The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas

Are you ready for a mystery? Get ready to unleash your inner sleuth. Every day Monday-Saturday, we feature a different detective audio drama from the Golden Age of Radio. Our current mystery-solving line-up of radio detectives includes The Adventures of the Falcon, Charlie Chan, Broadway's My Beat, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, and Dragnet. Whether you want to listen to a mystery before going to sleep or enjoy some drama while driving, or just feel nostalgia for old-school radio fiction, we have you covered with six audio dramas every week. Podcast Award finalist Host Adam Graham has been your guide through dozens of old-time radio detective series since 2009. He provides insightful commentary and humor after each episode and responds to listener questions and feedback. You can subscribe to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from your favorite podcast app or by visiting our website at http://www.greatdetectives.net. We are currently in our fifteenth season of provided suspenseful mystery dramas. Our podcast feed captures the last 1,000 episodes we've released including all of seasons thirteen and fourteen, and part of season twelve. We have created two archive feeds: Volume 1, which features our first three seasons and Volume 2, which features seasons four-six, and Volume 3 which will feature Seasons Seven through Nine. Our feed includes old time radio recorded in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and also Australia. The current actors featured in our old time radio detective podcast include Les Damon, Bob Bailey, Larry Thor, Walter Connolly, and Jack Webb. Other actors featured within the past 1,000 include Alice Frost, Howard Duff, Glenn Langan, Herbert Marshall, Gerald Mohr, Joel McCrea, Les Tremayne, Jackson Beck, Santos Ortega, Ned Wever, Karl Swenson, and more.

  1. 1d ago

    The Best of the 2025-26 Season

    This special edition of The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio revisits seven standout episodes from the season, spanning police procedurals, true-crime reporting, wartime espionage, murder mysteries, and insurance investigations. The selections range from Dragnet and The Big Story to Cloak and Dagger, Broadway's My Beat, The Saint, Proudly We Hail, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. Along the way, host Adam Graham revisits memorable performances, surprising plot developments, and the real-life stories behind some of the dramas. The compilation offers a varied look at classic radio storytelling, culminating in one of Johnny Dollar's most extraordinary investigations.The chapter times below come from the uploaded compilation notes. Origination locations follow your requested convention. Featured Episodes 1. Dragnet — “The Big Hit and Run Killer” November 8, 1951 • Originating from Hollywood Plot Summary: Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero investigate a hit-and-run accident in which a speeding bakery truck strikes an elderly woman and her nine-year-old grandson in a pedestrian crosswalk. With no license plate number and only limited eyewitness information, the detectives must trace the vehicle and establish who was driving it. Known Cast: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday; Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero; Herb Butterfield. George Fenneman is also identified as announcer. 2. The Big Story — “The Cord Around Her Neck”• January 9, 1952 • Originating from New York Plot Summary: When a woman is discovered murdered in her West Seattle home, West Seattle Herald reporter Stuart Whitehouse recognizes an opportunity to break a major story ahead of the city's larger newspapers. With his weekly paper's deadline approaching, Whitehouse follows the evidence in hopes of identifying the killer before the presses roll. Known Cast: Nat Polen as Stuart Whitehouse; Margaret Burlen; Helen Barron; Larry Haines; Bill Griffiths; Bert Callen; John Becker; Steve Edders; Michael O'Day. 3. Cloak and Dagger — “The Last Mission” • September 29, 1950 • Originating from New Yor Plot Summary: In wartime Canton, China, a woman whose family has been murdered by Japanese military forces becomes involved with the Office of Strategic Services. Her personal tragedy leads to an unusual connection with American intelligence and a dangerous mission against the occupying forces. Known Cast: Bryna Raeburn; Ian Martin; Arnold Moss; Ralph Bell; Raymond Edward Johnson; Karl Webber. 4. Broadway's My Beat — “The Lynn Halstead Murder Case”January 19, 1952 • Originating from Hollywood Plot Summary: Detective Danny Clover investigates when a young woman's body is recovered from the river and identified by her grieving father. The case takes a bewildering turn when another woman appears, claiming to be the supposed murder victim. Clover must unravel the secrets surrounding a private secretary whose carefully concealed personal life makes identifying the dead woman only the beginning of the mystery. Known Cast: Larry Thor as Lieutenant Danny Clover; Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia; Jack Kruschen as Sergeant Muggavan; William Conrad as John Martin; Herb Butterfield as Dr. Halstead; Hy Averback; Joyce McCluskey; Bob Bruce.Production: Elliott Lewis, producer and director; Alexander Courage, composer and conductor .5. The Adventures of the Saint — “The Cake That Killed”• January 8, 1950 • Originating from Hollywood Plot Summary: Simon Templar visits a bakery and encounters a distressed woman who gives him a cake under unusual circumstances. What begins as a seemingly innocent errand soon draws the Saint into a tangled affair involving theft and murder, where an ordinary baked good becomes the unlikely starting point for a criminal investigation. Known Cast: Vincent Price as Simon Templar; Betty Lou Gerson; Peter Leeds; Dan O'Herlihy; Larry Dobkin; Theodore von Eltz. 6. Proudly We Hail — “First Choice” July 10, 1946 • Originating from Hollywood Plot Summary: Powerful political figure Duke O'Hara stands on the verge of securing his party's nomination for governor. But on the evening that should mark his greatest political triumph, an unexpected revelation threatens his ambitions and marriage. As the nomination celebration unfolds, O'Hara must confront a difficult choice between political success and his personal loyalties. Known Cast:   Clark Gable as Duke O'Hara Tom Petty — writer Eddie Scrivanek — music C. P. MacGregor — host/presenter 7. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar — “The Glacier Ghost Matter” May 12, 1957 • Originating from Hollywood Plot Summary: Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is called upon to verify the fate of a businessman who disappeared on the Palisades Glacier. Establishing whether the missing man is truly dead presents an extraordinary challenge, sending Johnny into treacherous mountain terrain in search of physical evidence that can settle the insurance claim.   Known Cast: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar; John Dehner; Herb Ellis; Virginia Gregg; Forrest Lewis; James McCallion; Tom Hanley; John James.   Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net. Become one of our Ongoing Patreon Supporters at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net Patreon Supporter of the Day: Daniel, Patreon supporter since August 2024. Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715 Take the listener survey…http://survey.greatdetectives.net Give us a call 208-991-4783 Become one of our friends on Facebook. Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives Follow us on Twitter@radiodetectives Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.

    The Best of the 2025-26 Season

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Are you ready for a mystery? Get ready to unleash your inner sleuth. Every day Monday-Saturday, we feature a different detective audio drama from the Golden Age of Radio. Our current mystery-solving line-up of radio detectives includes The Adventures of the Falcon, Charlie Chan, Broadway's My Beat, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, and Dragnet. Whether you want to listen to a mystery before going to sleep or enjoy some drama while driving, or just feel nostalgia for old-school radio fiction, we have you covered with six audio dramas every week. Podcast Award finalist Host Adam Graham has been your guide through dozens of old-time radio detective series since 2009. He provides insightful commentary and humor after each episode and responds to listener questions and feedback. You can subscribe to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from your favorite podcast app or by visiting our website at http://www.greatdetectives.net. We are currently in our fifteenth season of provided suspenseful mystery dramas. Our podcast feed captures the last 1,000 episodes we've released including all of seasons thirteen and fourteen, and part of season twelve. We have created two archive feeds: Volume 1, which features our first three seasons and Volume 2, which features seasons four-six, and Volume 3 which will feature Seasons Seven through Nine. Our feed includes old time radio recorded in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and also Australia. The current actors featured in our old time radio detective podcast include Les Damon, Bob Bailey, Larry Thor, Walter Connolly, and Jack Webb. Other actors featured within the past 1,000 include Alice Frost, Howard Duff, Glenn Langan, Herbert Marshall, Gerald Mohr, Joel McCrea, Les Tremayne, Jackson Beck, Santos Ortega, Ned Wever, Karl Swenson, and more.

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