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.
Amazing World of Radio
The War
OTR Superman Show
Detective Video Theater
Recent Posts
CBS, OTR Detective, Podcast, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Further in Buffalo Matter (EP5100)
by George • 0 Comments
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Today’s Mystery: With more than $421,000 in stolen money still missing, Johnny Dollar is certain he has tracked the robbers to a yacht off the Canadian shore of Lake Erie. But a violent storm has left him stranded in Buffalo, and the criminals may disappear as soon as the weather clears. With time running out, Johnny comes up with an unconventional plan to reach the yacht. Getting aboard, however, may prove considerably more dangerous than getting there.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: October 11, 1959
Originating from Hollywood
Cast:
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Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar
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Virginia Gregg as Pat McCracken
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Howard McNear as Mr. McNair
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Patreon Supporter of the Day: Cindy, a Detective Sergeant-level supporter since March 2020.
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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
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Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
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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Patreon Supporter of the Day: Bettina, a Patreon supporter since May 2021
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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
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Give us a call 208-991-4783
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Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
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:
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Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover
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Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia
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Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan
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Sammie Hill as Karen Marlin
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Whitfield Connor
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Charlotte Lawrence
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Paul Frees
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Jerry Hausner
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Bill Anders — announcer
Production Credits: Morton Fine and David Friedkin, writers; Elliott Lewis, producer and director; Alexander Courage, composer and conductor.
Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
New Platinum Patreon Supporters: Russell and George, each celebrating ten years of Patreon support.
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
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Give us a call 208-991-4783
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Become one of ourfriends on Facebook.
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Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
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:
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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
Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day: Russell, supporting the podcast for 10 years
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey�http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Become one of our friends on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter@radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
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
Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day: JL, supporting the podcast since November 2020
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey…http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call 208-991-4783
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Become one of ourfriends on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter@radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
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
Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day: JL, Patreon supporter since November 2020
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey…http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Become one of our friends on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Video Theater
Dragnet: The Big Jump
by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments
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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:
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Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday
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Paul Richards as Walter Harrison
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Kenneth Patterson as Officer Bill Lockwood
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Alice Backes
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Lillian Buyeff
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Anthony Jochim
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Milburn Stone
Production: Jack Webb, director; James E. Moser, writer.
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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715