The Big Story|Old Time Radio Mysteries
By: Adam Graham
Language: en
Categories: Arts, Performing, History, True Crime
The first half of the twentieth century was a golden age of American journalism. Major cities supported multiple competing newspapers, many issuing several editions a day. Print magazines flourished. In that competitive landscape, reporters often pursued stories with fearless determination—uncovering corruption, confronting criminal enterprises, and helping to solve real cases that shaped public life.The Big Story (1947–1955) brought these accounts to radio, dramatizing true reporting drawn from newspapers across the country. Performed by New York’s finest radio talent, the series honored the craft of investigative journalism and the people who practiced it. The program inspired a television adaptation, which...
Episodes
The Big Story: The Case of the Cornered Cat
Dec 16, 2025Today's Mystery: America's public enemey #1 is interested in turning himself in to Walter Winchell to be handed over to the FBI. But will he actually do it?
Original Radio Broadcast: September 17, 1947
Originating from New York
Starring: Ward Wilson as Walter Winchell; Ed Begley as J. Edgar Hoover; Don Appell; Alan Hewitt; Mildred Clinton
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Feature Assignment: The Majczek Case
Dec 09, 2025Today's Mystery:A mother who has worked as a scrub woman for 13 years offers a large reward to absolve her son of a Chicago cop's murder.
Audition Date: February 6, 1946
Originating from New York
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The Big Story: The Case of the Final Curtain
Dec 02, 2025Today's Mystery: A woman suspects that her father was poisoned in a nursing home.
Original Radio Broadcast: December 7, 1947
Originating from New York
Starring: Les Tremayne as Aubrey Maddock; Alice Reinhart; Ted Osborn; Agnes Young; John Gibson; Will GeerWindsor
Historical Society article on the murders: https://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/amy-archer-gilligan-entrepreneurism-gone-wrong-in-windsor/
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The Big Story: The Case of the Unfinished Love Song
Nov 25, 2025Today's Mystery: Howard Beaufait of The Cleveleand News reinvestigates the case of a violin-playing convicted killer who claims innocence and whose wife also believes him.
Original Radio Broadcast: November 26, 1947
Originating from New York
Starring: Craig McDonnell; John Sylvester; Francis De Sales; Eileen Heckart; Luise Barkley
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The Big Story: The Bobby-Sox Kid from Bayonne
Nov 18, 2025Today's Mystery: Dorothy Kilgaren is called in to investigate the killing-by-hatchet of a woman; police suspect her seventeen-year-old daughter.
Original Radio Broadcast: October 15, 1947
Originating from New York
Starring: Janet Fox as Dorothy Kilgaren; Burt Brazier; Francis De Sales; Jerry Lewis; Mitzi Gould; Eleanor Audley
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The Big Story: The Case of the Countrefeit Coins
Nov 11, 2025Today's Mystery:Reporter Jack Adams goes undercover in a gang of counterfeiters to catch the man at the top.
Original Radio Broadcast: October 19, 1947
Originating from New York
Starring: Dwight Weist as Jack Adams; Mason Adams; Larry Haines; Richard Keith; Eileen Heckart; James Boles; Jackson Beck
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The Big Story: The Thirteenth Key
Nov 04, 2025Today's Mystery:A Columbus reporter investigates the brutal stabbing death of a woman found at a shooting range
.Original Radio Broadcast: June 4, 1947
Originating from New York
Starring: John Gibson as James Fusco of the Columbus Citizen; James McCallion; Gilbert Mack; Ward Wilson; Horace Braham; Connie Lembke; Janet Fox
Related: Columbus Underground article on the true story behind this week's episode. (NSFW)
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