With over a decade on-air, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar was one of the longest-running detective series on radio. It aired on CBS Radio for 15 minutes from 1948 to 1962, making it among the last series broadcast on air as the listeners' interest on radio started to wane during the 1960s.
Johnny Dollar, the series lead character, was an insurance investigator. Each episode began with a phone call from insurance executives, asking him to work on an unusual claim. This would then require Dollar to go on a journey across the United States, or sometimes on other countries. Each case he handled was referred to as a "matter," some instances of which were "The Forbes Matter," "The Silver Blue Matter," and "The Price of Fame Matter." Such titles and format were used throughout the series' run.
From a total of 811 episodes produced by the show, only 720 are still existing. It was the last radio program on what was known as the Golden Age of Radio.
The CDs begin with the 1948 audition programs, following through until the series end in 1962. Always broadcast by CBS. Johnny Dollar was "a freelance insurance investigator with the action-packed expense account.” Dollar worked for the Universal Adjustment Bureau, and his expense account allowed him to travel the world to recover goods for his company. The format of the program followed Dollar, as he dictated his expense account like this, “expense account, item one,” and he would go on to listing his travel expenses, etc., etc. until he finished the report saying, “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.” Click here to read more about Yours Truly Johnny Dollar
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Please enjoy these 728 old time radio episodes:
Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
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02.07.1960 | the sidewinder matter |
+Sponsored by: Pepsi, Camels, 4-Way Cold Tablets, Fitch Shampoo. A man who poisons cattle is all tru... | |
05.16.1950 | the sidney rykoff matter rehearsal |
+ No music cues, which indicated unedited tape or a rehearsal recording. A prize fighter is kidnappe... | |
10.29.1956 | the silent queen matter ep01of05 |
+ Who killed Barney Slade, and what is the connection to Mavis Slade, an actress in "silent" movies?... | |
10.30.1956 | the silent queen matter ep02of05 |
+ A stagecoach ride, Johnny gets his lumps, and a surprise witness turns up! The system cue has bee... | |
10.31.1956 | the silent queen matter ep03of05 |
+ A bowl of lentil soup and Johnny almost ends up in a cemetary! The system cue has been deleted. Vi... | |
11.01.1956 | the silent queen matter ep04of05 |
+ An audience with the Queen, an audience with the killer! The system cue has been deleted. | |
11.02.1956 | the silent queen matter ep05of05 |
+ The conclusion of the story. A man who talked too much, and it killed him! The system cue has been... | |
10.13.1957 | the silver belle matter |
+Old Mrs. Crabtree refuses to sell her worked out mine for a tourist development. + An elderly woman... | |
05.07.1956 | the silver blue matter ep01of05 |
+ A heartless, viscious racket...80 mink coats stolen and the watchman near death. System cue delete... | |
05.08.1956 | the silver blue matter ep02of05 |
Fear stalks the streets...and brings death in a dirty alley. System cue deleted, apparently otherwi... | |
05.09.1956 | the silver blue matter ep03of05 |
+ A lonely, broken-hearted girl, a blood stained shirt, and a fight with a cornered rat. System cue ... | |
05.10.1956 | the silver blue matter ep04of05 |
+ A police net tightens and traps a frightened rat, a boy sobs quietly in a jail cell, and a man die... | |
05.11.1956 | the silver blue matter ep05of05 |
+ Conclusion of story. A cautious search, an ambush, bullets and tears, and the end is violence. Sys... | |
04.24.1960 | the silver queen matter |
+ Sponsored by: Winston, Ex-Lax. The garrulous owner of Meg's cafe suspects murder in a small Massac... | |
05.14.1961 | the simple simon matter |
+ Was it murder or suicide in San Diego? + Johnny Dollar is assigned to investigate the recent deat... | |
11.28.1952 | the singapore arson matter |
+ This is the final part of a 5-part story. Although the first four episodes are missing you are bro... | |
04.22.1962 | the skidmore matter |
+ Sponsored by: Newport. | |
07.22.1962 | the skimpy matter |
+Sponsored by: NoDoz, Newport, Sinclair Gasoline. Once a crook, always a crook? An ex-con's brother ... | |
02.25.1949 | the slow boat from china |
+ Johnny goes to Singapore to expedite a shipment of tin and finds everyone looking for a mysterious... | |
08.25.1957 | the smokey sleeper matter |
+A mattress warehouse owned by a shady operator has burned down. Arson? | |
06.02.1951 | the soderbury maine matter rehearsal |
+ Who killed the factory owner? Johnny's Down East to find out. A rehearsal or unedited tape with no... | |
12.30.1956 | the squared circle matter |
+ A few years ago fighter Al Coronado’s manager Ricky Malone took out a $50,000 annuity policy on ... | |
02.10.1950 | the ss malay trader ship |
+ Johnny signs on as a sailor to prevent an insurance fraud on a ship full of rubber. | |
09.01.1953 | the stanley price matter |
+A fortune of jewels and a photo on a fishing license. | |
03.10.1951 | the stanley springs matter |
+ Johnny tackles a narcotics smuggling operation that uses a cotton company in the Southwest as a fr... |
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Mike
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Patt
Bruce
Paul S.
Will Shank
Will Shank
Tracy
Michael
Travis
Eric
Gary
Johnny
SM
Jason
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