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.

ABC, Counterspy, OTR Detective, Podcast

Counterspy: The Society Swindler (A0128)

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Today’s Adventure:

Counterspy chief David Harding investigates a charity racket operating among wealthy members of East Coast society. When a charity organizer connected to the World Refugee Fund is found to be running a fraudulent scheme, Harding sets a trap to uncover the criminal mastermind behind it. His investigation leads to Alfred Babson, a dangerous society figure whose operation involves threats, murder, and carefully timed plans. Harding must expose the racket before Babson can eliminate those who stand in his way.

Original Radio Broadcast: October 11, 1949

Originating from New York

Cast:

Don McLaughlin
Mandel Kramer
Ken Lynch as Zero

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CBS, OTR Detective, Podcast, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Really Gone Matter (EP5075)

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Today’s Mystery:

Johnny Dollar is hired by a life insurance company to locate a missing beneficiary named Jonathan Doe, who is set to receive $50,000 from a policy belonging to a recently deceased farmer. The problem is that no one in the area seems to have ever met Jonathan Doe, and even his supposed farm contains few clues that he ever existed. As Johnny investigates, suspicion falls on the farmer’s son, who stands to inherit the money if Doe remains missing. Johnny must uncover the truth behind the mysterious beneficiary and determine why no one seems to know who he really was.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: August 30, 1959

Originating from Hollywood

Cast:

Virginia Gregg
Lawrence Dobkin
Marvin Miller
Sam Edwards
Judas Matthews
Stacey Harris
Bart Robinson

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Patreon Supporter of the Day: Jim, Patreon supporter since May 2020.

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

Dragnet, NBC, OTR Detective, Podcast

Dragnet: The Big Roll (EP5074)

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Today’s Mystery:

Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith investigate the abduction of an unidentified man from a downtown Los Angeles street. Bloodstains at the scene and an abandoned gray sedan suggest that the victim may have been seriously injured, but there are few clues to his identity or whereabouts. The investigation leads Friday and Smith through a missing car, conflicting stories, and two suspects with criminal records. As the detectives piece together the evidence, they must determine what happened to the missing man and whether he is still alive.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: June 26, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Starring:

Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday
Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Frank Smith

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Patreon Supporter of the Day: Rebecca — Patreon supporter since August 2024

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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 Ruth Nelson Murder Case (EP5073)

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Today’s Mystery:

Detective Danny Clover investigates the murder of Ruth Nelson, a woman found stabbed to death on the very day she was released from prison after serving thirty years. As Clover searches for answers, he discovers that Ruth’s past may hold the key to her death. The investigation takes another turn when Louise Downey, the woman who helped Ruth find a place to live, is also found dead. Clover must uncover the connection between the two women and the secrets someone is determined to keep hidden.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: October 11, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Cast:

Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover
Charles Calvert as Tattaglia
Jack Kruschen as Mugavin
Mary Jane Croft as Vicky
Jane Novello as Jonathan
Irene Tedrow
Harry Bartell
Paul Frees

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Patreon Supporter of the Day: Jennifer, Patreon supporter since March 2016

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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.

NBC, OTR Detective, Podcast, The Big Story

The Big Story: Too Terrible to be Believed (EP5072)

by Yours Truly Johnny Blogger • 0 Comments

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Today’s Mystery:

Prince George’s County reporter Arthur Milky becomes suspicious when a young child dies at a nursery home and the medical examiner determines that the boy’s severe head injuries could not have been self-inflicted. When the woman running the home offers conflicting explanations for the injuries, Milky begins investigating both the child’s death and the operator’s troubling history, determined to uncover evidence strong enough to establish what really happened.

Original Radio Broadcast: January 27, 1954

Originating from New York

Cast:

Lyle Sudrow as Arthur Milky
Court Benson
Maurice Wells
Louis Van Rooten
Barbara Weeks
Joan Lorring
Ted Osborne

Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net

Patreon Supporter of the Day: Stuart, Patreon supporter since November 2022.

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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715

Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net

Give us a call at 208-991-4783

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

NBC, OTR Detective, Podcast, The Saint

The Saint: Marvin Hickerson, Private Eye (EP5071)

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Today’s Mystery:

Simon Templar is drawn into a dangerous mystery when Alice Parks asks for his help after her fiancé, Marvin Hickerson, disappears under suspicious circumstances. Marvin, a private investigator with a complicated case on his hands, has become entangled with a group of people involved in a dangerous scheme. As The Saint begins following the clues, he discovers that money, deception, and a murder may all be connected. With powerful people determined to keep the truth hidden, Simon must use his wits to uncover what really happened before the mystery turns deadly.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: December 3, 1950

Originating from Hollywood

Cast:

Vincent Price as Simon Templar
Leslie Banning
Maggie Morley
Victor Rodman
Edmund MacDonald
Herb Vigran
Bill Tracy
Bonnie Phillips.

Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net

Patreon Supporter of the Day: Connie Patreon supporter since August 2025

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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715

Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net

Give us a call at 208-991-4783

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

Video Theater

The Bat (Public Domain Video Theater 305)

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Mystery writer Cornelia Van Gorder rents The Oaks, an isolated country mansion already surrounded by frightening stories about a killer known as The Bat. When a million dollars in securities disappears from the local bank and suspicion falls on cashier Victor Bailey, Cornelia begins to suspect that the missing fortune may be hidden somewhere inside The Oaks—just as The Bat appears to resume his murderous activities.

Original Release Date: December 17, 1959

Cast:

Vincent Price as Dr. Malcolm Wells
Agnes Moorehead as Cornelia Van Gorder
Gavin Gordon as Lt. Andy Anderson
John Sutton as Warner
Lenita Lane as Lizzie Allen
Elaine Edwards as Dale Bailey
Darla Hood as Judy Hollander
John Bryant as Mark Fleming
Harvey Stephens as John Fleming
Mike Steele as Victor Bailey
Riza Royce as Jane Patterson
Robert B. Williams as Detective Davenport

THE GREAT DETECTIVES of Old Time Radio

With Host Adam Graham

Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

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Check out our other shows:

Amazing World of Radio

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OTR Superman Show

Detective Video Theater