1001 Radio Crime Solvers

Episode: “Dead Bull in a China Shop” & “Angel of Death”
Podcast Host: Jon Hagadorn
Show: BARRIE CRAIG, CONFIDENTIAL INVESTIGATOR
Release Date: September 14, 2025

Main Theme & Overview

This episode features two classic golden age radio mysteries starring detective Barry Craig: “Dead Bull in a China Shop” and “Angel of Death.” In these dramatized stories, Barry Craig navigates cases filled with deception, murder, and dark humor, relying on sharp observation and streetwise wit. The episode transports listeners to a gritty world of nightclubs, smuggling rings, mysterious disappearances, and upper-crust intrigue—showcasing the clever plotting and character-driven banter that made radio crime dramas legendary.

Story 1: Dead Bull in a China Shop

Starts at 01:05

Case Introduction:

• Barry Craig, working late, finds himself at Willy’s Wagon, a lunch joint, where he’s drawn into a mystery when a small, sobbing brunette, Susie, laments the theft of her enormous “bull fiddle” (double bass).
• Susie, a solo musician at the 4920 Club, has her instrument stolen—something, as Craig quips, “a little like misplacing the Empire State Building” (03:33).

Notable Quote:

“Murder is a steady occupation. The hours are irregular, the conditions under which you work aren’t always ideal, and there’s no Social Security. Of course, the pay is high, but so are the gallows from which sooner or later they hang you.”
— Barry Craig (01:05)

Key Events & Discoveries

The Club & The Theft

• Craig, Susie, and Willie investigate the club.
• They narrowly avoid being run over by a truck speeding away—the bull fiddle case spotted aboard (06:07).
• They enter the club, finding Brinker (the bouncer) unconscious, the missing instrument propped on a table, and the case gone.

The Truck Lead

• Craig calls Lt. Rogers, tracking the truck to a Christopher Malone (09:13).
• Craig and Willie head to Malone’s place—only to find him shot dead (12:33).

The Body in the Case

• Their trail leads to a garage, and later, after tailing Brinker, they stow away in the back of a truck with the bull fiddle case (16:20).
• Inside the case: another corpse—identified as Gordon Bentley, Susie's employer and the club’s owner (17:54).

Smuggling Hideout

• The truck heads out of town to a country warehouse—a front for liquor smuggling (21:02).
• Brinker delivers the corpse-in-case as a “special package” to their contact, Mr. Walsh (21:29).

The Final Confrontation

• Back in the city, the truth emerges: Susie and Brinker killed Bentley for club sale proceeds, stashed his body in the case, and tried to blame the smugglers by manipulating both the police and Barry Craig.
• Craig exposes the plan, leading to their arrest (25:05).

Resolution

• The key twist is that the case was reported as missing, not the instrument—Craig deduces the whole “missing fiddle” story was a setup, framing an innocent party (27:46).

Memorable Moment:

“You thought he went around thinking such nasty thoughts about me. And I said he was cute.”
— Susie, on being unmasked as the killer (25:45)

Story 2: Angel of Death

Starts at 31:08

Case Introduction:

• Barry Craig saves Richie Stimson, a chauffeur-turned-Park Avenue husband, from drowning after a car accident. Richie complains of “dopey spells” and a string of bizarre mishaps (31:25).
• Craig is hired by Richie’s wife, Natalie, for $1,000 a week, to be Richie’s friend and watchdog, as he seems to suffer from mysterious, accident-prone episodes (38:29).

Notable Quote:

“One way of landing a client is to fish him out of the river, which is exactly how I commenced my confidential file…”
— Barry Craig (31:08)

Key Events & Investigations

Richie's Strange Condition

• Richie describes “depression in the head,” impaired reflexes, and accidents. Extensive medical tests yield nothing conclusive.
• Natalie offers her theory: Richie is a “cat in a strange alley” needing a friend (38:13).
• Craig investigates both Richie’s working-class background and the Park Avenue in-laws.

Family Interviews

• Richie’s brother, Waldo, is hostile, then evasive about their family’s history, ultimately revealing (after Richie’s death) that Richie was actually always prone to accidents and headaches (50:49).
• Father-in-law Bernard claims to be an anti-snob, but Craig senses something off (47:06).

The Death & Discovery

• Richie supposedly falls to his death from an 18th-story terrace while Craig is away—officially, another “accident” (48:33).

Piecing Together the Plot

• Craig learns Waldo was bribed to lie about Richie’s past—he suspects deliberate sabotage rather than medical misfortune (51:41).
• Craig confronts Natalie and Bernard, suggesting Richie was “helped” off the terrace; drugs may have been used to disrupt his coordination—dosing that dissipates before a doctor could find it (52:10).
• Natalie’s marriage is revealed to be coerced via blackmail; someone acted to remove Richie for money and security (52:44).

Resolution

• Craig arranges for an autopsy, confident that drugs used to impair Richie will be found—closing in on the murder frame-up (53:10).

Memorable Moment:

“People are all the time hiring me as a cover for their cute operations. I can be hired, baby, but not bought. Hired, but not bought.”
— Barry Craig (53:30)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Banter with Willie:
  “Think of the trouble we would have had if Susie played the piccolo.” — Willie, about the corpse in the bull fiddle case (18:15)
• On criminal psychology:
  “It’s okay to cut a competitor down a few notches, but never cut him six feet lower than the soles of his feet. That’s no longer fair competition, folks. That’s murder.” — Barry Craig (30:28)
• Mortality and vocation:
  “One nice thing about being a murderer. You don’t have to worry about being included in the old age pension fund. You’re not going to have an old age.” — Barry Craig (55:20)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:05] — “Dead Bull in a China Shop” story begins

• [03:33] — Susie describes the missing bull fiddle

• [06:07] — Suspicious truck incident at the club

• [09:13] — License plate investigation, leads to truck’s owner

• [12:33] — Discovery of Malone’s corpse

• [17:54] — Finding Bentley’s body in the case

• [21:02] — Uncovering the country smuggling warehouse

• [25:05] — Susie and Brinker’s plot exposed

• [27:46] — Craig explains how Susie’s story was a setup

• [31:08] — “Angel of Death” story begins

• [38:13] — Natalie outlines her theory about Richie

• [41:14] — Craig’s tests for Richie's coordination

• [50:49] — After Richie’s death, Waldo tells (some of) the truth

• [52:10] — Craig suspects poisoning, orders an autopsy

• [53:30] — Craig’s ethics: “Hired, but not bought.”

Overall Tone and Style

• Witty, dry, and sardonic—Barry Craig’s narration brims with dark humor, meta asides, and world-weary wisdom.
• Interpersonal banter (especially with Willie) provides comic relief amid the suspense.
• Both stories unfold as twists on classic noir: manipulations, red herrings, and subtle clues leading to surprise reveals.

For New Listeners

This episode is a quintessential sampling of old-time radio detective fare. You’ll find classic motifs—nightclubs, femme fatales, deadpan detectives, and convoluted crime schemes—delivered with snappy dialogue and clever plotting. The stories demonstrate not just deduction and action, but a nuanced understanding of human nature and the blurred lines between guilt and innocence.

End of summary.