Bob Bailey & Virginia Gregg

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio is 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.

Subscribe to the show by clicking your favorite podcatcher in the sidebar.

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

- Your host, Adam Graham

Listen to "The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio" on Spreaker.

Dragnet, OTR Detective, Podcast

Dragnet: The Big Drive (EP5099)

by George • 0 Comments

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Todays Mystery: When a young man is found beaten to death in a vacant lot, Detective Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith face a baffling case with little physical evidence and no obvious motive. The victim seemed to have a promising future, a steady job, and no known enemies. But a late-night meeting at a billiard hall may hold the key to uncovering what happened—and identifying the men responsible.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: August 14, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday
Ken Patterson as Sergeant Frank Smith
Gwen Delano
Jack Kruschen

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Broadway's My Beat, CBS, OTR Detective, Podcast

Broadway’s My Beat: The Kenny Purdue Murder Case

by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments

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Today’s Mystery: Detective Danny Clover investigates the stabbing death of jazz trumpeter Kenny Perdue, whose body is discovered in the bed of a party host. His investigation leads him through New York’s jazz clubs and nightlife, uncovering a trail of broken relationships, drug use, and a lonely young woman whose husband is serving in Korea. As Clover pieces together Perdue’s final hours, he discovers that grief and guilt may hold the key to the murder.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: November 15, 1952

Originated in Hollywood

Cast:

Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover
Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia
Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan
Sammie Hill as Karen Marlin
Whitfield Connor
Charlotte Lawrence
Paul Frees
Jerry Hausner
Bill Anders — announcer

Production Credits: Morton Fine and David Friedkin, writers; Elliott Lewis, producer and director; Alexander Courage, composer and conductor.

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New Platinum Patreon Supporters: Russell and George, each celebrating ten years of Patreon support.

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Broadway's My Beat, OTR Detective, Podcast

Broadway’s My Beat: The Kenny Purdue Murder Case (EP5098)

by George • 0 Comments

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Today’s Mystery: When jazz musician Kenny Purdue is found stabbed to death in the bedroom of a party host, Detective Danny Clover begins investigating the people who knew him. Among them are a former roommate, a woman who once loved him, and a young wife struggling with the absence of her husband, a soldier serving in Korea. As Clover follows the trail through Broadway’s nightlife, he encounters a troubled story of loneliness, grief, and guilt. But what really happened to Kenny Purdue?

Original Radio Broadcast Date: November 15, 1952

Originated in Hollywood

Cast:

Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover
Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia
Jack Kruschen as McGavin
Sammy Hill as Karen Marlin
Whitfield Connor
Charlotte Lawrence
Paul Frees
Jerry Hausner

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Patreon Supporter of the Day: Russell, supporting the podcast for 10 years

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Burton Trent, OTR Detective, Podcast

Burton Trent: A Long Shot (EP5097)

by George • 0 Comments

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Today’s Mystery: When wealthy invalid Oliver Deems is shot while sitting in his garden, the circumstances seem to make the murder impossible. No one appears to have been close enough to fire the fatal shot, and the few people who might have had a motive all have seemingly airtight alibis. Detective Burton Trent joins Scotland Yard’s MacDonald Craig to investigate a baffling case involving a suspicious neighbor, a missing rifle cartridge, and an unusual contraption. Can Trent uncover the secret behind a murder that appears to have been committed from nowhere?

Original Radio Broadcast: May 15, 1938

Originating in Brisbane

Starring the 4BC Players

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Burton Trent, OTR Detective, Podcast, Syndicated

Burton Trent: A Long Shot

by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments

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Today’s Mystery:When wealthy invalid Oliver Deems is shot dead on his country estate, Scotland Yard investigator MacDonald Craig faces a baffling mystery: nobody appears to have been close enough to fire the fatal shot. Burton Trent joins the investigation, uncovering suspicious relationships, a possible motive, and an apparently unbreakable alibi. Can Trent discover how the murder was committed?

Original Radio Broadcast: May 15, 1938 (probable premiere date).

Originating in Brisbane

Starring the 4BC Players

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Patreon Supporter of the Day: JL, Patreon supporter since November 2020

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Video Theater

Dragnet: The Big Jump

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Sergeant Joe Friday responds to an emergency at a downtown Los Angeles office building, where a distraught man named Walter Harrison is standing on a narrow ninth-floor ledge, threatening to jump at ten o’clock. Harrison is armed and violently resists anyone who approaches him. With time running out, Friday and the other officers must devise a way to bring him safely inside before he carries out his threat.

Original Television Air Date: September 11, 1952.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 11, 1951.

Cast:

Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday
Paul Richards as Walter Harrison
Kenneth Patterson as Officer Bill Lockwood
Alice Backes
Lillian Buyeff
Anthony Jochim
Milburn Stone

Production: Jack Webb, director; James E. Moser, writer.

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NBC, OTR Detective, Podcast, The Saint

The Saint: The Carnival Murder (EP5096)

by George • 0 Comments

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Today’s Mystery:

Simon Templar’s visit to a traveling carnival takes a sinister turn when Mona, the buried-alive performer, secretly begs for help. Haunted by the mysterious death of her sister Angie, Mona fears she may suffer the same fate. As The Saint investigates the carnival’s guarded secrets, a suspected poisoning and a web of troubled relationships lead him toward a dangerous truth.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: February 4, 1951

Originating from Hollywood

Cast:

Vincent Price as Simon Templar, The Saint
Mary Shipp as Mona
Sheldon Leonard as the carnival barker
Bob Jellison as Carlos
Ed Mack as Segundo
Henny Backus as Bea St. Clair
Harry Bartell as Frankie Fowler
Harry Brown as the doctor

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Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.

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THE GREAT DETECTIVES of Old Time Radio

With Host Adam Graham

Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Currently Featuring

Check out our other shows:

Amazing World of Radio

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OTR Superman Show

Detective Video Theater