rand's esoteric otr

The Police Reporter - Pgm 16

"The Police Reporter", in program 16, takes up a case from Dresden, Germany concerning the murder of a dancer before the World War where an ant and a flea provide vital clues to the case.  The show was syndicated in the early to mid 1930s by Radio Release, Limited, and has never been previously circulated in digital form to otr collectors.

Our program was digitized from an original shellac Radio Release, Ltd. transcription pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1116.

The Police Reporter - Pgm 15

We're up to program 15 in our rare mid-30s syndicated true crime drama series, "The Police Reporter". This episode looks at a case from 1890, an insurance collection plot that leads to the murder of Ludwig Brandt.  The show includes an announcement at the end asking listeners to write in if they would like to hear about a particular case.

There are some original articles I found about the case including pieces from the NY Times of May 9, May 10, and May 19, 1984 and the New York Daily News of May 8, 2008.  The case is also mentioned in "A Manual of Legal Medicine", a book from 1902. The program was digitized from an original shellac Radio Release, Ltd transcription, pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1113.

The Police Reporter - Pgm 14

The mid-1930s quarter hour "true crime" drama, "The Police Reporter" returns this week with what was then a fairly new, up to date story.  Program 14 concerns the 1930 murder of George Marshall by Bert (Albert) McDonald in Alaska, a crime solved by a few hairs under a microscope.  The announcer encourages listeners to write in if they enjoy the show.

This hard to find program was transferred direct from an original shellac Radio Release, Ltd transcription, pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1114. Next week, a case of insurance fraud leads to murder!

The Police Reporter - Pgm 13

We're up to program 13 in our syndicated 1930s series, "The Police Reporter".  This one's a real "Believe It or Not" kind of story that looks at the true case of the convict that build Ohio's first electric chair in the 1910s.  You can read about the real case in an November 1931 article from the Reading Eagle, a Pennsylvania newspaper.

I've got 26 episodes from the series and it looks like it may have been designed to be syndicated in 13-episode blocks.  In this episode, the announcer asks listeners to write in requesting true crime stories they'd like to hear and he lists the cast for the series:  Noreen Gammill, C. Whitney Sheeley, Hugh Lester, Sid Bracey, and Jack Lewis.  The cast is also announced at the end of program 26, so it might have been a way to encourage the station to run more episodes based on letters from listeners. The show was transferred from an original shellac Radio Release, Ltd transcription, pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1072.

The Police Reporter - Pgm 12

Dropping in on "The Police Reporter" this week, we're up to program 12 in the series.  Listen to the puzzling 1861 London case of Major Murray who is seen bloodied leaving the apartment of George Roberts after pistol shots are heard.  Murray is accused of Roberts's murder - but is he guilty?

For a look at the real case, check out this issue of the Solicitor's Journal and Reporter from 1861 at Google Books. The show, originally syndicated in the early or mid 1930s by Radio Release, Ltd., was digitized from an original shellac transcription pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1073.

The Police Reporter - Pgm 11

Program 11 in our early 30s syndicated series, "The Police Reporter", this week concerns an extramarital affair gone wrong. It's the 1927 case of Ada LeBoeuf and her lover, Dr. Thomas E. Dreher, who murdered Ada's husband in Morgan City, Louisiana.  You can view an article that looks at the real case in this true crime blog entry.

This uncirculated show was transferred directly from original shellac Radio Release, Ltd transcription, pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1078.

The Police Reporter - Pgm 10

Program 10 in our previously uncirculated thirties true crime syndicated series "Police Reporter", looks at a murder case from Prague, Czechoslovakia about a hunchback chemist who pursues a young woman that spurns his advances.

As usual, the program was digitized from and original shellac Radio Release, Ltd transcription, pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1074. Next week - an extramarital affair that leads to murder!

The Police Reporter - Pgm 9

Note:  This program contains ethnic stereotypes that may be offensive to some listeners. We're up to program 9 in our previously lost true crime drama series syndicated in the early 1930s, "The Police Reporter".

This week's show has the case of Jennie Becker who disappeared in New York in 1922.  Her husband, Abraham, claims she has run away, but a friend thinks Mrs. Becker was murdered.  You can read about the real case in a book about medical examiners and in a period NY Times article. As usual with the series, our show was transferred from an original shellac Radio Release, Ltd transcription, pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1080.

Update on The Police Reporter - Pgm 7

An intrepid blog listener did some digging and found an article about the true crime case heard a couple of weeks ago in Program 7 of the series.  It's from the Sunday, January 9, 1927 edition of Heart's American Weekly by way of the San Antonio Texas Light. Thanks!

The Police Reporter - Pgm 8

Are you enjoying our weekly little true crime dramas?  I hope so, since we've got quite a few weeks to go with this series.

Program 8 looks at the 1930 Billings, Montana murder case of Mildred Ingram.  The show was transferred from original shellac Radio Release, Ltd transcription, pressed by Allied Recording in Hollywood, matrix number A-1077. I didn't dig up an original article on the real crime story on this one. Next week:  A wife runs away from home.  Or does she....?