Down These Mean Streets (old Time Radio Detectives)

No matter what old time radio genre you prefer, you’ve probably heard Virginia Gregg’s voice. You’ve almost certainly heard her as Mrs. Bates in the Psycho films or seen her in one of her many on-screen performances. She was one of radio’s most versatile and talented actresses, and in honor of her birthday we’ll hear Virginia Gregg in three old time radio shows. First, she plays Helen Asher opposite Dick Powell’s Richard Diamond, Private Detective in an episode originally aired on NBC on July 9, 1949. Then, she’s Claire Brooks, loyal assistant to George Valentine in “Seed of Destruction” from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on August 18, 1952. Finally, she plays a Chinese immigrant won in a poker game in “Gentle Virtue,” an episode of Frontier Gentleman from March 30, 1958.

It’s back to Broadway this week, as Detective Danny Clover walks his beat - “the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.” Larry Thor stars as Clover, the cop with the soul of a poet, in two mysteries from Broadway is My Beat: “The Val Dane Starvation Murder Case” (originally aired on CBS on August 25, 1949) and “The Gridiron Hero Murders” (an AFRS rebroadcast of an episode from November 22, 1952).

Bill Johnstone may be best known as the voice of The Shadow, but old time radio fans can enjoy his performances from shows ranging from Escape and Suspense to My Favorite Husband and Our Miss Brooks. In honor of his birthday, we’ll hear him as Lt. Ben Guthrie, the determined detective of The Line-Up in “The Topaz Earring Case” (originally aired on CBS on November 23, 1950) and “The Jersey Parallel” (originally aired on CBS on December 7, 1950).

Seventy years ago this month, listeners first met “the man with the action-packed expense account” when Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar premiered on CBS. The show ran until 1962 with several actors stepping into the shows of “America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator,” but the best of the bunch was Bob Bailey. Bailey starred as Johnny Dollar from 1955 until 1960, including a tremendous run of five-part nightly stories from 1955 to 1956. We’ll hear the last of those serialized installments - “The Silent Queen Matter” (originally aired on CBS from October 29 to November 2, 1956).

When the sun goes down in the Windy City, Randy Stone goes to work. Frank Lovejoy stars as Stone, the Chicago reporter who walks the Night Beat in search of a story. What he finds in the darkness will give him material for his column...if it doesn’t kill him first. We’ll hear Lovejoy in a pair of radio mysteries: “Old Home Week” (originally aired on NBC on September 4, 1950) and “The Kenny Day Amnesia Case” (originally aired on NBC on October 6, 1950).

Some couples play golf, and some like to travel. Pam and Jerry North spend their quality time putting their amateur sleuth skills to work in Mr. and Mrs. North. One of radio’s most popular detective shows, the adventures of the Norths sprang from the pages of novels and kept listeners guessing for over a decade. We’ll hear three of their adventures starring Barbara Britton as Pam and Richard Denning as Jerry: “Coat of Arms,” “Die Hard,” and “Masquerade.”

Even if he can’t pronounce the names of the countries he visits, two-fisted secret agent Steve Mitchell knows each Dangerous Assignment means trouble. Brian Donlevy stars as the international man of mystery in two tales of radio espionage and adventure. We’ll hear “Find Hired Killer Lupac” (originally aired on NBC on August 16, 1950) and “Recover Memory Chain Equation” (originally aired on NBC on November 18, 1950).

In a special bonus episode, we tip our hat to the late Herb Ellis. The actor passed away in December at age 97, and along with his many radio credits he’s a key figure in radio history because of his collaboration with Jack Webb - a collaboration that yielded Dragnet. We’ll hear Ellis co-star as Officer Frank Smith in “The Big Bull” (originally aired on NBC on September 14, 1952), and we’ll hear him as Archie Goodwin in “The Case of the Dear Dead Lady” from The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (originally aired on NBC on November 3, 1950).

“The Robin Hood of modern crime” is on the case, and the halo of The Saint is hanging over Vincent Price’s head. Price stars as Simon Templar in three old time radio adventures of Leslie Charteris’ gentleman sleuth: “Murder on the High Seas” (originally aired on Mutual on September 18, 1949); “It’s Snow Use” (originally aired on NBC on October 29, 1950); and “The Terrible Tintype” (originally aired on NBC on November 26, 1950).

Based on a novel by James M. Cain, with screenplay co-written by Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder behind the camera, Double Indemnity is a film noir classic - one of the best ever produced and it doesn't lose any of its power when adapted for radio. Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck recreate their screen roles as an insurance salesman and an unhappy wife who plot to make the most of her husband's new accidental death policy. The crackling adaptation aired on the Lux Radio Theatre on CBS on October 30, 1950.

When the bells all ring and the horns all blow, you can ring in 2019 with a bonus episode of Down These Mean Streets! Jack Webb and Gerald Mohr star in New Year’s Eve mysteries from Dragnet and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe. We’ll hear “The Big New Year’s” (originally aired on NBC on March 8, 1951) and “The Old Acquaintance” (originally aired on CBS on December 26, 1948).

We’re wrapping up 2018 and spending the holidays with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The dynamic duo of Baker Street stars in three old time radio mysteries taking us from Christmas to New Year’s Eve. First, John Stanley and Alfred Shirley star in “The Adventure of the Christmas Bride” (originally aired on Mutual on December 21, 1947). Then, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson play Holmes and Watson in an adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle Christmas story “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.” Finally, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce ring in the new year in “The Iron Box” (originally aired on Mutual on December 31, 1945).

To celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday, we'll hear Jeff Chandler in two old time radio mysteries as "that reckless red-headed Irishman" - two-fisted private eye Michael Shayne. Chandler is an ultra-hard boiled gumshoe in "The Case of the Crooked Wheel" and "The Case of the High-Priced Twins." Then, he shows off his comedic side as Mr. Boynton in Our Miss Brooks (in an episode originally aired on CBS on March 27, 1949).

In celebration of the December birthdays of Rex Stout and Sydney Greenstreet, here are two episodes of The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe starring Greenstreet as the gargantuan gourmet created by Stout. There's no case too baffling for the sedentary sleuth and his loyal legman Archie Goodwin, and we'll hear two of their mysteries: "The Case of the Deadly Sellout" with Larry Dobkin as Archie (originally aired on NBC on January 5, 1951); and "The Case of the Hasty Will" co-starring Harry Bartell as Goodwin (originally aired on NBC on March 2, 1951).

Cornell Woolrich - aka William Irish - was one of the great crime writers of the twentieth century with his works winning acclaim and adaptations on radio and the big screen (including Hitchcock's classic Rear Window). We'll celebrate the anniversary of his birth with three of his tales adapted for the airwaves - "The Bride Wore Black" from The Mollé Mystery Theater (originally aired on NBC on February 7, 1947); "Wardrobe Trunk" from the NBC Radio City Playhouse (originally aired on NBC on April 4, 1949); and "You Take Ballistics" from the audition recording for The Hunters.

Master mystery writer John Dickson Carr embraced radio in a big way. He wrote scripts for Suspense and his own anthology show Cabin B-13. Carr also acted as master of ceremonies for Murder by Experts. In honor of his birthday on November 30th, we'll hear two of his original radio mysteries: "Will You Make a Bet with Death?" from Suspense (originally aired on CBS on November 10, 1942), and "A Razor in Fleet Street" (originally aired on CBS on July 5, 1948).

No sleuths today - just a heaping helping of Thanksgiving comedy from the Golden Age of Radio. Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore present a comedy opera about the pilgrims, and Jack Benny and his gang are off to the big football game in this Turkey Day bonus show.

"Down These Mean Streets" has reached 300 episodes! To mark the occasion, we're hearing again from Bob Bailey as "the man with the action-packed expense account" - Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. Bailey stars as "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator" in the six-part mystery "The Kranesburg Matter" (originally aired on CBS between August 24 and August 31, 1956).

This week on "Down These Mean Streets," we'll hear Howard Duff in two radio mysteries as Sam Spade and as a scriptwriter plotting the perfect crime in "Suspense."

Dick Powell reinvented himself as a hardboiled hero with his performance as Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet, and several films noir and radio detective shows followed. We'll hear Powell as gumshoe Richard Rogue in "Blood on the Sand" from Rogue's Gallery (originally aired on Mutual on December 13, 1945). Then he's Richard Diamond, Private Detective in "The Martin Hyer Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 23, 1949).