Join San Francisco importer and amateur detective Gregory Hood as he shares two adventures from his casebook. Gale Gordon and Elliott Lewis star as Hood, a brilliant gentleman detective whose cases intersect with his search for rare treasures from all around the world. Created by Anthony Boucher and Denis Green (radio writers for Sherlock Holmes), Hood is a worthy addition to the world of radio sleuths. We’ll hear “Death from the Red Capsule” (originally aired on Mutual on July 22, 1946) and “The Eloquent Corpse” (originally aired on Mutual on October 14, 1946).

In honor of Dashiell Hammett’s birthday, we’re saluting the master of hard boiled mystery with radio adaptations of two of his stories. First, Suspense – “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills” – presents John Payne and Frank McHugh in the small-town murder mystery “Two Sharp Knives” (originally aired on CBS on June 7, 1945). Then, the big screen cast reunites for a radio recreation of The Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet star in this version from The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre (originally aired on CBS on September 20, 1943).

Before he achieved TV immortality as Perry Mason, Emmy Award-winner Raymond Burr could be heard on radio in a number of detective and crime dramas. In honor of what would have been the legendary actor’s 100th birthday, we’ll hear Burr in three of his old time radio performances. First, he’s Inspector Hellman, the bull-headed thorn in the side of Pat Novak For Hire. Burr co-stars with Jack Webb in “Marcia Halpern” (originally aired on ABC on February 27, 1949). Then, Burr goes bad in “The Henry J. Unger Matter” (originally aired on CBS on July 20, 1950), an adventure of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar starring Edmond O’Brien. Finally, we’ll head west to hear Burr as Lee Quince, captain of cavalry, in “Playing Indian” (originally aired on CBS on January 22, 1956).

You can always find mystery and adventure at the Café Tambourine, the Cairo nightclub run by American ex-pat and amateur detective Rocky Jordan. Jack Moyles stars as Jordan, a combination Sam Spade and Rick Blaine who’s trying to make an honest dollar in a den of thieves. Rocky investigates crimes and capers through the bazaars and back alleys of Cairo. We’ll hear “The Big Ditch” (originally aired on CBS on June 19, 1949) and “Cairo Vendetta” (originally aired on CBS on August 14, 1949).

Glenn Ford travels the world as freelance private eye Christopher London, a radio detective with the international beat of a secret agent. The character was created by Erle Stanley Gardner, the author who gave the world Perry Mason, and had it not been for Ford's success on the silver screen, we might have had a long run of globetrotting adventures to enjoy. We'll hear Ford as London in “The Terrible Price of Sugar" (originally aired on NBC on February 26, 1950) and “The System – A Code for Murder” (originally aired on NBC on May 29, 1950).

A master of dialects and accents, the British-born Ben Wright appeared all over the dial during the Golden Age of Radio and he could convincingly play characters from all around the world. He usually worked in supporting roles, but he had time in the spotlight as two old time radio detectives. We'll hear him as Sherlock Holmes in "The Singular Affair of the Ancient Egyptian Curse" (originally aired on ABC on March 10, 1947). Then on Pursuit, he's Inspector Peter Black in an Armed Forces Radio Service rebroadcast of "Pursuit at the Vicarage."

For one hundred dollars a day plus expenses, Richard Diamond will tackle any case. By the time it’s over, he’ll have used his fists, his gun, his wits, and his pipes as he croons a tune to his girlfriend. Dick Powell stars as the singing detective in one of radio’s best mystery shows. We’ll hear him in a pair of episodes – “The Betty Moran Case” (originally aired on NBC on May 29, 1949) and “The Cathy Victor Case” (originally aired on January 15, 1950).

Back in 1956, audiences had to wait a day in between installments of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and an entire week to hear how the insurance investigator would close the case. Today, we’ll hear a complete five-part mystery starring Bob Bailey as “the man with the action-packed expense account.” As Dollar, Bailey travels the world in “The Star of Capetown Matter,” originally aired on CBS between July 16 and July 20, 1956.

You need a big man to solve big crimes, and few detectives come bigger than Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe. The gargantuan gourmet and orchid aficionado will crack the case as long as he doesn’t have to leave his house. For the legwork and rough and tumble elements of the job, he turns to his able assistant Archie Goodwin. Sydney Greenstreet stars as Wolfe in a pair of radio mysteries: “The Case of the Careless Cleaner” (originally aired on NBC on November 17, 1950) and “The Case of the Malevolent Medic” (originally aired on NBC on February 23, 1951).

The stories you're about to hear are true as Jack Webb stars as Sgt. Joe Friday in Dragnet. Not only did he star in the series, Webb created, produced, and set the tone for the grandfather of all police procedural dramas. Friday teams up with Sgt. Ben Romero (Barton Yarborough) and Officer Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) in three cases dramatized from the files of the Los Angeles Police Department: "The Big Crazy" (originally aired on NBC on August 30, 1951); "The Big Little Mother" (originally aired on NBC on October 6, 1953); and "The Big Office" (originally aired on NBC on August 31, 1954).

Head back to a great American city and the suspects who stand in The Line-Up. Bill Johnstone is Lt. Ben Guthrie in one of radio’s best police dramas, with Wally Maher as Sgt. Matt Grebb and Jack Moyles as Sgt. Pete Carger. Each episode opens with the titular line-up, where each week listeners meet “the innocent, the vagrant, the thief, the murderer,” We’ll hear “The Case of Frankie and Joyce” (originally aired on CBS on January 4, 1951) and “The Modern Sounds Case” (originally aired on CBS on November 19, 1952).

Ride with newspaper publisher Britt Reid as he dons a mask to fight crime as The Green Hornet. Wanted by the police as criminals, Reid and his trusted valet Kato wage a war against racketeers and corruption. The radio adventure series spawned movie serials, a TV series, and films and it’s slated for another big screen reboot. Robert Hall stars as the Hornet in “George Haven’s Secret” (originally aired on ABC on January 22, 1946) and “A Question of Time” (originally aired on ABC on March 2, 1946).

Private eye Michael Waring – better known as The Falcon – solved crimes for over a decade on radio. A hard-boiled hero, Waring was “always ready with a hand for oppressed men and an eye for oppressed women.” The Falcon made his way to radio after success in print and a popular series of B-movies. We’ll hear two of the Falcon’s adventures: James Meighan stars in “Murder is a Family Affair” (originally aired on Mutual on November 27, 1945); and Les Tremayne is Waring in “Murder is a Knock-Out” (originally aired on network on February 20, 1949).

Frank Chandler learned mystical secrets in India and returned to the west as Chandu the Magician to put his newfound powers to work fighting evil. One of radio’s most popular serial adventure characters, Chandu first came to the air in 1932 and returned for a revival in the late 1940s. Aided by his niece and nephew, as well as a cast of mysterious characters, Chandu was a magical menace to evildoers everywhere. We’ll hear Tom Collins as Chandu in “The Temple at Karnak,” originally aired on Mutual on March 17, 1949.

Head back to Broadway – “the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world” – with Detective Danny Clover. Larry Thor stars as the policeman with the soul of a poet in Broadway is My Beat. From flophouses to mansions, from back alleys to the bright lights of the Great White Way, Clover investigates murder in the city that never sleeps. We’ll hear three of his mysteries: “The Robe Sash Strangler Murders” (originally aired on CBS on November 3, 1950); “The Tradewinds Murders” (originally aired on CBS on June 16, 1951); and “The Frankie Crowne Arson Murders” (originally aired on CBS on October 13, 1951).

Big screen stars Lloyd Nolan and Claire Trevor indulge in some comedic crime-solving in Results, Incorporated. Private eyes Johnny Strange and Terry Travers will take on assignments from babysitting to hunting for ghosts in a haunted house. Undaunted, they trade quips as they follow the clues and close their cases. We’ll hear “The Last of the Bloody Gillettes,” originally aired on Mutual on December 16, 1944.

Got a problem that’s too tough to handle on your own? Why not Let George Do It? Before he was “the man with the action-packed expense account,” Bob Bailey was George Valentine, the private eye who advertised that “danger is my stock in trade.” Aided by his girl Friday Claire Brooks, George found no shortage of people eager to enlist his aid in cases ranging from missing people to murder. We’ll hear “The Impatient Redhead” (originally aired on Mutual on September 6, 1948) and “Double Death” (originally aired on Mutual on October 17, 1949).

Criminals beware – Captain Jim Scott won’t stop until you’re Under Arrest. TV mainstay Joe DeSantis stars as Scott in this police procedural that began as a summer replacement in 1946 but ended its radio run eight years later. We’ll hear Captain Scott solve “The Sam Carver Case” (originally aired on Mutual on February 6, 1949).

Reporter Randy Stone makes a nightly trek through the streets of the Windy City in search of stories for his column. This week, we’ll join him as he covers the Night Beat. Frank Lovejoy stars as Stone, not a professional detective but a man who nevertheless ends up entangled with cops and crooks as he works to meet his deadlines. We’ll hear “The Night Watchman” (originally aired on NBC on May 15, 1950) and “The Doctor’s Secret” (originally aired on NBC on August 21, 1950).

“Crime is a sucker’s road,” Philip Marlowe intoned at the beginning his radio program, “and those who travel it wind up in the gutter, the prison or the grave.” It was a two-fisted introduction to one of radio’s best detective shows. Gerald Mohr stars as Raymond Chandler’s private eye, solving crimes from high society to skid row in Los Angeles, in a pair of radio mysteries. We’ll hear “The Pigeon’s Blood” (originally aired on CBS on June 11, 1949) and “The Angry Eagle” (originally aired on April 18, 1950).

George Raft made the leap from big screen gangster to radio gumshoe in The Cases of Mr. Ace. Each week, Eddie Ace paid a visit to psychologist Dr. Gayle to recount his latest adventure – adventures the good doctor used as material for her book on criminal psychology. Raft does a good job as a character on the right side of the tracks in this short-lived syndicated series. We’ll hear him in “A Man Called Judas,” a mystery with a stolen coin and stand-ins for Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet!

Robert Montgomery reprises his screen role of Philip Marlowe from his innovative adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s Lady in the Lake. The movie put the audience in Marlowe’s shoes, with the camera acting as the detective’s eyes, but the story plays better on radio; without the occasionally distracting camera gimmick, listeners can dive into the story as Marlowe hunts for a missing wife. Montgomery is joined by his screen co-stars Audrey Totter and Tom Tully in this Lux Radio Theatre adaptation from CBS on February 9, 1948.

Crime doesn’t take a rest during the holidays. Fortunately, radio’s best gumshoes are working on Christmas to keep the airwaves safe. In the annual “Down These Mean Streets” holiday special, we’ll hear four gumshoes and super sleuths in Christmas capers. First, Les Damon is private eye Mike Waring, aka The Falcon, in “The Case of the Unwelcome Christmas Present” (originally aired on NBC on December 24, 1950). Next, it’s “that most famous of all manhunters” – Nick Carter, Master Detective. Lon Clark is Nick in “Nick Carter’s Christmas Adventure” (originally aired on Mutual on December 25, 1943). Then, we have a Saint – not Nicholas, but Simon Templar. Vincent Price stars in "Santa Claus is No Saint" (originally aired on NBC on December 24, 1950). Finally, we head to London with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in “The Night Before Christmas” from The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (originally aired on Mutual on December 24, 1945).

Private detective Nero Wolfe loves to eat, tend to his orchids, drink beer – almost anything except take on a case. But – usually at the urging of his assistant Archie Goodwin – the mountain of a man solves the most baffling cases all without leaving his home. Sydney Greenstreet stars as Wolfe with Herb Ellis as Archie in “The Case of the Dear Dead Lady” (originally aired on NBC on date) and Harry Bartell as Goodwin in “The Case of the Final Page” (originally aired on NBC on March 23, 1951).

Dana Andrews is undercover for Uncle Sam in I Was a Communist for the FBI. The big screen star plays Matt Cvetic, the real-life infiltrator who reported Communist activities to the bureau in this fictionalized version of his exploits. On radio, Cvetic puts his life on the line to thwart the diabolical plans of American communists. We’ll hear the syndicated episodes “Tight Wire” and “No Second Chance.”

Ranger Jayce Pearson keeps the Lone Star State safe in Tales of the Texas Rangers. Joel McCrea plays Pearson in this series of true crime stories dramatized from the case files of the legendary lawmen. Whether in a police car or on his trusty horse Charcoal, Ranger Pearson tracks down the worst offenders in Texas. We’ll hear “Dead or Alive” (originally aired on NBC on September 9, 1950) and “Room 114” (originally aired on NBC on December 3, 1950).

It’s our 200th episode of old time radio cops, private eyes, and crime-solvers, and we’re celebrating with one of the era’s best actors and characters – Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar. “The man with the action-packed expense account” is on the job in an extra-large, king-sized nine-part mystery. We’ll hear America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator in all nine installments of “The Phantom Chase Matter” (originally aired on CBS between October 15 and 26, 1956).

In a special bonus episode, just in time for Thanksgiving, we’ll hear ace cameraman Casey, Crime Photographer in a Turkey Day mystery. Can Casey save a reformed safecracker from being coerced into heist and finish in time for dinner with his girl Friday Ann Williams? Find out with Staats Cotsworth as Casey, with Jan Miner as Ann, in “Holiday,” originally aired on CBS on November 25, 1948.

Howard Duff made the role of Sam Spade his own, bringing the San Francisco shamus to radio life from 1946 until 1950. With a blend of wry humor and hard-boiled atmosphere, The Adventures of Sam Spade holds up as one of the all-time great radio detective shows, thanks in no small part to the man in the title role. In honor of his birthday, we'll hear Duff as Spade in "The Dry Martini Caper" (originally aired on CBS on August 1, 1948) and "The Sugar Kane Caper" (originally aired on CBS on October 3, 1948). We'll also hear him as Captain Philip Kearney in the audition program for the high seas adventure The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen.

We doff our cap to Dick Powell in this birthday celebration of the crooner who reinvented himself as a tough film noir leading man. First, he’s private investigator Richard Rogue in “Murder at Minden” from Rogue’s Gallery (originally aired on Mutual on January 3, 1946). Then, it’s a pair of mysteries starring Powell in his signature radio role as singing gumshoe Richard Diamond, Private Detective: “The Elaine Tanner Case” (originally aired on NBC on February 12, 1950) and “The Carnival Case” (originally aired on NBC on August 16, 1950).

The thrilling and dangerous wartime exploits of the OSS – Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA – were dramatized on radio in Cloak and Dagger. Tales of adventures behind enemy lines in Europe and the Pacific came to life with stories of civilians, soldiers, and spies on daring missions – knowing in advance they may never return alive. We’ll hear “Seeds of Doubt,” the story of a spy hunt in occupied Paris, originally aired on NBC on September 15, 1950.

London's criminals have nowhere to hide when Scotland Yard Inspector Peter Black begins his relentless Pursuit. The adventures of Black make for exciting listening as he hunts the evildoers who strike, then fade back into the shadows of their own dark world. Ted de Corsia stars as Black in "Pursuit On Lundy Island" (originally aired on CBS on February 7, 1950) and Ben Wright plays the inspector in "Pursuit and the Ladies of Farthing Street" (originally aired on CBS on September 18, 1951).

Just in time for trick-or-treating, we’re bound for Transylvania with Orson Welles and The Mercury Theatre On the Air in a special bonus episode. Welles and his talented troupe of radio players present a chilling and atmospheric radio adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Welles plays both Arthur Seward and the titular count in a story that’s sure to get you in the Halloween spirit. Featuring supporting performances by Agnes Moorehead, George Coulouris, Ray Collins, and Martin Gabel, Dracula originally aired on CBS on July 11, 1938.

The game is afoot with three old time radio mysteries starring the master detective of Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s immortal character made his debut as a radio sleuth on October 20, 1932, and we’re celebrating his anniversary with radio adventures starring three different actors as Holmes. First, Basil Rathbone is Holmes, with Nigel Bruce as Watson, in “The Case of the Limping Ghost” (originally aired on Mutual on September 3, 1945). Next, John Stanley and Alfred Shirley are Holmes and Watson in “The Sussex Vampire” (originally aired on Mutual on December 14, 1947). Finally, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson star in “The Final Problem” (originally aired on NBC on April 17, 1955), featuring special guest star Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty.

Private detective Michael Shayne came to radio on October 16, 1944 and we’re celebrating the anniversary of “the reckless, red-headed Irishman” with two of his radio mysteries. Two of radio’s most talented stars – Wally Maher and Cathy Lewis – headline as Shayne and his loyal secretary Phyllis Knight. From 1944 until 1947, the pair starred in stories that blended crime-solving with witty banter. We’ll hear “The Murder Trial of Jack Holmes” (originally aired on Mutual on May 21, 1945) and “Dr. Grant’s Dilemma” (from August 13, 1945).

William Gargan starred as Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator – “America’s number one detective” – from 1951 to 1955. The actor had a long resume of detective roles on the big and small screens, as well as on radio, but his best on-air work may have been as Craig, the New York-based confidential investigator. We’ll hear him in a pair of his radio mysteries: “Death of a Private Eye” (originally aired on NBC on January 2, 1952) and “Fog Over Murder” (originally aired on NBC on October 13, 1953).

For the first two and half years of Dragnet, Sgt. Joe Friday was partnered with Ben Romero, an older mentor and family man voiced by radio veteran Barton Yarborough. With his friendly Texas drawl, Yarborough created a memorable character and a good counterpart to Friday’s terse, no-nonsense style. We’ll hear Yarborough in action as Ben Romero, alongside Jack Webb as Joe Friday, in “The Big Picture” (originally aired on NBC on December 7, 1950) and “The Big In-Laws” (originally aired on NBC on August 23, 1951).

Pam and Jerry North are the happy couple who can’t help but find trouble. Whether it’s a corpse or a caper, Mr. and Mrs. North will stumble onto the scene and thwart the plans of evildoers everywhere. We’ll hear a pair of adventures starring old time radio’s most popular husband and wife detective duos. First, Alice Frost is Pam and Joseph Curtin is Jerry in “The Contagious Confession” (originally aired on NBC on September 22, 1943). Then, the Norths are played by Barbara Britton and Richard Denning in “The Diamond Noose” (a broadcast from the Armed Forces Radio Service).

John Huston’s classic cinematic adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon comes to radio in this production of The Lux Radio Theatre. Though none of the film’s stars appear to recreate their roles, a terrific Hollywood cast is assembled to bring the story to life. Laird Cregar is the Fat Man, Gail Patrick is Brigid O’Shaughnessy, and Edward G. Robinson is Sam Spade – with Cecil B. DeMille as master of ceremonies – in this episode originally aired on CBS on February 8, 1943.

Edmond O’Brien puts the “action” in the “action-packed expense account” of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. The Academy Award-winning actor starred as the freelance insurance investigator from 1950 until 1952. O’Brien’s tough style – honed in film noir performances – brought a hard edge to Dollar, a character that had been decidedly lighter in the hands of Charles Russell. His run as Johnny Dollar has cemented Edmond O’Brien as a fan favorite of the many actors to play the gumshoe. We’ll hear O’Brien as Dollar in “The Caligio Diamond Matter” (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1950) and “The Calgary Matter” (originally aired on CBS on July 13, 1950).

Looking for mystery? Just dial YUkon 2-8209 and ask for Candy Matson. The gorgeous San Francisco private eye works out of her Telegraph Hill apartment and finds more than her share of trouble in the city of the Golden Gate. Natalie Masters stars as Candy in "The Cable Car Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 7, 1949) and "The Movie Company" originally aired on NBC on August 29, 1950).

Alan Ladd is Dan Holiday, the mystery writer who plays detective to get story material, in Box 13. The syndicated series found Holiday soliciting danger with an ad offering himself as an adventurer for hire – one who would “go anywhere, do anything.” Answering those letters addressed to Box 13 meant Holiday could be volunteering to put a target on his back or to solve an impossible crime. We’ll hear Ladd in “Much Too Lucky" and "The Perfect Crime."

After Dick Powell bid farewell to the role of gumshoe Richard Rogue, Barry Sullivan stepped in to fill the detective’s shoes. The big screen star played the rakish private eye in a 1947 summer run of Rogue’s Gallery and acquitted himself quite well in the lead role. We’ll hear Sullivan as Rogue in “Phyllis Adrian is Missing,” originally aired on NBC on June 29, 1947.

Master jewel thief turned ace detective, the infamous Boston Blackie is an “enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend.” Much to the chagrin of Inspector Faraday, Blackie puts his criminal mind to work for the good guys, nabbing crooks, cons, and thieves with the same sleight of hand and crafty calculations that served him on the wrong side of the law. We’ll hear Chester Morris recreate his big screen role of Blackie in “Black Market Blackie,” originally aired on NBC on July 21, 1944. Then, Richard Kollmar takes over in the syndicated episode “The Undersea Murder.”

For our annual birthday salute to Alfred Hitchcock, we'll hear one of the master of suspense's classic films recreated for radio - Foreign Correspondent, the 1940 spy thriller starring Joel McCrea and Herbert Marshall. The film was dramatized for Academy Award, with Joseph Cotten stepping in for McCrea in an episode that originally aired on CBS on July 24, 1946.

Cue the zither music! Orson Welles is back as Harry Lime, the lovable rogue from The Third Man, in The Lives of Harry Lime. This prequel series follows Lime around the world as he tries to lie, cheat, and steal his way to an easy buck and to stay a step ahead of the police and rival criminals. In the process, he becomes one of radio's most unlikely heroes in this series of international adventures. We'll hear "Clay Pigeon" and "Man of Mystery" from the syndicated program.

Before he gave the world Peter Gunn and Inspector Clouseau, Blake Edwards cut his teeth as a radio writer, penning mysteries for some of the best detectives of the era. Edwards created Richard Diamond, Private Detective and his writing set the tone for radio’s singing gumshoe. Equally adept at comedy and drama, Edwards also wrote stories for more serious police procedurals, including The Line-Up. In honor of his birthday, we’ll hear some of his radio work. First, it’s “The Candy Store Murder” from The Line-Up (originally aired on CBS on November 16, 1950). Then, it’s “To Guard a Seal,” from Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on February 5, 1950).

When it comes to hard-boiled crime fiction, fewer did wrote it better than Raymond Chandler. One of the titans of the genre, Chandler penned dozens of pulp stories before he introduced his signature character of private eye Philip Marlowe. We’ll hear a pair of Marlowe’s radio adventures starring Gerald Mohr – “The Baton Sinister” (originally aired on CBS on September 17, 1949) and “The Long Way Home” (originally aired on CBS on August 4, 1951). Then we’ll hear “Pearls are a Nuisance,” an adaptation of a Chandler short story and originally aired on Suspense (originally aired on CBS on April 19, 1945).