Old Time Radio Crime & Detective Tales - VarietyFiction

Old Time Radio detectives and crime - sleuths from the golden age of radio. A fun variety of radio series featuring detectives, crime, mystery and police procedurals. Featuring Nick Carter, Johnny Dollar, Box 13, Rocky Jordan, Dragnet, Philip Marlowe, Richard Diamond, Sam Spade, Rocky Fortune and MANY more.


Old Time Radio Crime & Detectives

The Broken Wing - Rocky Jordan | 07/10/1949 (Ep036)

Tue, 27 Jan 2026
Rocky Jordan was a radio series about an American restaurateur in Cairo who each week became involved in some kind of mystery or adventure. The show was broadcast between 1948 and 1951. The two lead roles were Rocky Jordan and Captain Sam Sabaaya of the Cairo Police. For most of the show's history Jordan was played by veteran radio actor Jack Moyles, but he was later replaced by a movie star, George Raft, for the brief period in 1951. Jay Novello played Sabaaya throughout the entire series.

Hope you enjoy this episode of Rocky Jordan! Find more classic radio series at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group. - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon

Speed To Burn - Box 13 | 06/26/1949 (Ep45)

Mon, 26 Jan 2026
Box 13 is a syndicated radio drama about the escapades of newspaperman-turned-mystery novelist Dan Holiday, played by film star Alan Ladd. It ran during 1948 and 1949. The episodes involved Holiday running classified ads to get new ideas for his fiction. "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything – write Box 13, Star-Times". The episodes followed Holiday's adventures when he responded to the letters sent to him.

Hope you enjoy this episode of Box 13! Find more classic radio series at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group. - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon

Murder By Threes - Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator | 10/08/1952

Sun, 25 Jan 2026
Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator was an old-time radio detective drama that aired on NBC from 1951 to 1955. The series starred William Gargan as Barrie Craig, a suave, laid-back private investigator who operated from a Madison Avenue office in New York City. Unlike the stereotypical "hard-boiled" private eyes of the era, Craig was known for his calm, methodical approach and professionalism, with his business motto being "your man when you can't go to the cops—confidentiality a specialty." Each episode featured Craig solving various mysteries, from routine missing persons cases to complex conspiracies, often working alongside his police contact, Lt. Travis Rogers.

Hope you enjoy this episode of Box 13! Find more classic radio series at theaterofthemind-otr.com - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon

A Seaside Sabbatical - Philip Marlowe | 07/07/1951 (Ep104)

Sat, 24 Jan 2026
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was a radio series featuring Raymond Chandler as Philip Marlowe. He was a gritty, no nonsense American, hard-boiled detective; however, he was more complex than other hard-boiled detectives of the era. "Hard-boiled" refers to a gritter urban element to the detective genre. Marlowe could handle a gun and take a beating, but he was also college educated. He played chess and appreciated classical music. He had standards too, and he turned down jobs that didn't measure up to those standards.

Hope you enjoy this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe! Find more classic radio series at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group. - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon

The Stolen Purse - Richard Diamond | 05/22/1949 (Ep05)

Fri, 23 Jan 2026
Richard Diamond, Private Detective was an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953. Dick Powell starred as Richard Diamond in the radio series as a wisecracking former police officer turned private detective. Episodes often had Diamond taking on a case at the behest of his friend and former partner, Lt. Walter Levinson. The plot remained relatively unchanged throughout the series, with the hard-boiled Diamond enduring physical confrontations while tackling a challenging murder investigation, aided by the police department. Notably, despite the numerous gun battles, Diamond was never injured by gunfire. Most episodes end with Diamond at the piano, singing a popular song to his girlfriend, Helen Asher. This radio program was later adapted successfully to television. 

Hope you enjoy the episode of Richard Diamond! Find all our OTR radio stations and podcasts at theaterofthemind-otr.com - Audio Credit: The Old Time Radio Researchers Group - All Podcasts @ Spreaker | Apple | YouTube | iHeart | Amazon | Spotify

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