Gumshoe

Boston Blackie boards a train from Chicago to New York where he encounters the charming Helen Carrou at dinner. During the meal, a valuable emerald called the Star of the Nile—worth $200,000 and being transported by jeweler executive George Stevens—disappears. Inspector Faraday quickly suspects Blackie of the theft, but Helen provides him with an alibi, forcing the inspector to reconsider his assumptions.

With Boston Blackie, Inspector Faraday, George Stevens, Helen Carrou, Chief Matthews.

Listen for: The interplay between Blackie's charm and quick thinking as he navigates suspicion, Faraday's exasperation with Blackie's predictable involvement in crimes, and hints that the real solution may lie in Stevens' own carelessness.

First aired on July 14, 1944 on NBC.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. Two new episodes a week: Boston Blackie on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

When a mysterious letter promises to stop a bank foreclosure if Boston Blackie visits a house on Hunter Street, he goes to investigate. But he's ambushed, knocked unconscious, and his gun is stolen—only to be found at the scene of a murder. Inspector Faraday arrests Blackie for killing private detective Fred Viswell, convinced the evidence is ironclad.

With Boston Blackie, Inspector Faraday, Jean, Arthur Manletter, Shorty, John Partridge, Fred Viswell.

Listen for: The mysterious setup and the frame that lands Blackie under arrest for a murder he didn't commit; Shorty's comic relief as Blackie's sidekick.

First aired on June 30, 1944 on NBC.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. Two new episodes a week: Boston Blackie on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Boston Blackie is arrested in Chicago based on a false identification by Miss Moray, who claims he stole money from her grandfather. However, once alone with him, she reveals the truth: she needs his help recovering the Jonathan Diamond, a valuable gem that was stolen from her apartment. The diamond belongs to her fiancé George Atwater's father, and she must return it by tomorrow night when George returns from a trip. Blackie escapes from custody and heads to New York to recover the diamond before the theft is discovered.

With Boston Blackie, Inspector Faraday, Miss Moray, George Atwater, Detective Monahan, Shorty, Duke Warlum.

Listen for: Blackie's clever escape from handcuffs and police custody using only a handkerchief; his banter with Miss Moray as she manipulates him into helping her; Shorty's street-level information about the diamond theft and Duke Warlum's involvement.

First aired on June 23, 1944 on NBC.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. Two new episodes a week: Boston Blackie on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is sent to Singapore by the Oriental West cargo bonding company to get the stalled freighter SS Shanghai Wayfarer moving again. He is tasked with finding William Harrison, an adjuster who has been reporting mechanical trouble aboard the ship. Dollar learns that the ship's chief engineer has been found dead in the harbor and that Harrison has vanished from his hotel, which has been torn apart. A bar singer named Chandra becomes a key figure in his search. The episode is part of the Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar series, broadcast on CBS Radio on February 25, 1949, with Bob Bailey in the title role.

With Johnny Dollar, William Harrison, Frank Moore, Chandra, Roslin, Corgi, Roy.

Listen for: Dollar's expense account entries, which open and close the episode and add a comic note to the story.

First aired on February 25, 1949 on CBS Radio.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every day: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Detective Nick Carter arrives at a locked movie studio to investigate a jewel robbery attempt involving actress Lulu Dorey, only to discover a murder has occurred. When he finds an electrician dead on a sound stage, killed by a blowgun from above, the mystery deepens as a second body—camera assistant Bill Daley—turns up with a knife in his throat, both weapons connected to an old, unfinished voodoo-themed picture the studio made years ago.

With Nick Carter, Patsy, Joseph Stone, Lulu Dorey, Lieutenant Riley, Gabe Gaitman, Boyd, Bill Daley.

Listen for: The investigation into why someone is using weapons from the old voodoo picture to commit murders, and what was hidden in the locked storage room that Boyd was heading toward when he died.

First aired on September 27, 1943 on Mutual.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: Nick Carter, Master Detective on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Philip Marlowe is called to the Carlton Hotel on the Sunset Strip in the middle of the night to deal with a noisy guest named King Leopold, a trumpet player in yellow pajamas. When Marlowe ejects the disruptive pair, he discovers the woman has a gun and blue bruises around her throat, suggesting she's been strangled. The mystery deepens when Marlowe learns the woman gave a false name at the hotel.

With Philip Marlowe, King Leopold, George Millar, Marilyn Delormay, A girl with red hair.

Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into who King Leopold really is and why the mysterious woman checked into an expensive hotel under a false name with visible signs of violence.

First aired on July 8, 1947 on NBC.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Pat Novak takes a job driving a man named John Brown down from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco with gambling winnings. A dead woman turns up in the trunk of Brown's car, and Brown disappears. Novak must find Brown and uncover the truth about the murder while Detective Helman suspects Novak himself.

With Pat Novak, John Brown, Detective Helman, Jacko Matigan, Skip Harper, Alice Stone, Vinanti.

Listen for: The mysterious connection between the gambling operation at Lake Tahoe, the dead woman Alice Stone, and the missing John Brown; the revelation of who really killed Alice and why

First aired on August 3, 1947 on ABC.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: Pat Novak, for Hire on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

A black patent leather purse left behind at a newspaper stand becomes the center of a deadly mystery when Richard Diamond agrees to find its owner. The purse triggers a chain of violence involving a counterfeit ring, a stolen fortune, and murder, forcing Diamond to uncover the truth before more people die.

With Richard Diamond, Glenda, Helen Asher, Lieutenant Levinson, Francis, Dorothy King, Stanley, Al.

Listen for: The interplay between Diamond and Lieutenant Levinson; the comedic banter between the bumbling thugs; the tense confrontations in Dorothy King's hotel room and the subway station finale.

First aired on May 22, 1949 on NBC, ABC, CBS.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: Richard Diamond, Private Detective on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Sam Spade is hired by a woman claiming to be Constance Pendleton's sister to stop her marriage to Major André Vrodnick, a Bulgarian officer with a history of marrying wealthy women who then disappear. When Spade confronts the bride and the groom, he discovers the real situation is far more complex than it first appeared.

With Sam Spade, Effie (Sam's secretary), Marsha Hopkins/Marsha Brodney, Constance Pendleton, Major André Vrodnick, Bulgarian Consul.

Listen for: The mystery of Vrodnick's true intentions, revelations about Marsha's real identity and connection to the major, and Spade's investigation into the murders of six wealthy women in Europe.

First aired on June 8, 1947 on ABC, CBS and NBC Radio.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: The Adventures of Sam Spade on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar arrives in Benton to look into the Parakoff murder case. Harlan Wolf, partner and beneficiary of the deceased Parakoff, has been arrested for the killing, and East Coast Underwriters wants Dollar to prevent their $100,000 policy from going to pay for an execution. Dollar meets with Wolf's defense attorney Eric Bakker and then visits Parakoff's widow Marsha to learn what he can about the circumstances of the murder.

With Johnny Dollar, Eric Bakker, Harlan Wolf, Parakoff, Marsha Parakoff.

Listen for: A murder investigation complicated by a stubborn widow and a prosecution playing dirty; the dynamic between an insurance investigator and a desperate defense attorney

First aired on February 18, 1949 on CBS Radio.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every day: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar on Stupid Potato, live around the clock.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.