Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

We're taking a trip to the movies in this week's bonus comedy episode. Cary Grant stars as a boxer prematurely pulled up to Heaven only to return to Earth in a new body in  Here Comes Mr. Jordan from  The Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on January 26, 1942). Grant is joined by big screen cast members Claude Rains, Evelyn Keyes, and James Gleason in this delightful adaptation of the clas...

As Philip Marlowe, Gerald Mohr patrolled the City of Angels and proved "crime is a sucker's road" in one of radio's best detective shows. We'll hear Mohr as Raymond Chandler's private eye in three radio mysteries: "The Lady in Mink" (originally aired on CBS on April 30, 1949); "The Busy Body" (originally aired on CBS on June 18, 1949); and "The Key Man" (originally aired on CBS on June 25, 1949).

Take a polished emcee, a beautiful singer, and an oddball comedian, throw them together, and add a dollop of Drene Shampoo and you get Drene Time . Don Ameche, Frances Langford, and Danny Thomas headline this mix of comedy and music featuring the sparring spouses John and Blanche Bickerson. In this week's bonus comedy episode, we'll hear this talented trio in two shows (originally aired on NBC on...

To celebrate Bob Bailey's birthday, we'll hear the actor in four old time radio detective dramas. First, he's George Valentine in a pair of mysteries from  Let George Do It : "Murder and One to Go" (originally aired on Mutual on January 3, 1949) and "The Man Under the Elm Trees" (originally aired on Mutual on September 26, 1949). Then, he's "the man with the action-packed expense account" in two s...

School is back in session with the faculty and students of Madison High School in  Our Miss Brooks . In this week's midweek bonus comedy show, Eve Arden, Gale Gordon, and Jeff Chandler star in two episodes of one of the funniest shows from the golden age of radio. We'll hear Connie Brooks' attempts to become head of the Madison English department (originally aired on CBS on January 23, 1949) and t...

Comedy star Gale Gordon crosses over to the crimesolving side of the street in The Casebook of Gregory Hood . Join Hood - an importer and amateur detective - as he solves cases in San Francisco with the help of his friend and attorney Sanderson Taylor. Then, the pair relates their adventures to announcer Harry Bartell over a glass of fine Petri Wine. We'll hear "The Derringer Society" (originally...

It's always a safe bet when Groucho Marx is on hand, especially when he's hosting the madcap game show You Bet Your Life . The legendary comedian and rapid-fire ad libber keeps things moving (and audiences laughing) as pairs of contestants wager their way through trivia questions to a grand prize. And there may be a secret word dropped along the way. We'll hear a pair of episodes originally aired...

To celebrate Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday, we'll hear radio adaptations of four Sherlock Holmes short stories, each featuring a different actor as the great detective. First, Basil Rathbone stars in "The Speckled Band" (originally aired on Mutual on November 12, 1945). Next, we'll hear Tom Conway in "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" (originally aired on ABC on February 3, 1947). Then, it's "...

In this week's bonus comedy episode, Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, and Cecil B. DeMille star as themselves in a delightful comedy mystery from  The Lux Radio Theatre . The trio headlines "Seven Keys to Baldpate," the mystery novel turned smash comedy play that was brought to the silver screen several times. This production originally aired on CBS on September 26, 1938.

Sam Spade made a dynamic debut in Dashiell Hammett's  The Maltese Falcon before lighting up the big screen in John Huston's classic noir drama. In 1946, Spade came to radio in a weekly series of adventures that became a critical and listener favorite. We'll hear Howard Duff in "The Bail Bond Caper" (originally aired on CBS on June 27, 1948) and "The S.Q.P. Caper" (AFRS rebroadcast, originally aire...

It's a double feature of classic comedy films recreated for radio in this week's bonus episode. Bob Hope reprises his screen roles in two productions from the  Screen Directors' Playhouse : "The Ghost Breakers" (originally aired on NBC on April 3, 1949) and "The Paleface" (originally aired on NBC on March 3, 1950).

Jeff Regan wasn't a lone wolf operator like other radio gumshoes; he reported to Anthony J. Lyon, head of the International Detective Bureau. Known throughout the city as "the Lyon's Eye," Regan worked cases sometimes in spite of the penny-pinching interference of his boss. We'll hear Jack Webb as Regan in "The Diamond Quartet" (originally aired on CBS on August 14, 1948) and "The Man Who Came Bac...

Spring is in the air on this week's bonus comedy quarantine show. We'll hear an unseasonable prediction of snow on  Fibber McGee and Molly (originally aired on NBC on May 11, 1943). Then, Uncle Miltie and his gang present their salute to the season in  The Milton Berle Show (originally aired on March 23, 1948).

Thrill to the exploits of America's newspaper reporters in  The Big Story with dramas of the hard work of the men and women of the press. The true tales ripped from the pages of America's papers made for compelling - and popular - radio. We'll hear two stories of reporters who double as detectives to get to the bottom of murder cases and - in one instance - clear a wrongfully convicted man. We'll...

With Mother's Day right around the corner, our midweek bonus comedy show features visits from a pair of mothers-in-law much to the chagrin of George Burns and Lucille Ball. First, Gracie's mom comes to town in  The Burns and Allen Show (AFRS rebroadcast from May 20, 1948). Then on  My Favorite Husband , George's mother's visit stretches on and on...and on (AFRS rebroadcast from March 4, 1949).

Even though he could leap tall buildings in a single bound and bend steel in his bare hands, most of Superman's radio adventures were down to earth. In many shows, the Man of Steel (and his alter ego Clark Kent) battled gangsters and swindlers rather than mad scientists and monsters. We'll hear Clayton "Bud" Collyer as Superman with Joan Alexander as Lois Lane in two thirty-minute mysteries: "One...

Two classic comedy pairs headline our midweek bonus episode. First, Bud and Lou perform some of their classic routines in an episode of The Abbott and Costello Show (originally aired on NBC on February 27, 1947). Then, Dean and Jerry welcome guest Henry Fonda to  The Martin and Lewis Show (originally aired on NBC on June 5, 1949).

There was no other radio detective like  Richard Diamond - a tough, glib ex-cop turned private eye who had a powerful pair of fists and a healthy set of pipes. Dick Powell starred as the singing gumshoe in one of the era's best detective dramas. We'll hear a trio of shows - "The Fred Sears Murder Case" (originally aired on NBC on June 19, 1949); "The Angelino Giuseppe Case" (originally aired on NB...

For this week's bonus comedy episode, we'll visit with George Burns and Gracie Allen. The beloved comedy couple kept audiences laughing from the vaudeville stage to their own radio show and on to their long-running TV series. We'll hear Gracie take inspiration from her favorite radio sleuths and play detective (originally aired on NBC on March 6, 1947). Then, Jack Benny stops by to start a musical...

Murder and mayhem leap from the printed page to the airwaves in The Crime Club . This anthology show blended adaptations of mystery novels with original radio plays to deliver tales of mystery emceed by the eerie tones of the club's Librarian. We'll hear "Dead Men Control" (originally aired on Mutual on March 20, 1947) and "Death Swims at Midnight" (originally aired on Mutual on August 27, 1947).

Tax Day has been pushed out a few months, but there's no reprieve for the stars of this week's comedy bonus show. We'll hear Milton Berle present a salute to income tax in  The Milton Berle Show (originally aired on NBC on March 9, 1948). Then, Jack Benny gets a visit from a pair of inquisitive IRS agents in an AFRS rebroadcast of  The Jack Benny Program (original episode aired on CBS on March 16,...

Before she menaced puppies as Cruella de Vil, Betty Lou Gerson was one of radio's busiest character actresses. Her husky voice and powerful characterizations added flair to shows like  Suspense ,  Escape ,  Johnny Dollar , and  Sam Spade . We'll hear her as a murderess trying to stay a step ahead of her conscience in "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" from  The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on July 16,...

With Easter right around the corner, our midweek comedy break finds two of radio's funniest couples preparing for the holiday. First,  Fibber McGee and Molly are after a new Easter dress (originally aired on NBC on March 23, 1948). Then, Phil Harris, Alice Faye, and Elliott Lewis as Frankie Remley are going out to eat for Easter in  The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show (originally aired on NBC on March...

The citizens of  Big Town were protected from mobsters, racketeers, and fraudsters by the crusading staff of the Illustrated Press. Editor Steve Wilson (Edward Pawley) and society reporter Lorelei Kilbourne (Fran Carlon) chased down leads with the help of their colorful crew of friends and sources and shined the light of justice on evildoers. We'll hear three radio mysteries: "Double Murder" (orig...

It's another midweek dose of quarantine comedy from the Golden Age of Radio! We'll hear a pair of shows featuring goofs and gags for April Fool's Day. First, the man of a thousand voices headlines his own series in  The Mel Blanc Show (originally aired on CBS on April 1, 1947). Then, Lucille Ball plans to fool  My Favorite Husband (AFRS rebroadcast from April 1, 1949).