The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Today’s Adventure: After the notorious Professor Emery Horn escapes from death row through an astonishing feat of planning and deception, David Harding and Harry Peters launch a nationwide hunt for the brilliant killer. Realizing conventional police methods won’t be enough, Harding instead searches for the one clue Horn can’t disguise—his own mind. Original Radio Broadcast:&#8230...

Today’s Mystery: When an insurance company begins receiving anonymous monthly payments for a $50,000 fraudulent claim, Johnny Dollar is assigned to identify the mysterious sender. His investigation into a suspicious insurance payout leads him to the widow of a famous sculptor—only to discover that she died months earlier. Original Radio Broadcast Date: June 14, 1959…

Today’s Mystery: When a seven-week-old baby is abandoned in a downtown bus depot, Joe Friday and Ed Jacobs begin searching for the missing mother. But as they retrace her journey to Los Angeles, small inconsistencies in a witness’s story lead the detectives to suspect the truth is far more complicated than anyone first believed. Original…

This week in our summer series featuring old-time radio appearances by actors who later played killers on Columbo, we spotlight Jackie Cooper. Cooper stars as a young soldier whose life hangs in the balance after a dangerous heart infection resists every available treatment, while researchers at Rutgers University race to perfect a promising new antibiotic…

Today’s Mystery: Broadway producer Gordon Merrick is found murdered in his penthouse apartment just as he was preparing for a champagne supper with actress Carol Royce. As Danny Clover investigates, suspicion falls on the jealous man who loves her—but a second murder soon raises troubling questions about whether the obvious suspect is really the killer.…

Today’s Mystery: Freshly hired cub reporter Ed Neumeier expects to spend his first day covering routine local stories while the veteran reporters chase a sensational double murder. Instead, a chance encounter with a nervous stranger thrusts the inexperienced reporter into the biggest story of his young career. Original Radio Broadcast: March 14, 1951 Originating from…

Today’s Mystery: After actress Betty Ames witnesses a publisher’s murder, Simon Templar appoints himself her unofficial bodyguard. When a second attempt is made on Betty’s life during a stage rehearsal, The Saint realizes the killer is determined to silence the one witness who may hold the key to the case. Original Radio Broadcast Date: August…

Today’s Adventure: Professor Emery Horn has spent years cultivating the reputation of a brilliant but reclusive scientist. When a counterspy agent arrives to question him about a daring bank robbery, Horn launches an elaborate escape that sets David Harding and Harry Peters on the trail of one of the most dangerous and ingenious criminals they’ve…

Today’s Mystery: When an old college friend asks Johnny Dollar to protect her husband from a former sweetheart she fears is bent on murder, Johnny finds himself caught in the middle of a tangled love triangle. But as he digs deeper, he begins to suspect that not everyone is telling the truth about the danger…

Today’s Mystery: After a man is gunned down outside his home following a bitter domestic argument, Joe Friday and Ed Jacobs launch a search for the shooter’s wife, who has vanished after warning that she’ll kill anyone who tries to capture her. With the suspect making taunting phone calls while remaining one step ahead of…

This week in our summer series featuring old-time radio appearances by actors who later played killers on Columbo, we spotlight Richard Basehart. Basehart stars as a successful attorney whose ties to organized crime leave him caught between a determined district attorney and the dangerous clients who suspect he knows too much. As he tries to…

Today’s Mystery: When a beautiful young woman is found murdered in a room rented by the sword carrier of Spain’s greatest matador, Danny Clover discovers the killing may be tied to a dangerous love triangle. As another victim falls before he can identify the killer, Clover races to uncover the motive behind the murders. Original…

Today’s Mystery: When a young wife disappears from a Colorado mountain town, reporter Bernard Beckwith notices inconsistencies in her husband’s story that no one else seems to question. As he quietly follows one clue after another, what begins as a routine missing persons case slowly develops into a murder investigation. Original Radio Broadcast: December 6,…

Today’s Mystery: A frantic young woman arrives at Simon Templar’s apartment in the middle of the night insisting she’s dead—and the morning newspaper appears to prove it. When The Saint discovers a murdered woman wearing her distinctive coat, he sets out to learn who the victim really was and whether the killer’s intended target is…

Today’s Adventure: After an undercover counterspy agent narrowly survives an assassination attempt, David Harding sends Harry Peters to assume his identity and infiltrate a dangerous espionage ring. As Peters follows a trail of coded messages from Detroit to Memphis and on to New Orleans, he finds himself surrounded by people who may be allies—or assassins.…

Today’s Mystery: After receiving a cryptic phone call from an elderly fan who fears for her life, Johnny Dollar flies to the California coast to investigate. What begins as a seemingly confused plea for help soon leads him into a dangerous operation involving smugglers, heroin traffickers, and a determined old woman who knows far too…

Today’s Mystery: A woman with a history of trouble suddenly disappears, leaving behind four children and a trail of conflicting stories. As Joe Friday and Ed Jacobs dig deeper into the case, a missing person’s investigation turns into a homicide hunt where the truth may lie closer to home than anyone suspects. Original Radio Broadcast…

This week in our summer series featuring old-time radio appearances by actors who later played killers on Columbo, we spotlight Anne Baxter. Baxter stars opposite Don Ameche in a whimsical fantasy set in 1896 about a young newspaper reporter who mysteriously gains access to tomorrow’s newspaper today. As he uses his knowledge of the future…

Today’s Mystery: When a milkman is found beaten to death outside a young graduate student’s apartment, Danny Clover discovers that the victim may have been profiting from secrets he learned on his delivery route. Before the key witness can tell what she knows, she is killed in a suspicious traffic accident, forcing Clover to untangle…

Today’s Mystery: When three people are murdered in a quiet Utah community, reporter T.R. Johnson finds himself drawn into the hunt for a killer who seems to vanish into the night. While police search the highways for a fugitive in a green sedan, Johnson follows a series of puzzling clues that suggest the murderer may…

Today’s Mystery: A mysterious intruder awakens Simon Templar in the middle of the night to describe what appears to be the perfect murder. When the wealthy financier at the center of the tale dies exactly as predicted, The Saint finds himself investigating a case where revenge, greed, and murder may not be what they seem.…

Today’s Mystery: After returning to New York following years of imprisonment during the Spanish Civil War, John McKittrick learns that a close friend has died under suspicious circumstances. As he investigates, he finds himself caught in a dangerous web of espionage, murder, and betrayal connected to secrets from his wartime past. Original Radio Broadcast Date:…

Today’s Adventure: After a daring daylight bank robbery leaves two people dead and several wounded, counterspy agents launch a citywide manhunt for a ruthless gunman known for taking impossible risks. As the killer fights his way through police roadblocks, waterfront hideouts, and a crowded amusement park, David Harding and his agents race to stop him…

Today’s Mystery: When a series of elderly bachelors and widowers vanish from small towns across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is sent to determine whether their disappearances are connected. Following a trail of wine cellars, unusual wills, and a secretive gourmet society, Johnny uncovers one of the strangest cases of his…

This week in our summer series featuring old-time radio appearances by actors who later played killers on Columbo, we spotlight Ray Milland. Milland stars as Lieutenant Commander James Harland in a dramatization of the true story of a British gunboat trapped deep in Communist-controlled territory along China’s Yangtze River. Cut off from help, low on…