Theater of the Mind

Blackstone, the Magic Detective

55 episodes · 1948–1950 · Mutual · Detective

Play Blackstone, the Magic Detective on Radio Days

Fifteen-minute mysteries with the magician Blackstone as a detective and Rhoda as his assistant, written by Walter Gibson and Nancy Webb, with Edwin Jerome and Fran Carlon. Every story ends with Blackstone explaining a trick listeners can try at home.

Sources: RadioGOLDINdex

Episodes

Tap a year to see its episodes, then a title to play it on Radio Days.

194814 episodes

Riddleofthe Talking Skull July 15, 1948 · 15 min
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
The Ghost That Trapped a Killer October 3, 1948 · Mutual · 12 min
Blackstone uses a bit of chemistry to raise a "ghost" and frighten a killer into confessing. Then he explains the match-in-the-glass trick.
The Reluctant Buzz Saw October 10, 1948 · Mutual · 11 min
Two thugs threaten Blackstone and Rhoda. Afterward, a trick with three coins and six glasses.
The Emerald in the Fishbowl October 17, 1948 · Mutual · 12 min
A jewel thief takes an emerald out of a fishbowl without wetting his hand, and Blackstone sets a trap. Then the dry-hand trick.
Maharajah's Gold October 24, 1948 · Mutual · 11 min
In India, Blackstone watches a swami turn sand into gold. Then he shows how to make coins travel.
The Educated Dummy October 31, 1948 · Mutual · 13 min
Voxola the ventriloquist accuses Blackstone of stealing his box-office take. Then the seven-pile card trick.
06Riddleofthe Talking Skull November 7, 1948 · 13 min
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
The Whispering Buddha November 14, 1948 · Mutual · 13 min
Blackstone goes after a wartime black-market gasoline gang. Then his magic lie detector.
The Organ Murder November 21, 1948 · Mutual · 13 min
A man is murdered at the organ keyboard. Then the vibrating-fork trick.
The Ghost That Wasn't November 28, 1948 · Mutual · 13 min
A haunted house and a grandfather clock that has stopped. Then a balancing trick with bottles and a dollar bill.
The Icy Touch December 5, 1948 · Mutual · 13 min
Blackstone makes a $50,000 coin vanish, and it really is gone. Then a trick with a dozen pennies.
The Underwater Death December 12, 1948 · Mutual · 13 min
Blackstone escapes from a sealed packing case fifty feet under water. Then how to throw cards into a hat.
The Coins of Confucius December 19, 1948 · Mutual · 13 min
Old Chinese coins help Blackstone catch a museum thief. Then the odd-or-even coin trick.
Murder on Stage December 26, 1948 · Mutual · 13 min
A deranged stage assistant nearly drowns Blackstone and goes after Rhoda. Then a trick with a table knife and a deck of cards.

194940 episodes

The Midway Robberies January 2, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A carnival fortune teller is suspected in a string of crimes but always has an alibi. Then the match-and-handkerchief trick.
The Frozen Lady January 9, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A fake swami makes a woman disappear, and she doesn't come back. Then a trick with two hats and a deck of cards.
The Hooded Rider January 16, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
Blackstone is shot with real bullets and walks away without a scratch. Then the knot-in-a-handkerchief trick.
The Phantom Intermezzo January 23, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A medium claims she can call back the ghost of an accordion player. Then picking one card out of three in a hat.
The Vanishing Pearls January 30, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
Blackstone pulls fish out of thin air and uses them to find stolen pearls. Then the ice-cube-on-a-string trick.
The Curse of Yogi February 6, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A bank teller keeps finding money that isn't his. Then how to float a cigarette in a bottle.
The Coin of Cleopatra February 13, 1949 · Mutual · 14 min
A coin said to bring thieves luck brings a diamond thief down. Then the magnetic matches.
The Hand of Cagliostro February 20, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A hand that looks too real and a trunk that weighs too much lead Blackstone to a jewel thief. Then a two-card trick with one deck.
The Message from Nowhere February 27, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A child's slate holds the key to a kidnapping and to Rhoda's disappearance. Then finding five brands of cigarette in a hat.
The Riddle of the Red Rose March 6, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A red rose leads Blackstone to a missing safe. Then a trick with cards chosen in the mind.
Aztec Fire God March 13, 1949 · 13 min
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
The Missing Palmist March 20, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
At a carnival, a hypnotist tries to get away with $10,000. Then the coin-and-handkerchief trick.
The Ladder of Wealth March 27, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
Coins that multiply lead to a buried Tory treasure and a murderer. Then a trick with a nickel, a quarter and a penny.
Locked Book April 3, 1949 · 13 min
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
The Deathless Shot April 10, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
To get an opera singer's jewels back, Blackstone lets himself be shot with bullets that can't hurt him. Then the turnover-bill trick.
The Riddle of the Other Eight Ball April 17, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
Stolen diamonds hidden in a hollow eight ball help Blackstone catch the thief. Then the disappearing-half trick.
The Cellini Statuette April 24, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A valuable statuette vanishes in a puff of smoke. Then how to balance an egg.
The Curse of Kali May 1, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
Blackstone and Rhoda help an Indian rajah threatened by thugs. Then a trick with a dollar bill's serial number.
Footsteps in the Night May 8, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Blackstone gets to the bottom of a haunted house. Then a trick where a spectator names the card.
The Voodoo Treasure May 15, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
Shark Island has strange residents, two ghosts among them. Then the walking hairpin.
Four Keys to Crime May 22, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
A magic box catches a thief. Then a trick with a bottle, a match and a coin.
The Knife from the Dark May 29, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Murder strikes during a vaudeville knife-throwing act. Then the riddle of two thieves and five sheep.
Death in the Crystal June 5, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
A phony fortune teller predicts Blackstone's death and nearly makes it happen. Then the cut-and-restored string.
The Hindu Sword Cabinet June 12, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Blackstone's own sword cabinet traps a fake spiritualist. Then the whispering-queen card trick.
The Face of Death June 19, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
An old man with a fortune in rubies is being driven mad by strange faces in his mirror. Then a trick with a pack of matches.
The Voice from the Void June 26, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
The "ghost" of the magician Vardini frightens his assistant into a confession. Then predicting three equal piles.
The Bird of Doom July 3, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Chirpo the magic canary helps Blackstone catch a killer. Then the rising cigarette.
The Phantom Detective July 10, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Flippo the rabbit helps Blackstone capture a Nazi saboteur. Then a trick with a glass, a coin and a dollar bill.
The Riddle of the Seven Zombies July 17, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
A "magic" drum against the walking dead. Then the matchbox that defies gravity.
Crime in the Stars July 24, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Is the astrologer Madame Stella mixed up with a crime ring? Then the ghost trick.
The Devil's Cauldron July 31, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Rhoda puts her hand into molten metal. Then picking up seven matches with one.
The Ghost in the Crypt August 7, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Blackstone catches the ghost in a haunted house's cellar. Then a trick with two fists and hypnotism.
The Accusing Corpse August 14, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
A dead woman rises from her coffin and points at her killer. Then the riddle of the three jacks.
Death Defying Death August 21, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A circus high diver is killed, and Blackstone looks into it. Then balancing a glass on a dollar bill.
The Criminal Who Caught Himself August 28, 1949 · Mutual · 13 min
A Nazi saboteur hounds a German scientist living in America. Then the disappearing dime.
The Vanishing Brooch September 4, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
Jewels keep vanishing from a jewelry store, and Blackstone is asked to find out how. Then a card trick done to the tune of "Yankee Doodle."
Crimes on a Merry-Go-Round September 11, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
The brass rings on a merry-go-round point to a narcotics ring. Then a gravity-defying trick.
The Magic Writing September 18, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
A blackmail gang comes up with some clever, embarrassing letters. Then a mind-over-matter trick with a match.
The Mark of Crime October 9, 1949 · Mutual · 12 min
An Egyptian coin said to ward off thieves saves a coin collection. Then finding a chosen card in a handkerchief.
The Creeping Death October 16, 1949 · Mutual · 9 min
A friend of Blackstone's dies of a heart attack soon after a test shows his heart is fine. Then the floating lump of sugar.

19501 episode

The Gory Goldfish March 26, 1950 · 13 min
Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.