Adventures of Frank Race was purely a radio series with no connection to other media. It's first star was Tom Collins whose suave (but fake) British sounding accent provided some well crafted narrative to the series. The second star was Paul Dubov who was more hardboiled.

This week, a look at the international detective whose primary business was following insurance scams.

While one might not think of Big Town as a detective series, it wasn't as much in its first run with Edward G. Robinson. But by 1942, the cast had changed and so had the theme. Managing Editor Steve Wilson of the Illustrated Press (portrayed by this time by Edward Pawley [right]) spent more time on the street investigating crime than he did running a newspaper.

Music underneath is "Seven Eleven" by Chillerstadt available on the Podshow Music Network.

A delightful but intentionally short-lived series starring Rex Harrison. This series was written by Ed Adamson, who I will talk about a bit and whose talent makes this the wonderful little series it was.

A look at Mickey Spillane and his explosive private investigator - Mike Hammer. Hammer was a true pulp hero who was seen and heard in various media including film, radio, television and comic strips. Mickey Spillane was never respected by his peers, but laughed all the way to the bank as his hero was extremely popular with readers.

This week, I am experimenting with a different format as I present William Gargan as investigator Barry Craig. The series from the early fifties was actually quite entertaining. A look at the actor himself as well as the series. Music included this week are from music.podshow.com and include:

Evan Stone performing KCAMS
Robin Stine performing "Shy Boy"
lastfuture performing "detective double bass"