This week a rather obscure radio detective series from the very early fifties called The Big Guy. The series starred Henry Calvin (right) who is best known as Sgt. Garcia from televisionâs Zorro.
While the opening of the episode makes the show sound light, the
subject matter is very radio detective and for the most part enjoyable.

Music under is called âGraceâ by the Shapiro Project.

âRiabouchinskaâ is an unusual tale from the pen of Ray Bradbury. Not a name normally associated with the detective genre. However, this tale published in 1953 in The Saint Detective Magazine was first heard in 1947 on the radio program Suspense when the script was created from the original Bradbury story outline. The author had not even actually written the story yet! That would come six years later. Even though Ray Bradbury is one of Americaâs best fantasy and science fiction writers, this tale with its theme of the ventriloquist haunted by his own dummyâs personality involved murder and a detective who wanted to get to the bottom of the reasons behind the killing. From radio then to print and finally to television, first on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and later re-written by the author himself for his Ray Bradbury Theatre, the theme is one later played out in the Hollywood film Magic starring Anthony Hopkins in an early role.



You can view the Hitchcock version at Hulu.com .

Another visit with Cornell Woolrich, considered the father of noir
fiction. Iâll look at one of his short novellas, Dime A
Dance, published in 1938 and its adaptation on radioâs Suspense on January 13, 1944 starring Lucille
Ball. The adaptation works for the most part and has the twists and
turns of a good noirish suspense story.

Music under is Sonny Rollinâs rendition of âPoor Butterfly.â

This week, I begin looking at the noirish radio dramas based on the stories of Cornell Woolrich. First off is The White Rose Murders from the radio series Suspense. It is based on a story by Woolrich called The Death Rose and is one of the best examples of a taut noir radio drama.

Music under is first: Blind Spot by 3rd Man followed by Soothe Me by Shea Breaux Wells .