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, Nick Carter, Podcast
EP1590: Nick Carter: The Case of the Boy Who Got Lost
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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The older brother of a sixteen year old boy calls Nick in to investigate when his brother appears to be mixed up in a murder.
Original Air Date: February 29, 1948
CBS, Philip Marlowe, Philip Marlowe OTR, Podcast
EP1589: Philip Marlowe: The Covered Bridge
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Marlowe is taken by gunpoint to drive three people to Mexico and he’s determined to find out what the score is.
Original Air Date: January 14, 1950
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Ellery Queen, NBC, Podcast
EP1588: Ellery Queen: Adventure of the Circus Train
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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A long-time circus owner is murdered on a train.
Original Air Date: March 27, 1943
NBC, Podcast, The Saint
EP1587: The Saint: The Big Swindle
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A man shows up with a bag of money and claims to have amnesia.
Original Air Date: February 25, 1951
Book Review, Golden Age Article, Sam Spade
Book Review: The Maltese Falcon
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
The Maltese Falcon is rightly considered one of the landmark books in detective fiction. The tale was also immortalized on the screen in one of the greatest films of all time.
The book works so well because of its characters. Joel Cairo, Wilmer, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy are incredibly rich and fascinating characters who would be copied and recreated by lesser writers. Spade himself is perhaps the most fascinating character of them all.
As a person, he has many detestable qualities. At times, he’s coldly sociopathic, he uses people, and his own moral code is far more questionable than Philip Marlowe’s is. Yet, this allows the reader to wonder where exactly Spade stands. That question is probably the most intriguing mystery in the book.
The language of the book is fascinating. Hammett uses so many rich, active words. For example, Spade doesn’t light a cigarette. He ignites it or he sets it on fire.
Probably one of the big differences (although relatively minor) between the movie and the novel is the movie doesn’t include Guttman’s daughter. It’s understandable why the film didn’t include her as there would have been issues with the production code and it also would have overcrowded the film. However, she does serve two purposes in the book. We do get a clearer picture of Spade’s humane side, as well as an idea of how ruthless Guttman could be.
The book does deal with some adult themes, but in a tasteful way, as was required by the times.
Overall, the book is a classic and worth reading as an example of great writing and characterization, even if you don’t care for the type of protagonist Spade represents or the type of protagonists that the book has inspired.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
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Dragnet, NBC, Podcast, Procedural
EP1586: Dragnet: The Big Pug
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Friday and Romero look for a duo who robbed a grocery store and assaulted its elderly owner.
Original Air Date: May 18, 1950
CBS, Podcast, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, YTJD Add
EP1585: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Time and Tide Matter
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Johnny goes to the Caribbean after a wealthy insured person fails to make a key appointment and Johnny finds the man’s life is in danger, but from who?
Original Air Date: February 16, 1958
When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com
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