Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

Our salute to actors who played multiple radio detectives continues with Dick Powell, who transformed himself from a comedic crooner to a hard-boiled hero on the big screen. We'll hear him as two private Dicks - Richard Rogue from Rogue's Gallery and as Richard Diamond, Private Detective. He's Rogue in "The Triangle Murder Case" (originally aired on Mutual on February 21, 1946) and "The Corpse I Didn't Kill" (originally aired on Mutual on June 13, 1946). Then he's Diamond in episodes known as "The Mary Bellman Case" (originally aired on NBC on June 28, 1950) and "The Mike Burton Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 5, 1950) . Plus, we'll hear him as a third radio sleuth in the 1948 audition recording for Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Supergirl flies back to the big screen this summer (with a cameo from her cousin from Metropolis), and to celebrate we present an epic radio adventure of the Man of Steel. From the spring and summer of 1947, it's "Superman vs. Kryptonite," a story that begins when an old enemy of Superman's comes into possession of the hero's Achilles heel. We'll hear the first five parts of the story - episodes that originally aired on Mutual between May 14 and May 20, 1947.

For June, we're spotlighting stars who played multiple detectives on the air and our first leading man is Tom Conway. In 1946, he took over the deerstalker cap from Basil Rathbone on The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and in 1951, he donned Simon Templar's halo as Vincent Price's replacement on The Saint. We'll hear Conway as Holmes - with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson - in "The Darlington Substitution" (originally aired on ABC on January 4, 1947) and "The Adventure of the Scarlet Worm" (originally aired on ABC on March 24, 1947). Then, he's the Saint in "The Children's Crusade" (originally aired on NBC on May 27, 1951) and "No, My Darling Daughter" (originally aired on NBC on July 15, 1951).

Our month-long spotlight series on mystery writers concludes with John Dickson Carr, master of the locked room mystery who was recently referenced in Wake Up Dead Man. We'll hear some thrillers penned by Carr for Suspense as well as episodes of his own mystery anthology series Cabin B-13. From Suspense, it's "The Burning Court" (originally aired on CBS on June 17, 1942) and the first half of "The Hangman Won't Wait," starring Sydney Greenstreet as Carr's amateur sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell (originally aired on CBS on March 30, 1943). And from Cabin B-13, we'll hear "The Bride Vanishes" (originally aired on CBS on December 12, 1948).

For this month's bonus episode, we're back on Baker Street for my five favorite radio adaptations of Sherlock Holmes adventures penned by Arthur Conan Doyle. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce star in "The Speckled Band" (originally aired on Mutual on November 12, 1945), and Bruce and Tom Conway star in "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" (originally aired on ABC on February 3, 1947). Then, John Stanley and Alfred Shirley are Holmes and Watson in "The Red Headed League" and "The Sussex Vampire" (originally aired on October 12 and December 14, 1947). Finally, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson take center stage in a British radio production of "A Scandal in Bohemia."