Old Time Radio Crime & Detectives

Richard Diamond, Private Detective was an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953. Dick Powell starred as Richard Diamond in the radio series as a wisecracking former police officer turned private detective. Episodes often had Diamond taking on a case at the behest of his friend and former partner, Lt. Walter Levinson. The plot remained relatively unchanged throughout the series, with the hard-boiled Diamond enduring physical confrontations while tackling a challenging murder investigation, aided by the police department. Notably, despite the numerous gun battles, Diamond was never injured by gunfire. Most episodes end with Diamond at the piano, singing a popular song to his girlfriend, Helen Asher. This radio program was later adapted successfully to television. 

Hope you enjoy the episode of Richard Diamond! Find all our OTR radio stations and podcasts at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | iHeart | Amazon | Spotify

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was a radio series featuring Raymond Chandler as Philip Marlowe. He was a gritty, no nonsense American, hard-boiled detective; however, he was more complex than other hard-boiled detectives of the era. "Hard-boiled" refers to a gritter urban element to the detective genre. Marlowe could handle a gun and take a beating, but he was also college educated. He played chess and appreciated classical music. He had standards too, and he turned down jobs that didn't measure up to those standards.

Hope you enjoy this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe! Find more classic radio series at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group. - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon

Box 13 is a syndicated radio drama about the escapades of newspaperman-turned-mystery novelist Dan Holiday, played by film star Alan Ladd. It ran during 1948 and 1949. The episodes involved Holiday running classified ads to get new ideas for his fiction. "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything – write Box 13, Star-Times". The episodes followed Holiday's adventures when he responded to the letters sent to him.

Hope you enjoy this episode of Box 13! Find more classic radio series at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group. - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a radio drama which aired between 1949 and 1962. "The man with the action-packed expense account, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar". Of the eight different actors who played Johnny Dollar, Bob Bailey is likely considered the most popular. Bailey's interpretation presented a tough, streetwise character, but also sensitive and thoughtful. During it's time, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar attracted some of the best writers in Hollywood, including Jack Johnstone, E. Jack Neuman, Robert Ryf, and Les Crutchfield.

Hope you enjoy this episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar! Find all our OTR radio stations and podcasts at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group. - Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon

Rocky Jordan was a radio series about an American restaurateur in Cairo who each week became involved in some kind of mystery or adventure. The show was broadcast between 1948 and 1951. The two lead roles were Rocky Jordan and Captain Sam Sabaaya of the Cairo Police. For most of the show's history Jordan was played by veteran radio actor Jack Moyles, but he was later replaced by a movie star, George Raft, for the brief period in 1951. Jay Novello played Sabaaya throughout the entire series.

Hope you enjoy this episode of Rocky Jordan! Find more classic radio series at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group. - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon