Category Archives: detectives

How do you know so much, paperboy?

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Bob Stepno

“How do you know so much, paperboy?” — Detective Danny Clover to reporter Jed Stacy. https://archive.org/download/OTRR_Broadway_Is_My_Beat_Singles/BIMB_49-08-11_ep005_The_Jane_Darwell_Murder_Case.mp3 “Broadway is My Beat” was a mystery series broadcast from February 1949 to August 1954 by the same CBS network that brought audiences Crime … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, detectives, tabloids | 1 Comment

Superman and the power of… the newspaper chain?

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Bob Stepno

With another attempt to reboot the Superman movie series coming up, it’s time to return to old-time radio to hear how the “Adventures of Superman” radio serial constantly reminded young listeners that newspapers were an important part of their communities. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, Clark Kent, detectives, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, newspaper crusades, newspapers, Perry White, political corruption, publishers, Superman | Leave a comment

Add a reporter, shift hemispheres; seeking the truth in rewrite

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Bob Stepno

I dropped a few of the Internet Archive’s “The Lives of Harry Lime” episodes onto my MP3 player to listen to on drives or walks in the park… and stumbled on another case of script-recycling, presumably by Harry Alan Towers, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, adaptations, detectives, foreign correspondents | Leave a comment

Reporters aren’t always heroes: Ask Laura

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Bob Stepno

Despite the title of this blog, not all newspapermen (or women) in radio’s popular culture portrayals were heroes, although I think they were generally played more favorably on radio than in Hollywood movies. But I’ve just added a 45th title … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, adaptations, columnists, crime, detectives, Drama, movies, romance | Leave a comment

Serial killer and journalist

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Bob Stepno

“The Hands of Mr. Ottermole,” a frequently anthologized classic murder mystery by Thomas Burke, was adapted for radio in the 1940s by the anthology series Suspense and Radio City Playhouse — each with its own twist on the tale. Both versions involve a suspicious newspaper reporter … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, crime, detectives, reporters | Leave a comment

Crime Photographer Thanksgivings

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Bob Stepno

Working holidaysCasey, Crime Photographer was a weekly fixture on CBS radio for a dozen years, 1943-55, and listeners probably felt they were dropping into the Blue Note Cafe along with the hero and his reporter friend Ann Williams — even … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, Casey, detectives, holidays, newspapers, photographer, reporters | Leave a comment

A detective tries to save a reporter’s life

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Bob Stepno

The long-running “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” series put the Hartford-based insurance investigator on the case of a newspaper reporter friend in a 1956 broadcast. Called “The Big Scoop Matter,” it has a couple of common newspaper-drama themes: a reporter with … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, crime, detectives, reporters | Leave a comment