RAS #759 – Calling All Detectives

It’s a dark and stormy night, and somewhere in the city, a hard-boiled detective is waiting for his next case. Grab your fedora and trench coat, because this week on Ron’s Amazing Stories, we’re exploring the fascinating world of old-time radio detectives!

First, on The RAS Signal, we begin a two-part journey through the history of radio detectives. In Part One, we’ll discover how crime-solving found its way onto the airwaves and how the detective became one of radio’s most enduring characters.

Then we travel back to December 4, 1934, for Calling All Cars and an episode titled Don’t Get Chummy With A Nightwatchman. A robbery at a local laundry sends police searching for clues and the men responsible. This early police procedural offers a fascinating glimpse into real-life crime investigation during the 1930s.

And don’t miss the original Rio Grande gasoline commercials! Rather than simply interrupting the program, these advertisements sometimes become part of the story itself.

So settle in for a little mystery, some radio history, and a trip back to the days when detectives wore fedoras and even police officers had time to talk about gasoline.

Featured on this episode:

The RAS Signal #6 — The Radio Detective, Part One: The History
Calling All Cars — Don’t Get Chummy With A Nightwatchman (December 4, 1934)

Runtime: 1:01:48

Ron’s Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible – You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories.

Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can. Links are below.

Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.

Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on YouTube or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

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RAS #758 — A Day of Spooky 2026

Welcome to a special Halloween edition of Ron’s Amazing Stories! This year, we’re doing things a little differently. Instead of our traditional Month of Spooky, we’re celebrating with one big Day of Spooky!

We have two classic tales from Inner Sanctum Mysteries, one of the most memorable horror programs from the golden age of radio. Our first story takes us down a lonely road where picking up a hitchhiker might be the worst decision you’ll ever make. Our second brings the terror much closer to home, where an ordinary evening becomes a fight for survival.

Along the way, Ron explores what made Inner Sanctum so effective and how a story from 1946 can tell us something about the world that created it.

Turn down the lights, settle in, and enjoy A Day of Spooky 2026!

Our Stories

The Hitchhiking Corpse (January 23, 1950)

From Inner Sanctum Mysteries, an Irish truck driver encounters a mysterious woman along a lonely road. She has an unusual request involving an abandoned mill, her family’s troubled past, and a journey to Moon Hollow. What follows is a supernatural tale with one of the creepiest endings in the series.

Murder Comes at Midnight (September 9, 1946)

Our second Inner Sanctum story takes us inside a home where a woman and her sleeping child face an unexpected and terrifying visitor. With nowhere to run, she must decide how to survive.

It’s a gripping psychological thriller that raises an interesting question: What would you do?

After the story, Ron looks at its portrayal of women in the years immediately following World War II and considers how audiences in 1946 might have reacted differently than listeners today.

Did You Miss the Month of Spooky?

We want to hear from you! Did you enjoy having one Day of Spooky, or would you rather see the traditional Month of Spooky return in 2027? Send Ron an email or leave a message on Facebook. Your feedback might just help the Month of Spooky rise from the grave! Happy Halloween from Ron’s Amazing Stories!

Ron’s Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible – You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories.

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RAS #757 – When History Was Just Tuesday

On Ron’s Amazing Stories, we’re taking a trip through time—not by looking back at history, but by listening to moments when history was simply everyday life.

We begin in 1943 with Arch Oboler and Lights Out! in a tale called “Lord Marley’s Guest.” A woman arrives at a manor determined to steal Lord Marley away from his wife. She gets exactly what she wants, although it isn’t quite what she had in mind. The original wartime commercials have been left intact, giving us a fascinating little time capsule from World War II America.

Then, on The RAS Signal, we explore the history of radio itself. From an early recording of Woodrow Wilson to Edward R. Murrow reporting from wartime London, and finally Apollo 11, we’ll hear how radio brought some of the twentieth century’s biggest moments directly into people’s homes.

We finish with As Read By and a humorous science-fiction story from 1959. “We Didn’t Do Anything Wrong, Hardly,” written by Roger Kuykendall and read by Fatima. It tells the story of some kids who do something rather remarkable—they build a spaceship and take it for a test flight.

Today, that’s history. Back then, it was just Tuesday.

On the Show

Lights Out! – “Lord Marley’s Guest” (September 7, 1943)
The RAS Signal – A Short History of Radio
As Read By – “We Didn’t Do Anything Wrong, Hardly” by Roger Kuykendall, read by Fatima

Ron’s Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible – You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories.

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RAS #756 – Where Space Can Lead Us

This week on Ron’s Amazing Stories, we’re heading into space with two very different science fiction stories.

We begin with “Universe,” based on the classic story by Robert A. Heinlein. Imagine a gigantic spaceship traveling between the stars, where generations of people have lived and died aboard the ship. There’s just one problem: they’ve forgotten they’re on a spaceship at all.

Then on “As Read By”, Phil Chenevert reads “Project Hush” by William Tenn. It follows a top-secret Army mission to establish a military base on the Moon. But when the team arrives, they discover someone may have gotten there first.

Also this week, Q/A with Ron returns. Ron answers five listener emails covering X Minus One, listener-submitted stories, the return of author interviews, my interview with a former NBA All-Star, and where I find and restore the old-time radio programs heard on the podcast.

Featured Stories:

“Universe”
X Minus One
Original Air Date: May 15, 1955
Based on the story by Robert A. Heinlein
Radio Adaptation: George Lefferts

“Project Hush”
Written by William Tenn
Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction, February 1954
Read by Phil Chenevert

Ron’s Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible – You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories.

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RAS #755 – Just Three Things Ron Likes

This week on Ron’s Amazing Stories, there really isn’t a theme. Instead, Ron has three things he likes and wants to share with you.

First up is The RAS Signal. This time we take a look at the remarkable career of character actor John Dehner. From radio to television and the movies, Dehner became one of those familiar voices and faces who seemed capable of playing just about anyone.

Then we hear Dehner as English newspaper correspondent J. B. Kendall in the complete audition episode of Frontier Gentleman. The story is “The Remittance Man,” recorded on January 29, 1958. Kendall arrives in the western town of South Sunday, meets a sheriff claiming to be Frank Clanton, and before long Billy the Kid becomes part of the story.

Finally, As Read By returns with “Untechnological Employment” by E. M. Clinton, originally published in the November 1962 issue of Analog Science Fact · Science Fiction. Told through a series of TWX communications, the story takes us into the problems of launching rockets when even modern technology can’t do much about the weather. It is read for us by Tysto, a regular contributor to LibriVox.org.

Also, stick around after Ron says goodbye for a special montage of original old-time radio commercials.