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Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives): Daily Summaries Delivered
by Mean Streets Podcasts
Presenting the best detectives from the Golden Age of Radio. Each week, we'll bring you an episode starring one of Old Time Radio's greatest detectives and the story behind the show. Join us for adventures of Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Johnny Dollar, and many more.
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- 2 days ago2h 35m
Episode 672 - Double Duty Detectives: Dick Powell (Rogue's Gallery, Richard Diamond, & Johnny Dollar)
Our salute to actors who played multiple radio detectives continues with Dick Powell, who transformed himself from a comedic crooner to a hard-boiled hero on the big screen. We'll hear him as two private Dicks - Richard Rogue from Rogue's Gallery and as Richard Diamond, Private Detective. He's Rogue in "The Triangle Murder Case" (originally aired on Mutual on February 21, 1946) and "The Corpse I Didn't Kill" (originally aired on Mutual on June 13, 1946). Then he's Diamond in episodes known as "The Mary Bellman Case" (originally aired on NBC on June 28, 1950) and "The Mike Burton Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 5, 1950) . Plus, we'll hear him as a third radio sleuth in the 1948 audition recording for Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.
- 6 days ago1h 26m
BONUS - Super Summer: Superman vs. Kryptonite (Part 1)
Supergirl flies back to the big screen this summer (with a cameo from her cousin from Metropolis), and to celebrate we present an epic radio adventure of the Man of Steel. From the spring and summer of 1947, it's "Superman vs. Kryptonite," a story that begins when an old enemy of Superman's comes into possession of the hero's Achilles heel. We'll hear the first five parts of the story - episodes that originally aired on Mutual between May 14 and May 20, 1947.
- 1 weeks ago2h 6m
Episode 671 - Double Duty Detectives: Tom Conway (Sherlock Holmes & The Saint)
For June, we're spotlighting stars who played multiple detectives on the air and our first leading man is Tom Conway. In 1946, he took over the deerstalker cap from Basil Rathbone on The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and in 1951, he donned Simon Templar's halo as Vincent Price's replacement on The Saint. We'll hear Conway as Holmes - with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson - in "The Darlington Substitution" (originally aired on ABC on January 4, 1947) and "The Adventure of the Scarlet Worm" (originally aired on ABC on March 24, 1947). Then, he's the Saint in "The Children's Crusade" (originally aired on NBC on May 27, 1951) and "No, My Darling Daughter" (originally aired on NBC on July 15, 1951).
- 2 weeks ago1h 24m
Episode 670 - All the Write Moves: John Dickson Carr (Suspense & Cabin B-13)
Our month-long spotlight series on mystery writers concludes with John Dickson Carr, master of the locked room mystery who was recently referenced in Wake Up Dead Man. We'll hear some thrillers penned by Carr for Suspense as well as episodes of his own mystery anthology series Cabin B-13. From Suspense, it's "The Burning Court" (originally aired on CBS on June 17, 1942) and the first half of "The Hangman Won't Wait," starring Sydney Greenstreet as Carr's amateur sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell (originally aired on CBS on March 30, 1943). And from Cabin B-13, we'll hear "The Bride Vanishes" (originally aired on CBS on December 12, 1948).
- 2 weeks ago2h 28m
BONUS - Five Favorites: Sherlock Holmes Classic Adventures
For this month's bonus episode, we're back on Baker Street for my five favorite radio adaptations of Sherlock Holmes adventures penned by Arthur Conan Doyle. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce star in "The Speckled Band" (originally aired on Mutual on November 12, 1945), and Bruce and Tom Conway star in "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" (originally aired on ABC on February 3, 1947). Then, John Stanley and Alfred Shirley are Holmes and Watson in "The Red Headed League" and "The Sussex Vampire" (originally aired on October 12 and December 14, 1947). Finally, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson take center stage in a British radio production of "A Scandal in Bohemia."
- 3 weeks ago2h 8m
Episode 669 - All the Write Moves: Dorothy L. Sayers (Suspense)
Our spotlight mystery writer of the week is Dorothy L. Sayers, the English writer, poet, and essayist whose work evolved and advanced the detective genre with characterization and humor. She's best known for the adventures of aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, and we'll hear one of his exploits adapted for Suspense - "The Cave of Ali Baba" (originally aired on CBS on August 19, 1942). We'll also hear three more of Ms. Sayers' stories adapted for "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" - "The Fountain Plays" (originally aired on CBS on August 10, 1943); "Suspicion" (originally aired on CBS on February 10, 1944); and "The Man Who Knew How" (originally aired on CBS on August 10, 1944).
- May 17, 20262h 29m
Episode 668 - All the Write Moves: Agatha Christie (Campbell Playhouse, Murder Clinic, & Suspense)
Our month-long salute to mystery writing legends continues with the queen of crime herself - Agatha Christie. She wrote over sixty novels, dozens of short stories, and created two of the genre's most beloved sleuths - Hercule Poirot, the fastidious and brilliant Belgian detective, and Miss Marple, the kindly amateur investigator. We'll hear four of Dame Agatha's tales recreated for radio: "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" with Orson Welles as Poirot from The Campbell Playhouse (originally aired on CBS on November 12, 1939); "The Tragedy of Marsdon Manner" from Murder Clinic (originally aired on Mutual on October 6, 1942); and "The ABC Murders" and "Where There's a Will" from Suspense (originally aired on CBS on May 18, 1943 and February 24, 1949).
- May 10, 20263h 6m
Episode 667 - All the Write Moves: Dashiell Hammett (Lux Radio Theatre, Suspense, Fat Man, Academy Award, & Sam Spade)
Our month of classic mystery writers continues with Dashiell Hammett - the former Pinkerton operative whose celebrated characters include Sam Spade, the Continental Op, and Nick and Nora Charles. Radio shows based on his sleuths were some of the most popular on radio until Hammett became a casualty of the Red Scare. We'll hear some of his stories recreated for radio: an adaptation of "The Thin Man" from The Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1936; "Two Sharp Knives" - adapted for Suspense (originally aired on CBS on June 7, 1945); "The Maltese Falcon" recreated on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on July 3, 1946); and "The Critical Author Caper" - a loose adaptation of his novel The Dain Curse from The Adventures of Sam Spade (originally aired on CBS on August 15, 1948). Plus, we'll hear an original Hammett radio creation - private eye Brad Runyon - aka The Fat Man in his debut adventure "The Nineteenth Pearl" (originally aired on ABC on January 21, 1946).
About Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)
Presenting the best detectives from the Golden Age of Radio. Each week, we'll bring you an episode starring one of Old Time Radio's greatest detectives and the story behind the show. Join us for adventures of Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Johnny Dollar, and many more.
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