Podcast Summary: 1001 Radio Crime Solvers

Episode: THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS and THE MAN WHO FOUGHT BACK – Jeff Regan, Investigator
Date: September 10, 2025
Host: Jon Hagadorn
Stories: Classic Jeff Regan, Investigator radio plays from the golden age, starring Jack Webb

Overview

This episode features two vintage detective stories from the classic "Jeff Regan, Investigator" radio series: “The Pilgrim’s Progress” and “The Man Who Fought Back.” Both cases find Regan embroiled in convoluted mysteries featuring eccentric characters, murder, and twists worthy of the hard-boiled P.I. genre. Regan’s wry narration and sardonic repartee drive these atmospheric tales set in mid-century Los Angeles.

THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

Main Plot

• Regan is sent to the Hendricks’ ranch in Calabasas to do a ‘simple’ package pick-up on behalf of his boss, the Lion (Anthony J. Lyon)—supposedly just a turkey for Thanksgiving.
• He stumbles into a bizarre “Pilgrim Fathers” masquerade party with guests dressed in period dress wielding blunderbusses. Amid the forced cheer, tensions run deep within the flamboyant host, his nervous wife, quirky staff, and guests.
• A murder occurs: One of the pilgrims, “Miles Standish,” is shot with a modern .32, not a Pilgrim musket. A turkey is stolen, but it’s just a cover for a much bigger plot involving diamonds, illicit deals, and marital treachery.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to the Case (01:50)

• Regan receives his assignment with trademark snark:
  Lion: "Remember, do a good job and I'll give you Thanksgiving off."
  Regan: "And I'll pay you with what? Cranberries?"

The Pilgrim Party & Its Oddities (04:30–11:00)

• Guests in buckled shoes, blunderbusses, and period dialect create an atmosphere part masquerade, part madhouse.
• Notable quote:
  "Pilgrim, you just haven't got the Mayflower spirit." — Miles Standish (05:50)

The Hendricks’ Marriage & Motives (12:00–18:30)

• Agnes Hendricks confides her pain; hints at marital troubles and fear.
  • Agnes: “My lawyer says I’m the most patient woman in the world… I wish you’d stick around, Mr. Regan. You don’t know what it is to be frightened all the time.” (15:02)

The Killing & Cover-Up (19:15–27:40)

• Miles Standish (really jeweler Jeff Kelly) is shot with modern weaponry.
• The coveted "turkey" becomes the object of theft and pursuit—a smokescreen for deeper crimes.

The Double Motive: Diamonds & Divorce (30:55–39:20)

• Discovery that the masquerade hid a plan: Mrs. Hendricks bought a huge diamond to hide assets from her husband in anticipation of divorce.
• Lion: “Hendrix is a piker… Someone else in this thing can write bigger checks. Mrs. Hendricks, that’s who.” (31:45)
• Standish/Kelly, the jeweler, was murdered because he alone could verify the authenticity of the swapped diamond.

Showdown & Solution (45:15–49:10)

• At the Hendricks house, all parties converge. The lawyer, John Alden, is revealed as the mastermind behind the double killing—aiming to abscond with the diamond.
• Regan, confronting Alden: "You started this. Spotted the gem switch, figured to cash in. You’re losing your chips." (48:00)
• Final twist: the diamond hidden in a bottle of cider.

Closing Wrap (49:25)

• The Lion is delighted with his cut of the fee:
  “He offered me any part of the turkey that I wanted. I told him, but I got it anyway.” — Regan

THE MAN WHO FOUGHT BACK

Main Plot

• Regan is hired under mysterious circumstances by Alice Lafarge, which very quickly turns deadly when she’s murdered in front of both Regan and her father, Bill.
• What appears to be a simple protection assignment spirals into a deeper conspiracy involving counterfeiting, a print shop with two shady partners, out-of-town hitmen, and a personal war for revenge and exoneration.
• The solution hinges on a roll of (possibly counterfeit) money, a pile of phony Rose Bowl tickets, and the unmasking of the real killer—and the brains of the operation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Setup – Unusual Client, Deadly Weekend (01:50–12:00)

• Lion sends Regan to meet Alice Lafarge: “You just get over to see the Lafarge dame and give me a ring in the morning.” (03:03)
• Alice is nervous and evasive, directs Regan to pose as a witness to her father’s whereabouts.
• Memorable description:
  "She looked tired, like a chorus girl on a Sunday morning." — Regan (07:12)

Murder at the Gladstone Hotel (15:16)

• The job goes sideways:
  "Shots came flying in from the alley and didn’t stop until they caught Alice Lafarge. They blew her back into the room.” (14:40)
• Bill Lafarge, the father, vanishes in the chaos.

Investigation & Red Herrings (18:40–29:00)

• Regan and Detective Sanducci circle the LA underworld, exploring motives linked to a print shop business. Regan’s exchanges with the Lion continue to be caustic and comic.
• Lion: “You turn a simple little job into a murder. You getting a commission from Forest Lawn?” (20:22)

The Print Shop & Past Crimes (32:10–36:30)

• Discovery that Bill Lafarge is an ex-con, former partner of Preston, the print shop owner.
• Clues about a counterfeiting operation and a large sum of money are revealed:
  "Preston did a tie in with a gambling syndicate out of Las Vegas. Some joker had a hot idea—counterfeit 20,000 New Year’s Day Bowl tickets.” — Lafarge (43:55)

Showdowns: Hitmen, Femme Fatale, and the Real Killer (38:40–54:00)

• Out-of-town gangster Gus is confronted and killed; Lois, the seductive print shop assistant, emerges as the true shooter.
• Classic reversal:
  Lois (gun drawn): "Put the phone down, Regan. Because I'm asking you nicely." (45:28)
• Regan connects the clues and traps Lois as she tries to flee with a suitcase of fake tickets.

Resolution: The Artist’s Hand (56:00)

• The final twist: ballistics proves who killed whom. Regan muses:
  "The whole thing was a screwy picture, but the artist had a woman's touch." (56:55)

• Lion, as ever, is most happy about snagging Rose Bowl tickets at face value.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Regan on the holiday spirit:
  “Thanksgiving’s not for a week. Come on, get off it.” (Pilgrim’s Progress, 09:20)
• Lion’s self-serving nature:
  “Remember, if we crack this thing, it’ll mean more money in your pocket, too.” (Man Who Fought Back, 40:55)
• Biting banter throughout:
  Regan to the Lion: "There’s no room for it [money] with your hand there already." (Man Who Fought Back, 41:50)
• Regan on danger:
  “You don’t know what it is to be frightened all the time. No, but I’m learning.” (Pilgrim’s Progress, 15:35)

Timestamps by Segment

THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

• 01:50 – Assignment from the Lion
• 04:30 – Arrival at Hendricks’ Pilgrim Party
• 12:00 – Conversation with Agnes Hendricks
• 19:15 – The murder of Miles Standish
• 27:40 – The turkey theft and dead-end
• 31:45 – Reveal of the diamond’s significance
• 39:20 – The solution comes together
• 48:00 – Final confrontation with Alden
• 49:25 – Episode wrap and denouement

THE MAN WHO FOUGHT BACK

• 03:03 – The Lion’s assignment, meeting Alice
• 07:12 – Regan meets Alice LaFarge
• 14:40 – Shooting at the Gladstone Hotel
• 20:22 – The Lion’s comic outrage
• 32:10 – Visit to the print shop, learn of Lafarge’s past
• 39:00 – Out-of-town hitman appears
• 43:55 – Lafarge’s confession about the counterfeiting
• 45:28 – Lois confronts Regan with a gun
• 56:00 – Final confrontation, case closed

Language, Tone & Style

• Quick-witted, gritty, and world-weary—the dialogue is classic hard-boiled detective fiction with sharp repartee and sardonic asides.
• Regan’s narration is cool, pithy, and distinctly 1940s LA noir.
• Comic relief and sardonic humor especially in the interactions between Regan and the Lion, and in Regan’s aside commentary.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t heard classic radio crime before, this episode provides an authentic trip to mid-century Los Angeles filled with atmospheric music and robust performances. Both stories deliver tightly-packed mysteries, eccentric characters, and layer upon layer of intrigue, all navigated by Jack Webb’s wry, no-nonsense P.I.

Listen for:

• Clever twists centered on Thanksgiving (a Pilgrim party gone deadly, a turkey concealing a diamond)
• Noir tropes: the femme fatale, the crooked lawyer, the weary detective, and the ever-resent wisecracking boss.
• Authentic period language and tone, making this a vibrant comic-mystery time capsule.

Final note:
“The Pilgrim’s Progress” and “The Man Who Fought Back” showcase why Jeff Regan, Investigator remains a standout of the golden age—layered plots, witty dialogue, and a hero who always gets more than he bargained for.