Old Time Radio Mystery Specials

Release Date: September 24, 2011Narcotics Commissioner Michael Barrows (Dick Powell) witnesses a Japanese sea captain throwing 100 slaves overboard to cover up a narcotics ring. Barrows is determined to get justice and sets out on a globe trotting adventure to break the ring and capture the murderous captain.Original Air Date: May 23, 1949Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715GIve us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out all our social media links and connect with us at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Release Date: July 16, 2011This Suspense doublebill features two episodes of CBS’ signature anthology series.First in "Menace in Wax,"  a reporter is summoned to a wax museum and finds a code that could spell trouble for a war plant in Great Britain.Original Air Date: November 17, 1942Then in, "You Were Wonderful," the great Lena Horne plays a talented singer who finds herself embroiled in intrigue in Brazil and employed by rough characters with hidden motives.Original Air Date: November 9, 1944Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Today we take a look at the evolution of E. Jack Neumann's story that became the five-part Johnny Dollar serial.Jeff Regan: The Man in the ChurchRegan is hired for a simple job of delivering $5,000 to a man, but finds himself wanted for murder.Original Air Date: October 12, 1949Starring: Frank Graham as Jeff Regan; Frank Nelson; William Conrad; Sidney MillerNight Beat: Big John McMastersRandy Stone befriends an old-time racketeer and becomes concerned when he is shot.Original Air Date: March 4, 1951Starring: Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone; William Conrad; Tudor OwenYours Truly Johnny Dollar: The San Antonio MatterJohnny goes to Saint Petersburg to investigate the killing of a mobster.Original Air Date: April 28, 1953Starring: John Lund as Johnny Dollar; John McIntire; Joseph Kearns; Jeanette Nolan; Virginia Gregg; Jay NovelloYours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Valentine MatterAfter investigating a hotel theft in New Orleans, Johnny befriends an old-time bootlegger in a bar.Original Air Dates: October 31-November 4, 1955Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar; Lillian Buyeff; Betty Lou Gerson; Barney Phillips; Will Wright; Forrest Lewis; Marvin Miller; Jay Novello; Jack MoylesSupport the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Rose, Patreon supporter since June 2023Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Today's Mystery: Andy Hardy takes a job as a night watchman only to seemingly have the whole warehouse he's guarding disappear.Original Radio Broadcast Date: April 10, 1951Originating from HollywoodStarring: Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy; Fay Holden; Lewis Stone; Eleanore Tanin; Richard Krenna; Eleanore TaninSupport the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day:Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Release Date: May 07, 2011A man (Edmund O’Brien) is poisoned and spends his last days trying to find the man who murdered him.Original Air Date: June 21, 1951Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Release Date: February 26, 2011A mystery writer (Peter Lorre) tries to unravel the truth about Demetrios, an international criminal of legendary proportion. In the course of this search, he garners the interest of another mystery man (Sidney Greenstreet).Original Air Date: April 16, 1945Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Release Date: December 18, 2010In G.K. Chesterton’s classic, Gabriel Syme (Orson Welles) is a police detective infiltrating the anarchist counsel of Europe.Original Air Date: September 5, 1938Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Today's Mystery: An experiment reveals how the diamond got out of Rachel Verinder's cabinet. But where is it now?Original Air Date: April 23, 1948Originating from ChicagoStarring: Sherman Marks as Gabriel Betterridge; Arthur Sedgewick as Sergeant Cuff; Charles Mountain as Franklin Blake, Jonathan Hull, Dick York, Donald Gallagher, Boris Aplon, Marvin PeisnerSupport the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Jennifer, Patreon supporter since April 2025Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Today's Mystery: After a tragic suicide, Sergeant Cuff's dismissed with the theft of the Moonstone still unsolved. A year later, someone else picks up the investigation.Original Radio Broadcast Date: April 16, 1948Originating from ChicagoStarring: Sherman Marks as Gabriel Betterridge; Arthur Sedgewick as Sergeant Cuff; Charles Mountain as Franklin Blake; Geraldine Kaye as Rachel Verinder; Alma Fox; Jane Elliot; Ruth Shane; Minion Shriver; Sidney Breese; Arthur Peterson, Maurice CopelandSupport the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Jennifer, Patreon supporter since April 2025Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Today's Mystery: England's greatest detective is called in to recover the Moonstone.Original Radio Broadcast Date: April 9, 1948Originating from ChicagoStarring: Sherman Marks as Gabriel Betterridge; Arthur Sedgewick as Sergeant Cuff; Charles Mountain as Franklin Blake; Geraldine Kaye as Rachel Verinder; Alma Fox; Jane Elliot; Ruth Shane; Minion Shriver; Sidney Breese; Les SpearsSupport the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Rick, Patreon supporter since March 2020Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Original Release Date: June 5, 2025Today's Mystery: In the mid-19th Century, a young English woman has inherited a large Indian diamond from her evil uncle. She decides to wear it as a brooch on her eighteenth birthday. What could go wrong?Original Radio Broadcast Date: April 2, 1948Originating from ChicagoStarring: Sherman Marks as Gabriel Betterridge; Charles Mountain as Franklin Blake; Geraldine Kaye as Rachel Verinder; Alma Fox; Jane Elliot; Ruth Shane; Sidney Breese; Arthur Peterson; Boris Aplon; Margaret BraytonSupport the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Harold, Patreon supporter since September 2017Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Original Release Date: November 8, 2010Returning from investigating the “Thin Man” case, Nick Charles again hopes to retire, but finds himself drawn into another mystery when his wife’s cousin is approved of murdering her no good husband.Original Air Date: June 17, 1940Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Today's Mystery: A woman operating a shooting gallery game at an amusement park suspects that the death of an elderly watchman for the carnival is tied to a firebug who has been operating in town.Original Radio Broadcast Date: August 14, 1952Originating from New YorkStarring: Adelaide Klein as Cathy; Bill Lipton; Patrick Campbell; Sydney Smith; Walter BlackSupport the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Frank, Patreon supporter since January 2021Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Original Release Date: November 1, 2010Nick Charles, a retired private detective is drawn back to detection with the insistence of his wife, Nora, when a former client is suspected of several murders.Original Air Date: June 8, 1936Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Original Release Date: October 25, 2010A reporter (Alan Ladd) finds a woman dead of TB and is determined to find out why she died.Original Air Date: March 24, 1950Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Release Date: July 31, 2010In this made-for-radio sequel to the Maltese Falcon, Casper Guttman (Joseph Kearns) returns, but this time he’s seeking a piece of dental work.Original Air Date: January 10, 1948Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715GIve us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Original Release Date: May 22, 2010A psychologist is found dead on a roller coaster after a ride, but he wasn’t on board when the roller coaster left.Original Air Date: January 6, 1944Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715GIve us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out all our social media links and connect with us at https://www.greatdetectives.net

Today's Mystery: A police lieutenant is notified that a doctor has received threatening letters.Original Radio Broadcast Date: February 21, 1960Originating from New YorkStarring: Les Damon as Lieutenant Paul Nieman; Lyle Sudrow as Dr. Don Frasier;  Phil Meader; Larry HainesSupport the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Keith, Patreon supporter since February 2017Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Today's First Mystery: Sam Spade is hired by a man who is then shot down in front of him with a carbine.Original Release Date: August 1, 1948Starring: Howard Duff as Sam Spade; Lurene Tuttle as Effie; Jack Webb; WIlliam ConradToday's 2nd Mystery: While investigating an international narcotics ring, Mr. Moto finds himself in the center of the murder of the owner of an import-export company who was shot with a carbine.Original Radio Broadcast Date: October 20, 1951Originating from New YorkStarred: James Monks as Mr. I.A. MotoSupport the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Bettina, Patreon Supporter since May 2021Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call at 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectivesFollow us on Twitter @radiodetectives

Original Release Date: March 13, 2010In this 1943 adaptation of the original hardboiled detective story: Miles Archer, the partner of Sam Spade (played by Humphrey Bogart) is killed while shadowing someone for a client ( Mary Astor.) When the man Archer was shadowing is killed, the police suspect Spade. Spade must find Archer’s killer and to do it he has to match wits against dangerous international criminals (Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet.)Original Air Date: September 20, 1943Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.netSupport the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Give us a call at 208-991-4783Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.netCheck out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net