Old Time Radio Mysteries

Stand By for Crime - The Marijuana Mystery

Chuck Morgan receives a phone call from the town of Calexico, California, just north of the Mexican boarder.  It is his secretary Carol saying that she was caught with marijuana in her suitcase while crossing the border back into California.  She is now in the Calexico jail and wants Chuck to come get her out.  

The Line-Up - The Paradise Murder Case

The husband of a married couple is murdered and Lt. Ben Guthrie suspects that the perpetrator is another man who has been seeing the dead man's wife.  However, the other man claimed to be robbed at the time of the murder, and even chose the alleged perpetrator out of a line-up at the police station.

Broadway is my Beat - The Lt. Jimmy Hunt Murder Case

Detective Danny Clover receives a call to go to to St Anthony's Hospital. Sister Angela was waiting to see him.  It appears that her patient, Army Lieutenant Jimmy Hunt had committed suicide with a steak knife from his dinner plate. However, upon closer inspection, Danny confirms that he was murdered.

Crime and Peter Chambers - Angela Wentworth's Uncle

Peter meets Angela Wentworth in front of a department store, and she asks him to accompany her to her Uncle's home.  Believing that Peter is responding to a newspaper ad, she asks him for the lost earring.  Of course, Peter knows nothing about it, he just wanted to follow her. They soon discover that her Uncle is dead, "allegedly" by suicide. Peter then uses his skills as an investigator to find the truth.

A Life in Your Hands - The Gangster Dan Wilmore Murder

Dan Wilmore is a small time racketeer with fifty thousand dollars in cash hidden in his hotel room.  To evade justice, he and his gang are impatiently waiting at a resort on a small Florida island for a flight to South America. Before the plane arrives, Dan is killed and the money turns up missing. 

The Amazing Mr. Malone - The Paul Conrad Case

John J. Malone, attorney at law, investigates the suspicious circumstances of the death of Paul Conrad, a wealthy industrialist.  Conrad had previously hired a private investigator to find the truth about his wife's infidelity.  Soon after the investigator made his report, Conrad is killed.  Malone must sift through the evidence to uncover the truth before it is too late.

Top Secret - The Case of the Tattooed Pigeon

The battleship "Royal Oak" has been sunk at Scappa Flow because of a suspected security leak.  The Baroness investigates the source of that leak going from London directly to Germany. 

Crime Does Not Pay - Death on the Doorstep

An out-of-town hit-man is called by a local racketeer to do a job on a witness about to testify in a trial. The hit man does his job with a smile on his face and a silencer on his rifle.

Words at War - They Call It Pacific

Clark Lee, a distinguished war correspondent, describes the difficulties and tribulations faced by the inhabitants of, and the U.S. service personnel stationed on, the Philippine Islands at the beginning of World War II.

Counterspy - Case of the Society Swindler

David Harding is called to investigate a charity event being planned for "The World Refugee Fund".  This event would be exclusively for members of New York society.  The problem is that it is a false charity and none of the proceeds are actually going to any refugees, only to the founder, Alfred Batson, and his organization.

Candy Matson - Valley of the Moon

Candy makes plans to visit a dude ranch resort for some rest and relaxation.  After her movie date with Ray Mallard, she learns that a crime has been committed at that same dude ranch.

Dragnet - The Big Man pt.1

Detective Joe Friday works undercover in the Narcotics Bureau to infiltrate a drug trafficking operation. Over several months, Friday gains the trust of a local gang, with the ultimate goal of reaching high-level drug dealers Ralph Costello and Arthur Belmont. Through careful manipulation, Friday successfully infiltrates the gang, makes small drug purchases, and eventually arranges a meeting with Tony Morse, who leads to Costello.

Dragnet - The Big Man pt.2

Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero work to apprehend Arthur Belmont, a major narcotics dealer. The investigation involves extensive surveillance operations, including officers posing as surveyors, nurses, and gardeners.  Eventually, through information from an informant, the police set up a sting operation with $1,100 in marked bills.

Carter Brown Mysteries - Crime for a King

Private detective Roger King finds himself embroiled in a series of bewildering events. First, he is hired by a Mr. Foley to keep a close tabs on a woman named Elise St. Crese. When he is unable to, Elise hires him to keep tabs on Foley.  He soon finds himself shanghaied on a ship heading toward the Caribbean.

Murder by Experts - Three's a Crowd

A young piano player is hired to entertain guests at an establishment owned by an insanely jealous man with a young, beautiful wife that he does not trust.  Despite the warnings from the husband and other employees to keep his distance from her, the piano player becomes involved with owner's wife, unfortunately.

Bold Venture - Deadly Merchandise

Salty seadog Slate Shannon (Bogart) owns a Cuban hotel, Shannon's Place, sheltering an assortment of treasure hunters, revolutionaries and other shady characters. Along with his sidekick and ward, the sultry Sailor Duval (Bacall), he encounters modern-day pirates and other tough situations while navigating the waters around Havana.  In this first episode, Slate and Sailor get involved in an arms shipment for a planned revolution.

The Big Story - Pillars of Society

Joe Mantell is currently serving a fifteen year sentence in prison for the robbery and beating of an elderly dry cleaning store owner.  William Miller of the Cleveland Press is asked by Joe Mantell's mother to help prove that her son is innocent of the crimes.

Dangerous Assignment - Smash Lecture Circuit Spy Ring

One of the six professors with International Lecture Tours is a spy. To break up the spy ring, Steve first has to go to Stockholm and find a boy who has disappeared from his border school.

The Adventures of Frank Race - The Adventure of the Reckless Daughter

In a small European country, Steve's search for "MacDonald" is interrupted by a beautiful girl named Stephanie, an arrest, and shots in the night. Leftists are making progress in their attempt to take over the country.  Already it had become a police state. There was only one remedy, the previous prime minister had to return to his post.

Walk Softly, Peter Troy - The Marauding Mademoiselles

Peter Troy stops along the highway to pick up two beautiful hitchhiking twin girls with a French accent.  Unfortunately for Troy, these girls just happened to be part of a robbery and blackmail scheme and he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Adventures of Michael Shayne - The Case of the Model Murder

Michael is hired by a man named Franklin to find his former business partner's daughter.  If she is not found by midnight on the day before her twenty-fifth birthday, she will lose eight million dollars inheritance.

Under Arrest - Max Kemp

Captain Jim Scott's girlfriend, Susan, encounters an old high school sweetheart named Eddie, who is keeping company with some shady, underworld characters.

Pursuit - Pursuit of the Man Who Couldn't Go Home

Inspector Peter Black of Scotland Yard is called to a hotel room where a man is out on a ledge, saying he can not deal with his guilt over a killing he had committed years earlier.

Mr. and Mrs. North - Dead Giveaway

Jerry and Pam North investigate the murder of their friend, Clara Kendall.  The possible suspects include her husband Phillip Kendall, his mistress Vivian, and Clara’s brother Charles, who has spent the last two years in an insane asylum.

Calling All Cars - Oakland Payroll Robbery

A robbery of the Southern Pacific train has taken place in Contra Costa county in California.  The train was carrying the payroll for the Pittsburgh steel mills, as well as passengers and other goods.  Catching these criminals required a combined effort between the Sherriff's Department, the local Police, and Government agencies.

Cloak and Dagger - The Trojan Horse

A Parisian nightclub singer, recruited by the O.S.S., is brought to Casablanca to give her former lover, a German officer, the wrong information about the planned Allied invasion of North Africa.

I Was a Communist for the FBI - Fifteen Minutes to Murder

The many years of being undercover have taken their toll on Matt Cvetic.  He has developed hypertension, and his doctor prescribed rest and a few night's stay in the hospital.  While there, the Communists want him to keep an eye on an FBI informant and report to them regularly.

Philo Vance - The High Hat Murder Case

A plain looking woman walks into Philo Vance's office and makes a strange request.  She inherited quite a bit of money and now believes that she is going to be murdered. However, if it happens, she does not want Vance to look for her murderer, and offers to pay him not to do so.

Lux Radio Theater - Alias Jimmy Valentine

Jimmy Valentine, an infamous safe cracker, has just been released from prison.  With his past record, he has difficulty finding and keeping steady employment.  He changes his name and moves to a smaller town and finds employment as a bank teller.  

Call the Police - The Case of the Kidnapped Killer

A boxer is murdered the day after his latest fight.  He was paid to lose the fight, which he did, but did not live long enough to spend his payment for doing so.

Boston Blackie - The Condon Ransom

The married daughter of a wealthy family is kidnapped.  The father of the kidnapped woman asks Blackie to deliver the ransom, without the help of the police.

Whitehall 1212 - The Pete Williams Case

Scotland Yard investigates the murder of an unidentified woman whose body is found in the River Lee.  A missing woman seems to fit the profile, but by all indications, she appears to be very much alive. 

Let George Do It - The Man Behind the Frame

The President of the Federal Office Equipment Company, Vick Burnet, invites his young clerk, Lawrence Ferguson, to join him at the industry's trade show. Vick soon calls George Valentine to help the young clerk because he has gotten himself locked up in jail for murder and is too confused to even to defend himself. 

The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Case of the Double Zero

Holmes and Watson are on a trip to the French Riviera when two unlucky roulette players soon wind up dead.  Holmes has to determine whether they committed suicide because of gambling losses, or if murder was involved.

The Chase - Iron Curtain Express

Onboard a train headed to Nuremburg, an anti-communist foreign correspondent has a meeting with Professor Mackinov, a Soviet spokesperson, about his latest propaganda lecture. The Professor soon commits suicide, but his Communist entourage blame the correspondent for his murder. 

Escape - The Match

A man confronts his boss about molesting his wife.  The two struggle and the offender is accidentally killed. Now a fugitive on the run in the frozen forests of Northern Canada, he is pursued by a dedicated Canadian Mountie.

Casey, Crime Photographer - Pick-up

Casey is approached by a woman who has inside information on the murder of a jockey.  She is willing to sell her story to the newspaper for ten thousand dollars, but is soon killed by someone who does not want the details of the story revealed.  

The FBI in Peace and War - The Fourflusher

Benny the car thief and Phil the con man head to Jackson City to pull a confidence scheme on a wealthy business owner that Phil had met at an earlier business convention.

The Black Museum - The Faded Tartan Scarf

The faded tartan scarf was in the property room of Dartmoor Prison for ten years before it was used to commit murder.  It belonged to a career criminal nicknamed "The Pike".  After his release from prison, the scarf was returned to him and used in a subsequent crime.

The Saint - Murder of a Champion

Simon Templar (The Saint) receives a call from his friend Joe Collins, a boxer.  He asks Simon to meet him at the gym the day before the big fight.  Joe desperately needs to talk to him but when Simon arrives Joe changes his mind and sends Simon away. Meanwhile, a baby is left at Simon’s door!

Pat Novak, For Hire - Father Leahy

A priest hires Pat Novak to intercept an escapee from prison and bring him to a meeting.  The padre believes he can persuade the escapee to return to prison and finish his sentence.

Mr. Chameleon - The Case of Death and the Dependent Husband

The disabled husband of a famous fashion designer has been poisoned.  Using one of his many disguises, Mr. Chameleon changes his appearance to help determine who is guilty of the crime of murder.

Inspector Thorne - The Golden Girl Murder Case

Inspector Thorne investigates the murder of a famous actress soon after she is married.  One of four possible suspects are guilty - the new husband, his jealous ex-girlfriend, the down-on-his-luck boarder, or the maid who stood to inherit her fortune. 

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe - The Restless Day

A case comes to Marlowe from a man who fears that he is the target for murder. Everyone believes that he died aboard a yacht that was rigged to explode at sea.  With his second chance at life, he hires Philip to determine who is responsible.

The Whistler - The Cistern

A million dollars in gold tempts a young man to commit murder in Arizona. He has a 10 percent share in a mining operation with his partner, but there is an inheritance clause in the partnership agreement…

The Man Called X - Swindle to Honolulu

Mr. X (Ken Thurston) investigates a land company in Hawaii that has been swindling veterans by selling land it does not own.  

Richard Diamond, Private Detective - The Betty Moran Case

When the wife of William Moran is found dead alongside a notorious blackmailer, the police rule it a murder-suicide. However, Mr. Moran suspects a deeper conspiracy and hires Richard Diamond to uncover the truth.

The Molle Mystery Theater - Angel Face

A not-so-nice chorus girl, along with her gangster accomplice, try to steal a large sum of embezzled money from a bank teller and get rid of him permanently.  However, their scheme does not work out exactly as they had planned.

Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator - Murder By Threes

A man with the last name of Caesar (first name Julius, of course) hires Barrie Craig for protection because a fortune teller told him that someone was going to kill Cleo, his wife.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater - Under Grave Suspicion

A husband returns early from a business trip to find his wife missing from their seaside cottage home.  He begins to believe that his wife is out with another man.  His suspicions are soon confirmed when she returns to the cottage, not alone.  The situation soon becomes very stormy, inside and outside of the cottage.

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar - The Parley Barron Matter

Johnny Dollar is on his way to Sarasota, Florida to solve another missing person case.  He is called to find a a retired chemist who loves to go fishing every day, but strangely, never seems to catch any.

The Adventures of Rocky Jordan - Twenty Fathoms Under

An old seafaring acquaintance of Rocky’s asks to borrow his boat to salvage a shipwreck. Rocky agrees.  Soon, he finds a newspaper article stating he is financing a recovery expedition, which brings him unwanted attention.

Mr. District Attorney - The Case of Murder a la Carte

Stanley and his wife Hannah are teamed up with Nicky, the matre'd at the nicest restaurant in town, the Regency Club.  Nicky informs Stanley and Hannah when rich couples are at the restaurant so that they can break in to their residence and steal valuable items.

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons - The Case of the Leaping Dog

Mr. Keen and his assistant, Mike Clancy, are walking back to the office when they encounter a Belgian Shepherd dog jumping under a window of an apartment building.  They investigate and find that the dog's owners had to leave in a hurry.

The Lives of Harry Lime - Art Is Long and Lime Is Fleeting

In Paris, Harry buys a cheap painting and tries to pass it off as an original Renoir to two very rich and lovely Brazilian women.

Jeff Regan, Investigator - The Man with the Key

Jeff Regan is hired to protect Ben Bender's safe deposit box key overnight, and meet him at the bank at 10 AM the next morning.  Ben does not appear at the meeting for a very good reason.

This is Your FBI - The Fugitive Killer

An isolated house in which an old lady and her granddaughter are living, is visited by a stranger with a suitcase and a violent secret. 

Gang Busters - The Case of Al Simeone

Al Simeone is a smooth, well-dressed ladies man who also happens to be a sadistic killer.  He is responsible for the robbery of cafes and taverns and the senseless murder of their proprietors. 

The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe - The Phantom Fingers

Wolfe, Archie, and a group of people find themselves stranded during a flood, in an isolated house in upstate New York.  Murders have occurred in this house and Wolfe must determine who among them is a killer.

Box 13 - The Haunted Artist

An artist calls Dan Holiday for help when his latest painting keeps displaying mysterious additions overnight. Features are being added to his painting in a style different from his own.

The Adventures of Sam Spade - The Death Bed Caper

A man is framed for murder by the victim's dying words.  He hires Sam to find the real killer.  Clues are found around San Francisco's seedy docks.

The Epic Casebook - Gates to Death

Inspector Carr investigates the murder of a former inmate on the day of his release from a ten year prison sentence.

R. D. Wingfield - Deadfall

Demolition expert Harry Davis is a retired British Special Agent.  In his service days, he was part of a disastrous plot to assassinate an African leader.  Now, many years later, there is to be another attempt.  Harry is reluctantly drawn into the plot, but all is not as it seems to be.

Suspense - You'll Never See Me Again

After a couple have an argument, the wife disappears. The husband searches for her, only to discover evidence that implicates himself in the murder.

The Man From Homicide - The Eddie Kent Case

The wife of a wanted gangster returns to town, so the police expect the gangster to follow. However, Lieutenant Dana smells a setup.

The Clock - The Good Valet

When Fletcher the valet is notified of being laid off with the rest of the house staff after years of service, he is resentful enough to blackmail his employer Gregory Richards. 

Screen Director's Playhouse - Rogue's Regiment

Major Corbett travels to Asia looking for an escaped Nazi war criminal, Martin Brunner, who has joined the French Foreign Legion.  However, no known pictures of Brunner exist that can help to identify him.

Night Beat - A Case of Butter

A hit and run case involving a refrigerator truck puts Randy on the trail of tons of stolen contaminated butter.  This story begins with a crash on the highway and ends with a whole city fighting for its life.

The Adventures of the Falcon - The Case of the Puzzling Pinup

The Falcon investigates an unethical photographic journalist who was the first to the scene to capture the aftermath of a murder and a suicide on film. 

Rogue's Gallery - The Triangle Murder Case (aka The Alibi Master)

Richard investigates the murder of the managing editor of a local newspaper who allegedly has some information on an unethical attorney nicknamed "The Alibi Master".

Nick Carter, Master Detective - The Unwilling Accomplice

Lieutenant Riley asks Nick Carter to help the police catch a gang of society thieves who had just stolen 75 thousand dollars from a bank vault and murdered the bank president.

Stand By for Crime - The Gladstone Smith Murder

The police ask Chuck Morgan to look into the murder of a respectable civil servant named Gladstone Smith, who was just an ordinary guy that worked in the city hall as an auditor in the tax department. 

Crime and Peter Chambers - La Grand Maison

Peter meets Dr. Burns, a dentist, at a French restaurant, "Le Grande Maison".  He has been seeing a patient romantically, which leads to the murder of her husband.

Broadway is my Beat - The Tori Jones Murder Case

Detective Danny Clover investigates a murder in the garment district.  A beautiful model named Tori Jones is found hanged in her apartment.

The Line-Up - The Anita Cameron Case

A young man is picked out of a police line-up leading Lieutenant Guthrie to reopen the case of the young man convicted of the crime and about to be executed.

A Life in Your Hands - Alderman is Murdered

A City Alderman is in trouble.  He owes 15 thousand dollars to a gangster for a personal loan.  Now, a blackmailer is asking for 5 thousand dollars for some recordings of his nefarious business dealings.  

The Amazing Mr. Malone - Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Tony Milano, a gangster who believes that "cleanliness is next to godliness" has it in for his rival Jack Reed. Tony frames Jack Reed for murder, so Jack is in need on Mr. Malone's talents as a criminal lawyer.

Counterspy - Hot Car Killer

From a penthouse high above New York, a master criminal uses human beings and stolen automobiles like pawns in a chess game of life and death.

Crime Does Not Pay - What's in a Name

A woman with the same name as a famous actress checks into the same hotel as the performer. When a $50,000 necklace is delivered to the hotel, the wrong women gets it and promptly vanishes.

Top Secret - Escape

While working as a private maid for Emmy Goring, wife of the Nazi Air Marshal Hermann Goring, the Baroness helps a RAF pilot to escape Germany.

Dragnet - Max Tyler, Escaped Convict

Two armed bandits have robbed a jewelry store in the city. One suspect escapes, but the other one is apprehended and identified as Friday's friend from his time in the army.

Words at War - Shortcut to Tokyo

A World War II story about the life and death of air pilots and crew members stationed at the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

Candy Matson - The Cable Car Case

Candy Matson is a former fashion model who now earns her living as a private investigator. Today she receives threats to leave the case of the Cable Car Murder alone. The trouble is that she has gotten herself entangled in it already.

Murder by Experts - Conspiracy

When a torrential rain threatens to wash away a city, a journalist discovers that the storm is a nearly perfect opportunity to get away with murder!

The Big Story - Manhunt in Manhattan

Ted Prager of the New York Daily News helps to track down the leader of a gang of criminals responsible for the holdup of a night club and a fourteen-year-old girl's party.

Carter Brown Mysteries - The Widow is Willing

An insurance investigator finds himself marooned on a lonely island with an assortment of characters, one of whom could be a murderer.

Dangerous Assignment - Recover Underwater Demolition Secrets

Steve Mitchell is sent to Trinidad to reclaim some sunken demolition secrets that must not fall into the wrong hands.

The Adventures of Frank Race - The Enoch Arden Adventure

The wife of a missing husband approaches Frank Race for help with a personal problem that concerns her husband's half million dollar life insurance policy.  He has been missing for seven years and can be declared legally deceased.

Under Arrest - Spook of Sherwood Mansion

Captain Jim Scott investigates the murder of a man with extensive plastic surgery in the allegedly "haunted" Sherwood Mansion.

The Adventures of Michael Shayne - The Phantom Gun

A lady hired Michael Shayne to find out if her husband was two-timing her. He was not, but he had gotten himself mixed up with a character named Jasper, a blackmailer.  

Walk Softly, Peter Troy - The Vulnerable Vixen

Peter Troy is called by Scotland Yard, in an unofficial capacity, to look into a protection racket gang run by a female in London.

Cloak and Dagger - The Kachin Story

An O. S. S. operative is shot down in Burmese head-hunting country. With the help of an Irish priest and his native Kachin friends, the American battles the invading Japanese.

Philo Vance - The Backstage Murder Case

After an onstage drama theater has been robbed, the star of the play receives threatening letters and her understudy is murdered. 

Mr. and Mrs. North - The Contagious Confession

Lieutenant Weigand calls the Norths for help with the case of the murder of a wealthy man, where two separate individuals have both confessed to the crime.

Calling All Cars - Moving Picture Murder

A true story about a hold-up and murder in a San Diego movie theater.  Despite their best efforts, the suspect somehow manages to evade the police for five years before he is captured.

I Was a Communist for the FBI - A Study in Oils

The Party tries to swindle a rich couple out of 100 thousand dollars by selling them a fake Rembrandt painting. 

Lux Radio Theater - Kiss of Death

A good crime and punishment story about a double-crossed gangster who decided to become an informant in order to protect his children.

Call the Police - The Porter Case

New Police Commissioner Bill Grant investigates the murder of a blackmailer.  A husband and his wife both confess to the crime.

Boston Blackie - The Brandon Jewel Robbery

Strangely, a restaurant waiter, a taxi driver, and jewelry store owner began calling Blackie by the name "Mr. Peterkin" and will not accept payment for their services.  Blackie soon determines it is part of a scheme to frame him for a robbery and murder.

Whitehall 1212 - The Case of Donald Simms

A brass cartridge case from a Browning automatic and a suspect with a strange nickname are the main clues to the murder of a woman.