The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows | Old Time Radio

Suspense presents “Will You Make a Bet with Death,” originally broadcast on CBS on November 10, 1942. This is episode 17 of the series, written by John Dickson Carr and produced by William Spier.

At Coney Island’s Haunted Mill, Betty Andrews meets Bob Penderel, an analytical chemist racing a deadly deadline under the terms of a grotesque wager with his wealthy stepfather. Michael Fitzmaurice stars as Bob, with Lesley Woods as Betty Andrews and Nicholas Joy as John Destry.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:50 Original Broadcast
30:36 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

X Minus One presents “Mars Is Heaven,” originally broadcast on NBC on May 8, 1955. This is episode 3 of the series, adapted by Ernest Kinoy from Ray Bradbury’s 1948 story, later known as “The Third Expedition” in The Martian Chronicles.

Captain John Black leads an Earth expedition to a mist-covered Mars, where he, Dr. Horst, and the crew find something astonishingly familiar: a nostalgic American town that seems impossible on another world. Wendell Holmes and Peter Kapell are among the featured cast in this eerie science-fiction drama.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:46 Original Broadcast
27:02 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Gunsmoke presents “Kitty’s Quandary,” episode 392, originally broadcast on CBS on October 11, 1959. William Conrad stars as Marshal Matt Dillon, with Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell and Parley Baer as Chester. The story was written by Marian Clark and produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell.

At Dodge City’s Long Branch, a smooth-talking stranger takes an unusual interest in Kitty and asks pointed questions about her friendship with Matt. When the marshal is sidelined and Chester is left to mind the office, a seemingly quiet evening begins to feel increasingly uneasy.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:44 Original Broadcast
29:50 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “Two and Two Make Four,” originally broadcast on August 21, 1954. Episode 223 of the CBS suspense anthology stars Shep Menken as merchant sailor David Parker, in an original story by Walter Brown Newman.

Recovering from a head wound in Calais, Parker blacks out and awakens in Dover with no explanation for how he crossed the English Channel. As reality becomes increasingly difficult to trust, he is drawn into a tense fantasy-espionage mystery directed by Morton Fine and David Friedkin.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:44 Original Broadcast
30:19 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet presents “The Big Trial,” episode 45, originally broadcast on NBC on April 20, 1950. Jack Webb stars as Sergeant Joe Friday, with Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero.

Working the night watch in Los Angeles’ traffic accident investigation detail, Friday and Romero pursue a hit-and-run case involving injured pedestrian Sheila Gordon. As the investigation leads toward court, the detectives face the careful procedural challenges of keeping the case on track.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:39 Original Broadcast
29:58 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lux Radio Theatre presents “Death Takes a Holiday,” episode 125, originally broadcast on CBS on March 22, 1937. Produced by Cecil B. DeMille and sponsored by Lux Toilet Soap, this adaptation of Alberto Casella’s play stars Fredric March reprising his role as the mysterious Prince Sirki, with Florence Eldridge as Grazia.

After an unsettling accident on a moonlit Italian road, Grazia San Luca and Corrado Lambert arrive at Duke Lambert’s castle as strange reports from around the world begin to circulate. The arrival of the enigmatic Prince Sirki brings an eerie, romantic tension to the household, especially as he becomes drawn to Grazia.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:50 Original Broadcast
01:00:22 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Whistler presents “Till Death Do Us Part,” originally broadcast November 26, 1950. Episode 443 finds hard-up Los Angeles resident Roy Layton facing eviction when Linda McKelvey offers him $5,000 to enter a temporary marriage that will help her secure a sizable inheritance. Written by Joel Malone and produced and directed by George W. Allen, the cast includes Bill Forman, Wally Maher, and Jean Spaulding.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:49 Original Broadcast
30:14 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “A Story of Poison,” episode 615, originally broadcast on CBS on September 13, 1955. Joseph Kearns stars in this Antony Ellis drama, based on police and court records concerning the historical case of Dr. Thomas Neill Cream.

In London, a physician takes rooms at a Bloomsbury boarding house following his wife’s death, determined to maintain a respectable appearance. But as Scotland Yard examines troubling evidence, the doctor grows uneasy about a young medical student who may be seeing more than he should.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:51 Original Broadcast
25:24 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Inner Sanctum Mysteries presents “Terror by Night,” originally broadcast on CBS on June 29, 1952. Episode 513 stars Agnes Moorehead as Linda Dixon and was written by Emile C. Tepperman and directed by Himan Brown.

Driving alone toward Mount Mansfield and Smuggler’s Notch, Linda is delayed on a lonely mountain road as a radio bulletin warns of an armed prison escapee. Rain, darkness, and an all-night service station turn a routine car problem into a mounting ordeal of suspicion and fear.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:40 Original Broadcast
23:38 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape’s “The Coward” originally aired on CBS Radio Network on August 14, 1954. Episode 222, written by E. Jack Neuman, stars Barney Phillips with Virginia Gregg and Lou Krugman.

Former pilot Frank Dorian arrives in a Mexican coastal town seeking a boat for a secret Caribbean voyage. The only man who knows where a wrecked plane—and its missing payroll—lies, Dorian joins Maria de Salva and the wary sailor Rico on a hazardous run through reefs toward a remote island.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:51 Original Broadcast
30:14 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

X Minus One presents “And the Moon Be Still as Bright,” episode 19, originally broadcast on September 22, 1955. This NBC science-fiction drama adapts Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles story for radio, with Ernest Kinoy’s adaptation and Norman Rose as narrator.

After three Earth expeditions fail to return, Captain Wilder leads a fourth mission to Mars and discovers a vast, silent Martian city. Among its deserted streets, towers, and monuments, the explorers confront the legacy of an unfamiliar civilization—and differing ideas about what discovery demands of its newcomers.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:53 Original Broadcast
24:53 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Gunsmoke presents “The Man Who Would Be Marshal,” originally broadcast on CBS on March 18, 1956. Episode 206 stars William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, with John Dehner as Emmett Egan. Written by John Meston and produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, the drama is set in frontier Dodge City.

Former military man Emmett Egan arrives convinced that his money and command experience make him better suited than Dillon to wear the marshal’s badge. Instead of simply sending him away, Dillon gives Egan a close look at the responsibilities—and dangers—of keeping the peace.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:48 Original Broadcast
25:40 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Lux Radio Theatre presents “The Curtain Rises,” episode 102, originally broadcast on CBS on October 12, 1936. Hosted by Cecil B. DeMille and sponsored by Lux Soap, this adaptation of Benjamin Mark Kaye’s romantic comedy stars Ginger Rogers and Warren William.

At a fashionable New York penthouse party, shy, bespectacled Elsa Carling finds herself drawn toward the theater. Acting lessons offer her a chance to remake herself—and perhaps to share romantic scenes with celebrated stage idol Ronald Phillips. Alan Mowbray and Verree Teasdale also appear.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:46 Original Broadcast
59:21 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Black Death,” originally broadcast on CBS on August 2, 1955. Episode 609 stars Edgar Barrier as Dr. Gebhardt and William Conrad as Police Chief Williams, in a script by Lawrence Goldman.

When a laboratory cat exposed to plague bacteria escapes into the city, Dr. Gebhardt and the police face a desperate race to find it before panic—or infection—spreads. The crisis becomes even more urgent when the doctor’s young daughter, devoted to the missing cat, may be in danger.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents this original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:49 Original Broadcast
26:02 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Dragnet, “The Big Sophomore” (episode 110), originally broadcast on NBC on July 19, 1951. Jack Webb stars as Sergeant Joe Friday, joined by Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero, in this Fatima Cigarettes-sponsored radio drama.

Working the LAPD Juvenile Bureau night watch, Friday and Romero investigate a series of small food thefts from grocery stores near a local high school. The reports seem routine at first, but the lunch-hour pattern and a possible lead involving red-haired student Harry Dunbar give the case added urgency.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents this original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:53 Original Broadcast
30:12 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “The Silent Horror,” originally broadcast on CBS on August 22, 1951. Episode 150 stars Harry Bartell as Tom Dawson, in a radio adaptation by Les Crutchfield of Hugh B. Cave’s story.

Following a broken love affair, painter Tom Dawson withdraws to a remote jungle valley in New Guinea, where the steady ticking of his pocket watch becomes increasingly important—and increasingly unsettling. This unsponsored CBS drama builds suspense from isolation, unfamiliar surroundings, and one small, inescapable sound.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:47 Original Broadcast
29:59 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Whistler presents “Escape to Skull Island,” originally broadcast on CBS on January 15, 1950. This is episode 398, written by R. Sprague Hall and sponsored by Signal Oil.

Escaped convict Steve Henshaw flees a nighttime waterfront pursuit and finds refuge aboard a barge near Skull Island, where George and Melody Gromick are involved in a dangerous deep-sea salvage operation. Ted de Corsia, Fay Baker, Tom Tully, and William Conrad are featured in this shadowy tale of dark water, hidden treasure, and competing interests.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:57 Original Broadcast
29:56 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Gunsmoke, “Crowbait Bob,” originally broadcast November 10, 1956, is episode 239 of the classic CBS radio western. William Conrad stars as Marshal Matt Dillon, with Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, in a script by Les Crutchfield produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell.

In Dodge City, the dying and penniless Crowbait Bob asks that a will be prepared leaving his few possessions to Kitty. His unexpected request draws Dillon and those around Kitty into the old man’s final affairs, where compassion and curiosity surround the legacy he leaves behind.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:45 Original Broadcast
25:35 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Inner Sanctum Mysteries presents “The Murder Prophet,” originally broadcast on CBS on September 4, 1945. Episode 235 stars Wendy Barrie as Claudia Dale, with Paul McGrath as host; Himan Brown produced and directed.

On a dark, stormy night beside a cemetery, Claudia Dale offers a ride to an unsettling hitchhiker who seems to know far too much about her life. As his ominous predictions follow her home, Claudia must decide whether she has met a true prophet—or someone with a more sinister connection to the danger surrounding her.

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:51 Original Broadcast
29:49 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Suspense presents “Coffin for Mr Cash,” originally broadcast on CBS on March 27, 1960. Catalogued as episode 846, this Robert Arthur thriller stars Leon Janney as ex-convict Pete Wilson and Mandel Kramer as his former cellmate, Al Thomas.

Working nights at a municipal crematorium, Pete is drawn into a dangerous plan to move stolen payroll money under the seemingly respectable cover of a coffin. With police attention mounting around the crematorium, the scheme becomes a tense test of nerve and timing. The story was adapted from Arthur’s earlier radio tale, “A Coffin for Charley.”

The 50 Greatest Old Time Radio Shows presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:50 Original Broadcast
24:38 Closing

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-50-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-old-time-radio--7218119/support.

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio