What do Philo Vance, George Valentine, Richard Diamond, and John J. Malone have in common? They all romanced – and were frequently assisted by – Frances Robinson. The busy and talented actress was a mainstay on radio crime dramas, and her performances gave us some of the genre’s all-time great partners in crime. We’ll hear her in “The Elusive Hundred Grand” from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on April 18, 1949); “The Pop Skoals Case aka The Blind Man and the Cop Killer” from Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on February 26, 1950), and in “Murder in Mind” from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on April 16, 1950).

Nick Carter was a super sleuth in the pulps and on the big screen before he came to radio in 1943, and he found success on the air as well. Lon Clark starred as Carter – “the most famous of all manhunters” – for twelve years in hundreds of radio mysteries. Hear Nick, along with his friends Patsy Bowen and Sgt. Mathison in “The Double Disguise” (originally aired on Mutual on January 8, 1944) and “The Case of the Candidate’s Corpse” (September 26, 1948).

Criminals and spies can run, but they can’t hide from the FBI. Stacy Harris stars as Special Agent Jim Taylor in This is Your FBI, the only dramatic radio program endorsed by the Bureau and J. Edgar Hoover. We’ll hear a pair of FBI adventures: “The Case of the Curious Coin Collector” (originally aired on ABC on October 4, 1946) and “The Agent Apprentice” (originally aired on ABC on August 11, 1950).

We're celebrating Jack Webb's birthday, but instead of cake we have three old time radio mysteries starring Webb as three hard-boiled sleuths. First, he's Jeff Regan, Investigator in "The Gambler and the Lady" (originally aired on CBS on December 11, 1948). Then Webb stars as Pat Novak for Hire in "Rory Malone" (originally aired on ABC on March 20, 1949). Finally, we'll hear "June Gould" from Pete Kelly's Blues (an AFRS rebroadcast of an episode from NBC on September 19, 1951).

Holy 80th Anniversary, Batman! The Caped Crusader made his first comic book appearance on March 30, 1939, and we're marking the occasion with a complete serialized adventure of Superman co-starring Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder. It's "The Mystery of the Dead Voice," a tale with ties to young Robin's origin, and it originally aired on the Mutual Network between September 25 and October 16, 1946.

When Johnny Dollar itemized his first expense account on February 11, 1949, he was played by actor Charles Russell, and Russell would fill the role for just over one year. Though his tenure was short, Russell’s take on the character – glib, sarcastic, and a little unscrupulous – makes him stand out in the fraternity of actors who brought Dollar to radio life. We’ll hear him in three episodes: “The Perikoff Policy” (originally aired on CBS on 2/11/1949); “Melanie Carter and the Un-Nice Niece” (originally aired on CBS on November 12, 1949); and “The Animal Show Unscheduled Performances” (originally aired on CBS on December 10, 1949).

When criminals strike in the Lone Star State, they know it won’t be long before the Texas Rangers are on their trail. Joel McCrea brought his big screen western star power to radio as Jayce Pearson in Tales of the Texas Rangers. The crime drama presented actual cases from the Rangers’ files in a blend of police procedural and western. We’ll hear two episodes from the series: “Quicksilver” (originally aired on NBC on August 12, 1950) and “The Trap” (originally aired on NBC on February 25, 1951).

Kathleen Hite started at CBS as a secretary only to become the network’s first female staff writer. She would go on to pen hundreds of radio and TV scripts for shows like Gunsmoke, The Whistler, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. We’ll hear two of her mysteries from The Adventures of Philip Marlowe: “The Good Neighbor Policy” (originally aired on CBS on July 28, 1951) and “The Young Man’s Fancy” (originally aired on CBS on August 18, 1951). Plus we’ll hear one of Hite’s episodes of Fort Laramie: “The Buffalo Hunters” (originally aired on CBS on September 9, 1956).

“Adventure wanted. Will go anyplace, do anything. Write Box 13.” That’s the newspaper ad Dan Holiday runs and each week a new letter brings him to the doorstep of danger. Holiday runs the ad to get plots for his mystery novels, but he has to survive each case before he can start writing. Big screen star Alan Ladd puts his film noir bona fides to work as Holiday in two old time radio mysteries: “Mexican Maze” and “House of Darkness.”

No matter what old time radio genre you prefer, you’ve probably heard Virginia Gregg’s voice. You’ve almost certainly heard her as Mrs. Bates in the Psycho films or seen her in one of her many on-screen performances. She was one of radio’s most versatile and talented actresses, and in honor of her birthday we’ll hear Virginia Gregg in three old time radio shows. First, she plays Helen Asher opposite Dick Powell’s Richard Diamond, Private Detective in an episode originally aired on NBC on July 9, 1949. Then, she’s Claire Brooks, loyal assistant to George Valentine in “Seed of Destruction” from Let George Do It (originally aired on Mutual on August 18, 1952. Finally, she plays a Chinese immigrant won in a poker game in “Gentle Virtue,” an episode of Frontier Gentleman from March 30, 1958.

It’s back to Broadway this week, as Detective Danny Clover walks his beat - “the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.” Larry Thor stars as Clover, the cop with the soul of a poet, in two mysteries from Broadway is My Beat: “The Val Dane Starvation Murder Case” (originally aired on CBS on August 25, 1949) and “The Gridiron Hero Murders” (an AFRS rebroadcast of an episode from November 22, 1952).

Bill Johnstone may be best known as the voice of The Shadow, but old time radio fans can enjoy his performances from shows ranging from Escape and Suspense to My Favorite Husband and Our Miss Brooks. In honor of his birthday, we’ll hear him as Lt. Ben Guthrie, the determined detective of The Line-Up in “The Topaz Earring Case” (originally aired on CBS on November 23, 1950) and “The Jersey Parallel” (originally aired on CBS on December 7, 1950).

Seventy years ago this month, listeners first met “the man with the action-packed expense account” when Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar premiered on CBS. The show ran until 1962 with several actors stepping into the shows of “America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator,” but the best of the bunch was Bob Bailey. Bailey starred as Johnny Dollar from 1955 until 1960, including a tremendous run of five-part nightly stories from 1955 to 1956. We’ll hear the last of those serialized installments - “The Silent Queen Matter” (originally aired on CBS from October 29 to November 2, 1956).

When the sun goes down in the Windy City, Randy Stone goes to work. Frank Lovejoy stars as Stone, the Chicago reporter who walks the Night Beat in search of a story. What he finds in the darkness will give him material for his column...if it doesn’t kill him first. We’ll hear Lovejoy in a pair of radio mysteries: “Old Home Week” (originally aired on NBC on September 4, 1950) and “The Kenny Day Amnesia Case” (originally aired on NBC on October 6, 1950).

Some couples play golf, and some like to travel. Pam and Jerry North spend their quality time putting their amateur sleuth skills to work in Mr. and Mrs. North. One of radio’s most popular detective shows, the adventures of the Norths sprang from the pages of novels and kept listeners guessing for over a decade. We’ll hear three of their adventures starring Barbara Britton as Pam and Richard Denning as Jerry: “Coat of Arms,” “Die Hard,” and “Masquerade.”

Even if he can’t pronounce the names of the countries he visits, two-fisted secret agent Steve Mitchell knows each Dangerous Assignment means trouble. Brian Donlevy stars as the international man of mystery in two tales of radio espionage and adventure. We’ll hear “Find Hired Killer Lupac” (originally aired on NBC on August 16, 1950) and “Recover Memory Chain Equation” (originally aired on NBC on November 18, 1950).

In a special bonus episode, we tip our hat to the late Herb Ellis. The actor passed away in December at age 97, and along with his many radio credits he’s a key figure in radio history because of his collaboration with Jack Webb - a collaboration that yielded Dragnet. We’ll hear Ellis co-star as Officer Frank Smith in “The Big Bull” (originally aired on NBC on September 14, 1952), and we’ll hear him as Archie Goodwin in “The Case of the Dear Dead Lady” from The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (originally aired on NBC on November 3, 1950).

“The Robin Hood of modern crime” is on the case, and the halo of The Saint is hanging over Vincent Price’s head. Price stars as Simon Templar in three old time radio adventures of Leslie Charteris’ gentleman sleuth: “Murder on the High Seas” (originally aired on Mutual on September 18, 1949); “It’s Snow Use” (originally aired on NBC on October 29, 1950); and “The Terrible Tintype” (originally aired on NBC on November 26, 1950).

Based on a novel by James M. Cain, with screenplay co-written by Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder behind the camera, Double Indemnity is a film noir classic - one of the best ever produced and it doesn't lose any of its power when adapted for radio. Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck recreate their screen roles as an insurance salesman and an unhappy wife who plot to make the most of her husband's new accidental death policy. The crackling adaptation aired on the Lux Radio Theatre on CBS on October 30, 1950.

When the bells all ring and the horns all blow, you can ring in 2019 with a bonus episode of Down These Mean Streets! Jack Webb and Gerald Mohr star in New Year’s Eve mysteries from Dragnet and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe. We’ll hear “The Big New Year’s” (originally aired on NBC on March 8, 1951) and “The Old Acquaintance” (originally aired on CBS on December 26, 1948).

We’re wrapping up 2018 and spending the holidays with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The dynamic duo of Baker Street stars in three old time radio mysteries taking us from Christmas to New Year’s Eve. First, John Stanley and Alfred Shirley star in “The Adventure of the Christmas Bride” (originally aired on Mutual on December 21, 1947). Then, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson play Holmes and Watson in an adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle Christmas story “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.” Finally, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce ring in the new year in “The Iron Box” (originally aired on Mutual on December 31, 1945).

To celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday, we'll hear Jeff Chandler in two old time radio mysteries as "that reckless red-headed Irishman" - two-fisted private eye Michael Shayne. Chandler is an ultra-hard boiled gumshoe in "The Case of the Crooked Wheel" and "The Case of the High-Priced Twins." Then, he shows off his comedic side as Mr. Boynton in Our Miss Brooks (in an episode originally aired on CBS on March 27, 1949).

In celebration of the December birthdays of Rex Stout and Sydney Greenstreet, here are two episodes of The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe starring Greenstreet as the gargantuan gourmet created by Stout. There's no case too baffling for the sedentary sleuth and his loyal legman Archie Goodwin, and we'll hear two of their mysteries: "The Case of the Deadly Sellout" with Larry Dobkin as Archie (originally aired on NBC on January 5, 1951); and "The Case of the Hasty Will" co-starring Harry Bartell as Goodwin (originally aired on NBC on March 2, 1951).

Cornell Woolrich - aka William Irish - was one of the great crime writers of the twentieth century with his works winning acclaim and adaptations on radio and the big screen (including Hitchcock's classic Rear Window). We'll celebrate the anniversary of his birth with three of his tales adapted for the airwaves - "The Bride Wore Black" from The Mollé Mystery Theater (originally aired on NBC on February 7, 1947); "Wardrobe Trunk" from the NBC Radio City Playhouse (originally aired on NBC on April 4, 1949); and "You Take Ballistics" from the audition recording for The Hunters.

Master mystery writer John Dickson Carr embraced radio in a big way. He wrote scripts for Suspense and his own anthology show Cabin B-13. Carr also acted as master of ceremonies for Murder by Experts. In honor of his birthday on November 30th, we'll hear two of his original radio mysteries: "Will You Make a Bet with Death?" from Suspense (originally aired on CBS on November 10, 1942), and "A Razor in Fleet Street" (originally aired on CBS on July 5, 1948).

No sleuths today - just a heaping helping of Thanksgiving comedy from the Golden Age of Radio. Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore present a comedy opera about the pilgrims, and Jack Benny and his gang are off to the big football game in this Turkey Day bonus show.

"Down These Mean Streets" has reached 300 episodes! To mark the occasion, we're hearing again from Bob Bailey as "the man with the action-packed expense account" - Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. Bailey stars as "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator" in the six-part mystery "The Kranesburg Matter" (originally aired on CBS between August 24 and August 31, 1956).

This week on "Down These Mean Streets," we'll hear Howard Duff in two radio mysteries as Sam Spade and as a scriptwriter plotting the perfect crime in "Suspense."

Dick Powell reinvented himself as a hardboiled hero with his performance as Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet, and several films noir and radio detective shows followed. We'll hear Powell as gumshoe Richard Rogue in "Blood on the Sand" from Rogue's Gallery (originally aired on Mutual on December 13, 1945). Then he's Richard Diamond, Private Detective in "The Martin Hyer Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 23, 1949).

Grab a drink and a mystery at the Cafe Tambourine in Cairo with two-fisted club owner and adventurer Rocky Jordan. The ex-pat and amateur detective kept audiences thrilled with tales told against an exotic backdrop. Jack Moyles stars as Rocky in "The Bartered Bridegroom" (originally aired on CBS on October 31, 1948) and "Adventure with Andrea" (originally aired on CBS on September 11, 1949). Then, big screen tough guy George Raft plays Jordan in "The Genakos Affair" (originally aired on CBS on July 11, 1951).

We're celebrating the lighter side of October 31st with this year's "Down These Mean Streets" Halloween special. Grab your favorite candy and enjoy a pair of trick or treating comedies from The Jack Benny Program (originally aired on NBC on October 31, 1948) and Lucille Ball's My Favorite Husband (originally aired on CBS on October 28, 1949).

It didn't take a brilliant detective to bring one of fiction's greatest sleuths to radio, but it did take a talented writer and devoted fan. Edith Meiser penned the very first Sherlock Holmes radio show on October 20, 1930, and her efforts behind the scenes kept the character going for nearly twenty years on the air. We'll celebrate Holmes' anniversary with three of Meiser's original mysteries starring John Stanley as Holmes and Alfred Shirley as Dr. Watson: "The Case of the Missing Heiress" (originally aired on Mutual on October 5, 1947); "The Case of the Lucky Shilling" (originally aired on Mutual on January 18, 1948); and "The Case of the Accommodating Valise" (originally aired on Mutual on May 23, 1948). 

Before she became a commercial star as "Madge" for Palmolive, actress Jan Miner was busy working on the stage and the radio. Miner was heard regularly on soap operas, dramas, and radio detective shows. We'll hear her as Mary Wesley in the syndicated episode "Alibi Time" from Boston Blackie and as Ann Williams in "King of the Apes" from Casey, Crime Photographer (originally aired on CBS on May 1, 1947). Plus, we'll hear Jan Miner in a behind-the-scenes look at radio production from The CBS Radio Workshop (originally aired on CBS on October 12, 1956).

The Chairman of the Board fights crime as Frank Sinatra stars in Rocky Fortune. The singer played Fortune - a man whose odd jobs always led to trouble - for a single season in a fun, well-produced mystery series. To celebrate the sixty-fifth anniversary of the show's debut, we'll hear a pair of Rocky's adventures - the show's first episode (originally aired on NBC on October 6, 1953) and "The Museum Murder" (originally aired on NBC on January 11, 1954).

William Gargan is on the case as Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator - the sardonic gumshoe with a healthy sense of humor to go along with his powers of deduction. We'll hear "Murder Masquerade" (originally aired on NBC on August 9, 1953) and "Hay is for Homicide" (originally aired on NBC on August 31, 1954).

In celebration of what would have been his 98th birthday, we're tipping our hat to William Conrad. Before he was the narrator of The Fugitive and Rocky and Bullwinkle and before he solved TV crimes as Cannon, Conrad was one of the biggest talents of the golden age of radio. He had thousands of credits to his name but he was best known as Matt Dillon, US Marshal, on Gunsmoke. We'll hear him in a pair of murder mysteries from the old west (originally aired on CBS on May 9 and November 21, 1953).

With his polished radio presence and his mellifluous British accent, Tom Conway was a natural as a radio detective, and he put his voice to great use as both Sherlock Holmes and Simon Templar. We'll hear him as Holmes - with Nigel Bruce as Watson - in "The Adventure of the Original Hamlet" (originally aired on ABC on November 2, 1946). Then as The Saint, he stars in "The Girl with the Lower Berth" (originally aired on NBC on June 3, 1951).

In the film noir classic D.O.A., the detective is also the victim of the crime. Edmond O'Brien, one of radio's Johnny Dollars, recreates his big screen role as Frank Bigelow, a man with only days left to live who is frantically searching for the man who murdered him, in this adaptation from the Screen Directors Playhouse (originally aired on NBC on June 21, 1951).

Alan Ladd didn't just star in mysteries and thrillers on the big screen - audiences could also hear Ladd on their radios in tales of daring detectives and heroes. We'll hear him in "Double Right Cross," an episode of his syndicated series Box 13 where he starred as reporter turned mystery writer and amateur sleuth Dan Holiday. Then he's joined by Veronica Lake in a radio recreation of his wartime action adventure O.S.S. from the Lux Radio Theatre (originally aired on CBS on November 18, 1946).

From the Broadway stage to the world of daytime soap operas, Lesley Woods found success in every medium she tried during her six decade career. She was very busy on radio, appearing on soaps, sci-fi shows, thrillers, and detective programs. We'll hear her opposite Richard Kollmar in Boston Blackie as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley in "The Wentworth Diamonds." And she's reporter Ann Williams alongside Staats Cotsworth's Casey, Crime Photographer in "The Twenty Minute Alibi" (originally aired on CBS on February 20, 1947).

Crooks made the mistake of underestimating private detectives Max Carrados and Captain Duncan Maclain because both men were blind. After you hear their radio adventures, you'll know that a lack of sight doesn't stand in the way of these gentlemen as they solve seemingly impossible murders. Ernest Bramah's gentlemanly Carrados (voiced by Alfred Shirley) stars in "The Holloway Flat Tragedy" from Murder Clinic (originally aired on Mutual on August 18, 1942). Then, Baynard Kendrick's Maclain (played here by Brian Donlevy) is heard in "Out of Control" from Suspense (originally aired on CBS on August 23, 1946).

San Francisco shamus Candy Matson was the greatest girl detective of the radio era. Charming, cool, and cute, Candy made her way in the man’s world of private eye gumshoeing. Before and after her series aired on NBC, two audition shows were recorded to bring the sassy sleuth to audiences. We’ll hear Natalie Masters as Candy in both of those shows – “The Donna Dunham Case” from April 1949 and “The Allison Gray Case” from September 1952.

If you've got to walk down the mean streets of Los Angeles, it helps to have Philip Marlowe by your side. Gerald Mohr brought Raymond Chandler's private eye to life in one of the best detective shows to come out of the radio era. We'll hear a pair of Marlowe's mysteries: "The Bum's Rush" (originally aired on CBS on September 3, 1949) and "The Fox's Tail" (originally aired on CBS on May 23, 1950).

After a hiatus, it’s time once again to head “Down These Mean Streets.” I’m kicking off a new season with the king of the radio cops – Sgt. Joe Friday. Jack Webb is keeping Los Angeles safe in three old time radio mysteries: "The Big Girl" (originally aired on NBC on February 9, 1950); "The Big Evans" (originally aired on NBC on March 16, 1952); and "The Big Impossible" (originally aired on NBC on March 15, 1953).

To celebrate Dashiell Hammett's birthday, we'll hear a pair of radio adventures of his most famous creation - the hard-boiled San Francisco shamus Sam Spade. Howard Duff stars as Spade in "The Queen Bee Caper" (originally aired on CBS on July 10, 1949). Then, Steven Dunne steps into Sam's shoes for "The Biddle Riddle Caper" (originally aired on NBC on January 5, 1951).

We're celebrating the birthday of Arthur Conan Doyle with radio adaptations of three of his greatest Sherlock Holmes mysteries. In these productions from the BBC, John Gielgud stars as Holmes with Ralph Richardson as Dr. Watson. The game's afoot in "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Red-Headed League," and "The Six Napoleons."

Walk in the shoes of a killer as he plans and carries out his crime. Just watch out for a twist ending when the story is told by The Whistler. Bill Forman stars as the sinister storyteller who introduces his tales with a haunting melody. We'll hear "Brief Pause for Murder" (originally aired on CBS on September 11, 1949) and "A Law of Physics" (originally aired on CBS on June 10, 1951).

We're celebrating Orson Welles' birthday with two of the legendary actor and director's old time radio performances. First, Welles leads us on a tour of The Black Museum, Scotland Yard's archive of murder. He narrates the tale of a faded tartan scarf wielded in the hands of a dangerous man. Then he recreates his big screen role from The Third Man in The Lives of Harry Lime. We'll hear Harry in the syndicated mystery "Mexican Hat Trick."