Detective and Mystery – Retro Radio Podcast

A story of a nightclub that was operated by death. Mark gets word that he inherits a nightclub. His wife doesn't share the dream. She expects the Locust Club to be a dump, but she is surprised to find a luxury place. What is going on? It's just a little too good to be true. Some gangster types, led by Lou Barton lay the club and all it's baggage onto Mark. When the new owners discover some odd business practices, and are left holding the bag, it may not be worth keeping. Mobster, Lou Barton is suddenly generous, and offers to buy the club back. Will Mark go along for the deal? Mark isn't quite ready to give up his new business, but when there's a struggle, the roar of gunshots, and Lou Barton falls dead, it looks like Mark will be the prime suspect. As Mark proves his innocense he and Julia uncover the real business that the club is a front for. Is Mark being a little too casual when there are ruthless smugglers and killers after him? Follow the plot twists, and enjoy the drama as the mystery unfolds.

Life on the streets is explained by Richard. His tale of two street kids, and the choices they made really aren't any different from the same thing that still happens on the streets today. Richard enjoys some lighthearted banter on the phone with Hellen before a client enters. Earl Cook is sure his son Tom is being set up on the manslaughter charge that he's being held on. Tom was to meet Jean Cooper, but as he drove by, she either jumped, or was pushed in front of his car. Was it a jealous ex-husband? It's a place to start. The trail of clues seems to lead nowhere, and the ex-husband seems in the clear, until a lie is uncovered. It'll take more than a suspicion to catch a killer though. What will Richard dig up? He might be able to catch more than one killer if he can play his cards right, and avoid the gunplay. Listen in for a suspenseful ride and match wits with Richard Diamond,. Got it figured out? In case you don't Richard tells how it all fits together as he hands the bad guys over to the cops.

An attractive young woman is hauled into the station after she couldn't pay her cab fare. She just doesn't have any cash, and the cabbie doesn't want her out of state check. The flood of phone calls won't stop as captain Cannelli finds himself short staffed. There's more to the girls story. What is she doing in town, and so far from home? She claims to have a missing wallet. Captain Cannelli is nice enough to cash her personal check to help her out. Later in the day we learn more of the typical routine, calls related to fires, robbery, and house break ins. When a forgery spree is brought up, that girl is at the bottom of it, and it shows that even cops can be suckered in. She had been impersonating Elizabeth Erwood, then the real Mrs ERwood shows up to see what can be done. Interupting the flow of her story are more phone calls, and an obligation of the captain to political officials. The forger is her daughter, but why would she write so many checks? Troubling family drama is aired. Mom claims to simply not know why her daughter, who has everything is doing this. She just wants to keep things quiet, and keep scandal from becoming public. It isn't long before Elizabeth the younger is picked up. Will the truth come out? What is that family scandal that mom wants to keep hush hush? Will the disfunctional family manage to work things out? Maybe, but the matter is out of the hands of the cops. Besides, the flood of calls and crimes keep on coming.

A phone call arrives in the office of Mr Keen. It's a man who is in immediate need of help, but before he can finish the call, he drops dead. On the crime scene, Mr Keen finds a young woman lurking. She seems awfully defensive, but did she poison Stewart Blair? Clues send our heros on the trail of Lenore Barklay, a secretary at a law firm. The lurking girl, Miss Holm, is discovered to be Blairs fiancee, might there be some rivalry between Lenore and Miss Holm? Mr Keen believes it's important to know the poison that killed Stewart, but the reports from the lab aren't in yet. Lenore is interviewed, and when she swoons, Mr Keen figures it's poison. Who would want her dead as well? Might Lenore's boss, Mr Carter have anything to do with the crime? He turned down the victim for a job in the past. Mr Keen meets Lenore's mom, more facts emerge, the cops phone Mr Keen with the word on the poison, and he is beginning to figure out who the killer is. It's just a matter of getting the solid evidence he needs. The players are all gathered together, and Mr Keen lays all his cards on the table. The killer doesn't stand a chance when Mr Keen puts the finger on them.

If you want adventure plus a little payoff, listen in and join Dan Holiday as he responds to just that proposition. In following the string of clues, Dan finds himself in a hotel room, and looking down the barrel of a luger at the face of the beautiful dame. Secrets are shared that fill in the story for Dan. An elaborate story of blackmail. Dan and the woman, Mrs Clements, devise their own plan to spring a trap on the blackmailer. What Dan finds is more layers of deception. Why is there a private detective agency involved in the matter? Who is their mysterious client who hired them? Before Dan bows out of this round robin mess, he makes one more visit to Mrs Clements. What might he learn? Will she have to give into the demands of her blackmailer? Dan has it figured out, but the waters are still a bit muddied, and a few loose ends need to be tied. Think you know how this mystery unravels? Listen and see if you have it figured out before Dan does. But don't worry, stick it out to the bitter end, and listen as Dan explains it to Suzy.

A dame who is also a hot blooded Apache is sure to give Philip Marlowe a run for his money. A Dutch accented client named VanNordt turns out to lead to a bigger than life Indian who has a thump on the head waiting for Marlowe. VanNordt is a seller of curios, and artifacts from archaeologists. A bowl with Native American hyroglyphics has been stolen. Posing as a ceramics dealer, Marlowe talks business with Mona Waters. Will the city born, college educated Apache see through his deception? Who is Jimmy Brown Bear, and what does he have to do with the various archaelogical operations in the area? Roles seem reversed as the hard boild detective puts his skills to work to go on the trail to track down an indian on the streets of Los Angeles. Bodies pave the trail as Marlowe chases after the mysterious pottery bowl. Suddenly clues fly and fall into Philip's hands, but has he been running in the wrong direction? Guns come out, and Marlowe has to talk fast to save his life, and expose the secret of the bowl.

The show was sponsored by Anacin, but Bing Crosby opens with a plug for his sponsor, Chesterfield. Note: as a reminder, commercials are left in for entertainment purposes only. The Retro Radio Podcast does not endorse, or support the habit of smokeing. It's bad for you, don't do it. After the usual opening scene of murder, Mike Clancey and Mr Keen have a visitor, Mrs Crane, she has a story to tell about her employer that was gunned down. The weepy housekeeper tells how she discovered the body in the well, and shot through the heart. She is afraid to go to the cops because they'll think she did it. Mrs Crane was going to be discharged after ten years of service, and removed from her inheritance of $20K in his will. There's also the matter of a missing nephew who stands to inherit the estate. It's no match for Mr Keen to locate the nephew, and a ddiferent story emerges about the housekeeper and her daughter. The old man wanted to marry her daughter, Mrs Crane didn't like the idea. The daughter comes on the scene and casts light on friction between dear uncle henry and his nephew, Paul. Who can be believed? As if there isn't already enough shady characters crawling through this mystery, a rival land owner makes an appearance. The landowner, Jasper, owns the farm where the wel is located. Is his threat of revenge for an earlier offense strong enough to put the blame of the murder on him? Skeletons keep marching from closets as the dirt is slung deep. Is Jerry Springer hiding in here somewhere? Mr Keen has the clues he needs, and he sets the stage to get the conclusive proof he needs to put the finger on the killer. In true mystery detective fashion, he exposes the killer and how all the clues fit together.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A woman who hates boats sets Philip Marlowe into motion on his next mystery. A man in a dark room hires Marlowe to check up on his wife, Ona Estabrook. It's not worries about divorce, but Mr Estabrook suspects his wife is in danger. Marlowe doesn't beat around the bush, but when he confronts the former dancer in a Mexican bar, he ends up face to face with a thug with a knife. Why does he want to know Marlowe's business with the woman>? When Philip wakes up, he's in the hands of a friendly tourist named, Roman. A body turns up, but who is the mysterious killer? The chase is on to see who has a hold over Ona, and cause to overcome her fear of being on boats to meet with them. Has he found Dolph Bently? Who is the latest man waving a gun in Marlowe's direction? Is Roman more than just a tourist who keeps bailing Marlowe out of trouble? The answers aren't apparent to Marlowe, but in epilog he tells how the tangled mess all shook out.

If life sends you a huricaine, and you're all out of storm sellers, you have a job for George Valentine. Bonnie is that gal, and she takes her troubles to George and Brooksie. Bonnie is part owner in a place called Laura's House but there could be personality conflicts when it comes to selling it. Not to mention it's haunted. Francine is the other partner, and Laura is the third partner who died and now haunts the house. Can the house actually be haunted? There is a report of more deaths in the place. Coincidence? Accidents? George isn't buying any of it, and seeks out medical and scientific causes for the legends, and the fragile emotions that are ruling the day. Spooky stuff, and things going bump in the night even has Brooksie on edge. Danger waits, and the body count may rise before this mystery is over. Listen in to see how George figures it all out.

In the airportMarlowe joins the cops to stop his man before his plane takes off. In flashback, Philip recounts how he was hired by an old man who lay dieing in a hospital. His son, Jack Schiller had been blinded by the promise of fast money the gangsters offered. It's up to Marlowe to find him, and reunite the son to the father. Chasing down the slim leads at hand, Marlowe finds a thump on the head as he begins to get too close for comfort. Moving through a high class of nightclubs, bars, fancy buildings, and glittery, sparkly women, Marlowe spots Jack. The dame he's with though, is the known girlfriend of notorious gangster, Martini. How can the club manager, Holland, help Philip? The propositions get dangerous as they have Marlowe playing on both sides of the fence. The stakes are driven up when George Martini is found dead in his penthouse apartment. Can Marlowe get the killer, and deliver him up to the cops on a silver platter? Has Jack just been the fall guy? The truth explodes, the chase is on, and we find ourselves where we came in, at the airport. Will Jack see his proud father again? Will Philip keep his promise to deliver the bad guy? Somethings in life don't always work out the way we expect, but in radio dramas, justice manages to find its way.