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The golden age of radio had incredible drama shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to be entertained by the greatest names in Hollywood each and every day. The biggest stars from tinsel-town lent their voices to radio dramas and most of the time the producers and sponsors allowed them to take a curtain call to plug their latest film release.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, came to NBC radio from 1930 through 1955 with various actors taking over the roles of Holmes and Doctor Watson through the years. You’ll hear Basil Rathbone, Tom Conway, John Stanley, and Sir Ralph Richardson (Holmes); and Nigel Bruce, Alfred Shirley, and Sir John Gielgud (Watson) in these 16 episodes.

This collection contains 12 of the greatest science fiction shows ever broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio - including episodes of X Minus One, Suspense, The CBS Radio Workshop, Escape, Murder At Midnight, and many others. Radio's finest actors perform before the microphones, including: Frank Lovejoy, Mason Adams, Eddie Bracken, Ann Blyth, Ian Martin, Lon Clark, Everett Sloane, Jackson Beck, and many more.

Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the overweight detective genius. In total, Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1974, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's residence, a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street, features prominently in the series. Many radio, television and film adaptations were made from Stout's stories.

The Stan Freberg Show ran on CBS radio for only 15 episodes in 1957. Despite its short run, the show developed running gags and stock jokes that are still remembered today. Much of the show took deadly satiric aim at the advertising business, making it difficult for CBS to find a sponsor. By week 13 it was apparent that a sponsor would not be signing on, so CBS cancelled the show. This collection features all 15 episodes of The Stan Freberg Show plus a bonus episode of The CBS Radio Workshop where Stan explains the art of satire to a skeptical censor.

Suspense mixed mystery, suspicion, and dangerous adventure like no other. Featuring the biggest names in Hollywood, it stirred your nerves to offer you a precarious situation and then withhold the solution…until the last possible moment! Conceived as a potential radio vehicle for Alfred Hitchcock to direct, Suspense was a radio series of epic proportion. It aired on CBS from 1942 to 1962, and is considered by many to be the best mystery/drama series of the golden age.

This collection includes Dick Powell as suave detective Richard Diamond; Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday on Dragnet; Richard Kollmar as “enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend” on Boston Blackie; Alan Ladd as mystery writer turned amateur detective Dan Holiday on Box 13; Joel McCrea as Ranger Jace Pearson on Tales of the Texas Rangers; Jackson Beck as suave detective Philo Vance; Bob Bailey fills out another expense account on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar; and many more!

The golden age of radio had incredibly scary mystery shows that kept Americans chilled and thrilled. Families gathered around their living room radios to be entertained by the greatest names in Hollywood each and every day. This terrific collection of 12 great radio mystery shows includes Boris Karloff on "Lights Out!", Peter Lorre in the story of Jack-the-Ripper on "Mystery in the Air", Vincent Price and Ida Lupino in a tale well-calculated to keep you in "Suspense", the story of Lizzie Borden on "Crime Classics" and many more!

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, came to NBC radio in 1930 starring Richard Gordon. By 1939, Basil Rathbone was heard as Holmes with Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. The duo was simultaneously starring in a popular series of Sherlock Holmes features for Fox, and later for Universal.

Humphrey Bogart began his screen career mostly playing gangsters due to his resemblance to John Dillinger. Bogart’s breakthrough from supporting roles to A-list stardom came with his performances in High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon. In between film work, he enjoyed appearing on radio, often with his wife, Lauren Bacall. Here are 14 examples of his radio work spanning 1943 until 1952.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, came to NBC radio in 1930 starring Richard Gordon. By 1939, Basil Rathbone was heard as Holmes with Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. The duo were simultaneously starring in a popular series of Sherlock Holmes features for Fox, and later for Universal. By the end of the feature run in the mid 1940s, Rathbone was eager to separate himself from the radio show to avoid being typecast. Tom Conway took over with Nigel Bruce continuing as Watson (in this pairing Nigel Bruce received top billing).

Broadway Is My Beat was a dark, gritty radio crime drama that ran on CBS from 1949 until 1954. The series was originally broadcast from New York with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Police Detective Danny Clover. Produced by Lester Gottlieb, it was directed by John Dietz. Now, enjoy 16 of the finest episodes from this excellent crime series in this collection.

Michael Shayne, “the reckless, red-headed Irishman” was a popular hard-boiled detective created by crime novelist Brett Halliday. Mike settled in Miami just after WWII, making crime pay by fighting it with a license and an attitude. Like Mike Hammer and Philip Marlowe, Shayne was a loner. The back-story on Mike is that he was happily married, but suddenly his wife is tragically murdered, which hit him hard. Grief-stricken, Shayne loses himself in his work as a private eye, prowling the dark streets of Miami seeking out his style of revenge on injustice.

The detective character, Sam Spade, was created by Dashiell Hammett for his crime novel The Maltese Falcon. Spade was a hard-boiled detective with cold detachment, a keen eye for detail and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. The character is most closely associated with Humphrey Bogart who played Sam Spade in the third and most famous film version of The Maltese Falcon. In 1946, one of radio’s top producers (William Spier) brought “Sam Spade” to CBS radio starring newcomer Howard Duff with Lurene Tuttle.

The Lux Radio Theatre was one of the most prestigious and longest running shows from Radio's Golden Age. It featured the greatest stars in Hollywood appearing in hour-long radio adaptations of their biggest motion pictures. Cecil B. DeMille was the host (from 1936-1945) for a lavish production of what was to become a veritable checklist of many of Hollywood's best films from the mid -1930s through the mid -1950s. The stars of the movie usually appeared in their audio counterparts, although sometimes contracts or schedules meant that another actor took the part.

The Golden Age of Radio had incredible detective shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear their favorite Hollywood stars voicing fiction’s most famous gumshoes. This collection includes Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade searching for the Black Bird in The Maltese Falcon in a radio adaptation that co-starred the original film cast of Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.

Whitehall 1212 was the famous telephone number for Scotland Yard - the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Force - and also an exciting true crime drama from the golden age of radio! Whitehall 1212 was a crime drama that aired on NBC from 1951 until 1952. It was hosted by Chief Superintendent John Davidson, curator of the Black Museum, Scotland Yard’s repository of death. Similar to The Black Museum, starring Orson Welles, Whitehall 1212 dramatized true-crime cases solved by Scotland Yard.

Groucho Marx is your quizmaster and host to one of the funniest and most popular quiz shows from radio and television, You Bet Your Life! Enjoy 16 fun-filled comedy episodes from the long-running radio series! Created by John Guedel, You Bet Your Life was one of the best-loved quiz shows to air on both radio and television. It was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. It debuted on radio in 1947 and lasted until 1960. For much of this time it was also seen on television.

Detective series Let George Do It came to radio in 1946. It starred Bob Bailey as ex-G.I. and detective-for-hire George Valentine. Clients came to Valentine’s office after reading a newspaper carrying his classified ad: Personal notice: Danger’s my stock in trade. If the job’s too tough for you to handle, you’ve got a job for me, George Valentine.

Created by S.S. Van Dine, Philo Vance was quite popular in books, movies and on radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, very intelligent and cultured private detective - an Americanized Sherlock Holmes - working out of New York.