What do Philo Vance, George Valentine, Richard Diamond, and John J. Malone have in common? They all romanced – and were frequently assisted by – Frances Robinson. The busy and talented actress was a mainstay on radio crime dramas, and her performances gave us some of the genre’s all-time great partners in crime. We’ll hear her in “The Elusive Hundred Grand” from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on April 18, 1949); “The Pop Skoals Case aka The Blind Man and the Cop Killer” from Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on February 26, 1950), and in “Murder in Mind” from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on April 16, 1950).

Episode 326 - Their Girl Friday: Frances Robinson (Let George Do It, Richard Diamond, & The Whistler)

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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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).

BONUS - Five Favorites: Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator

Place your bets and ride along with four old time radio mysteries set in the stables and around the racetrack. Boston Blackie doubts a horse is guilty of murder in a syndicated mystery, and international investigator Frank Race tries to find out who's out to make sure a prize racehorse doesn't make it to the winner's circle in "The Adventure of the Vanishing Favorite." A jockey loses a race and his life in Crime and Peter Chambers (originally aired on NBC on August 3, 1954). And John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in an adaptation of "Silver Blaze."

Episode 576 - A Day at the Races (Boston Blackie, Frank Race, Peter Chambers, & Sherlock Holmes)

We're riding the subway and walking the Great White Way with four radio gumshoes in New York. First, there's a dead body in Richard Diamond's office in "The Fred Sears Murder Case" (originally aired on NBC on June 5, 1949). A man is killed in Times Square by a man with only a month to live in "The Earl Lawson Murder Case" from Broadway is My Beat (originally aired on CBS on June 9, 1951). John Lund heads to the Big Apple in "The Independent Diamond Traders Matter" from Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (originally aired on CBS on November 24, 1953), and Captain Kennelly and his men keep the city safe in 21st Precinct (originally aired on CBS on January 13, 1954).

Episode 326 - Their Girl Friday: Frances Robinson (Let George Do It, Richard Diamond, & The Whistler)

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