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"Murder as a steady occupation has its handicaps… the pay is high, but so are the gallows from which, sooner or later, they hang you."

Running from 1951 through 1955, Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator is about a New York private eye. Produced in New York from 1951 to 1954 and then moved it to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955. This entertaining old time radio series originally titled "Barry Crane" was later renamed "Barrie Craig."

The series starred William Gargan (also played detective Martin Kane) as Barrie Craig, the lone private detective, who worked and solved cases from his Madison Avenue office. Gargan actually worked in as a private detective, collecting agent; his duties ranged from doing stakeouts to working as a bodyguard. He was shot while on the investigating a deadbeat customer. This life experience surely added to the depth of his characterization of Barrie Craig, Ellery Queen (three films) and Martin Kane.

While most detectives at the time were no nonsense hardboiled types, Barrie Craig is extraordinary due to his laid back personality. He rarely gets worried even in life threatening situations, it takes a lot to ruffle his feathers. Craig narrates the story much like Joe Friday in Dragnet and Sam Spade.

An interesting note: two Inner Sanctum scripts were actually reused in the Barrie Craig series.

Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator was an old time radio detective series that was produced and aired from New York in 1951 - 1954. This crime series followed the life of Barrie Craig, who was portrayed by actor William Gargan. Gargan played the New York City private eye so well that the program continued its airing in Hollywood from 1954 - 1955. Craig ran his operation from his office in Madison Avenue. He solved crimes, relentlessly pursued criminals, and was not above taking odd jobs. Whereas majority of the investigative themed old radio shows featured no-nonsense and hard-boiled detectives, Barrie Craig poked fun at the traditional local private eye with his laid-back and easy-going manner.

Entertain yourself with the mysterious cases of Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator!

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Please enjoy these 67 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
12.26.1951	song of death	+ sustaining. A girl was rescued by Barry from accident than could be worse than drawning. Barry al...
12.19.1951	ghost of a chance	+ NBC net sustaining. Barrie Craig said when a man came back from his dead to haunt his wife who has...
12.12.1951	death and the purple cow	NBC net sustaining. A man with a gun told Barrie Craig to not accept a new client. The gunman shot h...
12.05.1951	the paper bullets	+ "The Paper Bullets" was sponsored by: Pontiac. Mrs. Cora Talbot need to find her husband. In the o...
11.28.1951	the case of the naughty necklace	+ NBC net sustaining. Craig has got $5000 for buying a pearl necklace from Wendy Harper . + Barry C...
11.21.1951	murder in wax	+ NBC net sustaining. A wax museum apparently able to forecast the future and A bloody parrot gave c...
11.14.1951	dead on arrival	+ NBC net sustaining. The Diary of George Washington Diary was found in an old clock. The Diary coul...
11.07.1951	case of the borrowed knife	NBC net sustaining. A young woman was in distress when saw A corpse with a knife in his back at Crai...
10.31.1951	corpse on delivery	+ NBC net Barrie Craig has been hired to find Joey Florio who has jumped bail but A corpse slows do...
10.24.1951	microfilm in the fishtank	+ Barrie Craig must defeat a brutal protection racket gang after a tailor's store is burnt to the ...
10.17.1951	the judge and the champ	+ Al White, a crusading columnist, is murdered after threatening to expose a fixed fight and polit...
N/A	buried assets
N/A	case of lost lila thorne
N/A	claw killer of seneca
N/A	code of the underworld
N/A	echo corners
N/A	tennis anyone

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I also like the over the top always on the edge of death Boston blackie

Chris

Johnny dollar got hit hard. That's why I loved those crime shows. Oh and the "dames"

Chris

I really liked Barry Craig a lot, a very smart, experienced PI. Wish it had lasted longer, or at least people had more episodes

Christopher

Great voice....can't think of a show he did that wasn't good

James

When you say his name, you have to do it sounding like Don Pardo.

Bernhard

I also like the over the top always on the edge of death Boston blackie

Christ

If those gumshoes were knocked unconscious every episode they'd have some major concussion issues..hard heads

Christoph

Barrie Craig was great.

Carl

This crime drama featured William Gargan as Craig, "Your man when you can't go to the cops... Confidentiality a specialty." It was broadcast from October 31, 1951 to June 30, 1955. This program is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from the East & West coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first "Barry Crane" and then "Barrie Craig". NBC produced it in New York from 1951 to 1954 and then moved it to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955. It attracted only occasional sponsors so it was usually a sustainer. William Gargan, who also played the better known television (and radio) detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye BARRY CRAIG while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig's office was on Madison Avenue and his adventures were fairly standard PI fare. He worked alone, solved cases efficiently, and feared no man.

BARRY CRAIG, CONFIDENTIAL INVESTIGATOR