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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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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Peerless Fire Matter (EP1351)

Bob Bailey

 

Johnny looks into the arson of a small junkyard.

Original Air Date: May 5, 1957

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EP1350: Nick Carter: The Body in the Ice

Lon Clark

A body is found frozen in the ice.

Original Air Date: January 27, 1946

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EP1349: Philip Marlowe: The Lonesome Reunion

Gerald Mohr

Marlowe goes to Phoenix to carry simple papers but finds himself in the midst of robbers fighting and kill over the proceeds of an old robbery.

Original Air Date: February 12, 1949

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EP1348: Pat Novak: Little Jake Siegel

Jack Webb
An altar boy is shot and killed in a church saving Novak’s life. Novak’s goal: get the killer.

Original Air Date: June 26, 1949

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EP1347: Pursuit: Pursuit of the Woman in Grey

Ben Wright

Inspector Black goes undercover as a social worker to investigate violence in a women’s prison.

Original Air Date: February 26, 1952

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The McCormack Matter Omnibus Edition (EP1346s)

Bob Bailey

A dying prisoner sends Johnny searching for $100,000 in stolen jewels that were never recovered and murder follows.

Original Air Dates: October 3-7, 1955

Audio Review: BBC Crimes: The Saint Overboard & The Saint Plays with Fire

In late Summer 1995, the BBC brough the Saint back to radio in a series of three radio plays starring Paul Rhys as Simon Templar: The Saint.

The first two of these plays are collected in a single audio release, “The Saint Overboard” and “The Saint Plays With Fire.”

“The Saint Overboard” has the Saint teaming up with a female insurance investigator who is trying to catch the culprit behind the looting of sunken vessels. She has a suspect but has to find out where he’s hidden the loot.

“The Saint Plays with Fire” on the surface level is about an arson and murder investigation but it has strong political overtones in a story that was originally written right before the outbreak of World War II.

Of the two, “The Saint Overboard” is the weaker story. It’s not a bad tale, but it does drag a bit in the middle and some of the side characters were a little tedious. The Saint also plays much more of an anti-hero in the story.

“The Saint Plays With a Fire” is a much more solid play. It’s a good mystery and the pre-war setting is pretty intriguing.

Overall, Paul Rhys is decent as the Saint. He’s definitely not going to make anyone forget George Sanders, Roger Moore, or Vincent Price, but he does a good job. He’s certainly not Val Kilmer and he’s a cut above Hugh Sinclair who replaced Sanders as the on-screen Saint in the 1940s.

The rest of the cast turns in exactly the type of solid performance you’d expect from the BBC. While it’s not a must-hear for fans of Leslie Charteris’ most famous creation, it’s still a well-done adaptation.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

This production is available from audible.com.

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