Old Time Radio's Greatest Detectives
From Radio Spirits
ISBN: 1-57019-063-1
20 audio cassettes, for 30 hours of play time
Genre: Detective Stories
Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness - May 31, 2002
Of all the radio show genres, adventure and detective stories were, and are, perhaps the most popular. If you are like me, it is impossible to pick just one favorite detective series. After all, there were so many phenomenal series on the radio! Before the voting starts, I heartily recommend that you enter your family's time machine and go back about sixty years and listen to all your old favorites again. What! You don't have a time machine? Never fear. Radio Spirits has a solution...their new collection of 60 episodes from some of the greatest old-time radio detective shows.
This new collection, Old-Time Radio's Greatest Detectives contains 60 episodes with three episodes each from 20 different detective shows, including:
The Adventures of Philip Marlow, starring Gerald Mohr
Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator, starring William Gargan
Richard Diamond, Private Detective, starring Dick Powell
Rogue's Gallery, starring Dick Powell
The Saint, one episode starring Vincent Prince, and two starring Barry Sullivan
The Shadow, starring Bill Johnstone
Sherlock Holmes, starring John Stanley and Alfred Shirley
Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring Joel McCrea
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, starring Edmond O'Brien
This collection comes in a sturdy collector's case, and it is greatly complimented by the addition of a 64-page booklet by Anthony Tollin that provides historical insights in the various programs, and the actors that played in them. Included in this book is a collection of vintage photographs showing behind the scene shots of the shows being recorded, and portraits of many of the actors who starred in the shows contained in this amazing collection. Without exception the sound quality of these shows, which aired from about 1939 to 1954 is excellent.
This collection also has something for everyone. For example, Gangbusters features stories about G-men (the FBI), Boston Blackie featured 'real crooks', Dragnet about police detectives, Richard Diamond, Philo Vance, and Pat Novak are just a few of the many private detectives in this collection, and of course, what collection can be complete without Sherlock Holmes - the master detective of them all. In addition, series such as Dragnet and tales of the Texas Rangers were based on real life cases. Whether you are a fan of old-time radio or not, if you like detective stories, you will find this collection fascinating.
Related Reviews:
The Best of Old Time Radio: Alfred Hitchcock.
This collection was compiled by the Smithsonian Institute and Radio Spirits, and it offers the listener a selection of stories directed by Hitchcock himself, as well as radio adaptations of many of Hitchcock's most famous films. (Audio)
Dragnet on Radio
This collection of Dragnet on Radio shows includes 60 episodes from the 1952-1954 seasons, starring Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday and Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith. (Audio)
