Box 13 | Old Time Radio

Box 13 presents “A Perfect Crime,” episode 49. The supplied release metadata lists 2012, while surviving broadcast catalogs date the episode to 1948 or, in several later listings, July 24, 1949.

Mystery writer Dan Holiday, played by Alan Ladd, receives an unsettling letter from Dr. John H. Dobbs, a respected professor of criminology and abnormal psychology. Invited to witness what Dobbs calls a planned “perfect” murder, Holiday must decide whether the professor’s challenge is deadly serious or the fixation of a troubled academic.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and master...

Box 13 presents “Insurance Fraud,” originally broadcast August 29, 1948. In episode 2 of the series, Alan Ladd stars as writer-adventurer Dan Holiday.

A cryptic message sends Dan to Abner Blake, chief investigator for Northern Insurance, where a long-delayed claim involving missing surgeon Dr. Max Alexander raises troubling questions. Following a thin trail from the Star-Times office toward New Mexico, Dan finds that someone is determined to discourage his inquiries. Written and directed by Ted Hediger, this early Mutual/Mayfair installment also features Sylvia Picker as Suzy.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short clos...

Box 13 presents “Look Pleasant, Please,” episode 16 of the Mutual Broadcasting System mystery series, originally broadcast December 5, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as adventure-seeking mystery writer Dan Holiday.

An unsigned request sends Dan to the Mercantile Building for what appears to be an innocent photograph with a young woman. But when the picture turns up beside an engagement announcement in the newspaper, Dan finds himself drawn into a far more dangerous mystery.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Box 13 presents “Actor’s Alibi,” originally broadcast September 12, 1948. This is episode 4 of the series, starring Alan Ladd as writer-adventurer Dan Holiday.

A mysterious note sends Dan to a live radio-drama broadcast, where an encounter with aging actor Marvin Masterson leads to the Mayfair restaurant and a worried performer who fears for her life. A threatening phone call draws Dan into a tense theatrical-world investigation where appearances—and alibis—may be deceptive.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience...

Box 13 presents “The Better Man,” episode 20 of the classic mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast January 2, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as mystery writer Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as his secretary, Suzy.

When wealthy Charles Winthrop invites Holiday into an unusual $100,000 contest, Dan and Suzy follow a trail of cryptic clues across the city. Written by Russell Hughes and directed by Vern Carstensen, this suspenseful installment turns a promising adventure into a dangerous race.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent list...

Box 13 presents “One of These Four,” episode 38 of the syndicated mystery series, originally broadcast May 8, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as adventure writer Dan Holiday in this episode written by Russell Hughes and directed by Vern Carstensen.

An anonymous invitation sends Holiday from Pier 9 to a private yacht, where he joins three equally puzzled strangers. Their host claims that one of the four guests is tied to an old murder, setting off a tense voyage of suspicion, observation, and deduction.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mast...

Box 13 presents “Killer at Large,” episode 44 of the syndicated mystery-adventure series starring Alan Ladd as novelist-adventurer Dan Holiday. Originally broadcast June 19, 1949, this episode is listed in supplied source metadata as a 2012 release.

A sealed letter offers Holiday $50,000 to stop a murder—one arranged by the sender himself, who has suddenly changed his mind. With the intended killer unknown and time running short, Holiday follows the scant clues to a darkened house on South Marvin Boulevard. Sylvia Picker appears as Suzy.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently...

Box 13 presents “Round Robin,” originally broadcast August 14, 1949. Identified as episode 52 and the series finale, this syndicated Mayfair Productions mystery stars Alan Ladd as adventure-seeking writer Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as Suzy.

Asked to register at the Morris Hotel under the name John Johnson and await a $500 payment, Holiday instead finds himself drawn into a dangerous blackmail affair involving gambling debts and a valuable diamond necklace. Written by Arthur Boland and directed by Richard Sanville, the episode builds its suspense amid hotel lobbies, anonymous messages, and room 502.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced cont...

Box 13 presents “Speed to Burn,” episode 45 of the syndicated Mayfair Productions series, originally broadcast June 26, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as mystery writer and adventurer Dan Holiday.

An unsigned letter challenges Holiday to a precisely timed drive along Route 36, where a speeding 1938 automobile leads him toward a dangerous stolen-vehicle operation. Directed by Vern Carstensen and produced by Richard Sanville, this late-series adventure sends Holiday undercover when a young woman seeks help for her brother.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more cons...

Box 13 presents “One One Three Point Five,” episode 31 of the classic mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast March 20, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as novelist-adventurer Dan Holiday, whose unusual cases arrive through his newspaper box number.

Dorothy Simmons asks Holiday to find her missing brother, Dave, setting him on the trail of a wealthy recluse, a missing folio, and a dangerous urban mystery.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:41 Original Broadcast
27:14 Clos...

Box 13 presents “Tempest in a Casserole,” episode 33 of the classic mystery series, originally broadcast April 3, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as freelance writer and investigator Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as Suzi.

When Nick Nerakio, owner of Nick’s Place on Tenth Street, finds his restaurant plagued by suspicious disruptions and unwanted customers, he turns to Dan Holiday for help. What seems like a baffling business problem soon points toward a more troubling effort to force Nick out.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio...

Box 13 presents “The Dowager and Dan Holiday,” episode 22 of the classic mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast January 16, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as Dan Holiday, the former newspaperman whose Box 13 advertisement brings unexpected assignments.

A letter leads Holiday to wealthy recluse Mathilda Courtland, who asks him to pose as her fiancé amid a complicated high-society family marriage plan. Directed by Vern Carstensen and produced by Richard Sanville, this 27-minute mystery finds Holiday searching for the truth behind an unusual deception.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and maste...

Box 13 presents “The Professor and the Puzzle,” episode 21 of the classic mystery series, originally broadcast January 9, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as novelist-adventurer Dan Holiday in this Mutual Broadcasting System production from Mayfair Productions.

Dan answers a plea from an old college friend after a professor’s apparent suicide throws a broken engagement and a campus romance into doubt. At Dell College, troubling clues lead Holiday toward Professor Martin A. Gardner’s laboratory and a dangerous academic circle. Written by Russell Hughes and directed by Vern Carstensen.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short...

Box 13 presents “Damsel in Distress,” episode 13 of the classic mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast November 14, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as mystery writer and former newspaperman Dan Holiday.

When finishing-school student Constance McLain receives anonymous letters and telephone threats demanding $1,000, she turns to Dan through his Box 13 newspaper advertisement. With kidnappers’ warnings growing more alarming, Holiday takes on a tense case of extortion and menace. The episode was written by Russell Hughes and features Sylvia Picker as Suzy.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more...

Box 13 presents “Death Is a Doll,” episode 30 of the classic mystery series, originally broadcast on March 13, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as mystery writer and adventurer Dan Holiday.

When Bart LeFay, a healthy young man in the remote Louisiana community of Ballou, takes to his deathbed convinced a curse is killing him, Holiday heads into bayou country to investigate. Written by Russell Hughes and directed by Vern Carstensen, this suspenseful mystery follows Holiday as he searches for a tangible answer to an apparently supernatural threat.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short clos...

From Box 13, “Flash of Light” is episode 27, originally broadcast February 20, 1949. The mystery serial stars Alan Ladd as writer-adventurer Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as Suzy.

Jerry Fuller arrives from a small town unable to explain two missing days in the city. He remembers the upscale Red Swan, a startling flash of light, and waking in a shabby rooming house without his money or return ticket. Hoping to avoid embarrassment at home, he asks Dan Holiday to find out what happened. Written by Russell Hughes and directed by Vern Carstensen.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newl...

Box 13 presents “One of These Four,” originally broadcast May 8, 1949. In episode 38 of Alan Ladd’s mystery-adventure series, Ladd stars as adventure writer Dan Holiday. The episode was written by Russell Hughes and directed by Vern Carstensen.

An anonymous invitation promises Holiday a first-class voyage, but Pier 9 leads him to a private yacht and three equally puzzled strangers. When their host declares that one of the four guests is a murderer, the voyage becomes a dangerous contest of suspicion and deduction.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently...

Box 13 presents “Short Assignment,” originally broadcast October 3, 1948. This is episode 7 of the series’ 52-episode run, starring Alan Ladd as mystery writer and adventurer Dan Holiday.

When Holiday agrees to fill in for a diminutive private detective, a seemingly simple protective assignment draws him into an elegant gathering shadowed by family worries, suspicious guests, and concern for a troubled young heir. Also cataloged as “George Flit, Detective,” the episode was written by Russell Hughes and features Sylvia Picker as Suzi.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/ma...

Box 13 presents “Short Assignment,” listed as episode 7. This archival presentation is dated 2012; the original Box 13 radio drama is generally cataloged as having aired on October 3, 1948, and is also known as “George Flit, Detective.”

Mystery writer Dan Holiday, played by Alan Ladd, agrees to fill in for uneasy private detective Walter Flit at an elegant gathering tied to a troubled young heir. What begins as a modest favor draws Holiday into a tense circle of wealthy guests, mounting suspicions, and possible murder.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gent...

Box 13 presents “Sealed Instructions,” episode 35 of the syndicated mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast April 17, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as writer-adventurer Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as his secretary, Suzy.

A frightened man sends Holiday to Manila with sealed instructions and a mysterious recovery assignment. When his intended contact cannot be found, Holiday is drawn into a dangerous case of murder, hidden stakes, and unanswered questions.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction

Box 13 presents “Extra Extra,” originally broadcast September 19, 1948. In the fifth episode of the series, Alan Ladd stars as adventure-seeking writer Dan Holiday.

A postcard from young newsboy Johnny Moran sends Dan looking into the accusation against Johnny’s jailed father, drawing him from a corner newsstand into a jewelry-robbery investigation. The episode also features Sylvia Picker as Suzi and was produced by Mayfair Productions.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introd...

Box 13 presents “Killer at Large,” episode 44 of the syndicated mystery series, originally broadcast June 19, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as novelist-adventurer Dan Holiday.

A troubling letter brings Holiday to 756 South Marvin Boulevard, where Simon Andrews offers $50,000 for help stopping a murder he once set in motion. With time running short and the intended killer unknown, Holiday faces a dangerous search for answers.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:52 Original Broadcast

Box 13 presents “Diamond in the Sky,” episode 14 of the classic mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast November 21, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as mystery writer and former newspaperman Dan Holiday.

A request sends Holiday to Paris to escort the million-dollar Mirabulis diamond to New York, but suspicious strangers and uncertain loyalties make the transatlantic assignment anything but routine. Written by Charles Dore and Russell Hughes, this episode places Dan in a tense international adventure of air travel, intrigue, and trust.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for...

Box 13 presents “The Sad Night,” episode 18 of the classic mystery series, originally broadcast December 19, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as adventure-seeking writer Dan Holiday in this script by Russell Hughes.

A child’s copybook arrives at Holiday’s Star-Times Box 13, bearing the name Marina Layton and an unsettling drawing titled “The Sad Night.” When Kyle Layton offers to buy it, Holiday begins to suspect that the ordinary-looking book carries a far more troubling history.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent l...

Box 13 presents “The Great Torino,” episode 10 of the classic radio series, originally broadcast October 24, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as writer-adventurer Dan Holiday in this Russell Hughes script.

A desperate message leads Holiday to the Tivoli Theatre and behind the scenes of magician the Great Torino’s illusion show. There, assistant Maria fears her employer may be planning something deadly. Sylvia Picker co-stars as Suzy.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
0...

Box 13 presents “Archimedes and the Roman,” originally broadcast July 31, 1949. The 50th of the series’ 52 known programs stars Alan Ladd as mystery writer Dan Holiday.

A worried letter from young Marty Kennedy draws Holiday to Collingwood and the remote Williams Observatory, where an absent astronomy mentor, a comet, and mysterious long-distance signals point to danger on the mountain.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:40 Original Broadcast
27:11 Closing

B...

Box 13 presents “House of Darkness,” episode 46 of the classic mystery series, originally broadcast July 3, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as mystery novelist Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as Suzy.

A blind man discovers a plea for help embossed in Braille inside a library book, drawing Holiday into an unsettling investigation at a secluded doctor’s house. Written by Sam Walders, this locked-door mystery follows Holiday as he poses as an inspector to learn whether someone inside is in danger.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio...

Box 13 presents “Death Is No Joke,” episode 40 of the syndicated mystery series, originally broadcast May 22, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as adventure-seeking mystery writer Dan Holiday.

When Dan answers a plea from his friend Alex, he finds a tense family gathering at the Trendler country estate, where a long-missing heir has returned and a string of practical jokes is turning dangerous. Amid simmering resentment over a sizable inheritance, Dan watches for clues before the household’s uneasy games become something worse.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleane...

Box 13 presents “The Dowager and Dan Holiday,” episode 22 of the syndicated mystery series, originally broadcast January 16, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as former newspaperman and mystery writer Dan Holiday.

When Holiday answers a letter addressed to his Star-Times Box 13 advertisement, wealthy recluse Mathilda Courtland draws him into an unusual high-society charade by introducing him as her fiancé. As he plays along, Holiday tries to uncover the reason behind her request—and its connection to a troubling family marriage plan.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio f...

Box 13 presents “Much Too Lucky,” episode 37 of the series, originally broadcast on May 1, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as adventure writer Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as Suzy.

When off-track betting operator Bert Hendricks is battered by a string of uncannily timed winning wagers, Dan Holiday investigates the race-broadcast and betting world to find out how the bettors seem to know the results before anyone else. Written by Robert Light, this suspenseful installment turns on horse-racing odds, last-minute slips, and an apparently impossible streak of luck.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a shor...

Box 13 presents “The Dead Man Walks,” episode 43 of the classic mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast on June 12, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as novelist-adventurer Dan Holiday.

When a woman asks Dan to find her missing father, an ex-convict, his search leads from a pawnshop to troubling parole records—and a mystery involving a man who may not be as dead as he seems. William Conrad appears in the supporting cast, in a script by Russell Hughes.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more c...

Box 13 presents “Diamond in the Sky,” episode 14 of the syndicated mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast November 21, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as mystery writer and former newspaperman Dan Holiday.

A plea to transport the million-dollar Mirabulis diamond from Paris to New York sends Holiday into an international game of nerves. With suspicious strangers, air travel, and uncertain allies complicating the assignment, Dan must decide whom he can trust. Written by Charles Dore and Russell Hughes, the episode also features series regular Sylvia Picker as Suzy.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing anno...

Box 13 presents “House of Darkness,” episode 46 of the syndicated radio mystery series, originally broadcast July 3, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as mystery novelist Dan Holiday.

When a blind man discovers a plea for help embossed in Braille inside a library book, Holiday follows its trail to a doctor’s secluded house and a woman who may be in danger. Posing as a building inspector, he investigates a troubling locked-door mystery in this tense episode produced by Richard Sanville.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a...

Box 13 presents “Death Is a Doll,” episode 30, originally broadcast March 13, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as mystery writer Dan Holiday in this Mayfair Productions mystery, distributed on the Mutual Broadcasting System and in syndication.

Dan answers a plea from Bart LeFay, a healthy-looking young man confined to his deathbed in remote Ballou, Louisiana. LeFay believes a curse is killing him, sending Dan into bayou country to determine whether the danger is supernatural—or something far more earthly.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more...

Box 13 presents “Blackmail Is Murder,” episode 3 of the classic mystery series, originally broadcast September 5, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as novelist-adventurer Dan Holiday in this Mayfair Productions series, originally heard via the Mutual Broadcasting System.

An urgent letter summons Holiday to room 718 of the Bradford Hotel, where eccentric guest Agatha Marsh needs discreet help after a troubling discovery. With Lieutenant Kling unconvinced and the trail extending beyond the hotel, Holiday is drawn into a brisk mystery of mistaken rooms, dangerous connections, and mounting pressure.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing anno...

Box 13 presents “Damsel in Distress,” episode 13 of the classic mystery series, originally broadcast November 14, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as Dan Holiday, the former newspaperman and mystery writer who finds adventures through his Box 13 newspaper advertisement.

A desperate finishing-school student named Constance writes to Dan after receiving threatening notes demanding $1,000 and warning of kidnapping. Afraid to involve the police, she turns to Holiday for help. Written by Russell Hughes, this Mutual-originated/Mayfair-produced adventure also features Sylvia Picker as Suzy.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mast...

Box 13 presents “Double Mothers,” episode 8 of the series, originally broadcast October 10, 1948. Alan Ladd stars as newspaperman and mystery writer Dan Holiday in this Mayfair Transcription Company syndicated mystery.

An unsigned message sends Holiday to North Park at 10 p.m., where he finds a young girl alone on a bench with a note asking him to protect her. Her puzzling references to two mothers soon draw Dan into a dangerous domestic mystery, with Lieutenant Kling and the police close at hand.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gent...

Box 13 presents “The Biter Bitten,” episode 48 of the mystery-adventure series, originally broadcast July 17, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as writer-adventurer Dan Holiday.

An urgent summons brings Holiday to Room 507 of the Hotel Belvedere, where herpetologist Dr. Theodore Miller fears a deadly king cobra has escaped among the hotel’s guests. As Holiday joins the tense search, the danger in the corridors leads toward a deeper mystery. The episode was directed by Vern Carstensen and produced by Richard Sanville.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a...

Box 13 presents “Daytime Nightmare,” episode 39 of the classic radio mystery series, originally broadcast on May 15, 1949. Alan Ladd stars as adventure-seeking writer Dan Holiday in a script by Russell Hughes, directed by Richard Sanville.

A mysterious lunch invitation sends Holiday to the Golden Arrow, but the appointment turns into a waking nightmare when he finds himself in a sanitarium where everyone insists he is a man named Edward Stokes. With his identity challenged at every turn, Dan must uncover who set the trap—and why.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short...

Box 13 presents “Round Robin,” episode 52 of the series, originally broadcast August 14, 1949. This final episode stars Alan Ladd as mystery writer Dan Holiday, with Sylvia Picker as Suzy, and was written by Arthur Boland and directed by Richard Sanville.

A letter sends Holiday to the Maris Hotel to register under an assumed name and await instructions—and a promised $500. What begins as an unusual assignment soon leads toward blackmail, gambling losses, and a valuable necklace.

Box 13 presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more c...