Tag: Radio Drama

Dragnet: The Big Fire (EP4994)

Todays Mystery:

A landlord suddenly refuses to honor signed leases on a newly renovated apartment building and threatens prospective tenants with a loaded gun when they try to move in. As Friday and Jacobs investigate the bizarre incident, they begin to suspect the stubborn property owner may be hiding a far more dangerous scheme.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: March 13, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

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

Also featuring Vic Perrin

Script by Jim Moser

Music by Walter Schumann

Announcer: Hal Gibney

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Broadway’s My Beat: The Lynn Halstead Murder Case (EP4993)

Larry Thor

Today’s Mystery:

When a young woman is pulled from the river and identified by her grieving father, the case appears closed before it begins. But when a second woman claiming to be the victim turns up alive, Danny Clover must untangle a web of secrets surrounding a private secretary who carefully concealed her life from everyone who knew her.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 19, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Larry Thor as Lieutenant Danny Clover; Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia; Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan

Featured in the cast were William Conrad as John Martin, Herb Butterfield as Dr. Halstead, Hy Averback, Joyce McCluskey, and Bob Bruce

Music composed and conducted by Alexander Courage

Produced and directed by Elliott Lewis

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The Big Story: Bobby Sox Hustling (EP4992)

Today’s Mystery:

City editor Paul Schoenstein becomes determined to uncover the forces behind a wave of juvenile crime, gambling, vice, and exploitation spreading through New York City. Following a trail of mysterious names, frightened witnesses, and hidden nightspots, he and his reporters begin a dangerous investigation into a powerful criminal network.

Original Radio Broadcast: November 8, 1950

Originating in New York

Starring Walter Greaza as Paul Schoenstein.

Also featuring Pat Hosley, Grace Keddy, Joan Alexander, Mandel Kramer, Nat Polen, Gil Mack, Grant Richards, and George Petrie

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The Saint: Follow the Leader (EP4991)

Vincent Price

Today’s Mystery:

A mysterious woman arrives at Simon Templar’s apartment claiming that ruthless pursuers are after her life and begging for his help. Before long, The Saint finds himself caught between rival groups hunting a seemingly worthless whiskey glass that may hold the key to exposing a notorious fugitive from the Second World War.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: July 16, 1950

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Vincent Price as Simon Templar

Also featuring Sammy Hill, Lou Merrill, Gil Stratton Jr., Charlie Lung, Ed Max, and Ted de Corsia

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Dragnet: The Big Evans (EP4989)

Todays Mystery:

A boarding house operator accuses a young police officer of assault, battery, and soliciting a bribe after a narcotics arrest. As Friday and Jacobs investigate, conflicting witness statements and questions about the complainant’s injuries force them to determine whether an officer crossed the line—or whether someone is trying to frame him.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: March 6, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

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

Also featuring Whit Connor

Script by Jim Moser

Music by Walter Schumann

Announcer: Hal Gibney

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Broadway’s My Beat: The Larry Moore Murder Case (EP4988)

Larry Thor

Today’s Mystery:

After being acquitted of murdering his wife, Johnny Welch spirals into bitterness and violence, convinced the real killer is still free. When a man connected to the case turns up dead and the only witness who saved Johnny at trial is brutally attacked, Danny Clover races to stop a desperate man from destroying himself and everyone around him.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 12, 1952

Originated in Hollywood

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

Featured in the cast were Harry Bartell, Mary Shipp, Shepard Menken, Steve Roberts, and Jerry Hausner. Music composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. Produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Winsome Widow Matter (EP4985)

Bob Bailey

Today’s Mystery:

Johnny Dollar heads to Los Angeles to investigate the murder of a liquor store owner who had survived multiple robbery attempts over the years. As Johnny digs deeper, suspicion begins to center on the victim’s glamorous young widow and the strange pattern behind the repeated holdup attempts at the store.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: April 26, 1959

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar

Also starring Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, Bartlett Robinson, Paul Dubov, and Frank Nelson

When making your travel plans, remember Johnny Dollar Air

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Dragnet: The Big Plant

Today’s Mystery:

A missing housewife vanishes without taking any clothes, money, or luggage. Detectives quickly begin to suspect her tight-fisted husband may know more than he admits. As Sergeant Friday investigates, the woman’s troubled teenage son provides a clue that points toward something buried deep inside the family nursery.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: February 28, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

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

Also featuring Herb Ellis

Announcer: Hal Gibney

Script by Jim Moser

Music by Walter Schumann

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Great Scenes from Great Plays: The Farmer Takes a Wife (AWR0296)

Amazing World of Radio

 

Welcome to another summer miniseries on The Amazing World of Radio! This time around, we’re featuring actors who played memorable killers on Columbo and revisiting their work from the Golden Age of Radio.

Our first featured performer is Eddie Albert, who appeared in the Season One Columbo episode “Dead Weight” as Major General Martin Hollister. Before television audiences knew him as a military legend with deadly secrets, Albert starred in this moving adaptation of The Farmer Takes a Wife from Great Scenes from Great Plays.

Originally broadcast on January 14, 1949, this radio drama captures a vanished chapter of American life along the Erie Canal, as changing times threaten an entire way of living. Co-starring Albert’s wife Margo, the play explores love, loyalty, and the painful challenge of embracing change in a rapidly modernizing world.

Then, after the drama, we take a deep dive into the Columbo episode “Dead Weight,” examining Eddie Albert’s nuanced performance, the production troubles behind the scenes, and the fascinating emotional undercurrents that make the episode more compelling than its reputation suggests.


In This Episode

  • The origins of the “Columbo’s Killers in Old Time Radio” summer series
  • Inspiration from Shauna’s Watching It For Days YouTube channel
  • Eddie Albert stars in The Farmer Takes a Wife
  • Life and culture along the Erie Canal in 1835
  • Themes of change, progress, and stability in postwar America
  • Eddie Albert’s performance and career reflections
  • A discussion of the Columbo episode “Dead Weight”
  • Production problems during Season One of Columbo
  • Character analysis of Major General Martin Hollister
  • Suzanne Pleshette’s role as Helen Stewart
  • Why “Dead Weight” works better as a character study than a traditional Columbo mystery

Featured Cast

  • Eddie Albert
  • Margo
  • Walter Hampden
  • Suzanne Pleshette
  • Peter Falk

Series Information

Program: Great Scenes from Great Plays
Episode: “The Farmer Takes a Wife”
Original Broadcast: January 14, 1949


Listen for more entries in our “Columbo’s Killers in Old Time Radio” series throughout the summer.

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Broadway’s My Beat: The John Dotson Murder Case (EP4983)

Larry Thor

Today’s Mystery:

A man is found poisoned in a car on East River Drive.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 5, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Larry Thor as Lieutenant Danny Clover; Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia; Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan; Bill Bouchey; Earle Ross; Elliott Lewis; Florence Lake; Irene Tedrow; Jack Kruschen; Jean Tatum

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The Saint: A Real Gone Guy (EP4981)

Vincent Price

Today’s Mystery:

Simon investigates the murder of a band leader.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: July 2, 1950

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Vincent Price as Simon Templar; Vivie Janis; William Johnstone

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Cautious Celibate Matter (EP4980)

Bob Bailey

Today’s Mystery:

Johnny takes a nationwide dash to escape Durango Laramie Dalheart and avoid a foced marriage.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: April 19, 1959

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar; Virginia Gregg; Jeanne Tatum; John McIntire; G. Stanley Jones

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

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Dragnet: The Big Producer (EP4979)

Today’s Mystery:

Joe Friday searches for the source of pornography being passed around by high school students.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: February 21, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday; Barney Phillips as Sergeant Ed Jacobs; Virginia Gregg; Ralph Moody

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Broadway’s My Beat: The Ted Ebberly Murder Case (EP4978)

Larry Thor

Today’s Mystery:

A former prizefighter is suspected of killing a drunk salesman.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: December 29, 1951

Originating from Hollywood

Starring: Larry Thor as Lieutenant Danny Clover; Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia; Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan; Clayton Post; Roy Glenn; Herb Butterfield; Charlotte Lawrence; Jester Hairston,

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The Big Story: Death in the Family (EP4977)

Today’s Mystery:

Two children are murdered, apparently killed by their father in a murder-suicide, but a reporter senses that something is wrong.

Original Radio Broadcast: June 21, 1950

Originating from New York

Starring: Larry Haines as William Noble; Barbara Weeks; Bill Smith; Bob Dryden

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