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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

EP1217: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Meg’s Palace Matter, Parts Three and Four

Bob Bailey

Johnny’s got a knock in the head and an ever-growing list of suspects in the attacks on Meg’s dive.

Original Air Dates: September 26 and 27, 1956

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

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EP1216:Casebook of Gregory Hood: Gregory Hood, Suspect

Elliot Lewis

Gregory Hood tries to help a woman who is being blackmailed and ends up a suspect in the murder of the blackmailer.

Original Air Date: September 30, 1946

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EP1215: Meg’s Palace Matter, Parts One and Two

Bob Bailey
Johnny investigates threats of arson against the cantankerous female owner of a waterfront dive.

Original Air Dates: September 24 and 25, 1956

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Radio Drama Review: The Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon

In January 1934, newspaper readers were introduced to the adventures of Flash Gordon, an athletic Yale graduate who is kidnapped by Doctor Zarkov and taken in a rocket to the planet Mongol along with the lovely Dale Arden.

In 1935, Hearst brought Flash Gordon to radio a 26-part adventure starring Gale Gordon as Flash Gordon in The Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon. Radio serials from this era are relatively rare, so I was surprised to find the whole 26 part story is available for listeners.

The serial is actually not all that good to start with. While it’s a faithful adaptation of the comic strip, the writers seemed to struggle with being faithful while transitioning Flash Gordon from a visual to an aural medium. One big thing was that very important scenes were skipped over in the early going, so you felt someone was giving highlight of the story rather than you listening to it.

The serial got much better around the sixth episode as the scene shifted to Flash’s goal of taking over  the Blue Magic land from the witch Queen Azura. What followed over the next eighteen episodes was a dazzling display of imagination and plot twists with hypnosis potions, invisibility machines, angry dwarfs and a wide variety of reversals of fortune. This was radio fantasy for kids with all its gusto.

The series did break with continuity in the comic books,  so it could bring listeners another program. Episode 24 ended with Flash, Dale, and Zarkov accidentally heading back towards Earth in a rocket ship and in Episode 25 they crashed in the Jungle near long time radio character Jungle Jim. In Episode 26, the two were finally wed to wrap up the series, so that Jungle Jim could take over its time slot.  This wouldn’t be the last Flash Gordon was heard on the radio, but it would be the last complete program.

Overall, the serial was good.  Some people might be offended by Flash’s active conquest, but in the end it’s just fantasy.  While the beginning was rushed, and the end while good was a little out of place, the middle chapters are packed with great story.  The acting quality varies quite a bit from character to character and there are a fair share of hams on the story, but the series works.

It particularly works as a promotion for the Flash Gordon comic strip. Characters like the Blue Magic Men, Hawk Men all sound exciting, fun, and worth seeing as well as hearing.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

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EP1214: Poice Blotter Murder at the Windsor

Sergeant Sam Willoughby  investigates a murder at a theater where jealous run deep.

Original Air Date: 1957

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EP1213: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Imperfect Alibi, Parts Four and Five

Bob Bailey

Johnny tries to bluff is way to the solution of the murder of an insured.

Original Air Dates: September 20 and 21, 1956

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EP1212: Nick Carter: Murder by Fire

Lon Clark
Nick Carter attempts to save a woman from a fire and discovers she was murdered.

Original Air Date: January 14, 1945

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