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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!

Apr 29, 2020

Two classic comedy pairs headline our midweek bonus episode. First, Bud and Lou perform some of their classic routines in an episode of The Abbott and Costello Show (originally aired on NBC on February 27, 1947). Then, Dean and Jerry welcome guest Henry Fonda to The Martin and Lewis Show (originally aired on NBC on June...


Apr 26, 2020

There was no other radio detective like Richard Diamond - a tough, glib ex-cop turned private eye who had a powerful pair of fists and a healthy set of pipes. Dick Powell starred as the singing gumshoe in one of the era's best detective dramas. We'll hear a trio of shows - "The Fred Sears Murder Case" (originally aired...


Apr 22, 2020

For this week's bonus comedy episode, we'll visit with George Burns and Gracie Allen. The beloved comedy couple kept audiences laughing from the vaudeville stage to their own radio show and on to their long-running TV series. We'll hear Gracie take inspiration from her favorite radio sleuths and play detective...


Apr 19, 2020

Murder and mayhem leap from the printed page to the airwaves in The Crime Club. This anthology show blended adaptations of mystery novels with original radio plays to deliver tales of mystery emceed by the eerie tones of the club's Librarian. We'll hear "Dead Men Control" (originally aired on Mutual on March 20, 1947)...


Apr 15, 2020

Tax Day has been pushed out a few months, but there's no reprieve for the stars of this week's comedy bonus show. We'll hear Milton Berle present a salute to income tax in The Milton Berle Show (originally aired on NBC on March 9, 1948). Then, Jack Benny gets a visit from a pair of inquisitive IRS agents in an AFRS...