Gentlemen Detectives of Old Time Radio|Mystery Audio Dramas

By Adam Graham

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Subscribers: 34
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Episodes: 48

Description

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio presents the adventures of several amateur gentleman detectives who solve crimes with their wits and for the thrill of it.

A Life In Your Hands

The forgotten, underrated Erle Stanley Gardener-created radio series A Life in Your Hands remains a diamond in the rough. It was a summer replacement for NBC in four different seasons with three different actors playing the lead role.

In many ways, it was a legal fantasy. Jonathan Kegg, a wealthy lawyer who was allowed to enter cases as amicus curiae, a friend of the court.  He would enter the courtroom representing neither prosecution nor defense and would cross-examine witnesses in order to determine what really happened. He’d never take a fee and never had a client other than truth.

While Gardner didn’t write the scripts, it reflected his high ideals. In real life, he and some colleagues worked for The Court of Last Resort, which would come to the aid of people who they believed may have been wrongfully accused. They would use all of their resources to uncover injustices, and if they found new evidence to suggest innocence, they’d fight to clear the innocent. .

Over four summers, A Life in Your Hands was an interesting, stimulating, and educational mystery program that’s well worth listening to for radio fans today.

The Casebook of Gregory Hood:

The Casebook of Gregory Hood began as a summer replacement for Sherlock Holmes over Mutual written by Sherlock Holmes writers Denis Green and Anthony Boucher.  When Sherlock Holmes didn’t return, the series continued to air through the whole 1946-47 season and would return in 1948 with Elliot Lewis in the lead before moving to ABC and continuing to air episodes into the 1950s.

The series followed the adventures of Gregory Hood, a suave San Francisco importer who also found himself often constantly involved in homicides. He’s aided in his adventure by aide the more down-to-earth company attorney Sanderson Taylor.

The Private Files of Rex Saunders:

Rex Harrison was a popular actor in the 1950s (though he’s most remembered for his work in the 1960s) and so NBC gave him his own radio series, as they did to many well-known stars during the first few years of the 1950s.

In many ways, the series bore a strong similarity to the previous Bulldog Drummond series as Rex Saunders travels works with an assistant helping out damsels in distress. Rex Saunders even has the same foghorn opening. as Bulldog DrummondThe series lasted fourteen weeks and ended abruptly with the final episode announcing details of a fifteenth-week program that would never be aired. The strength of the series is Harrison’s charisma and a few clever writing touches.

Also featured in this feed are rare episodes featuring detective adventures with characters such as the Lone Wolf (Michael Lanyard) and A.J. Raffles as well as an audition for a series starring John Dehner as a crime-solving ex-judge.

Adam Graham hosts these old time radio episodes and they were originally released as part of The Great Detectives of Old TIme Radio podcast.

Episode Date
Raffles: Murder Signs Its Name
Dec 26, 2025
Raffles: Imposter
Dec 19, 2025
The Judge: The Death of the Playboy
Dec 12, 2025
The Lone Wolf: The Golden Santa
Dec 05, 2025
Suspense: Murder Goes For a Swim
Nov 28, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: When They Track Down…The Human Game
Nov 21, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: Worth More Than Its Weight In Murder
Nov 14, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: Unto Death Do Us Part
Nov 07, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: When Murder Is Along as a Silent Companion
Oct 31, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: Hidden Thoughts In A Feminine Mind . . . Concerned with Murder
Oct 24, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: The Most Malignant of Diseases . . . Namely, Murder
Oct 17, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Suanders: A Murder Deep in the Killer’s Mind
Oct 10, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: A Trip to the Death House
Oct 03, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: The Plan in the Killer’s Mind
Sep 26, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: High Dividends…Or Shallow Graves
Sep 19, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: When You Play The Game…With Death
Sep 12, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: Diamonds Can Be Done….To Death
Sep 05, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: A Shocking Still Life
Aug 28, 2025
The Private Files of Rex Saunders: The Lady with Hate in Her Heart
Aug 21, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Carnival of Death
Aug 14, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: Fifth Avenue
Aug 01, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The White Masters
Jul 25, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Eloquent Corpse
Jul 18, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Sad Clown
Jul 11, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: Gregory Hood, Suspect
Jul 04, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Double Diamond
Jun 27, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Forgetful Murderer
Jun 20, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: Death from The Red Capsule
Jun 13, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: South of the Border
Jun 06, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Derringer Society
May 30, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: Murder in Celluloid
May 23, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Adventure of the Beeswax Candle
May 16, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Murder of Gregory Hood
May 09, 2025
The Casebook of the Gregory Hood: The Black Museum
May 02, 2025
The Casebook of Gregory Hood: The Three Silver Pesos
Apr 25, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: Alderman Murdered
Apr 18, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: Professor Allenby Murdered
Apr 11, 2025
A Life in Your Hand: Captain Mendosa’s Treasure
Apr 04, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: Murder in the Eye Doctor’s Office
Mar 28, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: The Randall Marsden Murder
Mar 21, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: Truck Engine Murder
Mar 14, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: Gangster Murdered
Mar 07, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: Judge Cook Murdered
Feb 28, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: Carl Fortune
Feb 21, 2025
A Life In Your Hands: The Arson Case
Feb 14, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: Carol Carson Murdered
Feb 07, 2025
A Life in Your Hands: The Rooming House Murder
Jan 31, 2025
A Life in Your Hands:The Final Curtain Call
Jan 24, 2025