Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

We kick off a new month-long series saluting the great Jack Webb in honor of his April 2nd birthday, and we're starting with Pat Novak for Hire - his ultra-hard boiled series that put him on the map. Novak never looked for trouble but always found it on the San Francisco waterfront, and we'll hear him try to keep his head above water in four radio mysteries: "Jack of Clubs" (originally aired on ABC on February 20, 1949); "Fleet Lady" (originally aired on ABC on March 6, 1949); "John St. John" (originally aired on ABC on May 21, 1949); and "Agnes Bolton" (originally aired on ABC on June 4, 1949).

Easter is almost here, and we've got a pair of old time radio mysteries with a twist on the bunny and his basket. Lon Clark stars as Nick Carter, Master Detective in "The Case of the Chemical Chickens," a story of explosive eggs (originally aired on Mutual on April 13, 1947). Then, a rabbit farm that ends up the scene of a murder as Sydney Greenstreet and Larry Dobkin star in "The Case of the Brave Rabbit" from The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (originally aired on NBC on December 1, 1950).

For the final installment in our month-long series of Oscar-winning radio detective stars, we shine the spotlight on Van Heflin. The star of Shane and 3:10 to Yuma won his Best Supporting Actor prize for his work in Johnny Eager, but on radio he starred as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe in the character's first regular series. We'll hear him as the Los Angeles gumshoe in three radio mysteries - "Red Wind" (originally aired on NBC on June 17, 1947), "The King in Yellow" (originally aired on NBC on July 8, 1947), and "Robin and the Hood" (originally aired on NBC on August 19, 1947). Plus, Heflin pinch hits for Herbert Marshall on The Man Called X (originally aired on NBC on May 25, 1951).

A new baseball season begins this week, and we're throwing out a ceremonial radio first pitch with a pair of mysteries set around the diamond. First, Boston Blackie investigates when a player is murdered in the middle of a game in a syndicated mystery starring Richard Kollmar. Then, Vincent Price investigates a gang of crooked gamblers out to fix some ballgames in "Baseball Murder" from The Saint (originally aired on NBC on September 3, 1950).

Our series of Oscar-winning radio detective stars continues with Edmond O'Brien, who took home the Best Supporting Actor prize for The Barefoot Contessa and who picked up another well-deserved nomination for Seven Days in May. O'Brien was the second actor to star as Johnny Dollar - "the man with the action-packed expense account" - and we'll hear him in four of Dollar's radio adventures: "The Richard Splain Matter" (originally aired on CBS on October 7, 1950; "The Byron Hayes Matter" (originally aired on CBS on March 24, 1951); "The Hatchet House Theft" (originally aired on CBS on June 27, 1951); and "The Horace Lockhart Matter" (originally aired on CBS August 1, 1951).