Down These Mean Streets (old Time Radio Detectives)

The game is afoot with three old time radio mysteries starring the master detective of Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s immortal character made his debut as a radio sleuth on October 20, 1932, and we’re celebrating his anniversary with radio adventures starring three different actors as Holmes. First, Basil Rathbone is Holmes, with Nigel Bruce as Watson, in “The Case of the Limping Ghost” (originally aired on Mutual on September 3, 1945). Next, John Stanley and Alfred Shirley are Holmes and Watson in “The Sussex Vampire” (originally aired on Mutual on December 14, 1947). Finally, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson star in “The Final Problem” (originally aired on NBC on April 17, 1955), featuring special guest star Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty.

Private detective Michael Shayne came to radio on October 16, 1944 and we’re celebrating the anniversary of “the reckless, red-headed Irishman” with two of his radio mysteries. Two of radio’s most talented stars – Wally Maher and Cathy Lewis – headline as Shayne and his loyal secretary Phyllis Knight. From 1944 until 1947, the pair starred in stories that blended crime-solving with witty banter. We’ll hear “The Murder Trial of Jack Holmes” (originally aired on Mutual on May 21, 1945) and “Dr. Grant’s Dilemma” (from August 13, 1945).

William Gargan starred as Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator – “America’s number one detective” – from 1951 to 1955. The actor had a long resume of detective roles on the big and small screens, as well as on radio, but his best on-air work may have been as Craig, the New York-based confidential investigator. We’ll hear him in a pair of his radio mysteries: “Death of a Private Eye” (originally aired on NBC on January 2, 1952) and “Fog Over Murder” (originally aired on NBC on October 13, 1953).

For the first two and half years of Dragnet, Sgt. Joe Friday was partnered with Ben Romero, an older mentor and family man voiced by radio veteran Barton Yarborough. With his friendly Texas drawl, Yarborough created a memorable character and a good counterpart to Friday’s terse, no-nonsense style. We’ll hear Yarborough in action as Ben Romero, alongside Jack Webb as Joe Friday, in “The Big Picture” (originally aired on NBC on December 7, 1950) and “The Big In-Laws” (originally aired on NBC on August 23, 1951).

Pam and Jerry North are the happy couple who can’t help but find trouble. Whether it’s a corpse or a caper, Mr. and Mrs. North will stumble onto the scene and thwart the plans of evildoers everywhere. We’ll hear a pair of adventures starring old time radio’s most popular husband and wife detective duos. First, Alice Frost is Pam and Joseph Curtin is Jerry in “The Contagious Confession” (originally aired on NBC on September 22, 1943). Then, the Norths are played by Barbara Britton and Richard Denning in “The Diamond Noose” (a broadcast from the Armed Forces Radio Service).

John Huston’s classic cinematic adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon comes to radio in this production of The Lux Radio Theatre. Though none of the film’s stars appear to recreate their roles, a terrific Hollywood cast is assembled to bring the story to life. Laird Cregar is the Fat Man, Gail Patrick is Brigid O’Shaughnessy, and Edward G. Robinson is Sam Spade – with Cecil B. DeMille as master of ceremonies – in this episode originally aired on CBS on February 8, 1943.

Edmond O’Brien puts the “action” in the “action-packed expense account” of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. The Academy Award-winning actor starred as the freelance insurance investigator from 1950 until 1952. O’Brien’s tough style – honed in film noir performances – brought a hard edge to Dollar, a character that had been decidedly lighter in the hands of Charles Russell. His run as Johnny Dollar has cemented Edmond O’Brien as a fan favorite of the many actors to play the gumshoe. We’ll hear O’Brien as Dollar in “The Caligio Diamond Matter” (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1950) and “The Calgary Matter” (originally aired on CBS on July 13, 1950).

Looking for mystery? Just dial YUkon 2-8209 and ask for Candy Matson. The gorgeous San Francisco private eye works out of her Telegraph Hill apartment and finds more than her share of trouble in the city of the Golden Gate. Natalie Masters stars as Candy in "The Cable Car Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 7, 1949) and "The Movie Company" originally aired on NBC on August 29, 1950).

Alan Ladd is Dan Holiday, the mystery writer who plays detective to get story material, in Box 13. The syndicated series found Holiday soliciting danger with an ad offering himself as an adventurer for hire – one who would “go anywhere, do anything.” Answering those letters addressed to Box 13 meant Holiday could be volunteering to put a target on his back or to solve an impossible crime. We’ll hear Ladd in “Much Too Lucky" and "The Perfect Crime."

After Dick Powell bid farewell to the role of gumshoe Richard Rogue, Barry Sullivan stepped in to fill the detective’s shoes. The big screen star played the rakish private eye in a 1947 summer run of Rogue’s Gallery and acquitted himself quite well in the lead role. We’ll hear Sullivan as Rogue in “Phyllis Adrian is Missing,” originally aired on NBC on June 29, 1947.

Master jewel thief turned ace detective, the infamous Boston Blackie is an “enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend.” Much to the chagrin of Inspector Faraday, Blackie puts his criminal mind to work for the good guys, nabbing crooks, cons, and thieves with the same sleight of hand and crafty calculations that served him on the wrong side of the law. We’ll hear Chester Morris recreate his big screen role of Blackie in “Black Market Blackie,” originally aired on NBC on July 21, 1944. Then, Richard Kollmar takes over in the syndicated episode “The Undersea Murder.”

For our annual birthday salute to Alfred Hitchcock, we'll hear one of the master of suspense's classic films recreated for radio - Foreign Correspondent, the 1940 spy thriller starring Joel McCrea and Herbert Marshall. The film was dramatized for Academy Award, with Joseph Cotten stepping in for McCrea in an episode that originally aired on CBS on July 24, 1946.

Cue the zither music! Orson Welles is back as Harry Lime, the lovable rogue from The Third Man, in The Lives of Harry Lime. This prequel series follows Lime around the world as he tries to lie, cheat, and steal his way to an easy buck and to stay a step ahead of the police and rival criminals. In the process, he becomes one of radio's most unlikely heroes in this series of international adventures. We'll hear "Clay Pigeon" and "Man of Mystery" from the syndicated program.

Before he gave the world Peter Gunn and Inspector Clouseau, Blake Edwards cut his teeth as a radio writer, penning mysteries for some of the best detectives of the era. Edwards created Richard Diamond, Private Detective and his writing set the tone for radio’s singing gumshoe. Equally adept at comedy and drama, Edwards also wrote stories for more serious police procedurals, including The Line-Up. In honor of his birthday, we’ll hear some of his radio work. First, it’s “The Candy Store Murder” from The Line-Up (originally aired on CBS on November 16, 1950). Then, it’s “To Guard a Seal,” from Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on February 5, 1950).

When it comes to hard-boiled crime fiction, fewer did wrote it better than Raymond Chandler. One of the titans of the genre, Chandler penned dozens of pulp stories before he introduced his signature character of private eye Philip Marlowe. We’ll hear a pair of Marlowe’s radio adventures starring Gerald Mohr – “The Baton Sinister” (originally aired on CBS on September 17, 1949) and “The Long Way Home” (originally aired on CBS on August 4, 1951). Then we’ll hear “Pearls are a Nuisance,” an adaptation of a Chandler short story and originally aired on Suspense (originally aired on CBS on April 19, 1945).

On July 12, 1946, Dashiell Hammett’s famous private eye Sam Spade came to radio in what became one of the greatest detective shows of the era. With witty scripts and a dynamic lead performance from Howard Duff, the series thrilled listeners and kept a smile on their faces in a program that stands out from the crowd of hard-boiled gumshoes and cops. In honor of the seventieth anniversary of its radio debut, we’ll hear four episodes of The Adventures of Sam Spade. Howard Duff stars in “Sam and Psyche” (originally aired on ABC on August 2, 1946); “The Rushlight Diamond Caper” (originally aired on CBS on July 4, 1948); and “The Dick Foley Caper” (originally aired on CBS on September 26, 1948). We’ll also hear Stephen Dunne as Spade in “The Dog Bed Caper” (originally aired on NBC on December 1, 1950).

Staats Cotsworth is on the scene and on the job as Casey, Crime Photographer – ace cameraman and amateur sleuth. Casey gets the pictures of crime stories of the big city and he works to bring the criminals to justice. It’s all in a day’s work, and he’s usually done in time to enjoy a drink at the Blue Note Café with his friends. We’ll hear Casey in “The Red Raincoat” (originally aired on CBS on August 29, 1946) and “The Gentle Strangler” (originally aired on CBS on April 24, 1947).

Brilliant, handsome, and foppish, amateur sleuth Philo Vance went through some character makeovers as he jumped from the pages of S.S. Van Dine’s detective novels to the big screen and later to radio. Jackson Beck played Vance as a nearly hard-boiled private eye, but his two earliest radio incarnations stuck a bit closer to the character from the source material. We’ll hear two of Philo Vance’s first on-air adventures. First, John Emery plays Vance in “The Case of the Cellini Cup” (originally aired on NBC on April 29, 1943). Then, Jose Ferrer is Philo in “The Case of the Strange Music” (originally aired on NBC on August 9, 1945).

A gifted mimic and dynamic actor, Jack Moyles was a key component of several classic radio shows. Whether he was in supporting roles or in the lead, Moyles brought an always engaging, entertaining presence to the microphone. In honor of his birthday, we’ll salute Mr. Moyles on this week's episode of “Down These Mean Streets.” First, we’ll hear him as American ex-pat, club owner, and amateur sleuth Rocky Jordan in “The Nile Runs High” (originally aired on CBS on September 18, 1949). Then, Moyles is foreign correspondent O’Hara in “The Judas Face” (originally aired on CBS on July 22, 1951).

To an entire generation of fans, Basil Rathbone was Sherlock Holmes. On the big screen and on radio, Rathbone brought the master detective of Baker Street to life and left a lasting impression on the character. He became closely identified with the role - eventually to the point where he wanted to distance himself from Holmes’ deerstalker. We’ll hear Rathbone as Holmes in “The Manor House Case” (originally broadcast on Mutual on October 15, 1945) and as himself in the quirky mystery series Tales of Fatima in a story called “A Much Expected Murder” (originally aired on CBS on May 21, 1949).