Detective and Mystery – Retro Radio Podcast

On the outs with his best gal Hellen, and in need of cash after losing money on the horses, Richard needs a client. The hot, weeping woman who enters his office may not get him any points with Hellen, but she’s just the ticket to pay his bills. Richard is soon tracking down a mystery woman, and along his way he discovers a mink coat with a pistol inside. When a body is found, the heat is turned up but the search only gets more tedious in its dead ends. More bodies pile up, and Richard goes to learn what he can from his police detective friend, Walt. How did the weapon owned by the dead woman, and found on her person, manage to kill the other body after she was murdered? Richard is sure there’s a double cross going on, and heads to see a sultry dame. Besides more dead ends, it only wins the hard boiled detective a thump on the head. Will he get the message that somebody wants him to mind his own business? Waking up to face Walt, Richard learns the key clues he needs to wrap up this case. A counterfeiting operation is exposed, but the bad guys aren’t going down without gun play. Walt plays the cop role and tends to the crime scene, while Richard leaves to take down the brains behind the outfit who just got away. Not a lot of surprises about who it is, but listen in to see how Richard puts the pieces to the mtystery together. Note: Arthur Q Brian is Walt. Also features Sidney Sheldon.

Marlowe is out to locate a girl, but before he can, he finds death and the devil. Mr Drum is looking for his missing sister, and hires Philip to find her. Details about Julia, her appearance, and what might have made her disappear are discussed. Philip is descriptive in voiceover, as he follows his trail that leads through gamblers, horses, and rich ladies. Who is Whittaker, and what does an English style pub have to do with the missing Julia? With a body on his hands, Philip phones the cops to handle the murder, and returns to solving the mystery that he continues pursuing. The bodies pile up, but there’s still loose ends for Marlowe to get tied up before he can put the finger on the killer, and cut through the lies. Audio stops just short of the full explainations of the crime. Oopsie, hate it when that happens.

The retired Inspector Blair is now acting as a private investigator. After long years of putting criminals behind bars, he is now acting for the defense. A flaw is found in the case against the man locked in jail. But is there any hope? Today Blair discusses things with his wife, Margret. The evidence is stacked against the man, but a letter is key to proving who the real killer is. Blair explains why the letter is important, but by itself it’s not solid enough to present to Scotland Yard. Margret has her own secret to share about the case. Her impressions are formed by detective novels, which puts Blair off, but he’s patient enough to hear her out. Blair isn’t exasperated by much, but his wife sure does the trick. She is able to point him to a person, but he still needs a motive. Calling the new suspect in for an interview, and through some pointed questions in an interview, the killer cracks.

Inspector Blair has retired to the rural life, and finds himself in a new realm of home life. At home, his wife, Margret awaits him in his London home. He talks with his wife about his latest application of his detective prowess, finding a lost poodle. When news of a famous actress is murdered, Blair is called to return to action, and leave his social life behind for the moment. We learn a few of the details of the case, and about Blair’s life and career. For years he has been putting crooks into jail, but in this case he’s acting as a private detective to help the defendant. In interviewing the jailed suspect, Blair asks the questions that the cops forgot to ask, and it’s enough to get him started. Though there’s good evidence pointing towards the man’s guilt, Blair spots a glimmer of hope that could set his man free. The case hinges on a letter. Stay tuned for the next installment to learn if Blair finds his letter writer, and the one he suspects is the real killer.

Returning to his office, Dick Diamond encounters a man with a case. He’s looking for a man named Louis Carnes, and he needs him in 5 hours. Why does Carnes need to be found? Why the time limit? Who cares, it’s worth $500 up front, and twice that once the job is done. The voice of reason ought to warn Dick Diamond off the case, but it doesn’t. Police detective, Walter, is brought in to learn about the unusual man who came calling. Roger Vegas is a huge man with a nasty gray complexion. It isn’t hard to figure out that some sort of poisoning is involved, and the gray man is out for revenge at the attempt on his life. His investigation leads Richard to the college campus to learn what kind of debt is to be paid back. What does Prof Carnes sister know of his disappearance? Being the good detective, Diamond finds his man, now all that remains is to contact Vegas. What kind of fireworks might arise? Walter has some news on the gray complected Vegas, and how he got that way. The case becomes a race against time to prevent a murder, but who is going to die? A tale of blackmail and jealousy emerges as a motive, but no reason is worth killing some one. Note: Arthur Q Brian is Walter. Dick Powell is Richard Diamond.

A cartoonist hires Philip Marlowe to investigate a problem his assistant is having. Is it just a matter of marital infidelity? If so, Marlowe is out of here, and he’ll refuse the job. Going to talk to the wife turns up nothing, other than knowing there’s a real problem. Why is there another private investigator on the case? Soon the cartoonist ends up dead, and bodies start piling up. Will the police investigation heklp Marlowe learn the truth of the case? Danger kicks into high gear as Marlowe draws closer to the truth, and the killer. What trouble in her past won the wife the attention of a blackmailer? Why was the cantankerous cartoonist killed? In epilog, Marlowe tells all, and what the future for the assistant cartoonist and his wife may hold.

Previously, there has been two men arrested for the bank robbery at the Canada Western. The bank clerk, and the security guard. It would seem to be a cut and dried case of bank robbery, if not that the guard is a trustworthy old friend of Blair. The clues are there, and Blair is prepared to defend his friend to the hilt. Today he summarizes the facts. Both the clerk and guard tell stories that the bank manager himself ordered them away on errands, but the manager was away to deliver a speech where many people saw him. How could he be two places at once? Once the reviews and clues have been covered, Blair tells about a known bank robber that has caught his attention, and that his men are staking out. It’s all wishful thinking, but can Blair turn up solid proof, and a connection to the robbery, and the bank robber at large? You won’t want to miss out on the plot twists that the observant Inspector Blair arrives at to solve this puzzling mystery.

The documented drama of an actual crime. Travel step by step through a case from actual police files. Joe Friday and Ben Romero work the Homicide detail. Chief Ed Backstrand sends Joe and Ben on the case of a double murder. At the crime scene the brutal scene is investigated, and the murder weapon seems to be a red brick. Working with the crime lab technicians, Joe gathers all the evidence he can. Will it be enough? Through interviews of neighbors, and family members, Joe tries to locate the killer. Is he a psychopath? The profile of the killer begins to emerge through talking with the various witnesses. The cops set about the task of tightening up their dragnet and closing in on their suspect. Still, it takes days for results to creep in. Every market is checked, no stone left unturned, and the only sure thing is that the killer is somewhere within the police blockade. It comes down to the last city block, to the last apartment building, and a foot race ensues to run down the killer in the streets.

Blair talks to his partner in their quiet little town about a bank robbery case that happened back in 1904. A former mountie had retired and while a security gard at the Canada Western Bank was blamed, along with a teller for the robbery. The manager was prime suspect, but had an alibi. He had been out of town that evening. There was a suit laying on the bank floor, and a misplaced bundle of bonds laying on the floor. The former mountie swearrs the man he encountered was the bank manager. Only Blair believes his story.

A shop owner complains to Richard that his entire stock of blue serge suits has been stolen. Even further, all his stock of blue serge cloth is gone while flannel and other materials are left untouched. Is this all just a practical joke? Richard thinks there’s more to it than that, and decides to lay a trap for the burglar. There’s only one suit left, and he uses it as bait. What better way to learn who the thugs are than by wearing the suit and waiting until they come to get you? Trouble is that it’s hard to be tough in your underwear when the suit is taken at gun point. Evading the bad guys, Richard is just glad his undies aren’t made of blue serge. He has managed to get enough clues to take the case to the cops, and connections to something bigger than the local gangland scene emerges. Smugglers are operating, and using the suits to ship something out of the country. Gun battles await as Richard takes his police chief friend with him. Will they learn what is being smuggled? How does the operation work? PS: Dick Powel is Richard Diamond. Arthur Q Brian is Walt, the police chief. Also, I don’t do it often enough, but listeners should know that commercials are left in for entertainment purposes only. The Retro Radio Podcast does not endorse smoking, or get any sponsorship support from any of the ads you may hear, unless specifically mentioned by Keith or the Retrobots in person. … er, in our usual almost live comments on the Retro Original channel.

Assigned to Homicide bureau, Joe Friday investigates a shooting of a police officer. The fatally wounded officer struggles, but does his best to tell how it happened. A description of a car and driver are about all that the emotionally charged Joe Friday has to go on. Joe is uncharacteristically upset when he interrogates Vickers, the shooter, who was also wounded. The cold, and brusk attitudes of Joe and Ben give cause to Vickers to have plenty to worry about. The desperate man overcomes any injuries to make a break for it and run. Later, chief Backstrand reveals the guns found in the car were all stolen from the Army. Is there any leads on the escaped Vickers? A hotel room is discovered, and a knock down drag out fight ensues when a room full of guns is discovered. The battered cops look over reports from the lab, and connect Vickers to an accomplice, but it doesn’t explain the unprovoked murder of a police officer. There’s still another man to pick up. Will some pressure cause the suspects to rat on each other? Time is on Joe’s side as he wears down their nerve. He and Ben enjoy a casual game of cards as they wait… then the real motive behind the crime comes out. The race is on to stop a bank robbery.

A tapestry found under a tomb is about to bring danger and adventure to Philip Marlowe. Bullets fly before Philip can meet with his client, Schindler. The museum piece, and family treasure is worth a fortune, but a deadly rival makes the job interesting. A thug with a razor sharp claw for a hand confronts Marlowe, but gunshots cut the clue on his lips short. Watch out Philip, no thumps on the head, just a little chemical induced sleepy time. Waking up from the chloroform, Marlowe finds the tapestry is gone. Clues soon lead him into danger, and to the dame, and Marlowe if forced to watch both the tapestry, and the dame disappear into a cab. Philip catches up with Naomi in time to rescue the tapestry from flames, and get some truth from the woman. He did rescue the tapestry, right? Chases, rising body counts, Philip phones the police to tell all about the set up that he’s involved in. Does Marlowe have it all figured out yet? Listen as he fills in the cops with the entire mystery.

Audio is a little muffled, but good. A 22 year old girl has disappeared, and a letter signed by someone known as the Wolf demands a $30k ransom. Under the direction of chief Backstrand, Joe Friday and Ben Romero get on the case immediately. Besides the letter, there isn’t much to go on. The family receives another letter, in the form of an untraceable telegram to demand money. Should the cops stay out of it, as the letters demand? Joe and Ben drive to the location of the payoff. Will their stakeout do any good? Will the kidnapper be too slippery to catch, or will his smugness get him into trouble? More money is demanded, and more threats to the girl if the cops stay involved. Soon enough, the Wolf is identified, and is a criminal with an ax to grind against Mr Sullivan. The race to catch a wolf in a trap builds steam, and Joe narrates the dragnet operation that closes in on the kidnapper. The situation turns desparate when murder enters the picture. The community joins with the cops in the dragnet. As the trail of the killer is discovered, his days are numbered as Joe Friday and his forces close in. As often happens in real life missing persons cases, the girl had been killed within hours of her abduction,

Still reliving the past, it’s the year 1915 and Inspector Blair is serving as a special investigator during the war in France. The sounds of battle rage in the distance when a case of a spy is brought to Blair. Lieutenant Ralston is an interpreter assigned to Blair to tour the trenches, and gather intelligence. Has someone been signalling the enemy? There’s a suspicious bomb crater, but Blair hasn’t spotted any odd behavior to indicate any spies or signalling. Ralston however, reports that he saw a signal light, and the source was actually in back of the troops, where nobody was watching. The next night, Ralston shows Blair the strange light. A man is picked up, and taken in for questioning. Ralston seems to be the man of the hour, but as Blair is about to relinquish his duties he springs a surprise and accuses Ralston of being the spy. Blair reveals the trick that Ralston used to send the signals from remote control. In epilog, Blair is unsettled as he recounts the events that followed the arrest, and the military firing squad. Despite being a spy, Blair admires and respects Ralston’s bravery in facing his doom.

A woman comes to Richard for protection. She secretly witnessed her husband plotting to kill her, but there’s more to it than that. When Dick goes to investigate, he gets a thump on the head, and wakes as the prime suspect in a murder. It seems he didn’t protect his client very well, but the cops let him go to help uncover the real killer. After surviving more thumps, and rough treatment, Dick gets away and turns to the night club scene. Will the torch singer in the club be able to help with answers? With the unintended help of a cute hat check girl, Dick puts an end to his bad guy. Note: Arthur Q Brian is the police investigator. William Conrad is the business partner of the gambler, Caspary.