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Welcome to Down These Mean Streets, a weekly trip back to the Golden Age of Radio where we rub elbows with the era's greatest private eyes, cops, and crime-fighters. Since 2013, I've been podcasting everything from cozy mysteries to police procedurals, spotlighting characters ranging from hard boiled gumshoes to amateur sleuths. 

Be sure to tune in each Sunday for adventures of a radio detective and the behind-the-scenes stories of their shows. Join me as we spend time with Sam Spade, Johnny Dollar, Sgt. Joe Friday, and more!

Jan 31, 2016

Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason, brings you A Life in Your Hands – a courtroom mystery drama that puts you in the middle of a murder trial. Follow Jonathan Kegg – neither prosecutor nor defense lawyer, but amicus curiae – an impartial observer dedicated to finding the truth. Kegg questions...


Jan 24, 2016

Leonidas Witherall runs a prestigious boys school, writes a popular detective series, and is a dead ringer for William Shakespeare. He’s also an amateur detective who can’t help stumbling into mystery and murder. From the pages of novels by Alice Tilton comes The Adventures of Leonidas Witherall, starring celebrated...


Jan 17, 2016

Craig Rice blended hard-boiled mystery and screwball comedy in the exploits of John J. Malone. The hard-drinking, rumpled criminal defense attorney played private eye to solve his cases in mysteries that were in a league of their own. The zanier elements of his character were toned down when he came to radio in The...


Jan 10, 2016

We salute actor Stephen Dunne, the second man to wear Sam Spade’s trench coat on radio. After struggling to break out of bit parts on the big screen, Dunne found success on radio in a number of shows. In 1950, after rumors of Communist ties cost Howard Duff the gig, Dunne stepped into the role of Sam Spade and put his...


Jan 3, 2016

The Saint hit radio in January 1945, but Leslie Charteris’ “Robin Hood of Modern Crime” didn’t find long-lasting success on the air until 1947 when big screen star Vincent Price donned Simon Templar’s halo. In honor of his radio anniversary, we’ll hear two mysteries starring the Saint. Price is Templar in...