The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas

Today's Mystery: A chance encounter in a Chicago courtroom leads reporters Virginia Marmaduke and Joe Kordek into a deeply personal story. A mother is seeking a divorce because she believes her husband is willing to risk their young daughter's life. The reporters soon discover that the child suffers from a serious medical condition and that her parents are bitterly divided over a dangerous decision that could determine her future. When they learn that another child may hold the answer, Virginia and Joe set out to find her—but will they reach her in time?

Original Radio Broadcast: February 10, 1954

Originating in New YorkCast:

• Virginia Marmaduke — M.C. Strickland
• Joe Kordek — Sid Pohl
• Mandel Kramer
• Jan Miner
• Guy Sorel
• Madeline Pierce
• Shirley Hayes
• Joan Tompkins

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Today's Mystery: Simon Templar becomes involved in a strange murder mystery after meeting a frightened man named Prebble, who believes he may be headed for prison because of a trained chimpanzee named Wenceslaus. When Prebble is murdered and the chimpanzee is subsequently killed, the Saint discovers that the animal may have been involved in the theft of valuable jewels. Simon follows the trail to a group of jewel thieves and must determine who killed Prebble and Wenceslaus—and who has the missing jewels.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: December 10, 1950

Originating from Hollywood

Starred: Vincent Price as Simon Templar

Cast:

• Maggie Morley as Lola
• George Nees as Roland Ames
• Sheldon Leonard as Max
• Theodor von Eltz as Haig
• Jack Moyles as Prebble
• Jerry Hausner as the Monkey

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In this episode, we begin our journey through the surviving episodes of Charlie Chan’s Landini Murder Case, a 39-part serialized mystery based on Earl Derr Biggers’ final Charlie Chan novel, The Keeper of the Keys. This omnibus brings together the commentary and surviving episodes from the original serial, allowing listeners to experience the story in a much shorter format. Part 1 features Episodes 7 and 8, “The Chinese Suspect” and “A Barking Dog.”

Originating in Sydney

Starring: William Rees as Charlie Chan, Rodney Jacobs


The Chinese Suspect

Charlie Chan arrives at Pine View to assist wealthy Dudley Ward with a family mystery, but events take a deadly turn when Ellen Landini is found murdered. With everyone ordered to remain at the estate, Chan begins searching for answers among a house full of suspects. Then, in the darkness outside, he spots someone quietly leaving the house—and follows.

Original Air Date: 1935–1936

A Barking Dog

Charlie Chan’s investigation into Ellen Landini’s murder takes a closer look at the servants, the crime scene, and a timeline that doesn’t quite add up. When crucial fingerprints have been wiped away, Chan is left with fewer answers—and one suspect who can’t account for his whereabouts. But is that enough to identify the killer?

Original Air Date: 1935–1936

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Today's Adventure: CounterSpy chief David Harding investigates a charity racket operating among wealthy members of East Coast society. When a charity organizer connected to the World Refugee Fund is found to be running a fraudulent scheme, Harding sets a trap to uncover the criminal mastermind behind it. His investigation leads to Alfred Babson, a dangerous society figure whose operation involves threats, murder, and carefully timed plans. Harding must expose the racket before Babson can eliminate those who stand in his way.

Original Radio Broadcast:October 11, 1949

Originating in New York

Cast:

• Don McLaughlin
• Mandel Kramer
• Ken Lynch as Zero

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Today's Mystery: Johnny Dollar is hired by a life insurance company to locate a missing beneficiary named Jonathan Doe, who is set to receive $50,000 from a policy belonging to a recently deceased farmer. The problem is that no one in the area seems to have ever met Jonathan Doe, and even his supposed farm contains few clues that he ever existed. As Johnny investigates, suspicion falls on the farmer’s son, who stands to inherit the money if Doe remains missing. Johnny must uncover the truth behind the mysterious beneficiary and determine why no one seems to know who he really was.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: August 30, 1959

Originating from Hollywood

Cast:

• Virginia Gregg
• Lawrence Dobkin
• Marvin Miller
• Sam Edwards
• Judas Matthews
• Stacey Harris
• Bart Robinson

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Todays Mystery: Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith investigate the abduction of an unidentified man from a downtown Los Angeles street. Bloodstains at the scene and an abandoned gray sedan suggest that the victim may have been seriously injured, but there are few clues to his identity or whereabouts. The investigation leads Friday and Smith through a missing car, conflicting stories, and two suspects with criminal records. As the detectives piece together the evidence, they must determine what happened to the missing man and whether he is still alive.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: June 26, 1952

Originating from Hollywood

Starring:

• Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday
• Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Frank Smith

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Today's Mystery: Detective Danny Clover investigates the murder of Ruth Nelson, a woman found stabbed to death on the very day she was released from prison after serving thirty years. As Clover searches for answers, he discovers that Ruth’s past may hold the key to her death. The investigation takes another turn when Louise Downey, the woman who helped Ruth find a place to live, is also found dead. Clover must uncover the connection between the two women and the secrets someone is determined to keep hidden.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: October 11, 1952

Originated in Hollywood

Cast:

• Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover
  
  
• Charles Calvert as Tattaglia
  
  
• Jack Kruschen as Mugavin
  
  
• Mary Jane Croft as Vicky
  
  
• Jane Novello as Jonathan
  
  
• Irene Tedrow
  
  
• Harry Bartell
  
  
• Paul Frees
  
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  Patreon Supporter of the Day: Jennifer, Patreon supporter since March 2016
  
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Today's Mystery: Prince George’s County reporter Arthur Milky becomes suspicious when a young child dies at a nursery home and the medical examiner determines that the boy’s severe head injuries could not have been self-inflicted.

When the woman running the home offers conflicting explanations for the injuries, Milky begins investigating both the child’s death and the operator’s troubling history, determined to uncover evidence strong enough to establish what really happened.

Original Radio Broadcast: January 27, 1954

Originating in New Yor

Cast:

• Lyle Sudrow as Arthur Milky
• Court Benson
• Maurice Wells
• Louis Van Rooten
• Barbara Weeks
• Joan Lorring
• Ted Osborne

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Today's Mystery: Simon Templar is drawn into a dangerous mystery when Alice Parks asks for his help after her fiancé, Marvin Hickerson, disappears under suspicious circumstances. Marvin, a private investigator with a complicated case on his hands, has become entangled with a group of people involved in a dangerous scheme. As the Saint begins following the clues, he discovers that money, deception, and a murder may all be connected. With powerful people determined to keep the truth hidden, Simon must use his wits to uncover what really happened before the mystery turns deadly.

Original Radio Broadcast Date: December 3, 1950

Originating from Hollywood

Cast:

• Vincent Price as Simon Templar
• Leslie Banning
• Maggie Morley
• Victor Rodman
• Edmund MacDonald
• Herb Vigran
• Bill Tracy
• Bonnie Phillips.

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In this episode, we serve up four classic old-time radio snacks, featuring a special Family Theater presentation for Citizenship Day, an episode of Family Doctor, a New Year's drama from Guest Star, and a classic performance by Orson Welles.

Family Theater: Treasury of Homes

In honor of Citizenship Day, this episode features an excerpt from Family Theater, a dramatic anthology series that promoted family prayer and presented stories centered around American family life.

This excerpt, Treasury of Homes, celebrates the pioneers who settled the American West and the immigrants who came to the United States seeking a better life. The story follows the Simmons family as they search for a place to build their new home and dream of the community that will eventually grow around them.

The program also features a performance by John Charles Thomas singing The Homeland.

Original Air Date: February 14, 1951

Family Doctor: Error in Diagnosis

In this episode of Family Doctor, Dr. Grant Adams treats Griff Miller, an elderly man struggling to make the interest payment on the mortgage for his family boathouse.

When the mortgage holder, lawyer Ralph Bates, prepares to foreclose, Doc Adams comes up with an unusual solution. By convincing Bates that he has chicken pox and later poison oak, the country doctor buys Griff enough time to save his property.

The story offers a humorous look at the traditional image of the country doctor as a trusted community figure who cared for more than just his patients' physical health.

Original Air Date: 1937

Guest Star: Time is Sacred

Spend New Year's Eve with Bill Cooper and Louise Marston, two office workers who become trapped in an elevator when the power goes out.

As they realize that the elevator cable may not hold until help arrives, the two strangers discover that they have fallen in love. With midnight approaching, they face what may be their final moments together.

Starring Joan Leslie, this dramatic story combines romance, suspense, and a New Year's message about recognizing the importance of time.

Original Air Date: December 26, 1948

Mercury Theatre: I'm a Fool

Orson Welles stars in this adaptation of Sherwood Anderson's story I'm a Fool.

A young man attending a horse race attempts to impress a girl by pretending to be wealthy and claiming that his father owns one of the horses. 

His lies bring him closer to the girl, but as the evening comes to an end, he realizes the painful consequences of trying to be someone he isn't.

This experimental Mercury Theatre broadcast presented three short stories in a single episode, making it an ideal example of the snack-sized radio storytelling featured on the Old Time Radio Snack Wagon.

Original Air Date: August 8, 1938

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