Tag Archives: OTR

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 138 – Crime Classics

Finally, I am back for a new podcast! Expanding the genre a bit to include crime in general, this week, a look at one of the better, but not so well known crime series in the fifties: Crime Classics. The series ran for 52 episodes only, but had the talents of Elliott Lewis (right) as producer/director, David Friedkin and Mort… (more…)

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 137 – Cabin B-13

On June 23rd, 1948, CBS released a press statement entitled “Mysteries Circle the Globe: Cabin B-13 New Series by John Dickson Carr.” The location for the mysteries was built around the sailings of the passenger ship S.S. Maurevania. Each episode would be introduced by a Dr. Fabian, a world traveler and collector of strange and terrible tales of mystery and… (more…)

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 136 – Devil in the Summer House

While in England, one of John Dickson Carr’s earliest plays was one called “Devil in the Summer House” which was originally envisioned as a two-parter, but eventually reduced to a one hour play. When Carr came back to the United States due to the war and his need to register for the draft, he re-wrote his one hour play into… (more…)

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 135 – Women as Detectives

Detective fiction is full of examples of the woman-as-detective theme throughout its history. While the majority of the fictional detectives were men, there are flattering examples in which female sleuths regularly sought out clues and ultimately solved crimes. In radio, on the other hand, female detectives were usually somewhat vacuous or treated with little respect. Radio did have its share… (more…)

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 133 – Night Beat

Night Beat was one of those radio series that came over the networks in the early fifties just as the medium was beginning to toll its death knell for dramatic network drama. Yet the quality of many of the shows from this period were some of the best produced by radio. This journalist as detective serial starring Frank Lovejoy, whose… (more…)

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 125 – Criminal At Large

From the fecund mind of mystery/thriller writer, Edgar Wallace, best known as the first screenwriter of the film King Kong. His better known mystery series include the J.G. Reeder and Green Archer series. Wallace’s stories were so well accepted over 160 films were made from them. This week I’ll look at Wallace and the radio play “Criminal At Large” from… (more…)

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 60 – Mr. Chameleon

A look at the detective serials as “soap drama.” Mr. Chameleon came from the factory of Frank and Ann Hummert who are best known as the creators of many of radio soap operas and now some of the long running television daytime dramas. The series starred Karl Swenson (right) as the detective who could disguise himself to solve a crime.… (more…)

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 59 – I Deal In Crime

Though he was much better in Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator, gravely-voiced William Gargan starred several more times on radio. This week a look at one of his lesser roles in which he seemed to sometimes sleep his way through. This crime detective series starred Gargan as Ross Dolan.

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 58 – Pete Kelly’s Blues

Just as his successful radio series, Dragnet, was making a move to television, Jack Webb starred in another short lived radio vehicle – Pete Kelly’s Blues. I’ll look at why he might have done so when he had so much on his plate at the time. The series had some great New Orlean’s Style Jazz!

Radio Detective Story Hour Episode 57 – San Francisco Final

This week you’ll hear an audition episode of a series that apparently never aired. San Francisco Final was produced by many of the same personnel who brought Dragnet to the television. Though San Francisco Final is a very well written episode, it has many of the same elements of Dragnet in style and feel. The series starred Jeff Chandler who… (more…)