Old Time Radio Detective Shows You May Enjoy

By: Brad Bryson

Do you like a good detective show? Maybe you watch them on TV or rent DVDs. But, have you ever thought about listening to an old time radio detective show? There are a lot of old radio shows that you might really enjoy. Here are just a few of them.

Dragnet: This show, which ran from 1949 to 1957 was at one time one of the most popular radio shows on the air. Many thousands of listeners tuned in to hear the familiar "The story you are about to hear is true; only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." Jack Webb played Sargent Friday, just like on the later TV series. Webb wanted to make the show as realistic as possible and did such things such as using the LAPD's actual radio call sign. The shows featured all kinds of crimes that you might find in any big city. Listen along as Friday and his partner solve them all.

The Adventures of Ellery Queen: The show aired on all three major networks from 1939 to 1940. Hugh Marlowe played the title role. The fun thing about this series was that after you heard the mystery performed, Ellery would give his celebrity guests the chance to solve it. He'd ask them if they knew who did it and listen to their response. Most of the time they would guess wrong and then he would explain who had done it and why. Can you solve the crime before the end of the show?

Here are some other great old time radio shows I can recommend to you:

How to Kill Rudy - Rudy is just an average joe who loves a good murder mystery written by crime novelist Mace Hacker. Rudy notices that all of Mace Hackers stories seem to take place in reality shortly after the books have been written. When he learns of a book in the series he had never read, Rudy obtains a copy only to find what appears to be a forecast of his future. Is life imitating art or is Rudy just going mad?

The Whistler - The Perfect Alibi - A man's attempt to get his woman out of blackmail by killing her blackmailer and suppling himself with a perfect alibi...which in typical Whistler fashion goes horribly awry.

The Shadow - Temple bells of Nebum - The shadow goes up against a group selling drugs, one of which (a woman of india) holds the key to exposing the secrets of The Shadow. Will the Shadow bring the drug sellers to justice, or will the Shadow fall into shadow?

Rocky Jordan - Gold Fever - A mysterious phone call leads Rocky to an old friend who's been shot. There's a gold mine up for grabs and people will kill to get it.

Cabin B13 - Bill and Brenda Leslie - While vacationing in London, Scottland Yard informs Bill Leslie that he is an exact double for a wanted murder. See what happens when Bill takes matters into his own hands.

The Shadow - Death Prowls At Night - While vacationing at a ski lodge Margo is kidnapped and taken to a creepy sanitarium. Can the Shadow get to her in time? Find out now!

My all time personal favorite is: Suspense - On A Country Road - A couple finds themselves stranded on an isolated country road at night in the middle of a storm. If that's not bad enough... There is a murderer on the loose that just escaped from a mental institution! Starring Cary Grant. Original broadcast 1950.

These are just a few of the great shows you can enjoy when you enter the exciting world of old time radio.