Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
It is no secret that I love audio theater. One of my favorite programs of all time is Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. My favorite part of the overall series are the five part serials. Most of the run of the show was put up on archive.org by a group called the Old Time Radio Researchers (thanks otrr!)
I like Johnny Dollar because he was not just another Phillip Marlowe clone. He could handle himself, sure, but he wasn’t nearly as pessimistic as the standard hardboiled detective. I can hardly tell the difference between a bunch of those shows. Also, there are a lot of clean recordings of this show, so it’s easy for a non-super-fan to listen to.
A while back I decided to edit a couple of the serialized stories so that they would play as single seamless episodes. So if you’d like to listen to the tales of America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator, just click the download links below.
The Phantom Chase Matter
Most of the serialized stories came in five parts. This was the only nine part storyline. It runs almost two hours long. In this story, Johnny is hired to track down an embezzler to help recover the funds he stole. The embezzler’s wife always seems to show up, but is she protecting her husband, or just trying to find him, too?
Download the Phantom Chase Matter ~110 mb
The Silent Queen Matter
A man is found murdered, having left all of his possessions to a silent film actress. Was he just an obsessed fan, or is there another connection? This was the final serialized Johnny Dollar story. Running time on this one just over an hour.
Download The Silent Queen Matter ~60 mb
The Nick Shurn Matter
A waitress is the only witness to a murder in a business partner squabble. When the murdering partner files an life insurance claim, Johnny Dollar is sent to investigate. But can he get to the waitress in time to save her and her daughter from being murdered, too? Also, It's a Christmas episode!
Download The Nick Shurn Matter ~92mb
The Cronin Matter
A long-retired actress and socialite want to relieve a bit of her glory days and throw one final fling. The insurance company is a little worries the half million necklace she's planning on wearing will be stolen, so they send Johnny Dollar along to keep it safe. Mystery, romance, and gunplay ensue.