Tag Archives: noir

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 177 – John Lund

After doing a re-evaluation of my opinion of John Lund as Johnny Dollar, I have decided my original thinking was flawed. After listening to more of his portrayal as Johnny Dollar in the early fifties, have led me to raise the bar on his performance. Lund’s Dollar, while dark, is much warmer than Edmund O’Brien who preceded him and quite… (more…)

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Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 175 – Molle Mystery Theater

Cornell Woolrich was one of the most dominant authors whose stories appeared on the many mystery series of the forties. In this episode of Leg Man from the Molle Mystery Theater based on the short story of the same name, we find Burgess, a tenacious reporter who is seeking out not only a story, but wants to figure out a… (more…)

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Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 173 – Two Men In a Furnished Room

This week a rare story from the pen of William Irish, aka Cornell Woolrich, that as a radio drama is pure audio noir. The series on which it appeared was the Mollé Mystery Theater in 1946 starring John Beal (right) and Sam Wanamaker. It is an example of what biographer Francis Nevins calls Wollrich’s oscillation thriller. All the elements of… (more…)

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Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 171 – Philip Marlowe

A more indepth look at Raymond Chandler’s iconic private detective, Philip Marlowe. Rising from the pulps of miscellaneous detectives, Chandler hewed his image of his private detective into a Knight Errant, who remained tough, but intelligent. The author’s writings adapted very well to radio as in this radio drama, “The Persian Slippers.” Music under is Night Town from Joni Janak’s… (more…)

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Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 170 – Suspense: Nightmare

This episode presents what I think is one of the best audio noir productions ever produced. Adapted from the Cornell Woolrich (as William Irish) short story – “And So to Death” – it is one of Woolrich’s best – pure noir. The adaptation preserves much of that aurally through the fabulous performances of Eddie Bracken and veteran radio actor William… (more…)

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Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 154 – Love’s Lovely Counterfeit

James M. Cain is considered by many as one of the creators of the roman noir or “dark fiction” along with Cornell Woolrich, Jim Thompson, Dorothy Hughes and others. Some describe his stories as “hardboiled” though I don’t feel they are in the strict sense other than if one considers noir fiction as a sub-genre of the “hardboiled” school. The… (more…)

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Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 146 – “The Fallen Sparrow”

The last adaptation of my look at Dorothy B. Hughes, mystery writer from the forties. This radio adaptation is based on the film “The Fallen Sparrow” starring John Garfield. The adaptation is from the Lux Radio Theater. Not as good as the previous podcast, but it gives another look into the types of characters and situations, this writer created. This… (more…)

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Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 127 – The White Rose Murders

This week, I begin looking at the noirish radio dramas based on the stories of Cornell Woolrich. First off is The White Rose Murders from the radio series Suspense. It is based on a story by Woolrich called The Death Rose and is one of the best examples of a taut noir radio drama. Music under is first: Blind Spot… (more…)

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Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 56 – Molle Mystery Theater: Raymond Chandler

I’m back with an all new podcast about a Raymond Chandler short story called “Spanish Blood.” The story is an integral one in Chandler’s development of his “tarnished knight” – Phillip Marlowe. A look at Raymond Chandler’s idea of the fictional detective and the radio play “Murder in City Hall” from the Molle Mystery Theater. Podcast: Download | Embed

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  • Jim Widner

  • Jim Widner

  • Jim Widner is a former educator and current radio historian, writer and big fan of detective/suspense/mystery fiction.