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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

EP0957: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Amy Bradshaw Matter, Parts One and Two

Bob Bailey

A beautiful actress receives a threatening note.

Original Air Date: November 21 and 22, 1955

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Telefilm Review: The Murder of Roger Akroyd

Four years after the end of the sixth series of Poirot, the mysteries returned for a seventh series with David Suchet. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd begins with Poirot in blissful retirement in the country as he focuses on his gardening.

However, a baffling murder brings him out to investigate the buried secrets of a small town.

As usual with Poirot stories, the mystery’s not a problem, nor is the acting by the lead. The fundamental problem with this play is dramatic. Here, I try not to give away the game to anyone unfamiliar with the story. The Murder of Roger Akroyd much Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, is noted for an unusual twist solution that’s actually quite shocking in the annals of detective fiction.

The ending works great in a book or in a well-done radio adaptation like Orson Welles’ Campbell playhouse version, however it’s understandably difficult to pull off in a cinematic way.  But, what they tried to do instead failed with a gratuitous chase scene to resolve the story just didn’t  feel right.  The film also suffered somewhat from the decision to include the Poirot family of actors even if it really didn’t work for capturing the spirit of the book.

In addition, the story had a somewhat maudlin, overly sentimental feel to it. To be fair, I wasn’t following the Poirot series in 2000 and maybe fans appreciated it back then, but it doesn’t age well.

It’s a weak entry and a bumpy start to the second half of the Poirot mysteries.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.0

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Book Review: The Scandal of Father Brown

This is the final Father Brown collection, containing eight stories (or nine, depending on the collection.) From my point view, G.K. Chesterton really hadn’t lost a step in this last collection the year before Chesteron’s death in 1936.

The stories all are wonderfully unexpected with a great twist. Why for example would the very orthodox priest seem to help a woman escape with her lover in the title story. Or what was the real misdoing of a radical professor in “The Crime of the Communist?” And who is the mysterious Mr. Blue? And why can’t the combined duo of Father Brown and Flambeau solve “The Insoluable Problem?”

These are the some good little mysteries here. Others that I really enjoyed included, “The Quick One” and also if your edition includes it, “The Vampire of the Village” is probably the best story in the collection even though it was in the first edition as Chesterton published it.

Overall, this is a fine final collection and shows the enduring power of Chesterton and his little priest with the umbrella to surprise, amuse, and entertain us while also making us thing.
Rating: 4.75 out of 5.0

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EP0956: The Line Up: The Senile Slugging Case

William Johnstone
Guthrie investigates a series of brutal muggings that have targeted elderly victims.

Original Air Date: September 12, 1951

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EP0955: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Broderick Matter, Part Five and Nightmare for Knight

Bob Bailey
Knight makes a daring escape from the harem and the intrigue surrounding it grows deeper.

Original Air Date: 1958 or ’59

Johnny is all that stands between Lorraine Broderick and a leap into eternity.

Original Air Date: November 18, 1955

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EP0954: Sherlock Holmes: The Blue Carbuncle

John Gielgud

A lost goose sets Holmes on the trail of a jewel thief.

Original Air Date: March 13, 1955

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EP0953: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Broderick Matter, Parts 3 and 4

Bob Bailey
Johnny finds a trail of broken hearts as disillusionment sets on the trail of Lorraine Broderick.

Original Air Date: November 16 and 17, 1955

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