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.
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 DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENT DRAGNET MR. CHAMELEON ELLERY QUEEN… and more!
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Recent Posts
Mutual, OTR Detective, Podcast, The Avenger, The Avenger and I.A. Moto
EP1816: The Avenger: The Crypt of Thoth
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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A professor dies under mysterious circumstances in an Egyptian crypt.
Original Air Date: December 6, 1945
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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Michael Shayne, Mutual, OTR Detective, Podcast
EP1815: Michael Shayne: Behind the Footlights
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A friend of Mike’s calls him to investigate because she fears a murder will happen at a night club and then one happens.
Original Air Date: August 27, 1945
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OTR Detective, Podcast
EP1814s: Broadway Is My Beat: The Steve Courtney Murder Case
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Danny Clover receives a letter and a phone call saying a wealthy tycoon’s apparent natural death was a murder.
Original Air Date: June 23, 1950
Support our listener support campaign.
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83705
DVD Review, Golden Age Article
DVD Review: Michael Shayne Mysteries, Volume 1
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
This two DVD collection collection collects four of the seven Michael Shayne films: Michael Shayne, Private Detective, The Man Who Wouldn’t Die, Sleepers West, and Blue, White, and Perfect.
These are the cream of the series. Nolan plays Shayne with loads of light-hearted charm and street smarts. In general, the writing is solid as it avoids the flaws of other films in the series that have since been released as solo stories. The films are detective comedies but do a good job providing a great balance between detective story and comedy.
Each film is based on a different book. However, only one of those was a Michael Shayne book. The other three were from other detective writers. While the films have a light comedic touch to them, each is also influenced by its source material and so each feels a little different.
Michael Shayne, Private Detective is the only one based on an actual Shayne book, and it finds Shayne watching an underage heiress who has a bad gambling habit. Shayne undertakes to keep her safe but quickly finds himself mixed up in a murder.
In The Man Who Couldn’t Die, Shayne goes undercover as a woman’s new husband to help her find out the secret behind strange goings on at her father’s estate. This is an atmospheric “old house” mystery with lots of comic misunderstandings thrown in.
Sleepers West has Shayne transporting a key witness on a train where he runs into an old flame and her fiance, who has a secret. Shayne has to keep the witness safe from the mob and also ensure she makes it to the trial. This one becomes a little more drama than mystery towards the end, but has a positive message and a lovely performance by Nolan.
Finally in Blue, White, and Perfect, Shayne pretends to quit the private detective business for the benefit of his fiancee, but in reality he’s going undercover to investigate the theft of diamonds. However, he’s fired from the job after a complaint is lodged against him by the perpetrators (who he can’t prove are guilty), so he does the only sensible thing he can: tricks his fiancee into giving him a thousand dollars so he can book passage on a boat to Hawaii and follow the crooks across the sea, intending to capture the crooks, claim the reward, and pay her back. This film is enjoyable, particularly for featuring future Superman star George Reeves as a Spanish/Irish mystery passenger, but it is probably a little too convoluted for its own good.
It’s worth nothing that the films all seem to have an obsession with Shayne being Irish, with the theme being an Irish jig and Shayne whistling Irish songs.
Beyond that, the films are incredibly entertaining. The DVD boxset contains a nice booklet, and the CDs are in two slip cases, each with gorgeous artwork related to the films. In addition, there are four mini-documentaries about the Michael Shayne books and movies that make for great viewing for the true mystery fan.
Compared to other mystery box sets, the current $9.99 price on this set is dirt cheap. The reason for the price is that 20th Century Fox packaged the set as a double-sided DVD which is generally a cheap option. That’s ironic because everything else in the set is quite exquisitely done. However, the result of this is that this is a great bargain for fans of classic mystery movies.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
This DVD is available as a thank you gift for our listener support campaign with a donation of $50 or more through Sunday, March 7, 2016.
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Dragnet, NBC, OTR Detective, Podcast, Procedural
EP1814: Dragnet: The Big Cast
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Friday and Romero locate the prime suspect in the disappearance of twelve men.
Original Air Date: February 8, 1951
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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83705
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CBS, OTR Detective, Podcast, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, YTJD Add
EP1813: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Blue Madonna Matter
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Johnny receives a tip from a friendly crook in Paris that a painting hanging in a gallery is a forgery.
Original Air Date: February 22, 1959
When making your travel plans, remember http://www.johnnydollarair.com
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CBS, Mystery Special, OTR Detective, Podcast, Suspense
EP1812: Suspsense: The Moonstone, Part One
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A young man delivers an Indian diamond to his cousin on her birthday, a diamond that brings woe to the entire house.
Original Air Date: November 16, 1953
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Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
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