Vintage Classic Radio

Step back into the golden age of radio mystery with this week's double feature of intrigue and suspense!
First, in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' as the great detective and Dr. Watson unravel the chilling case of "The Death of Mrs. Abernetty", originally broadcast on November 30th, 1946. A curious death, a tangle of motives, and Holmes' razor-sharp deductions promise a classic detective's tale.
Then, we lighten up with wit and sophistication in Dashiel Hammett's iconic detective duo, Nick and Nora Charles. In "Nora's Night Out", the glamourous sleuthing couple find that even a night on the town can turn into a case of mystery and danger.
Whether it's the foggy streets of Baker Street or the cocktail lounges of old-time Manhattan, tonight's adventures prove that crime never rests -- and neither do our detectives.
Tune in to Tuesday Night Detectives, where every clue counts and every story crackles with vintage suspense, here on Vintage Classic Radio.

This week on Sunday Night Playhouse, Vintage Classic Radio presents a double bill from Orson Welles' CBS Radio Workshop, bringing to life two timeless tales of imagination and discovery. 
First, we hear Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The Little Prince from May 25th, 1956, the moving tale of a downed pilot who encounters a mysterious boy from another world, and through him learns profound lessons of love, loss, and the importance of seeing with the heart. 
Then comes E.M. Forster's The Celestial Omnibus, from August 8th, 1957, the enchanting story of a young boy who stumbles upon a magical carriage that whisks him away into realms of wonder and literature, a journey that adults scoff at until its truth proves undeniable.
These stories remind us that it is through childlike eyes we glimpse life's deepest truths, and that imagination often reveals what reason cannot.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy this evening's journey into wonder on Sunday Night Playhouse, from Vintage Classic Radio.

This week's Saturday Matinee on Vintage Classic Radio brings you a trio of classic broadcasts: in the Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show episode "Phil's Vaccination", Phil does everything he can to dodge a shot with predictably funny results; then Abbott and Costello lampoon the hardboiled detective genre in "Sam Shovel in the Caes of the Grocer Who Fell in Wet Cement"; and finally Orson Welles transports us into a world of whimsy and riddles with Columbia Workshop's imaginative adaptation of "Alice Through the Looking Glass".

This week on Friday Night Noir, Vintage Classic Radio invites you into the shadows with Wilkie Collins' eerie masterpiece, "The Haunted Hotel". When a bride-to-be loses her fiancé under suspicious circumstances, her search for the truth leads to a Venetian palace heavy with secrets, guilt, and whispers of the supernatural. Dark intrigue meets ghostly terror in a story where every shadow hides a question -- and every answer may come too late. 

Experience the intrigue of old-time radio with Carter Brown: Crime for a King, a gripping four-part 1957 detective mystery from the Carter Brown Mysteries series on Vintage Classic Radio's Tuesday Night Detectives. This classic crime drama follows private detective Carter Brown as he investigates a royal palace conspiracy filled with betrayal, secret meetings, and high-stakes deception. Featuring Australian radio legends Ruth Cracknell, June Salter, Len Teale, Roger Climpson, John Meillon, Terry McDermott, and Gordon Chater, this vintage detective story delivers suspense, clever twists, and the charm of the golden age of radio detective stories, classic mystery radio plays, and vintage crime fiction.

Step into the world of vintage detective radio with two classic mysteries. In Monsieur Pamplemousse Investigates: Black Tuesday, a former police inspector turned gourmet sleuth unravels a deliciously devious act of sabotage. Then in Maigret in Montmartre, Paris's most famous detective hunts a killer through smoky clubs, opium dens, and the bohemian heart of Montmartre. Perfect for fans of French detective fiction, old time radio mysteries, and gripping whodunits.

This Sunday Night Playhouse, Vintage Classic Radio invites you to step into the world of Charles Dickens with the Mercury Theatre on the Air's sweeping 1938 adaptation of "A Tale of Two Cities", Orson Welles leads a stellar company including Ray Collins, Joseph Cotten, Martin Gabel, Anges Moorehead, and Everett Sloane, all framed by Bernard Bermann's stirring music. Journey between London and Paris at the time of the French Revolution in a tale of sacrifice, redemption, and enduring love. With Welles' s signature dramatic style and the Mercury ensemble's unmatched storytelling, this is an unforgettable hour of radio theatre from the golden age.

This Saturday Matinee is brimming with classic British comedy and golden age orchestral charm. We begin with "The Goon Show" in "Emperor of the Universe", as Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, and Harry Secombe take us on a delightfully absurd hunt for 25 million missing Englishmen. Then it's time for our first musical interlude, with Jack Hilton and his Orchestra playing the Cole Porter gem "You're the Top". Next, enjoy "Hancock's Half Hour" in "Hancock's Car", where Tony Hancock, Sid James, and Bill Kerr deliver a hilarious tale of motoring misadventures. The laughs keep rolling with "Beyond Our Ken" in "This Happy Breed", starring Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden, and Bill Pertwee. We round off the afternoon with the romantic "Lovelight in the Starlight" from the Emery Deutsch Orchestra. Sit back and enjoy a perfect mix of laughter, music, and nostalgia from radio's golden years here on Vintage Classic Radio.

On this week’s Tuesday Night Detectives on Vintage Classic Radio, we delve into two gripping cases from the golden age of mystery. First, in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, we present “The Copper Beaches,” originally broadcast on May 7th, 1943. When a young governess named Violet Hunter takes a strange job at a secluded estate, she turns to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for help. What begins as a peculiar curiosity soon unfolds into a sinister plot involving deception, captivity, and buried secrets within the Copper Beeches mansion. Basil Rathbone stars as the brilliant Sherlock Holmes, with Nigel Bruce as the steadfast Dr. Watson. Their chemistry brings to life Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s chilling tale, supported by an atmospheric score and rich narration from announcer Knox Manning.Then, we turn to the refined sleuthing of The Teahouse Detective in “The Edinburgh Mystery.” In the quiet ambiance of a London tearoom, the unnamed armchair detective recounts the baffling circumstances surrounding the death of a young man found at the foot of Edinburgh’s Salisbury Crags. Was it suicide, an accident—or murder? Through dialogue and deduction, the Teahouse Detective pieces together the case using only newspaper reports and intellectual prowess, revealing the truth behind the seemingly simple tragedy. Based on the stories of Baroness Orczy, this dramatized adaptation features Gordon Gardner as the astute Teahouse Detective and Patricia Hughes as his curious companion. With both tales, listeners are treated to richly textured performances and intricate plotting that will leave even the most seasoned mystery lovers guessing until the very end. Tune in, settle back, and let the clues unfold on this week’s Tuesday Night Detectives.

This week on "Tuesday Night Detectives" from Vintage Classic Radio, we begin with suave sleuth Phil Vance in "The Butler Murder Case", originally broadcasted on February 15th, 1949. When a respected society figure is found dead in his study and all signs point to the loyal family butler, Vance isn't convinced by appearances. With his usual blend of erudite charm and sharp deduction, he peels back the layers of an upper-class facade to uncover a motive buried in envy and inheritance. The episode stars Jackson Beck as Philo Vance, with Joan Alexander, George Petrie, and Humphrey Davis rounding out the cast in a story that probes loyalty, legacy and the lethal cost of family secrets.Then we delve into wartime espionage with "The Case of the Stolen Secret" from Counterspy, aired November 12th, 1950. When top-secret information vanishes from a government lab, the trail leads Counterspy agent David Harding into a maze of sabotage, betrayal, and international intrigue. Harding must unmask a cunning double agent before a deadly intervention falls into enemy hands. Don MacLaughlin stars as David Harding, with Mandel Kramer as his trusted aide, Harry Peters. Produced by Phillips H. Lord, this taut, patriotic thriller captures the paranoia and urgency of Cold War intelligence work, blending action with moral clarity in a race against treachery. Join us for a double bill of deduction and deception on this week's Tuesday Night Detectives.