GENRE
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe was a fictional private eye created by author Raymond Chandler. Audiences were first introduced to him as portrayed by Humphrey Bogart in the 1939 classic “The Big Sleep.” In 1947 the fictional detective was heard on radio and by 1949 was the most popular radio program in the country.
The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective
The Adventures of Sam Spade was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for The Maltese Falcon.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes was a detective series that aired at various dates from 1930 to 1956. It was based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous novel and character of the same name.
Boston Blackie
As originally created by author Jack Boyle, Boston Blackie was a safecracker — a hardened criminal who had served time in a California prison. Prowling the underworld as a detective, Boston Blackie was “an enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend.”
Dragnet
Dragnet was an American radio series, enacting the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show took its name from the police term “dragnet”, meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.
The Adventures of Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe was a detective radio show whose stories were derived from the work of Rex Stout. Nero, an extremely genius guy who stands 5’11”, solved crimes without having to go to the crime scenes. His assistant Archie Goodwin did all the gathering of clues and interviewing of witnesses, which will be interpreted by Nero at home.
Night Beat
Night Beat followed Randy Stone, a hard-nosed Chicago Star newsman and his quest for the human-interest story behind the headlines.
Philo Vance Detective
Exceptionally entertaining “Soft-Boiled” Detective Philo Vance solves murders with his wits.
Tales of Texas Rangers
Tales of the Texas Rangers, a western adventure old-time radio drama, premiered on July 8, 1950, on the US NBC radio network and remained on the air through September 14, 1952. Movie star Joel McCrea starred as Texas Ranger Jayce Pearson, who used the latest scientific techniques to identify the criminals and his faithful horse, Charcoal, to track them down. The shows were reenactments of actual Texas Ranger cases.
Crime Classics
A series of true crime stories from the records and newspapers of every land, from every time. Your host each week, is Mr. Thomas Hyland — connoisseur of crime, student of violence, and teller of murders.
Escape
Escape was radio’s leading anthology series of high-adventure radio dramas, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954.
Inner Sanctum Mystery
Inner Sanctum Mystery, also known as Inner Sanctum, a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941, to October 5, 1952, was created by producer Himan Brown and was based on the imprint given to the mystery novels of Simon & Schuster.
Dangerous Assignment
“The Commissioner” sent US special agent Steve Mitchell to exotic locales all over the world, where he would encounter adventure and international intrigue in pursuit of some secret.
Suspense
One of the premiere drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio, was subtitled “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills.” The protagonist was usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation; solutions were “withheld until the last possible second”; and evildoers were usually punished in the end.
The Weird Circle
The Weird Circle was a 30-minute mystery horror radio series. It featured stories derived from classic horror, ghost tales, and supernatural stories written by popular authors .
The Whistler
The show centered on a character called “The Whistler,” the mysterious narrator of various murder stories.
WhiteHall 1212
Whitehall 1212 was a 1951-1952 crime radio series based on facts. The title is actually derived from the Whitehall 1212 of the Scotland Yard. It featured several stories of true crime, presented by Chief Inspector John Davison.
My Favorite Husband
My Favorite Husband starred Lucille Ball and Richard Denning as Liz and George Cooper (Liz and George Cugat in early episodes). The couple lived at 321 Bundy Drive in the ficticious city of Sheridan Falls, and were billed as “two people who live together and like it.”
Our Miss Brooks
Featuring a witty professional woman as the central character of the old time radio show, Our Miss Brooks was a groundbreaking concept. Audiences could (and continue to) relate to Connie Brooks as a clever, sarcastic, kindhearted teacher.
Fibber McGee & Molly
Living in the fictional Midwestern city of Wistful Vista, Fibber was an American teller of tall tales and a braggart, usually to the exasperation of his long suffering wife Molly. Life in Wistful Vista followed a well developed formula, but was always fresh. Fibber’s weekly schemes would be interrupted, inspired by, and often played upon the People of Wistful Vista, a set of regular players and characters that were as beloved as the stars of the program.
Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work on radio and in film and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940’s and early 1950’s. The show mixed comedy with musical interludes and special guests.