless Fire Matter (EP1351)

Bob Bailey

 

Johnny looks into the arson of a small junkyard.

Original Air Date: May 5, 1957

Support the listener support campaign.

When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey.

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

EP1350: Nick Carter: The Body in the Ice

Lon Clark

A body is found frozen in the ice.

Original Air Date: January 27, 1946

Support the listener support campaign.

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey.

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe with any other reader.

EP1349: Philip Marlowe: The Lonesome Reunion

Gerald Mohr

Marlowe goes to Phoenix to carry simple papers but finds himself in the midst of robbers fighting and kill over the proceeds of an old robbery.

Original Air Date: February 12, 1949

Support the listener support campaign.

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey .

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

 

EP1348: Pat Novak: Little Jake Siegel

Jack Webb
An altar boy is shot and killed in a church saving Novak’s life. Novak’s goal: get the killer.

Original Air Date: June 26, 1949

Support the listener support campaign.

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey.

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

EP1347: Pursuit: Pursuit of the Woman in Grey

Ben Wright

Inspector Black goes undercover as a social worker to investigate violence in a women’s prison.

Original Air Date: February 26, 1952

Support the listener support campaign.

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey.

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The McCormack Matter Omnibus Edition (EP1346s)

Bob Bailey

A dying prisoner sends Johnny searching for $100,000 in stolen jewels that were never recovered and murder follows.

Original Air Dates: October 3-7, 1955

Audio Review: BBC Crimes: The Saint Overboard & The Saint Plays with Fire

In late Summer 1995, the BBC brough the Saint back to radio in a series of three radio plays starring Paul Rhys as Simon Templar: The Saint.

The first two of these plays are collected in a single audio release, “The Saint Overboard” and “The Saint Plays With Fire.”

“The Saint Overboard” has the Saint teaming up with a female insurance investigator who is trying to catch the culprit behind the looting of sunken vessels. She has a suspect but has to find out where he’s hidden the loot.

“The Saint Plays with Fire” on the surface level is about an arson and murder investigation but it has strong political overtones in a story that was originally written right before the outbreak of World War II.

Of the two, “The Saint Overboard” is the weaker story. It’s not a bad tale, but it does drag a bit in the middle and some of the side characters were a little tedious. The Saint also plays much more of an anti-hero in the story.

“The Saint Plays With a Fire” is a much more solid play. It’s a good mystery and the pre-war setting is pretty intriguing.

Overall, Paul Rhys is decent as the Saint. He’s definitely not going to make anyone forget George Sanders, Roger Moore, or Vincent Price, but he does a good job. He’s certainly not Val Kilmer and he’s a cut above Hugh Sinclair who replaced Sanders as the on-screen Saint in the 1940s.

The rest of the cast turns in exactly the type of solid performance you’d expect from the BBC. While it’s not a must-hear for fans of Leslie Charteris’ most famous creation, it’s still a well-done adaptation.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

This production is available from audible.com.

If you enjoyed this post, you can have new posts about Detective stories and the golden age of radio and television delivered automatically to your Kindle.

EP1346: Dragnet: Production #4 Homicide (aka: Quick Trigger Gun Men)

Jack Webb

Friday and Romero are on the trailer of three robbers who murdered a police officer.

Original Air Date: June 24, 1949

Support the show

Become one of our friends on Facebook…

Take the listener survey .

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to download, click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Melancholy Memory Matter (EP1345)

Bob Bailey

Johnny searches for a pitcher who disappeared during Spring Training and whose sister is accusing his new bride of murdering him.

Original Air Date: April 28, 1957

When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey.

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

EP1344: Nick Carter: Shakespeare’s Ghost

Lon Clark

A grifter cons a collector out of a copy of the Shakespeare folio that’s rumored to be haunted by Shakespeare’s ghost and is founded beheaded with an Elizabethan sword.

Original Air Date: December 30, 1945

Support the show.

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey.

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe with any other reader.

EP1343: Philip Marlowe: The Long Rope

Gerald Mohr

Marlowe is hired by an elderly man to transport a string of pearls to Chicago but arrives to find the man who hired him dead and the pearls missing.

Original Air Date: February 5, 1949

Support the show.

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey .

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.

EP1342: Pat Novak: Joe Dineen

Jack Webb
Two men kidnap Pat Novak from a wrestling match and demand he take them to a man Novak doesn’t know by the name of Joe Dineen.

Original Air Date: June 19, 1949

Support the show

Become one of our friends on Facebook.

Take the listener survey.

Give us a call 208-991-4783

Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Click here to add this podcast to your Itunes, click here to subscribe.