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Big Town

33 episodes · 1942–1949 · NBC, Armed Forces Radio Service · Detective

Play Big Town on Radio Days

Edward Pawley played Steve Wilson, crusading editor of the Illustrated Press, who fights the rackets and crooked politicians of Big Town with his reporter Lorelei Kilbourne. The series began in 1937 with Edward G. Robinson; these 1948-49 shows are from its NBC years for Lifebuoy and Rinso.

Sources: RadioGOLDINdex

Episodes

Tap a title to play it on Radio Days.

1942

• Occupied Paris September 1, 1942 · 29 min
  Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs doesn't list this date, but lists the same title on May 14, 1942.

1948

• Blind Justice September 14, 1948 · NBC · 30 min
  The first show of a new season: a construction foreman is shot, and the only witness is blind.
• The Final Payment September 21, 1948 · NBC · 30 min
  Steve Wilson and Lorelei bust a racket that sells obituaries.
• The Trap September 28, 1948 · NBC · 30 min
  A killer due to die in the electric chair tonight asks to see Steve, and it's a clever trap.
• Double Murder October 12, 1948 · NBC · 31 min
  A woman's body is dumped in the harbor, and her twin sister asks Steve for help.
• The Angel of the Street October 19, 1948 · NBC · 32 min
  Violet, a woman of the streets, asks Steve to save young Johnny Nolan from a life of crime.
• The Fatal Chain November 9, 1948 · NBC · 30 min
  A fake bank guard pulls a payroll robbery and shoots the banker, and a sidewalk peddler gives Steve a tip.
• Death by Plan November 16, 1948 · NBC · 30 min
  A convict strangles the prison psychiatrist and breaks out, swearing revenge, and Steve is high on his list.
• The Deadly Doll November 23, 1948 · NBC · 30 min
  Steve and Lorelei find a body in a cheap hotel, and a six-foot blonde murderess.
• I Remember Murder November 30, 1948 · NBC · 30 min
  A bandleader skips town with $50,000, and the singer who was with him turns up with amnesia.
• Lost and Found December 7, 1948 · 23 min
  Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
• Deadline at Dawn December 14, 1948 · NBC · 31 min
  A protection mob moves in on Big Town's produce markets.
• Prelude to Christmas December 21, 1948 · NBC · 30 min
  A Christmas story of a child's simple faith.
• Dangerous Resolution December 28, 1948 · NBC · 30 min

1949

• The Mask of Evil January 4, 1949 · NBC · 29 min
  A mystery writer and her nervous companion summon Steve and Lorelei to their lighthouse, where they're hearing noises and explosions.
• Nightmare House January 11, 1949 · NBC · 29 min
  A crooked builder stops at nothing, arson and murder included, when new homeowners complain.
• A Date with Death January 18, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A sick boy's sister ends up driving the getaway car for her no-good boyfriend's armed robbery.
• The Fatal Fix January 25, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A girl is slashed on the docks to keep a basketball fix quiet.
• Murder in the Snow February 1, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A screen star is ready to tell the grand jury about the narcotics racket, and Steve fights a snowstorm to reach her train.
• Death at the Wheel February 8, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A reckless driver is taken on a modern Scrooge's journey by Steve Wilson.
• The Prisoner's Song February 15, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  Steve has four hours to prove a man innocent before he goes to the electric chair.
• The Charity Killers February 22, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  Two old ladies commit grand larceny and a little murder in the name of charity.
• The Fatal Joke March 1, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  The Joker's widow is out of jail and wants revenge on Steve and Lorelei, and the $100,000 her husband left.
• The Crooked Eye March 8, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  An exposé of the fake-detective racket: a crooked private eye turns to blackmail and murder.
• The Shiny Gun March 15, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A boy accidentally shoots his friend with his father's loaded gun and hides in the sewer pipes.
• The Deadly Summons March 22, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A famous actress dies in a fall down the stairs, and her son says murder will out.
• The Chill of Death March 29, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A chill wind of death blows down on a gangster hiding in the Florida swamps.
• The Squeaking Rat April 5, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A racketeer offers the Illustrated Press the inside story on every racket in town, at a price, and then a bomb arrives for Steve.
• The Lonely Hearts Club Exposé April 12, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  Aunt Agatha disappears after joining a lonely-hearts club.
• The Iron Fist April 19, 1949 · NBC · 24 min
  The editor of a small foreign-language paper is beaten and his paper wrecked by agents of his old country.
• The Hunter April 26, 1949 · Armed Forces Radio Service · 30 min
  A wealthy playboy dies on a hunting trip, and it was no accident.
• The Fatal Alibi May 3, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A man is forced to give a false alibi to a dockside knife killer.
• The Confession May 10, 1949 · NBC · 30 min
  A nightclub comic is shot in his dressing room, and a woman has confessed on tape.