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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

EP1407: The Saint: The Cake that Killed

Vincent Price

The Saint walks into a bakery for a loaf of bread and is given a cake and shoved in a cab and sent to the Ocean.

Original Air Date: January 8, 1950
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TV Mini-Series Review: The Escape Artist

In the 2013 BBC Mini-series The Escape Artist, Will Burton (David Tennant), a British barrister who has never lost a case, takes on the task of defending Liam Foyle (Toby Kebbell), a man accused of a heinous crime. Burton is able to get Foyle off but soon finds his family in Foyle’s crossfire.

David Tennant turns in a fine performance as Will Burton. Burton is likable, earnest, and caring. He’s a man doing a job he’s a good at and you never feel he crosses a line. The mini-series is stylish enough and has good moments. Also, several members of the cast pull off their roles quite well including Toby Kebbell as Foyle.

The degree to which you enjoy this is largely the degree to which you can view the British Justice system as horribly broken and the minions of the law as hopelessly incompetent. The Crown manages to lose three murder cases through a sheer force of incompetence as they fail to check a computer history before going into court and accusing the defendant of being a consumer of revenge porn, failing to fill out the search warrant form properly, and failing to properly examine the body, all while running a crime lab that invites defense challenges. While Will Burton is supposed to be some sort of genius, we really don’t see it until Part 3 as the Police and prosecutors manage to defeat themselves quite nicely.

The character of fellow barrister Maggie Gardener (Sophie Okonedo) is hard to even get a handle on. Her defense in Foyle’s second murder trial is understandable despite her obvious distaste for the man. Her actions at the end of Part 3 are .simply inexplicable and only done so that one can uncover what actually happened. After all, what good is it having a clever protagonist if no one knows how clever he’s been?

Overall, if you can enjoy the music and Tennant’s performance and not focus on the plot holes, the Escape Artist is a decent but certainly not great British thriller.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0

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EP1405: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Heatherstone Players Matter

Bob Bailey
Johnny is hired as a bodyguard for a hated Shakespearean actor and producer.

Original Air Date: July 14, 1957

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

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EP1404: Nick Carter: The Red Goose Murder

Lon Clark
With Nick out of town, Sergeant Matheson has to solve the murder of a singer at a night club–with some help from Patsy and Stubby.

Original Air Date: August 25, 1946

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EP1403: Philip Marlowe: The Lady in the Mink

Gerald Mohr

Philip Marlowe is hired to find a woman’s sister before she commits murder.

Original Air Date: April 30, 1949

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EP1402: Easy Money: Charity Benefit Racket

Larry Haines
Mike Trent becomes suspicious of the operation of a charity Monte Carlo night when one man begins to win-a lot.

Original Air Date: May 18, 1955

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