Detectives on the Air
Detectives on the Air: Classic Radio Sleuths from the Golden AgeStep into the world of shadowy alleys, smoky offices, and cunning criminals with Detectives on the Air—your portal to the greatest detective dramas from the golden age of radio. Join iconic sleuths like Johnny Dollar, Richard Diamond, Philip Marlowe, Philo Vance, and more as they solve thrilling mysteries and navigate the noir landscapes of classic crime. Each episode brings you a timeless tale of intrigue, suspense, and old-time detective work, perfect for fans of vintage radio and true crime. Rediscover these radio legends, and let their gripping stories captivate yo...
Episodes
The Alonzo Chapman Matter: A Blonde, A Bar, A Bullet
Originally Aired: July 4, 1951 When insurance investigator Johnny Dollar arrives in Los Angeles, he’s greeted by the shocking news of Alonzo Chapman’s murder—gunned down in an alley after a chance meeting with a blonde named Norma Sayle. Wh…
The Hatchet House Theft Matter: A Texas Widow, An English Garden, A Servant’s Confession
Originally Aired: June 27, 1951 When a $100,000 jewelry heist shocks the historic Hatchet House estate in the English countryside, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is dispatched to London. The prime suspect is Marcella Scott, a glamorou…
The Malcolm Wish, M.D. Matter: A Disappearance, a Dangerous Age
Originally Aired: June 20, 1951 When Dr. Malcolm Wish vanishes after a mysterious late-night call, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is dispatched to San Francisco to look into the matter. Wish’s wife insists she only wants to know he’s …
The Arthur Boldrick Matter: A Deathbed Confession and a Tangled Web
Originally Aired: June 16, 1951 When Arthur Boldrick is found clinging to life after a backyard shooting, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is brought in to unravel the mystery. At first, Boldrick claims he was attacked by a stranger dem…
The George Farmer Matter: Ashes of a Plan, Embers of Deceit
Originally Aired: June 9, 1951 In The George Farmer Matter, Johnny Dollar investigates what appears to be a tragic accident—a man burned to death in a cabin fire during a solo vacation in the Catskills. But when two key witnesses—the insura…
The Soderbury, Maine Matter: A Town’s Silence, A Rifle’s Truth
Originally Aired: June 2, 1951 In The Soderbury, Maine Matter, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar journeys to a quiet New England town after the murder of Gordon Soderberry, a wealthy industrialist and divisive figure. As Dollar untangles…
The Lillis Bond Matter: A Father’s Regret, A Lover’s Betrayal
Originally Aired: May 26, 1951 In The Lillis Bond Matter, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is dispatched to Chicago to trace the mysterious disappearance of Henry Lillis, a young bank messenger who vanished along with $80,000 in cash. A…
The Virginia Towne Matter: A Cab Driver’s Loyalty, A Dancer’s Dilemma
Originally Aired: May 5, 1951 In The Virginia Towne Matter, Johnny Dollar is called to New York by Plymouth Insurance to recover a stolen collection of women’s jewelry, allegedly taken by a former showgirl named Virginia Towne. The case, ho…
The Month-End Raid Matter: Robbery, Revenge, and the Kansas City Sting
Originally Aired: April 28, 1951 A daring $250,000 armored truck robbery after a month-end sale at the Andover department stores sends insurance investigator Johnny Dollar to Kansas City, where violence has already claimed two lives. As Joh…
The Willard South Matter: Death at Sea, Secrets on Shore
Originally Aired: April 21, 1951 When insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is dispatched to the Virgin Islands, he expects to unravel the mystery of a missing couple and a deserted boat. Willard South and his wife Georgina have vanished dur…
The Mickey McQueen Matter: A Cop’s Final Beat, A City’s Deepest Secrets
Originally Aired: April 14, 1951When beloved Hartford beat cop Mickey McQueen calls Johnny Dollar late at night, his words are heavy with dread: “There’ll be murder before it’s finished.” By morning, Mickey is dead—apparently by suicide, bu…
The Edward French Matter: Tea, Treachery, and the Shadow of the Jungle
Originally Aired: April 7, 1951 When insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is sent to Chicago, he’s tasked with looking into the disappearance of Edward French, an American who vanished while managing a tea plantation in British Malaya. What…
The Jackie Cleaver Matter: Witness on the Run, Truth in the Shadows
Originally Aired: March 31, 1951When insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is hired by a West Coast adjuster to locate Jackie Cleaver, the beneficiary of a $40,000 policy, he quickly discovers she’s more than just hard to find—she’s a woman …
The Stanley Springs Matter: Smuggling, Silence, and a Deadly Desert Secret
Originally Aired: March 10, 1951 When Johnny Dollar is dispatched to the isolated desert town of Stanley Springs, he expects to quietly investigate a suspicious letter accusing the Stanley Springs Company of illegal activity across the Mexi…
The Celia Woodstock Matter: Lies, Love, and a Vanishing Bride
Originally Aired: March 3, 1951When Celia Woodstock vanishes without a trace, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is drawn into a maze of deception, jealousy, and hidden pasts. Captain Lyle Woodstock, her much older and adventurous husband…
The Jarvis Wilder Matter: A Ranch, a Rifle, and a Widow’s Secret
Originally Aired: February 24, 1951When Johnny Dollar arrives in Farmington, New Mexico to investigate the killing of rancher Jarvis Wilder, the case seems cut and dried—his widow, Alma Wilder, has confessed. But something doesn’t sit right…
The David Rockey Matter: A Sailor’s Fortune, a Murder in the Shadows
Originally Aired: January 20, 1951In The David Rockey Matter, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is dispatched to the remote Nicaraguan port of San Juan del Sur to locate seaman David Rockey, the unexpected heir to a million-and-a-half do…
The Port-O-Call Matter: Robbery, Ruses, and a Cabby’s Secret
Originally Aired: January 13, 1951When three San Francisco branches of the Port-O-Call Loan Company are robbed in a coordinated morning spree, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is dispatched by Great Eastern Insurance to track down the c…
The Leland Blackburn Matter: Secrets Behind Southern Grace
Originally Aired: December 16, 1950When Johnny Dollar is dispatched to Charleston to investigate the murder of fellow insurance investigator Gene Reimer, he uncovers a deeper web of deceit tied to an old Southern family. Gene had been looki…
The Woodward, Manila, Matter: Shadows Over the South Pacific
Originally Aired: November 25, 1950In The Woodward, Manila, Matter, Johnny Dollar travels to the Philippines to investigate the theft of $75,000 from an American-owned hardware store. The trail leads him through the bustling streets of Mani…
The Nora Faulkner Matter
Originally Aired: November 18, 1950 When a woman named Nora Faulkner tries to take out a $200,000 life insurance policy in Los Angeles, the sales agent’s unease prompts the company to call in insurance investigator Johnny Dollar. What begin…
The Adam Kegg Matter: A Jilted Lover’s Revenge
Originally Aired: November 11, 1950 In The Adam Kegg Matter, insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is called to New York to quietly investigate a $125,000 jewel theft involving the wealthy and abrasive theatrical producer Adam Kegg. Though t…
The Queen Anne Pistols Matter: Murder, Blackmail, and the Ghost of a Duke
Originally Aired: November 4, 1950 In The Queen Anne Pistols Matter, Johnny Dollar is assigned to escort a pair of antique pistols from Hartford to Boston—simple enough, until he’s ambushed in a web of lies, blackmail, and international mur…
The Joan Sebastian Matter: Secrets Beneath the Surface
When a young woman’s body is found beneath a quiet bridge in Boston, Johnny Dollar is sent to determine whether her death was suicide or something more sinister. Joan Sebastian, only 21 and recently freed from the burdens of caring for her …
The Jack Madigan Matter: Secrets in the Attic
Johnny Dollar travels to the New England coast to investigate a mysterious insurance claim tied to a dilapidated mansion and its eccentric, reclusive owner—Jack Madigan. Once a famed Broadway producer, Madigan now lives in seclusion with a …
The Yankee Pride Matter: Sabotage in Singapore
Johnny Dollar is sent halfway around the world to investigate a stalled freighter in Singapore—along with a growing insurance liability. What begins as a case of mechanical delays turns deadly when a local insurance adjuster is murdered. As…
The Richard Splain Matter: No Body, No Alibi
When Johnny Dollar is sent to investigate a brutal scene of violence with no body, he finds himself unraveling the strange life—and death—of Richard Splain, a ship carpenter with a double life. As Johnny digs into Splain’s shadowy network o…
The Howard Caldwell Matter: The Price of Protection
Johnny Dollar heads west to track down Howard Caldwell, a missing young man whose mother insists he’s dead—but the facts tell a much different story. As Johnny investigates, he uncovers a tragic tale of a sheltered youth drawn into the seed…
The Virginia Beach Matter: Death Comes to the Shore
Johnny Dollar heads to Virginia Beach to protect Janice Browning, a woman fearing revenge from her ex-convict fiancé, Mark Robeson. But the case takes a chilling turn when Johnny discovers that Robeson is no ordinary criminal—he’s a dangero…
The Trans-Pacific Import-Export Company: Flames of Deceit
Johnny Dollar journeys to Hong Kong to investigate a suspicious $250,000 insurance claim filed by the Trans-Pacific Import-Export Company after a devastating fire. As Johnny navigates the crowded, chaotic streets of Kowloon, he uncovers evi…
The Mickey McQueen Matter: Murder on the Beat
Johnny Dollar faces one of his most personal cases yet when his old friend, Hartford patrolman Mickey McQueen, is found dead—an apparent suicide. But Johnny isn’t buying it. As he digs deeper, he uncovers a tangled web involving Mickey’s yo…
The Hartford Alliance Matter: Ashes and Alibis
When a four-alarm blaze guts the Hartford Alliance building, Johnny Dollar is called in to investigate a suspicious fire that nearly kills a team of firefighters. But what starts as a simple arson case quickly turns into a layered mystery i…
The Blood River Matter: Lynch Mob Justice
Johnny Dollar travels to the remote town of Blood River to investigate the shooting of local legend Max Colburn. With no transportation into town, hostile locals, and a dying witness, Johnny faces a tangled web of secrets, suspicion, and ve…
The Henry J. Unger Matter: Framed by a Ghost
Johnny Dollar takes on what seems like a routine protection detail when Henry J. Unger—a man Johnny helped send to prison five years earlier—is released and starts making threats. But what begins as a simple assignment turns into a terrifyi…
The Calgary Matter: A Criminal Mind Unveiled
Johnny Dollar is pulled into a mysterious payroll robbery in Camden, linked to the secretive Calgary Products case. When an anonymous tip offers to crack the case wide open, Johnny finds himself chasing leads from Bridgeport to Boston, New …
The Belo-Horizonte Railroad: Tracks of Deception
Johnny Dollar travels deep into Brazil to investigate a string of deadly train crashes on the Belo-Horizonte Railroad. With four locomotives wrecked and 20 lives lost, the case points to either tragic accidents or cold-blooded sabotage. As …
The Barbara James Matter: A Deadly Love Triangle
Johnny Dollar heads to Denver to investigate the disappearance—and possible murder—of Barbara James, a young woman who traded Hollywood dreams for marriage to a much older millionaire. As Johnny peels back layers of deception, he finds a ta…
The London Matter: Smuggling Across the Atlantic
Johnny Dollar is sent on a transatlantic voyage to track down a high-stakes narcotics smuggling operation. Posing as an insurance investigator, Johnny boards a luxury liner bound for London, where a shipment of trunks hides more than just e…
The Arrowcraft Matter: Sinking Secrets
Johnny Dollar heads to Newport Beach, California, to investigate the mysterious sinkings of three Arrowcraft pleasure boats, each with no survivors. With lawsuits piling up and millions in liability at stake, Johnny joins a late-night searc…
The Caligio Diamond Matter: Murder in the Spotlight
Johnny Dollar is called to Hartford to investigate the theft of the $200,000 Caligio Diamond and the murder of its owner, Charles Benson. As Johnny navigates a labyrinth of suspects, from a grieving daughter to a suspicious lawyer and a sca…