Retro Radio Podcast

Though Richard beefs about the high price of groceries, its the hot weather that plays a part in the world of crime. Mr Gibson is an old man who is tired of his blackmailers, and when he confronts them a fight ensues. Black mail is the least of their problems when old man Gibson ends up dead after the struggle. Elsewhere, Hellen Asher phones her favorite detective boyfriend to arrange for a date. Word of the corpse comes across the desk of Richard Diamond, and he kjoins the cops on the scene. The main witness, a confused school teacher provides the comic relief as clues send Richard on the trail of the killers. Mr Gibson is identified, and we learn some of his past from his family, at the same time they learn of his murder. Connections to a tawdry affair are easily made. There's not much mystery to the show, just a matter of how Richard juggles the comic relief, and putting facts together to arrive at the end that we all know he'll find. Relaxing with Hellen, he has to sing for his supper.

Get a feel for the busy streets of New York, as described by the picturesque speech of Richard Diamond. Despite his lighthearted banter, he's quick to let us know that his life is a lonely existance, and that trouble is his business. The hard boiled detective shows a little of his softer side when his girlfriend Hellen phones. She won't be jealous when a cute dame walks in looking for protection, will she? Who might be after Miss Knight? 'Why can't the cops fill the bill on protecting her? Will Richard's fee of $100 per day scare her away, or will he feel pity on her? When gangsters come around pushing, and warning him to stay away from Lynn Knight, he takes the case out of spite. After a close call of nearly being kidnapped with bullets whizzing through the air, Richard takes Lynn to his police detective friend, Walt. Lynn is under wraps, and Richard hits the trail to see what he can find at her place of work. Richard has good luck with a roll of film, but the cops report that Lynn has been abducted. Luck is a finicky thing, and does a few flip flops for Richard. His trail leads to a nightclub, and a pawn shop. Will he find the evidence he needs on that roll of film? Will he live long enough to tell anybody about it? With a trap set, and bad guys caught, Richard connects the dots for Walt. All that's left is a few relaxing moments with Hellen as Richard croons, and tries to ease her jealousy over his damsel in distress.

Playlist * Wodie Herman - Woodchopper's Ball * Dinah Shore - I Got Those Mad About Him Blues * Andrews Sisters - In Apple Blossom Time * Benny Goodman - Sing Sing Sing Tomm * y Dorcey - I'll Never Smile Again. (Pied Pipers, 1939( * Bing Crosby - Thanks * Glenn Miller - Chatanooga Choo Choo. 1940 * Benny Goodman - Sing Sing Sing, Part 2

Philip is approached in his office by a wealthy client who has been having trouble with his son, and an undesireable woman. The previous detective who was hired has turned up missing. Philip's first job is finding the detective, and he does. The guy is alone in his office with a few bullet holes in him. With the serious tone set for the case, Philip bribes his way through to see the woman in question. Taking a different direction than his clients wishes, he offers to buy the woman off from the marriage into the family. Grover, the son, manages to jump Philip, who wakes from his bump on the head only to encounter another goon who is clearly a hitman. The thug sends a message to lay off of Grover. The client, Mr Jeter, gets a report of the happenings thus far. Outside Jeter's mansion, there's another showdown with the hitman, and a body is left in the drive. As Philip plods along in his investigation, he turns up a gambling debt, blackmail, and a dead Grover. In Jeter's house, Philip has all the facts he needs as he lays them all out to confront the real killer. In the heat of the emotion packed moments, all the truths emerge as the case wraps up.

Howard and Andrea are a married couple with problems. She insists on leaving him, but Howard has become a successful businessman on her wealth and refuses to let her have the divorce. Though he lets her have her way for now, he asks for a weekbefore she walks out. He spends the week looking into modern crime scene investigation, then calls on old friends from his days on the streets as a con man. A modification to an Army .,45 caliber pistol seals his plans for his perfect crime. Just when it looks as if he might actually get away with it, his gunsmith friend puts him on the spot to blackmail him. Will Howard go for it? Will one murder lead to another? If Howard uses the same modified pistol on his blackmailer, will he be believed in a self defense case? The Whistler always has the last word for a twist ending on the side for justice.

Uniformed police officers are dispatched to respond, as captain Canelli offers the narration of the logistical operations pertaining to the surprise visit of the chief inspector. The captain talks with another officer about family matters, and Maine lobsters. Hey, cops are people too. A man comes in to talk with Captain Canelli about his apartment that burned down, and his missing wife and kid. He's a sailor who had been out at sea, and just learned of the people who were killed in the fire. Was any of them his family? After checking the reports, the good news is they weren't among the dead. The question remains, what happened to them? The sailor tells about his wife's family, and the options of where she might have gone are eliminated. There had been two unidentified bodies in the fire, burned too badly to be recognized, but not matching a general description of the missing woman. Captain Canelli works with the Missing Persons bureau to learn what they can. There's a break in the search when a woman reports her car missing. Captain Canelli is back on the phone to check with more departments, but is this all just a waste of time? The missing woman was seen the day before the fire, but at the day of the fire and later she is just nowhere to be found. Dental records are pending, but the sailor becomes impatient, doesn't want to wait until later in the week for the records, and demands to see the burned bodies, in an attempt to identify them. Though reluctant to take the sailor to the grusome sight, Canelli finally takes him to the morgue. In somber mood, they return to the police station. Though still unconfirmed, Joe the sailor is certain the bodies are his family and he calls St Louis to report the bad news to his wife's family. The sailor's emotions explode when he is greeted by his wife's voice, and there's good news about the baby. Joe has his problem solved, but who were those bodies in the morgue? That remains a problem for the cops. The work is never finished when another call comes into the front desk.

In an upscale suburb a knock comes to the door. A woman shouts that she hates the lady inside and shoots her down. Later Mrs Taylor, the shooter, goes to tell Mr Keen what she has done, but can't explain why she did it. Before that day Mrs Tayloyr has never seen the dead woman, Mrs Ellis, in her life. Mr Taylor is phoned by Mr Keen and only given the scant details then asked to meet at the home of Mrs Ellis. At the scene of the crime, the cops are already there, and aren't so trusting of the shooter as Mr Keen is. Betty Hooper, the victim's niece is on hand and is distraught over the killing. Can Mr Keen prove that the woman with the smoking gun is actually innocent? Mr Keen turns up a good motive for the niece to commit murder. A strange face in the window turns out to be Vern Philips, a man with a gun with two bullets missing, the same as was shot. The list of odd characters piles up. Before questioning can go on, Mr Taylor enters and the plot takes new depth and twists. Taylor claims he heard Philips arguing with the dead woman, Betty claims that Philips is a scary man who her aunt was afraid of. Is that enough to suspect the man of murder? mr Keen thinks so, and has him turned over to the cops. It'll still take more than just circumstantial evidence and suppositions. It gets worse when, in the jail, Mrs Taylor keeps up her routine of a memory lapse. In deadpan voice she tells how she killed the woman out of jealousy. Is her confession just to protect someone? Mr Keen has seen through the smoke and mirrors, and goes to confront the killer. Mr Taylor tries his hand at mind control on Mr Keen. Uh-oh, is the mighty investigator falling into the killers trap? Stay tuned, and listen in to find out how Mr Keen breaks free and turns over the proof he needs to the cops.

Don Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Dorothy Kirsten, Tim Alexander. Playlist * It All Depends on You (Frank). * Suppose I Never Met You (Dorothy). * You're Breaking My Heart (Frank). * The Old Master Painter (Frank). * Don't Ever Leave Me (Dorothy). * When You Are Really Mine (Frank).

Announcer is Don Wilson. Hosted by Nelson Eddy, he opens by singing, Come to My Heart. Who thought of the idea of an all male show? Despite the concept, comedienne, Vera Vague is on hand to hunt for a man of her own. Perry Como sings, If I love You. Not usually the type to turn the heads of men, Vera revels in the attention as the sole female on the show. Will she find herself off limits with the MP's? Perry sings, Goona Love that Gal Like She's Never Been Loved Before. Latin pianist, Carmen Camalero is next to face the feminine wiles of Vera Vague. He then plays a medley of current hit tunes. Bob Benchley shares a discussion on the topic of women, and what to do with them in the post war period. Learn what makes a woman good, fair, or the sorry. Can a fair woman be made good? What categories make up the sorry group of women? After more input from Vera Vague, Nelson sings in responce to mail bag requests, Beyond the Blue Horizon.

A psycho-analyst comes to Sam Spade's office with a load of troubles about a blackmailer. Not particularly interested in the doctor's trouble, it takes a nice price to sway him. Look out, once Sam takes the job, it doesn't take long for the bodies to pile up. At the scene of the murder, the cast of suspects begin to make their way before Sam. The weeping widow, a partner who only wants the patient records and take over the business. Is this a suicide, as the police claim? The doctor was involved with an actress on the stage. What about her, or her manager? Meet the shady blackmailer, Nicholaitus. Is there a motive for him to kill his mark? Get ready for some gun blasting moments as Sam Spade wisecracks his way through the loose ends. Have you got the mystery figured out? Who's motive for murder was the real one? Who was the one person that could be at the right place at the right time? PS: I love Howard Duff as he portrays the hard boiled, wise cracking detective. Though I love the work of Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perine, or any role she's in, I really hate the character in the show. OK, I hate the way the writers wrote the character, and changed her from a smart gal who knew what she wanted, and knew how to pave the way to get it. In the books, Effie could be vulnerable, but she was strong and multi-faceted. In the radio show, she does little more than read a few lines at the beginning and end, and is such a dumb and clueless person. Of course, the 30 minute format of each mystery makes it hard to cram her part into the mix. It's also one big reason I'm less keen on mysteries. It can take much longer than 30 or even a 60 minute show to develop characters, and clues. More red herrings can enter the story, and make things less cut and dried. Or more character development can make it more clear why a person acts the way they do. In the short format, you get 2 dimensional people, with stereotypical personalities. Don't get me wrong. I still enjoy a mystery. Especially when they're well written and acted. Despite my criticism of Sam Spade, and Dashel Hammet was only involved in name only, the shows are action packed, with clear cut morals, and justice intact. Good guys win, bad guys lose.

When the West was young, adventure and danger awaited at the end of every trail. Justice is always done when the Lone Ranger rides. A gang of bandits plans to rob the stage coach line, disguised as the masked rider they had recently seen with his indian companion. They plan on having the Lone Ranger take the fall for their misdeeds. Not to be outdone, The Lone Ranger fits the clues together to learn who is really behind the string of robberies, and how they have been so successful at robbing only the coaches that carried gold, and leaving the others alone. Sounds like an inside job to me. The stage coach company has sent their own detective, and if Jake the stage manager, rancher, and newspaper editor was doing it nobody has figured it out yet. With the sheriff and posse on the heels of the Lone Ranger, he has his work cut out for him to investigate, and keep his freedom. Our hero and Tonto are just nosy, and sneaky enough to be in the right places at the right time. The secret is out, and a trap is set. Can you figure out this mystery? Who is doing it? How? And what is the trap that has been set? When Jake disappears the Sheriff is even more certain the masked man must be stopped. He fears the worst, but when the Lone Ranger rides off across the prairie... . Well, just ride along on this mysterious adventure and be enlightened.

Randolph and Judy shop for a birthday gift for their dad. Randolph is thinking of sporting goods, but Judy is distracted by jewelry and Lingerie. They end up finding an expensive gift that is beyond their budget, so it gets charged to dad's own charge account. Mom isn't happy and demands an account of their shopping spree. Feeling regret, Judy plans to give the gift that money can't buy. She plans a full day of spending time with dear old dad. Of course, to make the day of fun stuff happen, the kids need to have dad take time off from work. There's only one thing to do, Judy goes to the important businessman to beg him for the day off for dad. Since dad's day is shot, he gets to spend his day relaxing... at the amusement park? To sweeten the deal, Judy invites the old businessman so dad has someone to keep him company. Dad can only see disaster for his future, but the fun is only starting as the two middle aged men invade the wierd world of the 1940's teen ager. I think that dad might be popping whole rolls of the shows sponsor's product, Tums. The crazy day has some unexpected outcomes, and the old fuddy duddies rediscover the spark of youth. Note: Dad is played by John Brown, a fixture of countless radio shows including Fred Allen, Damon Runyon Theatre, the Mel Blanc Show, My Friend Irma, and so many more. Judy is played by Louise Erikson, Though an actual teen ager for most of the run of this show, she played teenagers all through the years to come, even as late as the cartoons of the 1960's. Her role as a teenager named Judy was reprised as Judy Jetson.

In today’s story, Broadway tells about his friend Alfie down in Miami who has some woman troubles with his gal, Beulah. Alfie is also having some financial trouble as he tries to groom racehorses for the Kentucky Derby. Though Broadway’s friend, Alfie seems to be down on his luck, he is sure that things will come up mud for him, and his horse will someday be the winner. Things get worse before they get better. Beulah is being won away from Alfie by another man who has a job, and can support her. Can it get worse? Alphie is strongly encouraged to leave town. The cops approach Alfie, and impress on him the eneed to leave town. What’s the use? It’s another tough break, but Alfie is determined to take his horse, Last Hope, to the Kentucky Derby and be the big winner. Without a nickel to his name, Alfie just rides his horse out of town, and is last seen heading straight for Kentucky. Broadway and Alfie ride their horses through Georgia, the home state of Alfies true love. The two gents stop in for a rest, and to visit the Simpson estate. Beullah tells about her breakup with Alfie’s rival. Might things be looking up for him? With the exersize of the long walk, and some working out on the Georgia plantation, the racehorse is shaping up fairly well. When rain clouds darken the sky, it looks like things are getting brighter for Alfie and he gets another big break for his horse. Things take a wrong turn for Alfie’s horse, but he manages to win the gal anyway. Broadway goes back to New York, but wait. The story isn’t over, and Broadway will tell you about it in the final act of the story when he again meets up with Alfie. If you also want to know what happens with good old Alphie, just listen in for all the dramatic details. If all this sounds familiar, it might because you listened to a Retro Original that featherued this episode. Note: Dates are approximate, while episode order should be correct. . The 52 syndicated, independant episodes ran on CBS, NBC and ABC bbetween 1948 to 1950.

First. A moment of radio music before the program is joined, already in progress. Red Skelton jokes about baseball. Red Foley sings, Mexicali Rose. On a deserted highway, Red and his secretary, Miss Stillwell, run a hotdog stand. How's business? Miss Stillwell isn't impressed, since the only customers seem to be stray cows and horses. His overweight pal, Phil Davis, stops by, as does thee mild mannered Hercules. Can Red get his money back from the guy who sold him this measly hotdog stand? Snappy jokes, and comebacks abound. Phil Davis plays, The Cotton Pickers Congregation. Red Foley sings, Throw Another Log on the Fire. Revisiting more of Red's historic ancestors, we find Leif Erikson Skelton sailing his proud ViKing galleon across the sea. Mutiny is brewing if Red can't Gert the ship out of the stormy waves. They wouldn't dare! When land is found, the horrible looking savage warns them away in the voice of Hercules. Phil Davis plays a jazzy tune to bounce the show to an end. Note: Musical duties with the band seem to switch between Phil Davis, and arranger, Bob Strong.

It was a fair and fast trip out of Japan, and now the ketch Scarlet Queen is setting sail for the coasts of China. First, an unexpected port has to be made to make repairs, and for some much needed relaxation. On shore an English speaking voice beckonsPhilip Carney to enter and enjoy the Chimoipo Bar. Lily is an older lady, and well described by the picturesque Carney. She picks his brain for any news, or thing that he may have brought from America. She introduces her lovely daughter, Alice, who is again described in much detail by the ship captain. Alice tells Phil that the mother daughter thing is just a scam, and the old lady is more desperate than she lets on. What is it that she wants from Carney? It has to do with a shipment of genseng to be shipped out, and hires Carney to take it on, though he is reluctant at first. Back in the harbor, the young gal races to the Scarlet Queen with news that Lily has been gunned down. Alice wants protection, and to board the ship to keep from being killed as well. Carney goes to inspect the aftermath of the shooting. As brutal as it is, there's nothing more to do but head back to the ship, and cast off. Then a swimmer is seen approaching the Scarlet Queen. The suspected sabateur is shot and the ketch sails. The lovely Alice is shocked to learn about the native that was shot in the water. Phil tells about a junk that is following them, but isn't too concerned. After sailing a while, Philip has an emergency when the Scarlet Queen looses her rudder, and comes to a screeching halt. Maybe the sabateur had time to do his dirty work afterall. Phil begins to put the pieces of the mystery together, and figures Alice has something to do with the sabotage. Is she telling him the truth? I doubt it. The crippled ship is now vulnerable for the junk to catch up to. Gallagher is chomping at the bit for a fight, and one breaks out as the two ships try to outmaneuver each other. When the fight is over, complete with an occasional gunshot, Phil has Alice pinned. She is really the one behind the whole plot, and the truth behind the murder of Lily is soon to come out. With the Scarlet Queen under sail, Carney has to decide what to do. Turn the girl in, or let her go? Keep the genseng, or take it back? Decisions, decisions.