Old Time Mystery Radio | Old Time Radio

Boston Blackie, “The Missing String of Pearls,” originally broadcast August 11, 1944, is episode 8 of the 1944 NBC summer run. Chester Morris stars as the resourceful Blackie, with Richard Lane as the ever-skeptical Inspector Farraday. Written by Milton and Barbara Merlin, the series was sponsored by Rinso. When a valuable string of pearls vanishes from Gordon’s Jewelry Store, Blackie quickly becomes a suspect after leaving his watch for repair. But he has seen the store’s longtime clerk, Mrs. Phillips, with the pearls—and his search for an explanation leads into a dangerous blackmail affair, with Inspector Farraday watching his every move. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:45 Original Broadcast 29:22 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Broadway Is My Beat, “The John Stewart Murder Case” (episode 158), originally broadcast on CBS on March 28, 1953. Larry Thor stars as Broadway detective Danny Clover in this noir mystery, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis. On an early-spring night in New York, Clover investigates the fears of John Stewart, a man convinced that someone intends to kill him. Stewart’s peculiar collection of objects offers troubling clues as Clover, Sgt. Gino Tartaglia, and Sgt. Muggavan work the shadowed streets of Broadway. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:45 Original Broadcast 30:19 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe presents “The Dark Tunnel,” originally broadcast on CBS on August 18, 1950. This is episode 97 of the Gerald Mohr series. After breaking up an assault in a Hollywood alley, private detective Philip Marlowe is drawn into the search for a dancer missing for a month. A photograph, an old clipping, and a lead to the New Blossom Dance Land send him from Silver Lake to East Los Angeles—and toward a forbidding abandoned underpass. Written by Robert Mitchell and Gene Levitt, the episode was produced and directed by Richard Sanville. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:47 Original Broadcast 30:34 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Richard Diamond, Private Detective presents “The Elaine Tanner Case,” originally broadcast on February 12, 1950. Dick Powell stars as the wisecracking New York private eye in this NBC sustaining broadcast, written and directed by Russell Hughes. Millionaire Morris Clinton hires Diamond to find Elaine Tanner, a young woman missing from her boarding-house room. Gunfire, a murder, and a trail leading to the Blue Falcon nightclub turn a routine missing-person search into a dangerous investigation, with Lieutenant Walt Levinson and Sergeant Otis lending police support. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:42 Original Broadcast 30:12 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “A Murderous Revision,” originally broadcast on December 3, 1951. Richard Widmark stars in this CBS Radio Network thriller, adapted by David Ellis from a story by S. Lee Pogostin and produced by Elliott Lewis. When a bitter writer is dismissed from the radio mystery program Murder, Please, he decides to strike back at the producer whose rewrites have controlled his work. Scripts, microphones, recordings, and carefully timed cues become instruments in a tense backstage drama also featuring Cathy Lewis and Joseph Kearns. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:43 Original Broadcast 31:08 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Nick Carter, Master Detective presents “The Case of the Chemical Chickens,” episode 283, originally broadcast on April 13, 1947. Lon Clark stars as Nick Carter, with Charlotte Manson as Patsy Bowen. The script was written by Alfred Bester, later celebrated for his science-fiction novels. A strange chemical discovery in Waldo McGlynn’s breakfast eggs sends Nick, Patsy, and Sgt. Mathison from a neighborhood grocery toward a rural community where farming and industry meet. What begins as an unusual food-safety puzzle becomes a suspenseful investigation of impersonation, vanished leads, and carefully examined physical evidence. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:47 Original Broadcast 27:46 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Whistler presents “Beware the Bridegroom,” episode 129, originally broadcast on CBS’s West Coast network on November 13, 1944. Sponsored by Signal Oil, this suspenseful drama was written by Victor Kushner and produced by George W. Allen. Down-and-out confidence man Johnny Lane thinks marriage to wealthy heiress Julie Warren is his ticket to easy money. But concealed motives, dangerous assumptions, and growing marital tension turn his careful calculation into a desperate game of greed and deception. Bill Forman stars as The Whistler. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:33 Original Broadcast 30:04 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe presents “Party for Death,” episode 17, originally broadcast on NBC on February 16, 1951. Sydney Greenstreet stars as the brilliant, sedentary Nero Wolfe, with Harry Bartell as Archie Goodwin. Wolfe sends Archie to a cocktail party at the Collins apartment with an unsettling instruction: call him after the murder. As Archie meets the hosts and their business associates, tensions beneath the civilized conversation begin to surface. Directed by J. Donald Wilson and produced by Edwin Fadiman, this original radio mystery uses the characters created by Rex Stout. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:41 Original Broadcast 29:46 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Will You Make a Bet with Death,” episode 17, originally broadcast on CBS on November 10, 1942. Written by John Dickson Carr, the drama stars Michael Fitzmaurice as Bob Penderel and Lesley Woods as Betty. At Coney Island’s eerie Haunted Mill, Betty encounters a terrified young man caught in a deadly wager: if he can survive until a fixed deadline, he will receive $25,000. With danger potentially lurking anywhere amid the carnival lights and shadowy rides, this tense race against time turns an amusement-park outing into a nightmare of uncertainty. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:48 Original Broadcast 30:34 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Richard Diamond, Private Detective presents “The Eddie Burke Case,” originally broadcast on February 8, 1952. Commonly listed as episode 121, this ABC Camel Cigarettes production stars Dick Powell as the wisecracking Los Angeles private eye. A stranger named Eddie Burke arrives at Diamond’s office demanding a package Diamond says he has never received. With a $1,000 payment, Nancy Casey, and Burke’s underworld past in the mix, Diamond turns to Lieutenant Walt Levinson and follows a trail that reaches an old counterfeiting operation. Virginia Gregg, Alan Reed, and William Conrad are featured. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:45 Original Broadcast 30:17 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Boston Blackie, “The Murdered Sword Swallower,” originally broadcast January 3, 1946, episode 51. Richard Kollmar stars as the resourceful Boston Blackie, with Jan Miner as Mary Wesley and Maurice Tarplin as Inspector Farraday. Blackie and Mary take in a carnival sideshow, where the featured sword swallower is found murdered onstage. Amid the midway’s performers, patrons, and management, Blackie follows a dangerous trail of clues while Inspector Farraday joins the investigation. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:38 Original Broadcast 23:49 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe presents “The Final Payment,” originally broadcast on CBS on September 15, 1950. This Gerald Mohr episode is cataloged as episode 101. Private detective Philip Marlowe visits a condemned man from his past and agrees to recover stolen jewels before time runs out. The trail leads from the state penitentiary to the dangerous Los Angeles-area waterfront, where old associates, a warehouse clue, and mounting threats turn one final favor into a hard-boiled race against the clock. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:42 Original Broadcast 30:39 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Broadway Is My Beat, “The Mary Trevor Murder Case,” originally broadcast October 25, 1952, is episode 136 of the CBS crime drama. Larry Thor stars as hard-boiled Broadway detective Danny Clover, with Charles Calvert as Sgt. Tartaglia and Jack Kruschen as Sgt. Muggavan. Produced and directed by Elliot Lewis, the episode features music by Alexander Courage. When Mary Trevor is found fatally stabbed in the subway, Clover follows the clues through Broadway’s shadowed streets and tangled social circles. A mysterious link to a wealthy figure deepens the investigation in this tense New York noir. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:42 Original Broadcast 31:18 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Richard Diamond, Private Detective presents “Ice Pick Murder,” originally broadcast July 12, 1950. Episode 56 stars Dick Powell as the wisecracking private eye in this NBC presentation sponsored by Rexall Drug Company. Diamond’s routine is shattered when a wounded stranger collapses at his office door with an ice pick in his back. With only the dying clue “juice bar” to guide him, Diamond must uncover why the man came to him and what lies behind the murder. Written by Harvey Easton and directed by Jaime del Valle. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:40 Original Broadcast 30:55 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Nick Carter, Master Detective presents “The Case of the Little Old Ladies,” episode 232, originally broadcast on April 23, 1946. Lon Clark stars as Carter in this Mutual Broadcasting System sustaining-run mystery, written by Jock MacGregor. A payroll robbery and a missing witness lead Carter to a small house on the edge of town, where two elderly women may hold the key to a case that is anything but routine. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:36 Original Broadcast 30:02 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Whistler presents “Grave Secret,” originally broadcast on February 27, 1949. Listed as episode 351, this CBS Pacific Network suspense drama was written by Steve Hampton and sponsored by Signal Oil. At the quiet Eldridge home, Harriet Eldridge depends on a steady stream of letters to preserve the appearance of an absence. But an unexpected visit from her employer’s niece, newly arrived from Australia, brings unsettling questions and mounting suspicion to the household. Bill Forman stars as The Whistler, with Sarah Selby, Howard McNear, and Betty Lou Gerson. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:43 Original Broadcast 30:34 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Deadline at Dawn,” originally broadcast on CBS on May 15, 1948. Commonly cataloged as episode 296, this was the final one-hour Suspense broadcast before the series returned as a half-hour program later that summer. Helen Walker stars as Bricky Coleman, with John Beal as Quinn Williams, in an adaptation of Cornell Woolrich’s novel, written under his William Irish pen name. Over a single night in New York City, taxi dancer Bricky Coleman offers refuge to troubled young Quinn Williams after the pair discover a shared small-town past. Hoping to catch an early-morning bus out of town, they instead find themselves caught in a dangerous search for answers as the city night closes in. Irving Ravetch adapted the story for radio, with Anton M. Leader producing and directing. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:48 Original Broadcast 01:00:28 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe, “Stamped for Murder,” originally broadcast October 20, 1950, is episode 1 of NBC’s 1950–51 series. In this premiere, Sidney Greenstreet stars as the famously sedentary detective Nero Wolfe, with Wally Maher as Archie Goodwin, in an original radio story by Alfred Bester. Gloria Kent turns to Wolfe after her father pays $10,000 for what may be a phony treasure map. Old family letters, suspicious document research, and a pair of confidence men soon make the supposedly worthless papers worth far more than anyone expected. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:38 Original Broadcast 30:24 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Richard Diamond, Private Detective presents “The Bloody Hat Case,” episode 11, originally broadcast on NBC on July 2, 1949. Dick Powell stars as the wisecracking New York sleuth Richard Diamond, with Ed Begley as Lieutenant Walter Levinson. A cab driver delivers a bloodstained hat marked “B.K.” and a recently fired .38-caliber revolver to Diamond—but no victim. Following the clues from Flatbush to a Fifth Avenue hat shop and beyond, Diamond encounters Bertram Kalmus, George Watkins, and a trail of conflicting accounts in a tense apparent murder frame-up. The episode closes with one of Diamond’s signature musical codas, “A, You’re Adorable.” Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:48 Original Broadcast 30:18 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe presents “The Lonesome Reunion,” episode 20, originally broadcast on CBS on February 12, 1949. Gerald Mohr stars as Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled private detective. Marlowe follows the trail of money from an old bank robbery to Lonesome, Arizona, where a black satchel and a set of seemingly ordinary papers lead into a dangerous desert-town web of armed men, deception, and competing claims on missing loot. Written by Gene Levitt and Robert Mitchell, the episode takes Marlowe well beyond his familiar city streets. Old Time Mystery Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:44 Original Broadcast 29:35 Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/old-time-mystery-radio-old-time-radio--7217889/support . Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio