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Bob Bailey & Virginia Gregg in front of an old Microphone

Bob Bailey & Virginia Gregg

Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio! 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.

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- Your host, Adam Graham

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Dangerous Assignment: Ghost Ship (EP4337)


Today’s Mystery:

Steve is sent to locate a phantom ship that’s smuggling supplies to guerillas in the Philippines and attacking local fishing boats.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: March 11, 1953

Originating in Hollywood

Starring: Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell; Herb Butterfield as the Commissioner

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Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Phantom Chase Matter, Episodes Six and Seven (EP4336)

Bob Bailey

Today’s Mystery:

Johnny wakes up in Barbados after being knocked out, and finds himself no closer to apprehending the junior partner of a New York investment firm who is accused of embezzling $120,000.

Original Radio Broadcast Dates: October 22 and 24, 1956

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar; Michael Ann Barrett; Jack Edwards; Ben Wright; Virginia Gregg; Don Diamond; Forrest Lewis; Richard Crenna

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

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The Falcon: The Case of the Double Exposure (EP4335)

Les Damon

Today’s Mystery:

A man is murdered soon after his business partner was killed, and the contingency beneficiary hires Mike to prove who hired the killer.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: October 29, 1950

Originating from New York

Starring: Les Damon as The Falcon; Ken Lynch as Sergeant Corbett; Maurice Tarplin; Mandel Kramer

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Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.

Sherlock Holmes: The Elusive Agent (Complete Adventure) (EP4334s)

Today’s Mystery:

The year is 1913 and international tensions run thick. Sherlock Holmes’s brother, Mycroft, calls him out of retirement to secure the return of stolen plans for an experimental tank.

Original Radio Broadcast Dates: March 21, 28, and April 4, 1949

Originating in New York

Starring: John Stanley as Holmes; George Spelvin as Watson

We’re joined by special Guest Tom Fox of the Compliance Podcast Network and the Adventures in Compliance Podcast

Listen to my guest appearance on the Adventures in Compliance Podcast

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Dragnet: The Big Man, Part One (EP4334)

Today’s Mystery:

Friday goes undercover in a narcotics gang to get to the get a drug kingpin.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 12, 1950

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday; Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero; Sidney Miller; Herb Butterfield; William Conrad; Peggy Webber

Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net

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Join us again on Monday for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.

Telefilm Review: Dante: Opening Night

In last week’s article, I highlighted TV programs that were not easily accessible due to copyright. Among them was Dante, the series starring Howard Duff as Night Club Operator Willie Dante.

However, after writing the article, I was tipped off that the series was available online. The British company Talking Pictures TV is a Television program that features rare old programming and broadcast in the UK. It runs a website called TPTV Encore where you can access some of its back catalog on-demand. Some of its programming is limited release and is limited to viewers in the UK and Ireland. However, some of its productions are available worldwide, and so as a U.S. Viewer, I can watch Dante. 

Since I can watch it, I figured I should review it.

Background:

Dante was a recurring feature on Four Star Playhouse, a 1950s Anthology Series. Dick Powell originated the role of Wille Dante, the operator of an illegal gambling room. The eight episodes featuring Dante aired between 1952 and 1956. A YouTube Compilation of all 8 Powell episodes is available to watch here.

In Fall 1960, Dante came to NBC TV with Howard Duff tanking over the role of Willie Dante as Powell was getting older and also moving into more behind-the-camera work.

How to Access:

To access the show, you go to the website and register for free. Once you’re registered, you can click on the “Four Star Productions” link at the top of the page which leads to a whole lot of tantalizing television, much of which isn’t available to stream anywhere else including episodes of the 1960s cult hit Honey West and Burke’s Law along with a good number of tantalizing programs that aren’t available for free streaming elsewhere.

The first episode that’s available is entitled, “Opening Night.” According to Wikipedia, this is the second episode of the series and if the plot summary is correct, that makes sense. There are some brief commercials before the show starts as well as at least one midroll ad when I watched.

The Plot:

It’s the opening night for Dante’s new San Francisco nightclub, Dante’s Inferno. Dante insists that’s all that’s happening. There’s no gambling. He’s gone strictly legitimate. The police, encouraged by an ambitious DA don’t buy it, and neither does an ambitious gangster who knows Dante from the old days and is determined to force to make Dante a partner. If Dante doesn’t, it could lead to a murder with Dante set to take the fall for it.

Review:

This feels like a proper series opener as we’re introduced briefly to Dante, given hints about his history as well as meeting his two sidekicks for the series Alan Mowbry and Tom D’Andrea.  Much of the first half of the program is concerned with the District Attorney’s suspicions and establishing the character. Here is a point where the series was betrayed by its half-hour length. There’s not really time to do the sort of introduction the show’s trying to do while also having a crime adventure pop up for Dante in the second half of the program.

Howard Duff’s performance was what ultimately made the difference. Duff, who is most famous for playing Sam Spade on the radio, is just as capable here. Managing to make Dante a multi-faceted character and portray him as a cool customer who exercised a wry sense of humor while dealing with the inquiries of the press and overly suspicious police officers while jumping into action as the big man of action in the final minutes of the story.

While the main story resolves, the episode leaves us with key questions such as whether Dante has really given up illegal gambling and if so, why. The episode leaves viewers wanting to see more, although I don’t know whether these questions will be followed up long-term, They may have spent too much time on set-up, it does deliver an exciting ending and Duff’s performance makes it a decent watch, and an intriguing start to the series.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Phantom Chase Matter, Episodes Three, Four, and Five (EP4333)

Bob Bailey

Today’s Mystery:

In New Orleans, a nasty informant has promised to take Johnny to an embezzler who made off with $120,000.

Original Radio Broadcast Dates: October 17, 18, and 19, 1956

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar; Marvin Miller; Junius Matthews; Herb Ellis; D. J. Thompson; Herb Butterfield; Tony Barrett; Barbara Eiler

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

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