Radio Detective Story Hour

Adventures of Frank Race was purely a radio series with no connection to other media. It's first star was Tom Collins whose suave (but fake) British sounding accent provided some well crafted narrative to the series. The second star was Paul Dubov who was more hardboiled. This week, a look at the international detective whose primary business was following insurance scams.

While one might not think of Big Town as a detective series, it wasn't as much in its first run with Edward G. Robinson. But by 1942, the cast had changed and so had the theme. Managing Editor Steve Wilson of the Illustrated Press (portrayed by this time by Edward Pawley [right]) spent more time on the street investigating crime than he did running a newspaper.Music underneath is "Seven Eleven" by Chillerstadt available on the Podshow Music Network.

A delightful but intentionally short-lived series starring Rex Harrison. This series was written by Ed Adamson, who I will talk about a bit and whose talent makes this the wonderful little series it was.

A look at Mickey Spillane and his explosive private investigator - Mike Hammer. Hammer was a true pulp hero who was seen and heard in various media including film, radio, television and comic strips. Mickey Spillane was never respected by his peers, but laughed all the way to the bank as his hero was extremely popular with readers.

This week, I am experimenting with a different format as I present William Gargan as investigator Barry Craig. The series from the early fifties was actually quite entertaining. A look at the actor himself as well as the series. Music included this week are from music.podshow.com and include: Evan Stone performing KCAMS Robin Stine performing "Shy Boy" lastfuture performing "detective double bass"

A return look at Raymond Chandler's private detective, Phillip Marlowe. Last time I focused on Gerald Mohr's protrayal, but this time, we look at the first radio Phillip Marlowe - Van Heflin. I also look at other Phillip Marlowe's from other media and how they interpreted him.

Crime and Peter Chambers was a short term replacement for the featured podcast last week - Rocky Fortune. The series starred screen and television actor Dane Clark as a suave but tough private detective based upon the detective novels by long time mystery novelist Henry Kane.

In the early fifties, Frank Sinatra's career seemed nearly over. His musical style was out of date and while he had appeared in some films, most were musically oriented. Then came From Here to Eternity for which he carried away a best supporting Oscar. Radio too saw money in this seemingly new side to the man and signed him first to a radio series that never got past the planning stage, then to this week's feature Rocky Fortune.

Beginning with the Lucky Strike Program the first known dramatization of an FBI case was heard on the radio in 1933. The FBI continued its relationship with the networks at times opening their case files to scriptwriters to present them in dramatic form. The most popular of these types of programs is featured on this podcast including The FBI in Peace and War and This Is Your FBI.

"I've been here so long, even the seagulls must recognize me. They must pass the word along about me from generation to generation, from egg to egg." This week a program that never became a series. Based loosely on the best selling book by Max Miller, this William N. Robson production starred Larry Thor as Joe Miller, a reporter cum detective whose beat is the fog-bound, sometimes seedy side of the waterfront.

Originally from the pen of pulp crime/mystery writer, George Harmon Coxe, Casey, Crime Photographer achieved fame through radio starring Staats Cotsworth (right).

One of the earliest police procedual dramas and possibly the model for Gang Busters and later Dragnet, Calling All Cars happened because of the public's interest in new technology - police car radios! Plus, something completely different - an experiemental musical piece from Jon Baker at http://www.pikdesign.com. If you are open to music experiments, be prepared to crank your portable mp3 player.

Every so often one discovers a little known radio series that turns out to be a fun listen. This week you'll hear one. It's called Pursuit and stars Inspector Peter Black, a Scotland Yard detective portrayed by Ted de Corsia (right).

One of the best known fictional detectives in the world - Hercule Poirot was heard in books, movies and radio. This week, a look at this little man with the "little gray cells." I'll look at a number of his radio appearances with the full show being the premier episode of the first serialized version from 1945 starring Harold Huber (right) as the master detective.

This week a visit to Pier 23 to meet Johnny Modero, the last of the Jack Webb pre-Dragnet private detectives on radio. Probably the least of the three Webb detectives and a clone of his previous Pat Novak. Please Take our Listener Survey

This week a look at the gravely voiced, square-jawed actor Charles McGraw as he appeared in an audition episode of the Man From Homicide. I'll also do some sound snapshots from his radio/screen career. Please Take our Listener Survey

E. Jack Neumann and John Michael Hayes (right) were two of radio's finest writers of detective and suspense. This week a brief return to an episode from The Adventures of Sam Spade written by these two writers. Listen for the well defined characters the create as well as the tension and comedy. An example of some of radio's finest writing. Nuemann went on to write for television and Hayes wrote several of the classic Alfred Hitchcock films. Please Take our Listener Survey

Out of fog and into American homes comes Bulldog Drummond. This originally hardboiled detective becomes something else when radio gets a hold of him. This run starred Ned Wever (right). Please Take our Listener Survey

Morton Fine and David Friedkin were scriptwriters who were all over the radio spectrum in the forties and fifties before they moved to television. A look at how writers worked and seemed to carry common themes and style no matter the genre ending in an episode of the Fine/Friedkin scriptwork: Broadway Is My Beat starring Larry Thor (right). Please Take our Listener Survey

From out of the pulps comes Nick Carter, Master Detective! This week "another case for that most famous of all man hunters - the detective whose ability at solving crime is unequal in the history of detective fiction - Nick Carter, Master Detective." The character of Nick Carter goes back to 19th century detective stories as one of the staples of early Street & Smith publishing. Nick Carter may be the most published character in American fiction. By the time radio got a hold of him, the character had evolved into a private investigator. Starring Lon Clark (right) for the whole series. I'll look a little at the history of this pulp character and the strange ride he took over the last 100 years! This week's episode: The Echo of Death. Please Take our Listener Survey