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Mystery anthology · NBC / CBS / ABC

Molle Mystery Theatre

September 7, 1943 – June 19, 1951 · 381 broadcasts

Molle Mystery Theatre was one of network radio's classiest whodunit anthologies, premiering on NBC on September 7, 1943 and sponsored by Sterling Drugs' Molle ("moe-lay") brushless shaving cream. Each Tuesday-night half hour dramatized a mystery drawn from the great names of crime and horror fiction -- Poe, Agatha Christie, Cornell Woolrich, Raymond Chandler, Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Somerset Maugham, Ben Hecht -- guided by a distinctive host: Geoffrey Barnes, a genteel "connoisseur of crime" played by Bernard Lenrow, who stepped in as an "annotator" to help listeners follow the clues. Broadcast from New York with a deep bench of that city's finest radio actors and special turns by rising talents like Richard Widmark and Frank Lovejoy, the series ran on NBC through June 1948, after which it moved to CBS under soap-opera magnates Frank and Anne Hummert and reshaped itself around a single detective, Inspector Hearthstone of the Death Squad. This collection covers the 1943-1951 NBC-and-CBS run: 381 documented broadcasts, of which 71 survive as circulating recordings -- many in the Armed Forces Radio Service "Mystery Playhouse" repackaging that Peter Lorre re-introduced for troops overseas.

Collection status: 71 of 381 held (19% complete)
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Episode Spine

Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.

1943

September 7, 1943 Tell-Tale Heart
September 14, 1943 The Flying Squad
September 21, 1943 The Leavenworth Case
September 28, 1943 Death Lights a Candle
October 5, 1943 Dark Eyes of London
October 12, 1943 Sunday Pigeon Murders
October 19, 1943 Murders in the Rue Morgue
October 26, 1943 Death in the Doll's House
November 2, 1943 The Big Sleep
November 9, 1943 Crime of Violence
November 16, 1943 Mourned on Sunday
November 23, 1943 File for Record
November 30, 1943 Dreadful Memory
December 7, 1943 Murder in the Madhouse
December 14, 1943 Lady in the Lake
December 21, 1943 Stalk the Hunter
December 28, 1943 Homicide for Hannah Listen (MP3)
An out-of-work man is accused of murder and finds himself shadowed by a blonde policewoman with an appetite for homicide cases.

1944

January 4, 1944 The Mystery of the Seven Keys
January 18, 1944 Most Dangerous Game
January 25, 1944 Thursday Turkey Murders
February 1, 1944 Talent for Murder
February 8, 1944 The Crimson Circle
February 15, 1944 You Only Hang Once
February 22, 1944 The Gorgeous Ghoul Murder Case
February 29, 1944 Farewell, My Lovely
March 7, 1944 Cat and the Canary
March 14, 1944 The Monkey's Paw
March 21, 1944 Going, Going, Gone
March 28, 1944 The Dead Don't Care
April 4, 1944 Affair of the Splintered Heart
April 11, 1944 Criminal at Large Listen (MP3)
A mad strangler stalks the streets in this chiller adapted from Edgar Wallace.
April 18, 1944 If I Die Before I Wake
April 25, 1944 Love from a Stranger
May 2, 1944 Murder Masks Miami
May 9, 1944 Sister of Cain
May 16, 1944 The Dain Curse
May 23, 1944 Home Sweet Homicide
May 30, 1944 Great Impersonation
June 13, 1944 Agony Column
June 20, 1944 Death Talks Out of Turn Listen (MP3)
In wartime Washington, an Army officer and his strong-willed wife expose a nest of enemy agents.
June 27, 1944 The Cat Saw Murder
July 4, 1944 Bunches of Knuckles
July 11, 1944 Murder Ad Lib
July 18, 1944 Goldfish
July 25, 1944 Fifty Candles Listen (MP3)
A hard-dealing businessman is stabbed to death, leaving five likely suspects and a puzzle for armchair sleuths -- from the creator of Charlie Chan.
August 1, 1944 Death in the Doghouse
August 8, 1944 The Mark of Gregory
August 15, 1944 Murder in Havana
August 22, 1944 The Case of the Talking Pillow
August 29, 1944 Crime Without Passion
September 5, 1944 Murder Through the Looking Glass
September 12, 1944 Give the Guy Rope
September 19, 1944 Murder in the City Hall
Young police lieutenant Sam Delaguerra suspects the local political machine murdered his old friend, in a story drawn from Raymond Chandler's "Spanish Blood."
September 26, 1944 Death Rose
October 3, 1944 Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu
October 10, 1944 The Wheel Spins
October 17, 1944 Murder Without Crime
October 24, 1944 Comic Strip Murder Listen (MP3)
A cartoonist writes his unfaithful wife into his daily strip, and the whole town waits to see whether the drawn heroine -- and the real one -- survives.
November 14, 1944 The Interruption
November 21, 1944 The Dilemma Listen (MP3)
November 28, 1944 Nightmare Listen (MP3)
A man dreams he has committed murder, then wakes fearing it was real, while a brutal detective brother-in-law senses hypnosis behind it.
December 5, 1944 A Crime to Fit the Punishment Listen (MP3)
An antique dealer with a sleuth's instincts untangles a case of blackmail and murder.
December 12, 1944 The Bottle Imp Listen (MP3)
A bottle grants any wish, but its owner must resell it for less than he paid or be damned -- and the price is down to a single penny.
December 19, 1944 The Man in the Velvet Hat Listen (MP3)
A reporter notices the same black-hatted figure at death after death, touching off public panic -- until the truth turns back on him.
December 26, 1944 The Letter Listen (MP3)
A woman claims she killed in self-defense, but a letter surfaces suggesting she lured her lover to his death.

1945

January 2, 1945 Witness for the Prosecution
January 9, 1945 Too Busy Too Die
January 16, 1945 Rumor, Inc.
January 23, 1945 Red Wine
January 30, 1945 Deadline at Dawn Listen (MP3)
Two small-town strangers meet in the big city, fall in love, and have until dawn to solve a murder.
February 6, 1945 Hands of Dr. Ottermoll
February 13, 1945 Two Sharp Knives
February 20, 1945 Mystery of the Blue Jar
February 27, 1945 Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper Listen (MP3)
An investigator becomes convinced Jack the Ripper lives on in modern Chicago, killing to stay immortal.
March 6, 1945 The Man Who Murdered in Public Listen (MP3)
A small, brutish man drowns an old friend, likes the feeling, and works his way through a series of wives.
March 13, 1945 His Heart Could Break
March 20, 1945 After Dinner Story
March 27, 1945 The Gay Falcon
April 3, 1945 The Eleventh Juror Listen (MP3)
A lone holdout in the jury room turns a murder trial upside down.
April 10, 1945 Journey Into Fear
April 17, 1945 The Perfect Crime
April 24, 1945 Cask of Amontillado Listen (MP3)
A man lures his enemy into the wine cellar to avenge his family's honor, in Poe's tale of buried revenge.
May 1, 1945 The Clock
May 15, 1945 Lady in the Morgue Listen (MP3)
A suicide's body vanishes from the morgue and the attendant turns up dead; detective O'Malley hides among the corpses, unaware the killer is stalking him.
May 22, 1945 The Level Crossing Listen (MP3)
A man loses his nerve to kill his blackmailer -- who is murdered anyway.
May 29, 1945 The Adaptive Ultimate
June 5, 1945 The Beckoning Fair One Listen (MP3)
A new tenant grows obsessed with the unseen former occupant of his lodgings -- a long-dead woman whose pull turns malign.
June 12, 1945 Breakdown Listen (MP3)
An Englishman turns over a murder plan aimed at his mistress, his wife, or the pair of them.
June 19, 1945 The Gioconda Smile Listen (MP3)
A woman who lives for sympathy is found poisoned, and her straying husband stands accused, in Aldous Huxley's story.
June 26, 1945 Marijuana Listen (MP3)
Deranged by grief when his wife walks out, a man stabs a young woman at a party and guns down a policeman.
July 3, 1945 Rex Sackler
October 5, 1945 Angel Face Listen (MP3)
A sweet-faced killer gets a shock when the victim she buried alive returns.
October 12, 1945 A Death Is Caused Listen (MP3)
A woman plots to frighten her snake-phobic husband to death.
October 19, 1945 Leg Man Listen (MP3)
A reporter refuses to accept the open-and-shut arrest for a bartender's murder and digs for the real killer.
October 26, 1945 Ghost with the Gun Listen (MP3)
On Halloween, a black marketeer is shot dead by what appears to be a costumed trick-or-treater.
November 2, 1945 Who Took the Corpse? Listen (MP3)
November 9, 1945 Not Quite Perfect Listen (MP3)
A husband's flawless scheme to murder his wife goes not-quite according to plan.
November 16, 1945 The Rat Is a Mouse
November 23, 1945 Post-Mortem
December 7, 1945 Men from Yesterday
December 14, 1945 I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes
December 21, 1945 The Doctor, His Wife, and the Clock
December 28, 1945 Blind Man's Bluff

1946

January 4, 1946 The Blind Spot
January 11, 1946 Dime a Dance
January 18, 1946 Ladies in Retirement Listen (MP3)
Not a whodunit but a study in whether a murderess will get away with it.
January 25, 1946 Burn, Witch, Burn Listen (MP3)
A neighborhood "doll woman" crosses the mob, and the doctor investigating her falls under a deadly spell.
February 1, 1946 Mathematics for Murder Listen (MP3)
February 8, 1946 Comic Strip Murder
A cartoonist writes his unfaithful wife into his daily strip, and the town waits to see whether the drawn heroine survives -- a restaging of the 1944 story.
February 15, 1946 Beautiful Silence Listen (MP3)
A former wartime bomb-disposal man, convinced his wife's love has died, is slowly unnerved by a ticking clock.
February 22, 1946 Last Night Listen (MP3)
A struggling resort couple pin their hopes on $2,500 from a guest -- who then disappears.
March 1, 1946 Code Two
March 8, 1946 Red Wine Listen (MP3)
A San Francisco detective is sure one of three Americans at an Amazon rubber plantation is a killer in disguise -- but which one?
March 15, 1946 The Case of the Missing Mind
March 22, 1946 Alibi for Murder Listen (MP3)
A killer's foolproof scheme depends on seeming to be somewhere else at the very moment of the murder.
March 29, 1946 The Creeper Listen (MP3)
April 5, 1946 Murder in the City Hall Listen (MP3)
A candidate for judge is murdered, and the commissioner strangely bars one lieutenant from the case, in another turn on Chandler's "Spanish Blood."
April 12, 1946 Night Must Fall Listen (MP3)
A charming, half-mad young man fascinates an English household -- Virginia Field stars in Emlyn Williams's classic thriller.
April 19, 1946 Follow That Cab Listen (MP3)
Two cabbies who fancy themselves detectives find a corpse and a chance to crack the case, played for laughs.
April 26, 1946 The Doctor and the Lunatic Listen (MP3)
A surgeon who keeps a madman locked upstairs blames him for a string of art-destroying crimes.
May 3, 1946 Murder Without Crime Listen (MP3)
A cozy evening by the radio is shattered when the telephone rings -- it is the ex-wife.
May 10, 1946 The Further Adventures of Kenny Andrews Listen (MP3)
The luckless Kenny Andrews lands in one jam after another and winds up in an asylum.
May 17, 1946 Killer, Come Back to Me Listen (MP3)
A gun moll molds a young punk into a bank robber -- or his double -- in Ray Bradbury's hard-boiled tale, with Richard Widmark.
May 24, 1946 Goodbye, Darling
An unfaithful wife and her lover plot to kill her husband, who proves a step ahead of them.
May 31, 1946 Witness for the Prosecution Listen (MP3)
Agatha Christie's courtroom classic, in which a wife's testimony carries a sting in its tail.
June 7, 1946 Female of the Species Listen (MP3)
A beauty-shop proprietress, already dosing her rival with poison, resolves to bring the death on faster.
June 14, 1946 The Adventure of the Fallen Angels Listen (MP3)
A cold, deadly woman called Lucky, a smooth cardsharp, and a desperate young man collide over a marked deck.
June 21, 1946 The Hands of Dr. Ottermole Listen (MP3)
A Jack-the-Ripper-style strangler terrorizes 1890s London.
June 28, 1946 In the Balance
July 5, 1946 The Puzzle of the Persian Piggy Bank
July 12, 1946 Bury Me Dead
July 19, 1946 Wake for a Lady
July 26, 1946 Homicide, Unlimited
August 2, 1946 The Man Who Murdered in Public
August 9, 1946 Silent as the Grave
August 16, 1946 The Wine Glass
August 23, 1946 St. Louis Lady Listen (MP3)
August 30, 1946 Nightmare
A man dreams he has killed, then wakes to fear the murder was real, while a hypnotist's hand shows behind the crime -- a restaging of the 1944 story.
September 6, 1946 Ebbtide
September 13, 1946 Now You See Her
September 20, 1946 Purgatory
September 27, 1946 Two Men in a Furnished Room Listen (MP3)
Two strangers share a rented room in a housing crunch; when one man's girl vanishes after a private evening, suspicion festers.
October 4, 1946 The Perfect Crime
October 11, 1946 Black Alibi
October 25, 1946 Surprise Witness
November 1, 1946 The Rival Dummy Listen (MP3)
Is the dummy alive, or the ventriloquist mad? -- Ben Hecht's tale of a jealous act.
November 8, 1946 Not Quite Perfect
November 15, 1946 I Drempt I Died
November 22, 1946 Goodbye, Goodbye
November 29, 1946 Radio Patrol Listen (MP3)
A dying man names a councilman as the one who ordered a killing, and one honest patrolman refuses to let an innocent hang.
December 6, 1946 Alias the Best Man
December 13, 1946 The Steak Dinner
December 20, 1946 Angel Face Listen (MP3)
A sweet-faced killer gets a shock when the victim she buried alive returns -- a restaging of the 1945 story.
December 27, 1946 Squeeze Play

1947

January 3, 1947 A Study in Terror
January 10, 1947 Removals, Inc.
January 17, 1947 Corpus Delecti Listen (MP3)
A detective has only hours to prove his brother innocent before the electric chair.
January 24, 1947 Blackmail
February 7, 1947 The Bride Wore Black Listen (MP3)
A groom is murdered moments after the wedding, and a widow's cold revenge begins.
February 14, 1947 The Eleventh Juror
February 21, 1947 The Third Witness
February 28, 1947 Heavy Hangs the Head
March 7, 1947 The Orphan Diamond
March 14, 1947 A Dime a Dance
March 21, 1947 Don't Come Back Alive
March 28, 1947 Triangle of Death Listen (MP3)
Elspeth Eric stars as a woman marked for death -- but is the killer her lover or her husband?
April 4, 1947 The Squealer
April 11, 1947 The Creeper
A madman strangles red-haired women in this much-adapted shocker.
April 18, 1947 Kenny Angles and the Queen of Diamonds Listen (MP3)
$300,000 in stolen gems and a Runyonesque wise guy left holding the bag.
April 25, 1947 To the End of the World
May 2, 1947 The Merry-Go-Round
May 9, 1947 The Mystery of the Blue Jar
May 16, 1947 Descent Into Darkness
May 23, 1947 Sound of Death
May 30, 1947 The Double-Cross Listen (MP3)
A schemer weighs a staged death-and-insurance fraud against the blunter option of simply murdering his own wife.
June 6, 1947 The Beautiful Silence
June 13, 1947 The Red Dog Murders
June 27, 1947 Talk Them to Death Listen (MP3)
A small, spiteful man schemes to own the circus by turning its people against one another with nothing but words.
July 4, 1947 Challenge to the Listener Listen (MP3)
A two-voice duel between a murderer and a cop, with the catch of guessing which is which.
July 11, 1947 Bury Me Dead
July 18, 1947 Chance
July 25, 1947 Double Jeopardy
August 1, 1947 Drop Me a Line
August 8, 1947 Goodbye Darling Listen (MP3)
An unfaithful wife and her lover plot to kill her husband, who is a step ahead of them -- a restaging of the 1946 story.
August 15, 1947 Lease of Death
August 22, 1947 Man Hunt
August 29, 1947 Silent as the Grave
September 5, 1947 Death Wears a Mask Listen (MP3)
An escaped convict takes two aliases -- one of them "Humpty Dumpty" -- to reach the woman he loves.
September 12, 1947 Death Goes Shopping Listen (MP3)
A woman who can never keep what she buys adds social standing and a fat checkbook to her shopping list, and gets more than she bargained for.
September 19, 1947 Zelma's Boy Listen (MP3)
A visiting thirteen-year-old brings discord to a troubled marriage and witnesses -- or believes he witnesses -- a murder.
September 26, 1947 Kiss Me Goodbye
October 3, 1947 Night Must Fall
October 10, 1947 Lucky Guy
October 17, 1947 Rx for Death
October 31, 1947 Now You See Her, Now You Don't Listen (MP3)
November 7, 1947 Primer for Murder
November 14, 1947 The Four Fatal Jugglers Listen (MP3)
Four people who despise one another are stranded together on an island, where murder is only a matter of time.
November 21, 1947 Check Number B-131-G
November 28, 1947 Two Men in a Furnished Room Listen (MP3)
A man's roommate appears to have murdered his girlfriend, in a restaging of the furnished-room mystery.
December 5, 1947 The World of S. Craig
December 12, 1947 Four-Time Loser
December 26, 1947 I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes

1948

January 2, 1948 Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper
An investigator believes Jack the Ripper survives in modern Chicago, killing to stay immortal -- a restaging of the Robert Bloch story.
January 9, 1948 Dig Your Own Grave
January 16, 1948 The Last Laugh
January 23, 1948 Nemesis
January 30, 1948 Long Distance
February 6, 1948 Triangle of Death
February 13, 1948 The Long Count
February 20, 1948 Murder Is a Matter of Opinion
February 27, 1948 Double Disaster Clause
March 5, 1948 The Earring
March 12, 1948 The Pick-Up Killer
March 19, 1948 The Great Mellagio
March 26, 1948 A Question of Survival
April 2, 1948 The Betrayer Listen (MP3)
April 9, 1948 The House of a Thousand Doors
April 16, 1948 Five Bullets for Baldwin
April 23, 1948 Killer at Large
April 30, 1948 Make No Mistake Listen (MP3)
A blackmailer squeezes a diner owner and his faithless wife for $10,000, with a twist at the finish.
May 7, 1948 Inescapable Corpse
May 14, 1948 Close Shave Listen (MP3)
A young woman's worthless boyfriend talks her into stealing the company payroll, then bungles the attempt to kill her.
May 21, 1948 Solo Performance Listen (MP3)
An actor murders a producer, then spends the day imitating the dead man's voice to build his alibi -- Everett Sloane stars.
May 28, 1948 Deadly Nuisance
June 4, 1948 The Champ
June 11, 1948 On Stage Murder
June 18, 1948 Farewell Performance
June 25, 1948 Doctor Discord Listen (MP3)
Doctor Jericho can foretell the future, to everyone's misfortune -- the final NBC broadcast of the series.
June 29, 1948 Deed for the Day
July 6, 1948 Elephant's Tail
July 13, 1948 Silent as the Grave
July 20, 1948 Reading of the Will
July 27, 1948 Honest Cop
August 3, 1948 The Woman I Married
August 10, 1948 The Squealer
August 17, 1948 Newstand Maggie
August 24, 1948 Death and the Weeping Bride
August 31, 1948 Murder in the Family
September 7, 1948 The Garden of Death
September 14, 1948 The Case of the Clock Strike Murder
September 21, 1948 The Case of Death and the Fourth Man
September 28, 1948 The Case of Death and the Helping Hand
October 5, 1948 Murder in High Places
October 12, 1948 Murder and the Housing Shortage
October 19, 1948 The Case of the Deadman's Gun
October 26, 1948 Alimony Murder Case
November 9, 1948 The Step-Mother Murder Case
November 23, 1948 The Tip-Off Murder Case
November 30, 1948 The Case of Death's End Honemoon
December 7, 1948 The Marriage of Convenience Murder Case
December 14, 1948 The Windfall Murder Case
December 21, 1948 The Wedding Anniversary Murder Case
December 28, 1948 The Case of Murder and the Banker's Wife

1949

January 4, 1949 The Fabulous Garage Murder Case
January 11, 1949 The Double Motive Murder Case
January 18, 1949 The Fifty Dollar Murder Case
January 25, 1949 The Meat Market Murder Case
February 1, 1949 The Musical Clue Murder Case
February 8, 1949 The Case of $100,000 Reward for One Man's Murder
February 15, 1949 The Case of the Mother Who Said 'no'
February 22, 1949 The Big Fence Murder Case
March 1, 1949 The Career Woman Murder Case
March 8, 1949 The Case of Murder and the Lonely Man
March 15, 1949 The Trained Nurse Murder Case
March 22, 1949 The Geniel Host Murder Case
March 29, 1949 The Scrap of Paper Murder Case
April 5, 1949 The Secret Marriage Murder Case
April 12, 1949 The Case of Murder and the Milk and Water Clerk
April 19, 1949 The Twin Bed Murder Case
April 26, 1949 The Book of Death Murder Case
May 3, 1949 The Masked Men Murder Case
May 10, 1949 The Gas Oven Murder Case
May 17, 1949 The Message of Death Murder Case
May 24, 1949 The Rich Widow Murder Case
May 31, 1949 The Clue from the Past Murder Case
June 7, 1949 The Murder Clue of the Overflowing Mailbox
June 14, 1949 The Mysterious Murder at the Clefton Hotel
June 21, 1949 Murder at High Noon
June 28, 1949 The Dead Cat Murder Case
July 5, 1949 The Case of the Man Who Was Killed Twice
July 12, 1949 The Stick-Up Murder Case
July 19, 1949 The Wheel of Death
July 26, 1949 The Murder Clue of the New Shoes
August 2, 1949 The Sleeping Dog Murder Case
August 9, 1949 The Case of Murder and the Man Who Looked Like an Ape
August 16, 1949 The Case of the Old Woman's False Teeth
August 23, 1949 The Dream Girl Murder Case
August 30, 1949 Hunted
September 6, 1949 The Second Wife Murder Case
September 13, 1949 The Case of the Girls Who Were Slaves
September 20, 1949 The Blackmailing Jam Murder Case
September 27, 1949 The Case of the Girl Who Laughed at Murder
October 4, 1949 Stamp of the Scarlet Heart
October 11, 1949 The Girl Meets Boy Murder Case
October 18, 1949 The Rented Bungalow Murder Case
October 25, 1949 The Crystal Gazer Murder Case
November 1, 1949 The Case of the Man Who Came Home Murdered
November 8, 1949 The Broken Date Murder Case
November 15, 1949 Murder in High Society
November 22, 1949 The Funeral Wreath Murder Case
November 29, 1949 The Case of the Missing Heiress
December 6, 1949 The Adopted Daughter Murder Case
December 20, 1949 The Case of the Glamorous Pickpocket
December 27, 1949 The Wedding Eve Murder Case

1950

January 3, 1950 The Brass Bed Murder Case
January 10, 1950 The Instant Poison Murder Case
January 17, 1950 The Birthday Gift Murder Case
January 24, 1950 The Other Woman Murder Case
January 31, 1950 The Four of Diamonds Murder Case
February 7, 1950 The Beautiful Nurse Murder Case
February 14, 1950 The Forbidden Romance Murder Case
February 21, 1950 The Friend in Need Murder Case
February 28, 1950 The Homely Bride Murder Case
March 7, 1950 The New Step-Mother Murder Case
March 14, 1950 The Mysterious Stranger Murder Case
March 21, 1950 The Beautiful Doll Murder Case
March 28, 1950 The Jealous Husband Murder Case
April 4, 1950 The Mother-In-Law Murder Case
April 11, 1950 The Wedding Picture Murder Case
April 18, 1950 The Best Dressed Woman Murder Case
April 25, 1950 The Nice Young Man Murder Case
May 2, 1950 The Shanghai Dance Murder Case
May 9, 1950 The Forbidden Garden Murder Case
May 16, 1950 The Jilted Bride Murder Case
May 23, 1950 The Devoted Husband Murder Case
May 30, 1950 The Lonely Widow Murder Case
June 6, 1950 The Separate Bedroom Murder Case
June 13, 1950 The Out-Of-Town Murder Case
June 20, 1950 The Rich Dowager Murder Case
June 27, 1950 The Handsome Millionaire Murder Case
July 4, 1950 The Blue Thread Murder Case
July 11, 1950 The Screaming Parrot Murder Case
July 18, 1950 The Mallory Mansion Murder Case
July 25, 1950 The Divorce Agreement Murder Case
August 1, 1950 The Missing Women Murder Case
August 8, 1950 The House They Rented Murder Case
August 15, 1950 The Glamour Girl Murder Case
August 22, 1950 The Pointing Finger Murder Case
August 29, 1950 The Dream-Come-True Murder Case
September 5, 1950 The Evil Man Murder Case
September 12, 1950 The Boss Comes to Dinner Murder Case
September 19, 1950 The Vanishing Necklace Murder Case
September 26, 1950 The Poisoned Pigeon Murder Case
October 3, 1950 The Divorce MILL Murder Case
October 10, 1950 The Poisoned Room Murder Case
October 17, 1950 The Woman Who Told Murder
October 24, 1950 The High Voltage Murder Case
October 31, 1950 The Snapshot Clew Murder Case
November 7, 1950 The Alienation of Affection Murder Case
November 14, 1950 The Terrified Witness Murder Case
November 21, 1950 Marry Me or Else
November 28, 1950 The Poison Pen Murder Case
December 5, 1950 The Child for Sale Murder Case
December 12, 1950 The Orphaned Sisters Murder Case
December 19, 1950 The Glamorous Model Murder Case
December 26, 1950 The Rich Heiress Murder Case

1951

January 2, 1951 The Horrible Daughter-In-Law Murder Case
January 9, 1951 The Famous Movie Star Murder Case
January 16, 1951 The Beautiful Gold-Digger Murder Case
January 23, 1951 The Thirty Days to Live Murder Case
January 30, 1951 The Last Meeting Murder Case
February 6, 1951 The Wife Swapping Murder Case
February 13, 1951 The Stingy Aunt Case
February 20, 1951 The Prince Charming Scandal
February 27, 1951 The Chorus Girl's Dream
March 6, 1951 The Mother Against Daughter Case
March 13, 1951 The Cinderella Case
March 20, 1951 The Invisible Hand Clue
March 27, 1951 The Kiss in the Dark Case
April 3, 1951 The Concrete Floor Case
April 10, 1951 The Trained Nurse Case
April 17, 1951 The Wrong Number Case
April 24, 1951 The Unpaid Rent Case
May 1, 1951 The Carpet Sweeper Murder Case
May 8, 1951 The Drug of Forgetfulness Murder Case
May 15, 1951 The Wife's Confession Murder Case
May 22, 1951 The Deserted Husband Murder Case
May 29, 1951 The Empty House Murder Case
June 5, 1951 The Guilty Secret Murder Case
June 12, 1951 The New Wife Murder Case
June 19, 1951 The Broken Date Murder Case
The Story

Molle Mystery Theatre was one of network radio's classiest whodunit anthologies, premiering on NBC on September 7, 1943 and sponsored by Sterling Drugs' Molle ("moe-lay") brushless shaving cream. Each Tuesday-night half hour dramatized a mystery drawn from the great names of crime and horror fiction -- Poe, Agatha Christie, Cornell Woolrich, Raymond Chandler, Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Somerset Maugham, Ben Hecht -- guided by a distinctive host: Geoffrey Barnes, a genteel "connoisseur of crime" played by Bernard Lenrow, who stepped in as an "annotator" to help listeners follow the clues. Broadcast from New York with a deep bench of that city's finest radio actors and special turns by rising talents like Richard Widmark and Frank Lovejoy, the series ran on NBC through June 1948, after which it moved to CBS under soap-opera magnates Frank and Anne Hummert and reshaped itself around a single detective, Inspector Hearthstone of the Death Squad. This collection covers the 1943-1951 NBC-and-CBS run: 381 documented broadcasts, of which 71 survive as circulating recordings -- many in the Armed Forces Radio Service "Mystery Playhouse" repackaging that Peter Lorre re-introduced for troops overseas.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
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