William Gargan starred as Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator – "America's number one detective" – from 1951 to 1955. The actor had a long resume of detective roles on the big and small screens, as well as on radio, but his best on-air work may have been as Craig, the New York-based confidential investigator. We'll hear him in a pair of his radio mysteries: "Death of a Private Eye" (originally aired on NBC on January 2, 1952) and "Fog Over Murder" (originally aired on NBC on October 13, 1953).

For the first two and half years of Dragnet, Sgt. Joe Friday was partnered with Ben Romero, an older mentor and family man voiced by radio veteran Barton Yarborough. With his friendly Texas drawl, Yarborough created a memorable character and a good counterpart to Friday's terse, no-nonsense style. We'll hear Yarborough in action as Ben Romero, alongside Jack Webb as Joe Friday, in "The Big Picture" (originally aired on NBC on December 7, 1950) and "The Big In-Laws" (originally aired on NBC on August 23, 1951).

Pam and Jerry North are the happy couple who can't help but find trouble. Whether it's a corpse or a caper, Mr. and Mrs. North will stumble onto the scene and thwart the plans of evildoers everywhere. We'll hear a pair of adventures starring old time radio's most popular husband and wife detective duos. First, Alice Frost is Pam and Joseph Curtin is Jerry in "The Contagious Confession" (originally aired on NBC on September 22, 1943). Then, the Norths are played by Barbara Britton and Richard Denning in "The Diamond Noose" (a broadcast from the Armed Forces Radio Service).

John Huston's classic cinematic adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon comes to radio in this production of The Lux Radio Theatre. Though none of the film's stars appear to recreate their roles, a terrific Hollywood cast is assembled to bring the story to life. Laird Cregar is the Fat Man, Gail Patrick is Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and Edward G. Robinson is Sam Spade – with Cecil B. DeMille as master of ceremonies – in this episode originally aired on CBS on February 8, 1943.

Edmond O'Brien puts the "action" in the "action-packed expense account" of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. The Academy Award-winning actor starred as the freelance insurance investigator from 1950 until 1952. O'Brien's tough style – honed in film noir performances – brought a hard edge to Dollar, a character that had been decidedly lighter in the hands of Charles Russell. His run as Johnny Dollar has cemented Edmond O'Brien as a fan favorite of the many actors to play the gumshoe. We'll hear O'Brien as Dollar in "The Caligio Diamond Matter" (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1950) and "The Calgary Matter" (originally aired on CBS on July 13, 1950).

Looking for mystery? Just dial YUkon 2-8209 and ask for Candy Matson. The gorgeous San Francisco private eye works out of her Telegraph Hill apartment and finds more than her share of trouble in the city of the Golden Gate. Natalie Masters stars as Candy in "The Cable Car Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 7, 1949) and "The Movie Company" originally aired on NBC on August 29, 1950).

Alan Ladd is Dan Holiday, the mystery writer who plays detective to get story material, in Box 13. The syndicated series found Holiday soliciting danger with an ad offering himself as an adventurer for hire – one who would "go anywhere, do anything." Answering those letters addressed to Box 13 meant Holiday could be volunteering to put a target on his back or to solve an impossible crime. We'll hear Ladd in "Much Too Lucky" and "The Perfect Crime."

After Dick Powell bid farewell to the role of gumshoe Richard Rogue, Barry Sullivan stepped in to fill the detective's shoes. The big screen star played the rakish private eye in a 1947 summer run of Rogue's Gallery and acquitted himself quite well in the lead role. We'll hear Sullivan as Rogue in "Phyllis Adrian is Missing," originally aired on NBC on June 29, 1947.

Master jewel thief turned ace detective, the infamous Boston Blackie is an "enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend." Much to the chagrin of Inspector Faraday, Blackie puts his criminal mind to work for the good guys, nabbing crooks, cons, and thieves with the same sleight of hand and crafty calculations that served him on the wrong side of the law. We'll hear Chester Morris recreate his big screen role of Blackie in "Black Market Blackie," originally aired on NBC on July 21, 1944. Then, Richard Kollmar takes over in the syndicated episode "The Undersea Murder."

For our annual birthday salute to Alfred Hitchcock, we'll hear one of the master of suspense's classic films recreated for radio - Foreign Correspondent, the 1940 spy thriller starring Joel McCrea and Herbert Marshall. The film was dramatized for Academy Award, with Joseph Cotten stepping in for McCrea in an episode that originally aired on CBS on July 24, 1946.