Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

A miner's strike can yield silver, diamonds, or even gold…but those valuable finds can also lead to murder as our heroes discover this week. We'll hear a trio of radio detectives investigating cases that bring them to (and sometimes in) treacherous mines to hunt for clues instead of ore. Philip Marlowe hunts for a thief in a Mexican diamond mine in "The Unfair Lady" (originally aired on CBS on June 4, 1949); Simon Templar comes to the aid of a woman with a newly acquired silver mine in "The Saint Goes Underground" (originally aired on Mutual on July 31, 1949); and Johnny Dollar investigates whether a fatal mine cave-in was an accident or murder in the five-part mystery "The Midas Touch Matter" (originally aired on CBS between July 2 and July 6, 1956).

Before they starred (or sometimes while they were starring) in their own radio detective shows, some actors made guest appearances on other mystery programs. Today we'll hear four of them in the supporting cast instead of the lead role. Before Dragnet, Jack Webb joins a scavenger hunt with Alan Ladd in "The Better Man" from Box 13; Charles Russell takes a break from his work as Johnny Dollar for an appearance in "The Million Dollar Chopsticks" from The Green Lama (originally aired on CBS on June 26, 1949); Gerald Mohr hangs up his Philip Marlowe hat in "The Mike Burton Case" from Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on July 5, 1950); and two detectives - Larry Thor of Broadway is My Beat and Stacy Harris of This is Your FBI - co-star with Bob Bailey in "The Big Scoop Matter" from Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (originally aired on CBS on November 11, 1956).

With a slight delay, we wrap up our celebration of Batman Day with the concluding chapters of "The Secret of Meteor Island." This Superman radio adventure brought in Batman and Robin to help the Man of Steel hunt for a smuggler whose cargo of radioactive diamonds is wreaking havoc on Metropolis. We'll hear the final installments, originally aired on Mutual between June 24 and July 6, 1948.

As a new school year gets underway, we head to Yale for the exploits of star athlete and adventurer Frank Merriwell. The all-American hero first appeared in pulp novels and later came to radio and the big screen with stories of derring-do on and off the field. We'll hear some of his adventures with Lawson Zerbe starring as Frank: "The Clue of the Numbers" (originally aired on NBC on October 19, 1946); "The Stolen Masterpiece" (originally aired on NBC on June 5, 1948); "The Unwelcome Rescue" (originally aired on NBC on July 3, 1948); and "The Live Ghost" (originally aired on NBC on September 11, 1948).

This week, we collect ten a day and expenses with the Lyon's Eye(s) and the three actors who played Jeff Regan, Investigator. The gumshoe was first played by Jack Webb in a style not dissimilar from Pat Novak For Hire and he was succeeded in the role by Frank Graham with some pinch hitting by Paul Dubov. We'll hear all three play the role of Regan in "The Too Many Mrs. Rogers" (originally aired on CBS on October 9, 1948); "The Barefoot Boy With Shoes Gone" (AFRS rebroadcast from January 25, 1950); and "The Man Behind the Rod" (AFRS rebroadcast from April 12, 1950).

Note: Some dental surgery prevented recording a new episode, so enjoy this encore from 2025 featuring several different actors starring as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe! Many actors have brought Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe to life. Humphrey Bogart, Elliot Gould, Danny Glover, and Liam Neeson are just a few of the men to portray the legendary private eye on the big and small screens, but today we'll hear four actors who played Marlowe on radio. First, Van Heflin is Marlowe in a radio adaptation of Chandler's "Red Wind" (originally aired on NBC on June 17, 1947). Next, Robert Montgomery reprises the role of Marlowe as The Lux Radio Theatre adapts "Lady in the Lake" (originally aired on CBS on February 9, 1948). Dick Powell steps back into the gumshoe's shoes in a Hollywood Star Time presentation of "Murder, My Sweet" (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1946). Finally, Gerald Mohr proves "crime is a sucker's road" in "The Uneasy Head" (originally aired on CBS on June 6, 1950).

Bad guys left some clues in San Francisco, and our collection of local sleuths won't let the crooks get away with their crimes. We wrap up our month of cross-country travel with heroes from the city by the bay. First, we'll hear "The Murder of Gregory Hood" from The Casebook of Gregory Hood (originally aired on Mutual on June 17, 1946) and Natalie Masters as Candy Matson in "The Cable Car Murder Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 7, 1949). Next, Jack Webb is on the waterfront beat in "George Lampson" from Pat Novak For Hire (originally aired on ABC on June 11, 1949). Howard Duff stars as Sam Spade in "The Prodigal Daughter Case" (originally aired on CBS on August 28, 1949). And finally, the cops of The Line-Up tackle "The Big Boy's Brutish Back-Bending Case" (AFRS rebroadcast from April 29, 1952).

Supergirl flies back to the big screen this summer (with a cameo from her cousin from Metropolis), and to celebrate we present an epic radio adventure of the Man of Steel. From the spring and summer of 1947, it's "Superman vs. Kryptonite," a story that begins when an old enemy of Superman's comes into possession of the hero's Achilles heel. We'll hear the first five parts of the story - episodes that originally aired on Mutual between May 14 and May 20, 1947.