Month: June 2026

Dragnet: The Big Rose (EP5004)

Today’s Mystery:

A woman with a history of trouble suddenly disappears, leaving behind four children and a trail of conflicting stories. As Joe Friday and Ed Jacobs dig deeper into the case, a missing person’s investigation turns into a homicide hunt where the truth may lie closer to home than anyone suspects.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: March 27, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Starred: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday and Barney Phillips as Sergeant Ed Jacobs.

Also featuring Virginia Gregg, Vic Perrin, and Herb Ellis. Script by Jim Moser. Music by Walter Schumann. Announcer: Hal Gibney. Technical advice from the Los Angeles Police Department.

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Lux Radio Theater: It Happejned Tomorrow (AWR0300)

Amazing World of Radio

This week in our summer series featuring old-time radio appearances by actors who later played killers on Columbo, we spotlight Anne Baxter. Baxter stars opposite Don Ameche in a whimsical fantasy set in 1896 about a young newspaper reporter who mysteriously gains access to tomorrow’s newspaper today. As he uses his knowledge of the future to advance his career and pursue romance at the dawn of the twentieth century, he discovers that knowing what’s coming next may be more dangerous than he ever imagined.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: July 3, 1944

Program: Lux Radio Theatre

Starring Don Ameche as Larry Stevens and Anne Baxter as Sylvia.

Also featuring Norman Field, Eddie Marr, Griff Barnett, Leo Cleary, Ferdinand Munier, Cathy Lewis, Ken Christie, Charles Seal, Franklin Parker, Tyler McVey, Ed Emerson, and Herb Vigran. Produced by Cecil B. DeMille. Music directed by Louis Silvers. Announcer: John M. Kennedy.

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Broadway’s My Beat: The Raymond Grant Murder Case (EP5003)

Larry Thor

Today’s Mystery:

When a milkman is found beaten to death outside a young graduate student’s apartment, Danny Clover discovers that the victim may have been profiting from secrets he learned on his delivery route. Before the key witness can tell what she knows, she is killed in a suspicious traffic accident, forcing Clover to untangle a web of blackmail, betrayal, and forbidden romance.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: February 16, 1952

Originated in Hollywood

Stars: Larry Thor as Lieutenant Danny Clover, Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia, and Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan.

Featured in the cast were Paula Winslowe as Myra Blair, Howard McNear as Robert Blair, Mary Lansing, Charlotte Lawrence, and Shepard Menken. Produced and directed by Elliott Lewis. Musical score composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. Announcer: Bill Anders.

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The Big Story: The Killer with the Mind of a Child (EP5002)

Today’s Mystery:

When three people are murdered in a quiet Utah community, reporter T.R. Johnson finds himself drawn into the hunt for a killer who seems to vanish into the night. While police search the highways for a fugitive in a green sedan, Johnson follows a series of puzzling clues that suggest the murderer may be driven by something far more disturbing than ordinary criminal motives.

Original Radio Broadcast: November 29, 1950

Originating from New York

Starring John Sylvester as T.R. Johnson

Also featuring Jane Robin, Agnes Young, Amzie Strickland, Joan Shea, Owen Jordan, Meryl Jones, and Les Damon

Based on the reporting of T.R. Johnson of The Salt Lake Tribune

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The Saint: The Case of the Previewed Crime (EP5001)

Vincent Price

Today’s Mystery:

A mysterious intruder awakens Simon Templar in the middle of the night to describe what appears to be the perfect murder. When the wealthy financier at the center of the tale dies exactly as predicted, The Saint finds himself investigating a case where revenge, greed, and murder may not be what they seem.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: July 30, 1950

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Vincent Price as Simon Templar

Also featuring Jeanne Bates, Lou Merrill, Fred Howard, Jack Edwards Jr., and Larry Dobkin

Script by Louis Vittes

Music composed and conducted by Vaughn Dexter

Produced by James L. Saphier

Directed by Helen Mack

Announcer: Don Stanley

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Lux Radio Theater: The Fallen Sparrow (EP5000s)

Today’s Mystery:

After returning to New York following years of imprisonment during the Spanish Civil War, John McKittrick learns that a close friend has died under suspicious circumstances. As he investigates, he finds himself caught in a dangerous web of espionage, murder, and betrayal connected to secrets from his wartime past.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: February 14, 1944

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Robert Young as John McKittrick; Maureen O’Hara as Elma Don; Walter Slezak as Dr. Scoss

Also featuring Charles Seal, Charlotte Treadway, Ed Emerson, George Sorel, Griff Barnett, Howard McNear, Jay Novello, John McIntire, Norman Field, and Rene Gussaire

Produced by Cecil B. DeMille

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Counterspy: The Bouncing Bank Robber (A0098)

Today’s Adventure:

After a daring daylight bank robbery leaves two people dead and several wounded, counterspy agents launch a citywide manhunt for a ruthless gunman known for taking impossible risks. As the killer fights his way through police roadblocks, waterfront hideouts, and a crowded amusement park, David Harding and his agents race to stop him before more innocent people are caught in the crossfire.

Original Radio Broadcast: August 23, 1949

Originating from New York

Starring Don McLaughlin as David Harding and Mandel Kramer as Harry Peters

Also featuring Jesse Crawford (music)

Produced by the Phillips H. Lord Productions

Sponsored by Pepsi-Cola

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Casque of Death Matter (EP5000)

Bob Bailey

Today’s Mystery:

When a series of elderly bachelors and widowers vanish from small towns across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is sent to determine whether their disappearances are connected. Following a trail of wine cellars, unusual wills, and a secretive gourmet society, Johnny uncovers one of the strangest cases of his career.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: May 24, 1959

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar

Also starring Harry Bartell, Forrest Lewis, Bartlett Robinson, Parley Baer, and Marvin Miller

Written, produced, and directed by Jack Johnstone

Announcer: Dan Cubberly

When making your travel plans, remember johnnydollarair.com

 

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Suspense: The Log of the Marne (AWR0299)

Amazing World of Radio

This week in our summer series featuring old-time radio appearances by actors who later played killers on Columbo, we spotlight Ray Milland. Milland stars as Lieutenant Commander James Harland in a dramatization of the true story of a British gunboat trapped deep in Communist-controlled territory along China’s Yangtze River. Cut off from help, low on supplies, and under constant threat of attack, Harland and his crew must decide whether to remain stranded or risk a desperate dash to freedom.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: October 22, 1951

Program: Suspense

Starring Ray Milland as Lieutenant Commander James Harland

Also featuring Ben Wright as Fraser, Joseph Kearns, Charles Davis, Anthony Ellis, Jack Kruschen, Raymond Lawrence, and William Johnstone

Produced and directed by Elliott Lewis

Adapted for radio by Gil Doud from the book by Lawrence Earl

Music composed by Lucien Moraweck and conducted by Lud Gluskin

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Dragnet: The Big Border (EP4999)

Today’s Mystery:

Two armed convicts escape from San Quentin and head for Los Angeles, where they launch a desperate crime spree while police race to track them down. As Joe Friday and Ed Jacobs follow a trail of robberies, stolen weapons, and frightened witnesses, the fugitives make a bold dash for freedom across the Mexican border.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: March 20, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday and Barney Phillips as Sergeant Ed Jacobs

Also featuring Whit Connor and Herb Ellis

Script by Jim Moser

Music by Walter Schumann

Announcer: Hal Gibney

Technical advice from the Los Angeles Police Department

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Broadway’s My Beat: The Russ Warner Murder Case (EP4998)

Larry Thor

Today’s Mystery:

When a wounded Chicago gangster turns up in a nearly deserted bar after a shooting, Danny Clover discovers a trail that leads from old criminal alliances to a missing fortune. As suspects, alibis, and loyalties begin to unravel, the case becomes a deadly contest over $100,000 that someone is willing to kill to keep.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 26, 1952

Originated in Hollywood

Stars: Larry Thor as Lieutenant Danny Clover, Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia, and Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan.

Featured in the cast were Mary Jane Croft as Laurie Hayden, Anthony Barrett as Joe Hayden, Jack Moyles, Hal March, and Herb Butterfield. Produced and directed by Elliott Lewis. Musical score composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. Announcer: Bill Anders.

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The Big Story: A Dead Certainty (EP4997)

The Big Story

Today’s Mystery:

When a 69-year-old factory worker is found beaten to death in his ransacked bungalow, police quickly focus on a suspicious stranger seen in the neighborhood. But reporter Kenneth McCormick notices a series of small inconsistencies that lead him to question whether the obvious suspect is really the killer.

Original Radio Broadcast: November 15, 1950

Originating from New York

Starring: Bill Smith as Kenneth McCormick

Also featuring Kathleen Cordell, Louis Van Rooten, Bob Dryden, Bill Lipton, and Leon Janney

Based on the reporting of Kenneth McCormick of the Detroit Free Press

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The Saint: The Frightened Author (EP4996)

Vincent Price

Today’s Mystery:

Mystery writer Randy Patterson fears that characters from his latest novel may be planning to make his fictional murder plot a reality. As Simon Templar investigates a jealous boxing manager, a heavyweight contender, and a glamorous wife caught in the middle, a real murder turns suspicion in every direction.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: July 23, 1950

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Vincent Price as Simon Templar

Also featuring Betty Lou Gerson, Barney Phillips, Stanley Farrar, Edmund MacDonald, and Tom Brown

Script by Jerome Epstein

Music composed and conducted by Von Dexter

Produced by James L. Saphier

Directed by Helen Mack

Announcer: Don Stanley

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Counterspy: Desert Explosion (A0096)

Today’s Adventure:

Counterspy agents launch an elaborate sting operation to trap the mysterious Manuel Rodriguez, a wealthy Mexican rancher suspected of brokering stolen atomic secrets. Posing as crooks who have stolen a valuable uranium compound, Peters and Agent Ella Thomas risk their lives to convince Rodriguez they have something worth killing for.

Original Radio Broadcast: August 18, 1949

Originating from New York

Starring: Don McLaughlin as David Harding; Mandel Kramer as Peters

Also featuring Joan Alexander as Ella Thomas

Directed by William M. Sweets

Music by Jesse Crawford

Produced by the Phillips H. Lord Productions

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Twin Trouble Matter (EP4995)

Bob Bailey

Today’s Mystery:

Johnny Dollar is asked to protect a respected New Jersey stockbroker whose past involvement in a fraudulent securities scheme has made him the target of blackmail. When the ex-convict behind the threat demands a fortune in exchange for silence, Johnny finds himself racing to stop a deadly trap before it destroys an innocent family.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: May 17, 1959

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar

Also starring G. Stanley Jones, Alan Reed, and Frank Gerstle

Written, produced, and directed by Jack Johnstone

Announcer: Dan Cubberly

When making your travel plans, remember johnnydollarair.com

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