The Crime Club Radio Show

Eno Effervescent Salts

1931 Eno Crime Club on CBS Radio

The radio debut of The Crime Club was in 1931, although it was not an official affiliation. The Eno Crime Club, a radio program sponsored by Eno Effervescent Salts, adapted some of the titles from Doubleday's Crime Club library. However, this show did not have any official connection with Doubleday and The Crime Club. It merely aimed to take advantage of the books' popularity.

The Eno Crime Club aired on CBS Radio from February 9, 1931, until December 21, 1932. Later, Eno sponsored the show on NBC as the Blue Network's Eno Crime Clues from January 3, 1933, to June 30, 1936. Although the program's name changed with the switch from CBS to NBC Blue, it remained mostly the same.

Despite the lack of an official tie-in with the Doubleday imprint, the program gained popularity due to the success of "Crime Club" books in the late 1920s.

1946 The Crime Club on Mutual Broadcasting System

Then, in 1946, The Crime Club returned to radio as half-hour adaptations from the series in the Mutual Broadcasting System's program, Crime Club. The premiere of the show was Death Blew Out the Match, which aired on Monday, December 2, 1946, filling the time-slot previously occupied by Bulldog Drummond. This new show was a completely new start for The Crime Club on radio, and not associated in any way with the previous Eno Crime Club or Eno Crime Clues. The 1940s series were all broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS), and introduced by a mysterious host known as The Librarian.

The telephone rings, "Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the Librarian. Murder Rents A Room? Yes, we have that Crime Club story for you. Come right over. (The organist in the shadowed corner of the Crime Club library shivers the ivories) The doorbell tones sullenly, "And you are here. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf." (The organist hits the scary chord) "Let's look at it under the reading lamp." The Librarian begins reading our tale, and we begin another Crime Club offering let's hope it's not a burnt offering.

Raymond Edward Johnson

The role of The Librarian was actually portrayed by either Barry Thomson and Raymond Edward Johnson (who is famous for his role in the Inner Sanctum Mysteries). 

This new radio series ran from December 2, 1946 to October 16, 1947, and is available via many old-time radio channels. 

The Crime Club radio show featured standalone mysteries in each episode, encompassing murder, theft, and various criminal activities. These captivating stories were meticulously chosen from the extensive collection of books in the Crime Club series. About half of the episodes were original adaptations of specific Crime Club novels, while the other half were original stories crafted by skilled scriptwriters.

The Crime Club radio show boasted an exceptional creative team. Roger Bower held the responsibilities of producer and director for the majority of the episodes, ensuring the smooth production and execution of the show. Stedman Coles, a highly talented writer, and Wyllis Cooper, renowned for his contributions to shows like Lights Out and Quiet Please, collaborated to adapt the captivating Crime Club books into compelling scripts for the radio series. Their combined efforts brought the thrilling world of Crime Club mysteries to life, captivating audiences through the airwaves with their storytelling expertise and imaginative vision.

The Crime Club radio show consisted of episodes that were either original scripts penned by Stedman Coles or adaptations of books from Doubleday's Crime Club series. Stedman Coles dedicated roughly 50% of his efforts to crafting scripts that were specifically tailored for the show's format and audience. The remaining 50% of the episodes were adaptations, bringing the thrilling stories from the Crime Club books to the radio listeners. This balance between original creations and book adaptations ensured a captivating and diverse listening experience for fans of the show.

Some of the books that were adapted for the show are:

• 
  Death Blew Out the Match by Kathleen Moore Knight (1935)
• For the Hangman by John Stephen Strange (1934)
• Under A Cloud by Hilda Van Siller (1944)
• Mr. Smith's Hat by Helen Kiernan Reilly (1936)
• Murder Goes Astray by Mary Violet Heberden (1942)
• Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham (1934)
• Murder Solves A Problem by Marion Bramhall (1944)
• Call Me Pandora by Abbie Harris (1946)
• The Absent-Minded Professor by Aaron Marc Stein (1943)
• Fear Came First by Vera Kelsey (1945)
• Dead Man Control by Helen Kiernan Reilly (1937)
• The Grey Mist Murders by Constance and Gwenyth Little (1939)
  
• Death Cuts A Silhouette by D. B. Olsen (1939)
• Epitaph for Lydia by Virginia Rath (1937)
• The Corpse Wore A Wig by George Bagby (1940)
• Murder On Margin by Robert George Dean (1936)
• Hearses Don't Hurry by Stephen Ransome (1941)
• Death At 7:10 by Harry F. S. Moore (1943)
• A Frame for Murder by Kirke Mechem (1936)

The Crime Club Radio Episodes 

The 30 minute shows were broadcast on Mutual first on Monday nights at 8:00pm, and then starting on January 2, 1947 they moved to Thursday night at 10:00pm for the remaining duration of the series. Sponsors included Kellogg's, RCA Victor, and Ford Motor Company. 

1. Death Blew Out the Match, December 2, 1946
2. For The Hangman, December 9, 1946
3. Under A Cloud, December 16, 1946
4. [unknown title], December 23, 1946
5. [unknown title], December 30, 1946
6. [unknown title], January 2, 1947
7. [unknown title], January 9, 1947
8. [unknown title], January 16, 1947
9. Mr. Smith’s Hat, January 23, 1947
10. Murder Goes Astray, January 30, 1947
11. Flower For The Judge, February 6, 1947
12. Murder Solves A Problem, February 13, 1947
13. Call Me Pandora, February 20, 1947
14. The Case Of The Absent Minded Professor, February 27, 1947
15. [unknown title], March 6, 1947
16. Fear Came First, March 13, 1947
17. Dead Men Control, March 20, 1947
18. Silent Witnesses, March 27, 1947
19. The Sun is a Witness, April 3, 1947
20. The Grey Mist Murders, April 10, 1947
21. Death Cuts A Silhouette, April 17, 1947
22. The Topaz Flower, April 24, 1947
23. Epitaph for Lydia, May 1, 1947
24. The Corpse Wore A Wig, May 8, 1947
25. Death Is A Genius, May 15, 1947
26. Murder on Margin, May 22, 1947
27. Murder Makes a Mummy, May 29, 1947
28. Murder Rents a Room, June 5, 1947
29. Death is a Knockout, June 12, 1947
30. Hearses Don't Hurry, June 19, 1947
31. Death Never Doubles, June 26, 1947
32. Death at 7:10, July 3, 1947
33. Coney Island Nocturne, July 10, 1947
34. Death Deals a Diamond, July 17, 1947
35. Serenade Macabre, July 24, 1947
36. The Self-Made Corpse, July 31, 1947
37. A Pitch in Time, August 7, 1947
38. The Gypsy Sings of Death, August 14, 1947
39. A Deed Indeed, August 21, 1947
40. Death Swims At Midnight, August 28, 1947
41. Sometimes A Sucker Wins, September 4, 1947
42. Fish For Entree, September 11, 1947
43. A Frame For Murder, September 18, 1947
44. No Time For Murder, September 25, 1947
45. Cowhide, October 2, 1947
46. Sentence Of Death, October 9, 1947
47. Cupid Can Be Deadly, October 16, 1947

How To Listen to The Crime Club

The Internet Archive has an Old Time Radio Researchers Group that has a large collection of The Crime Club radio shows in mp3 format that can be downloaded via a zip file at this location: 

https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Crime_Club 

Enjoy!