This week I am beginning a series of podcasts featuring the A-1 Detective team of Jack Packard and Doc Long - Carleton Morse’s intrepid detectives from I Love A Mystery. The series is not a complete one as there are very few complete runs of this adventure thriller series: A twelve part series called “The Pirate Loot of the Island of Skulls� from 1942. I’ll be looking at Morse, the series and this serial adventure over the next few weeks.

The final entry into my look at women radio detectives. This week is an example of the many husband and wife detective teams that appeared on radio. Others included Adventures of the Thin Man, Mr. & Mrs North, It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins and Front Page Farrell. This week’s series used characters from the pen of Frances Crane in which Jean Abbott is a much stronger detective than she was portrayed on radio. Claudia Morgan (right) and Les Damon starred as Jean and Pat Abbott.

Continuing with the second part look at women radio detectives, I look at another radio detective series in which a woman was the lead private investigator. Miss Pinkerton, Incorporated starred Joan Blondell and Dick Powell (right), husband and wife in real life at the time as Mary Vance, head of the Vance Detective Agency and Police investigator Murray. The only surviving episode was the premier. This was a lighter show but clicked as both Blondell and Powell were naturals in front of a radio microphone.

I begin a new series of podcasts focusing on radio’s “Lady Detectives.� First up is Candy Matson, probably the best of the lady detectives on radio. There are extensive sound bytes from my interview with Jack French (right) who authored Private Eyelashes, a book which looks at radio’s female detectives. Candy Matson was a production for the West Coast coming out of San Francisco beginning in 1949.

Music under is Johnny Mercer singing “Candy.�

Part two of a look at the police procedurals of radio drama. While Dragnet was the “daddy� of procedurals, 21st Precinct was probably an example of almost pure procedure. Dragnet had characters listeners could care about. 21st Precinct was much dryer in tone even forsaking opening and closing music and musical bridges to maintain a sense of a documentary style approach. The opening voice was always the desk sergeant mostly portrayed by veteran radio and television actor, Harold Stone (right).

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Beginning a new theme - police procedurals. The detective genre’s most recent sub-genre is the police procedural. Radio followed suit with the introduction of Dragnet in 1949 created by Jack Webb (right) and its influence both on radio detectives as well as the printed word continues to be felt. I’ll provide examples of what makes a story a police procedural. Next week I’ll continue the theme.

A look at my final entry into radio detectives born out of the pulp magazines. The Shadow was in some ways not a detective as much as a crime fighter (there is a difference), but some of the episodes did bear some aspects where Lamont Cranston did do some detective work to help come to the resolution.

Continuing a look at radio detectives who had their beginnings in the pulps, this week a look at Jack “Flash� Casey created by George Harmon Coxe and born from the pages of Black Mask Magazine. Jack Casey came to radio first as “Flashgun� Casey, then Casey, Crime Photographer.

This week begins a short series on radio detectives who come from the pulps. This includes pulps such as the early publications like the one on the right and Black Mask Magazine. I'll start with one of the earliest pulp detectives who appeared on radio, Nick Carter. A look at the history of these pulps, some of the early detectives, and an early Nick Carter, Master Detective episode from 1943.

From John Dickson Carr to Ellery Queen, we now move to the last of our look at the scientific detectives on radio - the master himself, Sherlock Holmes, as written by Anthony Boucher (right) and Denis Green. I’ll do a little comparing to the Edith Meiser version of Holmes too.

Continuing the examination of the detectives using the deductive process, a look at the authors Fred Dannay and Manfred Lee, aka Ellery Queen and their famous detective. We'll follow their connection to last week's author John Dickson Carr and hear an episode that while not from the first year (the hour long series) reflects the hour long series since the originals are lost to time. This is from The Ford Theatre and stars the original Ellery Queen Hugh Marlowe (right).

This week concludes my focus on John Dickson Carr. A look at a radio play based upon his Colonel March detective stories (written under the pseudonym Carter Dickson) without, unfortunately, the Colonel. "Five Canaries in a Room" starring Ona Munson (right) is based upon his Colonel March short story "The Crime in Nobody's Room." This version has been Americanized and was written by Carr himself but without Colonel March. Instead we have an Inspector Braddock.

This week, a look at the detective Dr. Gideon Fell created by mystery writer John Dickson Carr. Carr was an American who spent much of his life in England writing "locked room" mysteries and crime involving his several detectives. Dr. Gideon Fell was one his most popular. We'll also look at the writing of John Dickson Carr and listen to a partial episode of his famous detective on Suspense plus a complete episode with the detective written out, but other characters serving up the detection!

Music under is Oscar Peterson and a "Waltz for Debby".

This week I bring to a close the look at the influence of Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade on radio detectives. You'll hear a rarer heard Adventures of Sam Spade from the first season ABC Radio network run in 1946. This series also starred Howard Duff (right) and is the only existing audio copy known from that season. These were generally superior versions thanks to the writing talent of Bob Tallman and Jo Eisinger and though no copies exist, eight of Hammett's actual works are adapted into stories from Hammett's own publication also called The Adventures of Sam Spade.

Music under is from the

A look at a sort of a six degrees of separation around Dashiell Hammett�s Sam Spade and various radio programs which seemed directly or indirectly influenced by the hardboiled detective. By early 1949, Gil Doud and Bob Tallman left the Adventures of Sam Spade. Doud became the writer for a new radio detective series � Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar starring Charles Russell. Doud created some radio scripts that bore distinct Sam Spade themes in the creation of his new radio detective character. Portions of the characterizations in this podcast radio play were almost a steal from Hammett�s Maltese Falcon.

A continued look at our twisted six degrees of separation as I look at radio detectives connected to Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade. This week a look at Hammett's own short story adapted for radio on Suspense. Stuart Erwin (right) plays a police lieutenant who like Hammett's Continental Op rises above the corruption of police authority to solve the crime. A well written play by the great mystery writer, John Dickson Carr.

Music under is "Grover's Tune" by Excellent Adventure from the Podshow Music Network.

I return from my recent hiatus with a look over the next few weeks at radio detectives that have some connection to Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade. This podcast begins with a look at a story from writer and scripter Jo Eisinger, whose book The Walls Came Tumbling Down was adapted into a radio play for the radio series Suspense. Listen to the podcast to find out what the connection is to Sam Spade! This episode starred a young and upcoming Keenan Wynn (right).

Music under is by Oscar Peterson.

100th podcast of this series! A special double-header focusing on the writing, the darkness and the pulse of two of the better radio series with crime detection themes. Night Beat with its gravel-voiced character played by Frank Lovejoy (right) and its use of darkness through the writing and images and Broadway Is My Beat with its haiku-style narration, dark jazzy undertones and layered sound effects both combine to create a sizzingly summertime and dark feel to the big city “beat.�

This will be my last podcast for a few weeks as I take a break to recharge!

The reporter as investigator! This series was based upon real-life incidents in which a newspaper reporter played an important part in solving a crime. The reporter was presented with the Pall Mall Award at the end of the show. These reporters showed the best side of their investigative skills - something shared by the radio detectives featured in this podcast series. The only regular on the series was the announcer, Ernest Chappell (right).

A detective serial of the modern southwest. What Dragnet was to Los Angeles, this serial is to Texas. Starring Joel McCrea as Ranger Pearson, the series takes place in the thirties and focuses on the CSI style investigations of crimes as Pearson guides his men and himself through the maze of investigation of crime.

Music under is Coyote Moon by Ben Tavera King.

This week a detective story that comes from within the genre of science fiction! Based upon a story by science fiction author Frank M. Robinson, this radio version from Dimension X is very much a hardboiled detective story, but with science-based concepts. Starring George Petrie (right) who could have played a very good Johnny Dollar. A hardboiled detective story but with time travel implications!

Something a bit different in radio detectives. The Adventures of Leonidas Witherall was a WOR Mutual amateur radio detective in 1944. He is the headmaster of a New England school and an expert on William Shakespeare. These episodes were a bit lighter in tone than many of the detectives but probably in keeping with other detectives at this period on radio. Star of the series was distinguished stage actor, Walter Hampden (right).

This week parts 2 & 3 of our look at a somewhat different group of detectives. Adventures by Morse is about Captain Bart Friday and Skip Turner, two detectives who are born more out of the pulp traditions than the hardboiled school. Carlton E. Morse (right) created these series of adventure-mysteries. You'll hear part two & three of three this week.

This week begins a two part look at a somewhat different group of detectives. Adventures by Morse is about Captain Bart Friday and Skip Turner, two detectives who are born more out of the pulp traditions than the hardboiled school. Carlton E. Morse (right) created these series of adventure-mysteries. You'll hear part one of three this week and the final two parts next week.

A revisit to the hardboiled world of Dashiell Hammett (right) with a special broadcast of the Adventures of Sam Spade with Howard Duff in an hour long episode from the radio series Suspense. We'll look at the seamy world of Hammett, hear from producer William Spier and Howard Duff.

Charlie Chan was one of radio, film and televisions best known detectives. Earl Derr Biggers (right) fictional Honolulu detective has remained popular for many years. This week a look at all of the Chan versions on radio, plus two episodes from two of the series.

The final look at Rex Stout's Archie Goodwin as he appeared on radio. This week a look at the final Archie - Harry Bartell (right). Also a little discussion on the detective character as perceived by Stout and a brief clip of a Canadian run of the series.

Continuing with our look at the Archie Goodwin's from the radio Nero Wolfe series, this week, my favorite Archie actor - Gerald Mohr (right), formerly of the Adventures of Philip Marlowe radio show. Mohr had all the elements of a good Archie Goodwin as I think Rex Stout envisioned him.

The third of a four part look at the Archie Goodwin character and the actors who portrayed him on radio. We're now into the third series run of this radio detective - The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe. This run starred Sidney Greenstreet as the corpulent Wolfe. But the one year run of this series had no less than six actors portraying the detective's important sidekick - Archie Goodwin!

This week, you'll hear four of the six through clips with the fourth appearing in a complete episode - Larry Dobkin (right) was one of the longer Archie Goodwin's during this run.

Part II of our continuing look at Rex Stout's Archie Goodwin portrayals on the Nero Wolfe radio series. This week, Elliott Lewis (right) steps into the role of Goodwin with Francis X. Bushman as Wolfe.  Lewis was one of radio's most versatile persons. He was an actor, both comedic as well as serious, producer, director and writer.  This week's episode is from The Amazing Nero Wolfe!

This week begins a multi-podcast look at Rex Stout's Archie Goodwin character as portrayed on radio. While the podcast will feature episodes from Nero Wolfe, the focus will be on the differences between the actors who portrayed Archie Goodwin on the series.

This week's begins with veteran radio actor John Gibson who portrayed Archie while Santos Ortega portrayed Wolfe in the first run from the series in 1944.

An episode from a well-written, but rarely found series about detective Lieutenant Dana of the Homicide Bureau. Starred Dan Duryea (right) as Dana, this series was very short-lived - four months. Only three episodes are known to exist of this rare series.

Music under is Roy Eldridge.

Our final look at Gunsmoke as detective serial. This is from the regular run of Gunsmoke in 1952 starring William Conrad (right). I'll look at how it shares some elements of the detective genre.

Gunsmoke?  A detective show?

This week, a look at how Gunsmoke was first conceived as a hard boiled western detective series. A little history on the beginnings of the concept and an audition recording by two writers of hardboiled radio detective stories - Mort Fine and David Friedkin.

This audition starred Rye Billsbury (later Michael Rye) as "Mark Dillon."

A slight wrinkle to the theme of detectives this week. A look at the newspaperman as detective as Jimmy Stewart (right) turns detective as he tries to solve a mis-carriage of justice. The radio play was based upon the film Call Northside 777, a great noir film. Besides Stewart, I'll go into some of the veteran radio actors you'll hear in this week's play.

Music under is Lac Fantome by Nick Kepics from garageband.com

E.W. Hornung (right) was the brother-in-law of Arthur Conan Doyle. Hornung's own fictional detective rivaled Conan Doyle's and the two would often create stories that referenced the other. Where Conan Doyle's Holmes and Watson were the upright detectives who fantasized about becoming criminals, Hornung's A.J. Raffles and his helper Harry "Bunny" Manders were criminals - specifically amateur cracksmen.

This week you'll hear CBS Radio's version of the Hornung Raffles.

There were only two radio detective serials in which one of the detectives was played by a woman and a major film star. This week I'll look at one of those serials - Results, Inc. and you be able to hear only one of three that are known to exist of the series.  The star was the glamorous Claire Trevor (right), who plays Terry Travers opposite her fellow detective, Johnny Strange portrayed by Lloyd Nolan.

Music under is "Get Out of the Blue" by Nick Kepics on Garageband.com

Just as radio detectives often seemed to be loners, there were also several radio detective husband and wife teams. Most think immediately of Nick and Nora Charles, but another popular one on radio that even made it to film and television was Mr. & Mrs. North. Based on the novels of Frances and Richard Lockridge, for most of the radio run Jerry North was played by Joseph Curtain while Pam North was portrayed by Alice Frost (right).

Happy New Year!

This week a rarely heard short-lived series that featured fiction's famous detectives telling about their most famous cases. The series was called Murder Clinic and each week featured a different detective from fiction.

Music under is "Saturday Morning" by Anne Farnsworth from the Podsafe Music Network.

It's Christmas time and this week's podcast is a special one! Staying in the vein of our detective theme, I present a variation on Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" with the puckish Dick Powell in his Richard Diamond hat.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

A bit outside the regular "detective" stories, this episode from the Campbell Playhouse (Mercury Theater on the Air) takes Dash Hammett's (right) story about power and corruption rolls one character into a "detective" mold and comes up with "The Glass Key."  This one is well done.

This one is a bit longer than normal due to the length of the episode.

A look at Edith Meiser (right), who was responsible for first bringing Sherlock Holmes to radio. Meiser adapted almost all the Holmes canon for radio beginning in the early thirties until 1945. She later wrote the text for a comic stripe of Holmes in the fifties.  An accomplished actress, who also wrote books, films and radio plays.  You'll hear a rare Holmes radio play from 1934.

The final actor to portray Johnny Dollar is featured this week. Mandel Kramer (right) was the last Dollar and also the last featured star of a dramatic radio serial from its Golden Age. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar had the sad distinction of being the final dramatic radio program when it ended in September 1962.