It's time to sharpen those pencils and hit the books with four radio mysteries set in and around the classroom. First, a chemistry professor tries a blackmail experiment in "Hasty Conclusion" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on May 19, 1947) and Philip Marlowe's latest client is a Nebraska schoolteacher caught up in mystery and murder in "The Rustin Hickory" (originally aired on CBS on September 10, 1949). Then, Dana Andrews tries to thwart a Commie plot to infiltrate a college campus in "Little Red Schoolhouse" from I Was a Communist for the FBI and Joe Friday goes back to school to find an assailant targeting students in "The Big Knife" from Dragnet (originally aired on NBC on May 11, 1950).

Episode 550 - First Day of School (The Whistler, Philip Marlowe, I Was a Communist for the FBI, & Dragnet)

Presenting the best detectives from the Golden Age of Radio.  Each week, we'll bring you an episode starring one of Old Time Radio's greatest detectives and the story behind the show.  Join us for adventures of Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Johnny Dollar, and many more.

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We're back in court with four radio mysteries involving lawyers, juries, and trials. A lone holdout tries to convince his fellow jurors of a defendant's innocence in "The Eleventh Juror" from The Mollé Mystery Theatre (AFRS rebroadcast from April 3, 1945), and Mr. District Attorney chases down a robbery ring in "The Case of Murder A La Carte" (originally aired on NBC on March 9, 1949). A defense attorney is the only man who can prove his client's guilt in "The Trigger Man" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on August 7, 1949), and Philip Marlowe is hired to clear a man on trial for murder in "The Quiet Magpie" (originally aired on CBS on August 11, 1950).

Episode 579 - Trials and Errors (Mollé Mystery Theatre, Mr. District Attorney, The Whistler, & Philip Marlowe)

The doctors are in with these four old time radio mysteries. A doctor hires Dick Powell and then jumps out of the window in Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on August 23, 1950). Joe Friday is on the trail of a phony physician in "The Big Quack" from Dragnet (originally aired on NBC on October 12, 1950). A crooked doctor sets up fake accidents in "No Insurance" from The FBI in Peace and War (AFRS rebroadcast from November 22, 1951). And Frank Sinatra comes to the aid of a doctor with a dilemma close to home in "Honor Among Thieves" from Rocky Fortune (originally aired on NBC on March 2, 1954).

Episode 578 - Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the Clues (Richard Diamond, Dragnet, FBI in Peace and War, & Rocky Fortune)

Lordy, Lordy - your host is turning 40. To mark the occasion, I'm looking back at the old time radio detective shows I've enjoyed the most over these many years. Join me as I revisit stories starring Philip Marlowe, Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, The Whistler, The Saint, Richard Diamond, Rocky Fortune, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, as well as why I love them. (Bear with me for the long intro...this old man tends to ramble on these days.)

BONUS - Favorites for 40th

We're off to the Caribbean with four old time radio mysteries full of island intrigue. An American professor finds murder on sabbatical in "A Passage to Benares" from Suspense (originally aired on CBS on September 23, 1942). Joan Banks pulls Frank Lovejoy into a dangerous salvage operation in "Chain Reaction" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on May 12, 1948).  Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall bring their combined star power to tropical thrills in Bold Venture (a syndicated episode known as "Murder in the Yucatán Peninsula"). And finally, Johnny Dollar boards a yacht to act as a bodyguard in "The Time and Tide Matter" (AFRS rebroadcast from February 16, 1958).

Episode 577 - Islands of Adventure (Suspense, The Whistler, Bold Venture, & Johnny Dollar)

In this bonus episode, I'm sharing my five favorite installments of Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator. William Gargan sleuths with a sardonic smile in these radio mysteries, beginning with "The Lost Lady" (originally aired on NBC on June 14, 1953). A client behind bars hires Craig in "For Love of Murder" (originally aired on NBC on August 3, 1954), and Craig helps an old colleague close one last case in "Blood Money" (originally aired on NBC on August 24, 1954). A vacation is a new setting for murder in "Hay is for Homicide" (originally aired on NBC on August 31, 1954), and a visit to see a friend turns into a night at a haunted house in "Ghosts Don't Die in Bed" (originally aired on NBC on September 7, 1954).

Episode 550 - First Day of School (The Whistler, Philip Marlowe, I Was a Communist for the FBI, & Dragnet)

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