Detective and Mystery – Retro Radio Podcast

An old car crosses paths with Simon Templar, and it causes him to cross path with gun toting gangsters. Intimidation doesn’t work well when used on the Saint. Always on the alert, he turns the tables, and makes easy work of his would be captors.

Interest in the old car grows, and means gunplay, and the body count begins to rise. A tale of stolen cash leads to Mr Ritchie. Where will his trail of following the money lead Simon? To more danger, but first it leads to a dame. With yet another corpse on his hands, the Saint has one more reason to want to find the secret behind the car.

The loose ends to the story are being tied up. Simon finds himself back in the company of Turner, the thug he left with a lump on his head to get to the root of the story, and who knew about it. Though the end is in site, there’s danger for Simon, right up to the greedy end.

In the shady streets and alleys of Limehouse, Watson describes the decrepit sights of opium houses, and is fooled by Holmes disguise as he offers aid to the pathetic figures he finds. A man has been spotted in disguise and Holmes suspects the fake opium addict as planning a murder.

Back in Baker Street, Holmes is approached by Mr Layton about a business deal, and suspicions of espionage. Is Layton a potential killer? Another visitor could be the intended victim, and a connection to the opium dens may hold the clue to tie it all together. What will our heroes find, back in the waterfront district?

With no sign of Holmes, or the two opium addicts, Watson takes the matter to the police. As one victim reaches his dying breath, he whispers a word that Holmes knows is a clue to close the case. Back to Limehouse, and the truth. In epilog, Holmes explains the case to Watson, clarifying how he put the clues together to figure it out.

Audio resolution is a little low, but otherwise clear.

Simon Templar is offered cash to leave town, but he has a score to settle. How can he manage getting his vengeance, when he doesn’t know the name of the big shot who few people have even seen? It takes getting rough with gun toting thugs, and pushing around a dame who might get him a step closer to Mr Important. Guns blaze, the rain of bullets finds Rose dead, and the Saint in the company of the District Attorney.

Working in his own way, and not necessarily within the law, Simon puts the pressure on the DA. With enemies on all sides, the Saint may be leaving town soon, even if it means being carried out in a box. Danger kicks into high gear as the Saint fights for justice.

Wisecracks and boasts put Simon in the clutches of the heavies who want to kill him, but who has who in position to rake over the coals? In the face of the thugs, Simon knows he’s on the right trail, and close to reaching Mr Important.

Joe Collins, a boxer and old friend phones Simon Templar. What kind of trouble is the boxer in? Is there a connection when a toddler named Donnie is placed in Simon’s care, with a note of caution to not even tell the police? Down at the gym, Joe is the sure fire champ who claims his call for help was jumping the gun.

Not even assistance from Louie the cabbie is enough to be sure Donnie is fully cared for, so a nurse is hired to sit with the child. Hitting the streets to investigate Joe’s doubtful assurances, Simon and Louie have reason to believe the fight is going to be fixed. Can he get Joe to come clean?

The link is made between Joe, his ex-wife, and his son named Donnie. Racing back to his apartment, Simon finds it was Marie, the child’s mother posing as the nurse, and poetic justice has come her way. Where’s Donnie? Do the thugs have him, and a renewed hold over the champ? Louie, and the Saint swashbuckle their way to the rescue. but will they get word to Joe in time to save the fight? Danger isn’t out of the question when guns come out.

Watson had found himself in a mystery, and wrote a letter to describe the problem to his friend Holmes. A friend of Mrs Watson, a proponent of woman’s rights, is seen and the ladies catch up on old times. Her uncle, Colonel Warburton has claimed to be hearing things that aren’t there. Is this a medical case, right up Watson’s alley?

As the old officer, and old doctor compare war stories, an inaudible whistle causes the colonel to think it’s voodoo, and someone is out to get him. Holmes sends a curious telegram. Does the colonel have a dog? Watson doesn’t know why that’s important, but telegrams back there was a dog, but it was recently killed.

Holmes arrives, but is he too late? Is the colonel mad? He may know the secret to prove the colonel is more sane than those around him. What kind of experiment does the detective want to conduct to prove his point? How will it expose the mystery, and who would want to harm the colonel?

To introduce a coming feature to the podcast, Keith shares some background on the Saint, and includes a handful of clips from a BBC presentation. Starting out in print form, the imperterbable, suave, worldly, sardonic, man about town, created by Lesley Charteress easily made the transition frolm the page, to the screen, radio, and eventually television.

Well established as a fictional character as early as 1928, the Saint was physically strong, egotistical, and bias, He had a past as a gambler, gun runner, smugler of whiskey and perfume, he was in the Spanish foreign legion, tramped across America, fought his way across Mexico, and struck it rich in South America. He lost fortunees as easily as he could make them.

No wonder the swashbuckling adventurer was known as the 20th Century Robin Hood. In living his life on the edge, he righted wrongs along the way.

By the time of it’s radio debut in 1939, the Saint had appeared in several movies. There would be a few short series that chronicled novels of Simon Templar’s adventures, before the long running feature would air, starring the velvet voiced Vincent Price.

Included today is the Audition from 1940, with introduction by Lesley Charteress himself. He introduces the primary characters, and sets up the story.

The Saint is believed to be a criminal, at least by the harried police commissioner. However, when a police detective, and friend of the Saint inadvertently gives a secrret password, he gets a special bundle from a spy ring.

Simon, just as randomly, happens along to help his friend who sports a fresh bump on the head. Finding the package contains bundles of dollar bills,, Simon investigates, finds trouble, and steps outside the law for some flamboyant poetic justice. Racketeers are raked over the coals, and a trap is set to capture the whole spy ring.

What does the Saint want in return? Just to alert his cop friend, Henry, to hand over the enemies of the state. Then, Lesley is back to comment on next week’s story, complete with a short preview of the drama under the sea.

Watson recounts an evening in 1887, when he was relaxing with his new bride. They discuss possible family investments. Is it a fraud, or a new and revolutionary invention? John thinks it has to be a fraud, since the doctor who invented it is actually a woman. Mrs Watson insists on witnessing the machine in action. Is it really possible to travel in the 4th dimension? Time?

Racing home, will the Watson find the personal papers waiting for them? At Baker Street, Holmes has been reclusive, and deep into his own projects. What will he have to say about travel in the 4th dimension, and the new metal that makes it possible?

Of course, the fraud is clear to Holmes, and together they go to the woman doctor’s, after hours, to do some snooping. Where will the mystery go, when her dead body is found in her lab, inside the locked metal chamber? Moriarty’s hand soon becomes evident. Holmes has a trick up his sleeve in escaping the locked chamber, but it was Mrs Watson who really saved the day.

By the days the first world war broke out, the careers of Holmes and Watson were about over. However, they came out of retirement to take on this case at the battle front. Holmes doesn’t rely on powers of deduction to explain to Watson, their driver is an actor, and friend of Mycroft. In the command post, greetings are had all around as papers are verified. The general looks forward to the entertainment troupe, and the performance. So, why is Holmes present so close to the front lines?

A mysterious message has drawn the star away from the show, but Holmes steps up to fill in. The show must go on! On stage, Holmes delivers the Shakespearean lines to applause inside, and distant gun fire outside. An attempted murder has been committed with a German pistol.

A plot of espionage is revealed. How much military information has been leaked? One good betrayal deserves another, and Holmes reveals how he turned matters around for the general, the surprise attack, and the fate of a spy.

Audio is excellent.

After returning home, Watson takes Holmes to the theater for a play based on one of there own stories. The actor portraying Holmes tips him off to watch the person in the box across from his. At intermission, he and Watson meet the lovely Miss Henshaw, who also has had a pearl stolen. Will it turn up? Who is the mysterious Egyptian who stalks her?

The actor who portrays Holmes has the mystery figured out, and plans to solve it, even if the real Holmes can’t. Before Holmes can get too many more details, the actor turns up dead, but his clues point to where the real ruby is hidden. Danger looms for our heroes? Has Holmes walked into a trap?

Who could have masterminded the mystery, other than the real Moriarty? Hasn’t he been dead for nearly 20 years by now? Watson may be befuddled, but Holmes knows his nemesis has once again escaped justice. What about the ruby? The girl? The Egyptian? And why doesn’t Watson like his portrayal on the stage? The answers to all these questions, and more… will be answered when you listen to the show.

Hanging out with a policeman friend, Philip is present when the call to respond to a murder scene comes in. Listen in as Philip gives the descriptive account of the tragic scene, and the young life that was cut short by the hit and run driver. The matter is well in the hands of the cops, but soon Marlowe is drawn into its mess.

Friends of the dead actress convince Philip that something fishy is going on. Love interests, talent agents, hints at blackmail, they all play into getting Marlowe on the track of justice. What will Marlowe learn at the studio from Mr Monroe?

Meeting back up with Matthews, the cop, Marlowe presents his case. Will the cops be interested in considering the death as a murder?

Given the green light to proceed on his own, Philip heads to Beverly Hills to put on the pressure.

As secrets get revealed, and loose ends tied… the audio cuts out.