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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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Recent Posts

EP1504: Crime and Peter Chambers: The Utopia Ballroom Murder

Dane Clark
Peter is hired to investigate the murder of an aspiring actress.

Original Air Date: August 10, 1954

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EP1503: The Saint: It’s Snow Use

Vincent Price

The Saint while in a vacation to a lodge is asked to pretend to be the husband of a woman who fears being murdered by her ex-husband.

Original Air Date: October 29, 1950

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EP1502s: Lux Radio Theater: The Thin Man

The Thin Man

Nick Charles, a retired private detective is drawn back to detection with the insistence of his wife, Nora, when a former client is suspected of several murders.

Original Air Date: June 8, 1936

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EP1502: Dragnet: The Child Killer

Jack Webb

Friday and Romero search for two lost little girls.

Original Air Date: February 2, 1950

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Book Review: The Jade Ogre

In this 1992 Will Murray novel, the legendary adventure Doc Savage faces a deadly challenge when he battles the Jade Ogre, a strange being whose decapitated arms fly on their own and deal a horrible green death to the Ogre’s enemies.

The Jade Ogre is unusual in that Murray adapted the idea from a story original Doc Savage writer Lester Dent had written about a private detective, so this story has a bit of a mystery element in it and some detective tropes that play a role such as Doc explaining the solution to his aides at the end. However, the mystery is much more a matter of how rather than who as Murray provides more than enough clues to figure out who is behind the Jade Ogre. Also this makes more sense understanding it was based on a serialized story as it does have a very strong serialized feel.

In addition to the mystery, the book delivered the usual things we expect from Doc Savage with plenty of action, adventure, gadgets, and some great interaction between Doc’s assistants. Here, as in the other more recent books, the number of supporting players is kept down to a minimum with Ham, Monk, and Pat Savage appearing. Murray is even more careful about overusing assistants as for most of the book, only two are “on stage” at once with Pat and Ham together early and Monk and Ham late. This allows enough interaction between the Bronze Man’s two most beloved assistants (Monk and Ham) without their carping on each other becoming monotonous.

As always, Murray achieves a great period feel and this book succeeds in transporting readers back to the 1930s.

The story has one major plot hole and that comes from the whodunit plot. We learn that when Doc gives the solution that several others had figured out who the guilty party was. This leads the question of why everyone followed a crazed murder blindly into a trap.

Beyond that, there are more things that could be nitpicked, but at the end of the day, this isn’t great literature, it’s Doc Savage. And this book lives up to the high standards set by other installments in this series. So if you have a love of 1930s Pulp fiction in your soul, this book is for you.

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EP1501: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Three Sisters Matter

Bob Bailey

Johnny is to investigate the death of a famous musician with his three stepdaughters being the prime suspects.

Original Air Date: October 27, 1957

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EP1500: Nick Carter: Case of the Two Faced Firemaster

Lon Clark

After capturing a young robber, Nick sets out to find out who is supplying the city’s criminals with guns.

Original Air Date: September 21, 1947

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