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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!

Aug 30, 2020

It's the 400th episode of "Down These Mean Streets!" To celebrate, I'm sharing the first detective shows I heard - the episodes that sparked my love of old time radio mystery drama. Join me for "The Big Scoop Matter" from Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (originally aired on CBS on November 11, 1956); "The Case of the...


Aug 26, 2020

Summer is winding down, and some of radio's comedy couples are planning a getaway! We'll hear Fibber McGee angle for Molly to join him on a two-week fishing trip (originally aired on NBC on June 11, 1946). Then, Phil Harris and Alice Faye try to leave Elliott Lewis at home during their two-month mountain vacation...


Aug 23, 2020

Willard Waterman may be best known for his long and very funny run on radio as The Great Gildersleeve, but he showed off his serious side on some of the era's best crime dramas. We'll hear him as a detective tracking a killer in the jungle of Borneo in "Red Wine" from Escape (originally aired on CBS on August 11, 1949)....


Aug 19, 2020

Before he moved to Bedrock and voiced Fred Flintstone, Alan Reed was a busy radio actor. He popped up on The ShadowPhilip Marlowe, and Sam Spade, but he was most frequently heard on comedies. We'll shine the spotlight on Reed for this week's bonus comedy episode in two old time radio sitcoms. First, he's Mr. Clyde,...


Aug 16, 2020

The man called Paladin - a gentleman gunfighter for hire in the west of 1875 - rode from television to radio in Have Gun - Will Travel. A rare radio spin-off of a TV series, it continued the adventures of the gunman who dressed in black and hired himself out to anyone who could pay his fee - a sort of cowboy private...