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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Currently Featuring
YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR THE FALCON DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENT DRAGNET MR. CHAMELEON ELLERY QUEEN… and more!
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Dragnet, NBC, Podcast, Procedural
EP1658: Dragnet: The Big Actor
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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Friday and Romero investigate the theft of Narcotics from a Catholic hospital.
Original Air Date: August 10, 1950
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Audio Drama Review, Sherlock Holmes
Audio Drama Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Final Problem / The Empty House
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
The second series of Big Finish’s Sherlock Holmes range kicks off with the adaptation of the two Sherlock Holmes stories. “The Final Problem,” where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle attempts to kill Holmes off, and “The Empty House,” where Holmes returns.
As writer/star Nicholas Briggs admits, these are not traditional adaptations. In the previous adaptation, a bonus talking book of “The Speckled Band” was released with a word-for-word reading of that story. This is similar but this production dispenses with “He said.” Otherwise this is a straightforward, almost word-for-word adaptation of Doyle’s stories with most of it told through Watson’s narration or Holmes narrating to Watson what has happened previously. As such, the strength of these adaptations rest on the strength of the underlying story.
However, Big Finish does add some nice touches. There’s an emotional core in these stories that Richard Earl, as Watson, does a superb job of capturing. Briggs turns in a solid performance as Holmes, playing the character perfectly as written, even when he’s being smug in “The Empty House.” And one of the most interesting and subtle things they do in “The Final Problem”is tell the narration as Watson writing this down, and we hear the pen crossing the paper and the sound of pen will change and become more pronounced at certain emotional points. It’s a simple bit of sound design, but it’s clever and adds something interesting to the production.
These are solid, dramatic readings with a good soundscape added in. However, given the wealth of material and the countless adaptations of these stories, the appeal of this release is limited and this would be the last time Big Finish used the format for Sherlock Holmes.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.00
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CBS, Podcast, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, YTJD Add
EP1657: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Rolling Stone Matter
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Johnny investigates a missing, underinsured jewel.
Original Air Date: May 11, 1958
When travelling, remember JohnnyDollarair.com
Mutual, Nick Carter, Podcast
EP1656: Nick Carter: The Case of the Tatooed Cobra
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A young, wealthy heir is found murdered, but another man claiming to be the heir shows up.
Original Air Date: May 23, 1948
CBS, Philip Marlowe, Philip Marlowe OTR, Podcast
EP1655: Philip Marlowe: The Man on the Roof
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Marlowe is hired by a woman to save her son from a dangerous set-up.
Original Air Date: April 4, 1950
ABC, Ellery Queen, Podcast
EP1654: Ellery Queen: The Man in the Street
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Ellery sets out to capture two conmen who have swindled 10,000 people and ensure they’re captured before they’re murdered.
Original Air Date: December 11, 1947
NBC, Podcast, The Saint
EP1653: The Saint: The Children’s Crusade
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The Saint investigates a threatening note sent to a teach at a military academy.
Original Air Date: May 27, 1951
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