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Created by Frances and Richard Lockridge, Mr. & Mrs. North were fictional amateur detectives appearing in novels, motion pictures, radio, and television. The Norths were not professional detectives but simply a well-to-do New York couple who stumbled across a murder or two every week and felt compelled to solve the crimes. A 1942 MGM movie starred William Post, Jr. and George Burns' wife, Gracie Allen.

Our Miss Brooks was a highly popular radio sitcom that was eventually adapted for both television and film. It starred Hollywood film and New York stage veteran Eve Arden, who specialized in playing the wisecracking friend. She often did it better than anyone else, receiving an Oscar nomination for the 1945 film Mildred Pierce. Since her skill with the wicked one-liner was beginning to lead to typecasting, Arden signed on for the lead in radio's Our Miss Brooks to find a new image.

The Lux Radio Theatre was one of the longest running - and most extravagant - shows from radio's golden age. The show featured the greatest stars in Hollywood appearing in hour-long radio adaptations of their biggest motion pictures. Cecil B. DeMille was the host for the 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.

This collection contains 12 of the greatest Western shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio, including many first episodes from their series. You'll hear William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, John Dehner as the man called Paladin on Have Gun - Will Travel, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on The Roy Rogers Show, Gene Autry on Gene Autry's Melody Ranch, Raymond Burr as Captain Lee Quince on Fort Laramie, and Jack Mather in The Cisco Kid.

Here are 12 radio episodes featuring Jack Benny in different series from the golden age of radio. This collection includes episodes from The Jack Benny Program, Suspense, The Burns & Allen Show, The Bing Crosby Show, The Ford Theatre, and many more.

Michael Shayne, "the reckless, redheaded Irishman", was a popular hard-boiled detective created by crime novelist Brett Halliday. In the novels, Michael Shayne 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 backstory on Mike is that he was happily married, but it hit him hard when his wife was tragically murdered. Grief stricken, Shayne loses himself in his work as a private eye, prowling the dark streets of the city.

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs, airing from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. The Whistler was an ominous narrator who opened each episode with, "I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak."

Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll made their radio debut January 12, 1926, as the comedic, blackface characters Sam 'n' Henry. On March 19, 1928, they introduced Amos 'n' Andy, which went on to become one of the most popular and longest-running programs in radio history. During the height of the show's popularity, almost the entire country listened to the 15-minute adventures of Amos and Andy that aired Monday through Friday.

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. The Whistler was an ominous narrator who opened each episode with, "I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men andwomen who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak."

Sam Spade was a hard-boiled detective with cold detachment, a keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. The character of Sam Spade was created by writer Dashiell Hammett in 1930 for his crime story The Maltese Falcon, and for most people, the character is closely associated with actor Humphrey Bogart, who played Sam Spade in the third and most famous film version of the story. In 1946, William Spier, one of radio's top producers, brought Sam Spade to the airwaves.

From 1947 to 1954, CBS' Escape was radio's leading high-adventure anthology series. The show's famous opening, delivered by Paul Frees and William Conrad, asked: "Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!" This was followed by another announcer adding, " Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure!" Many of the episodes, which included both original stories and adaptations, centered on a protagonist facing a life-or-death situation.

Richard Diamond, Private Detective came to NBC Radio in 1949, starring film actor and crooner Dick Powell. Powell had recently played Philip Marlowe in the popular RKO film Murder, My Sweet and jumped at the chance to play a suave detective on the radio. Diamond was a lighthearted, New York - based private eye who enjoyed ribbing the cops and singing songs to his millionaire girlfriend, Helen Asher.

Among several newspaper-based dramas during radio's golden age, Night Beat was a cut above the others. It was the story of Randy Stone, a hard-nosed Chicago Star newsman, and his quest for the human-interest story behind the headlines. Frank Lovejoy starred as Randy Stone, who came to vivid life thanks to expert scripts by Russell Hughes, Larry Marcus, E. Jack Neuman, and John Michael Hayes. Lovejoy's distinctive voice and approach to the role, combined with top performances by veteran radio actors, gave Night Beat a noir style that listeners loved.

A hilarious collection of episodes from the beloved radio show Fibber McGee & Molly Excitable and loose-lipped Fibber means well enough, but it's not always easy for even-tempered Molly to keep him in check and out of trouble. Of course, the long suffering Mrs. McGee's penchant for patience makes it all the funnier when she's finally pushed to the point of exasperation. What both McGees have in common is that they're fabulously friendly, opening their door at 79 Wistful Vista to welcome all sorts of interesting guests, including Mayor LaTrivia, Doc Gamble, and neighborly nemesis Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve.

Reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart's character Rick Blaine from the classic movie Casablanca, Rocky Jordan relocated to Cairo after being ousted from St. Louis by his enemies. Now living in North Africa, Rocky Jordan owns and operates a gin joint, the Café Tambourine, and finds himself involved in an assortment of mystery and intrigue endeavors while unwillingly moonlighting as a crime fighter.

The detective series Let George Do It came to radio in 1946. It starred Bob Bailey as George Valentine, ex-GI and detective for hire. 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. Write full details."

There were several newspaper-based dramas during radio's golden age, including Box 13, Let George Do It, and Casey, Crime Photographer, but Night Beat was a cut above. It was the story of Randy Stone, hard-nosed Chicago Star newsman, and his quest for the human-interest story behind the headlines.

Raymond Chandler'scelebrated hard-boiled private eye, Philip Marlowe, made his radio debut in 1945 on the Lux Radio Theatre with "Murder, My Sweet", starring Dick Powell. Two years later, NBC brought the character to the air in his own weekly series starring Van Heflin: The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe. A summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show, the series was short-lived, ending September 9,1947. CBS revived it in 1948 with TheAdventures of Philip Marlowe, starring Gerald Mohr.

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high-adventure, airing on CBS radio from 1947 to 1954. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with an introduction spoken by Paul Frees and William Conrad: "Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!"

Fibber McGee & Molly had a long and successful run on radio from 1935 to 1959, featuring its creators and stars, married couple Jim and Marian Jordan. Living in the fictional Midwestern city of Wistful Vista, Fibber was an American teller of tall tales and a braggart, usually to the exasperation of his long-suffering wife, Molly, who tried to keep him out of trouble.