Podcast Summary: "Broadway Is My Beat: The Ricardo Miguel Murder Case" (10/27/1951)

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode Title: Broadway Is My Beat: The Ricardo Miguel Murder Case
Episode Date: January 7, 2026
Featured Character: Detective Danny Clover (voiced by Larry Thor)

Overview of the Episode

This episode immerses listeners in a dramatic murder case set in the musical, chaotic, and bittersweet world of 1950s Broadway. Detective Danny Clover investigates the murder of Ricardo Miguel, a young bakery worker, whose violent death ultimately entangles a web of passion, jealousy, and heartbreak among several denizens of Spanish Harlem and the local college scene. The story is layered with mood-rich narration, hard-boiled detective work, colorful characters, and emotionally tense confrontations that typify the "Golden Age" radio detective drama.

Key Discussion Points and Plot Breakdown

1. Atmospheric Opening and Discovery of the Body

• (00:50 - 02:39) Detective Clover paints a vivid picture of autumn in New York, setting a somber and poetic mood for the case.
• Clover and Detective Gomez are summoned to a nightclub cellar by Luis, where they discover the body of Ricardo Miguel, stabbed and left via a broken window.
• Quote: "When October dies and the river wind takes over, Broadway is arranged in clots of crowd and coldness... hurry, kid, make a phone call. Find somebody." — Detective Danny Clover (00:50)

2. Initial Investigation and Motive

• (02:54 - 04:11) The detectives learn Ricardo was stabbed in an alley and pushed through a cellar window.
• Local gossip links Ricardo to Reina Martinez, a magnetic woman living on 110th Street, with whom he was reportedly in love.

3. Confronting Reina Martinez

• (04:11 - 07:03) Clover questions Reina at her apartment. She resists, but admits Ricardo loved her and bought her gifts, though she could not reciprocate his affections.
• Reina’s current suitor, Donald Jordan, enters and provides each other with alibis for the murder timeframe.
• Memorable Quote:
  "Why should Ricardo be Donald? Mona. Little monkey." — Reina Martinez (05:50)
• Donald claims Reina was with him at the time of murder, establishing their dual alibi.

4. Exploring Relationships at the Bakery

• (07:53 - 09:40) Detective Clover visits Lorca’s bakery, learning that Reina and Ricardo worked together.
• Senor Lorca, the bakery owner, expresses longing for Reina and dismisses knowledge of the murder.
• Notable Characterization: Lorca sees Reina as unique and confesses his own wishes for her.

5. Background Checks and the College Connection

• (10:01 - 11:03) Detective Gino reports on Donald’s spotless college record and confirms Donald’s alibi.
• Reina’s checkered past with violence (clawing, brandishing knives) comes up, making her a dubious witness.
• Introduction of Bobby Garfield, another McKay College student and football player, who is soon found in a suspicious context.

6. Second Murder: Reina’s Death

• (11:29 - 13:01) Bobby Garfield is found in a room with the murdered Reina; he protests his innocence, stating Reina was shot while they danced and he was smeared with her blood.
• Dramatic Moment:
  "I didn't do it. I swear. I swear I didn't do it. I didn't kill her. I didn't kill Ray. I didn't kill..." — Bobby Garfield (12:15)

7. Interrogating Bobby Garfield and his Coach

• (14:17 - 17:48) Clover questions Garfield's football coach, John Douglas, who is shocked and claims Garfield is a good kid, only involved due to his connection with Reina.
• The coach outlines Garfield's background and asserts his innocence, but the detective is skeptical.

8. Piecing the Motives: Love, Jealousy, and Lies

• (18:42 - 20:16) Detective Clover confronts Lorca about motive; Lorca denies killing Reina, expressing only longing and regret.
• Lorca is ignorant of Garfield's deeper involvement until now.

9. Major Breakthrough at McKay College

• (21:00 - 22:48) Dean Crawford reveals that Donald Jordan tutored Garfield, essentially did his academic work for him, and incurred heavy debts purchasing gifts for Reina.
• Quote:
  "This week, Mr. Clover. Just this week, I sent in my resignation... One of the students is involved in a murder... This is a Black Week for McKay." — Dean Crawford (21:06)

10. The Confrontation: Truth and Arrest

• (23:15 - 26:49) Clover brings Garfield to confront Donald Jordan at the fraternity house.
• Bobby denounces Donald’s betrayal of their fraternity loyalty. Tensions rise, with accusations and bitter, sarcastic exchanges.
• Clover accuses Donald of murdering Ricardo out of jealousy, then shooting Reina when she turned her affections elsewhere; Donald’s alibi was provided by Reina, who admired him for a moment.
• Key Confession:
  "I wanted to kill her. And I did what she did to me. The things she made me do for her. The things I got for her. And she laughed." — Donald Jordan (26:49)

Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• Moody Opening Narration
  “Broadway is arranged in clots of crowd and coldness. There's a new quality on Broadway, shrill, having to do with top coats and early darkness and frosty sounds…”
  — Detective Danny Clover (00:50)
• About Reina's Irresistible Appeal
  “The face of her, the form… I wait for Reyna to grow up to enjoy me. Then I will be married.”
  — Senor Lorca (09:13)
• Bobby’s Protest of Innocence
  “I didn't do it. I swear. I swear I didn't do it. I didn't kill her.”
  — Bobby Garfield (12:15)
• Coach Douglas on Bobby
  "Bobby comes under my tutelage as an end. An Excellent one. McKay College's pride. Offensive end, of course."
  — John Douglas (16:38)
• Dean Crawford’s Resignation
  “This week, Mr. Clover. Just this week I sent in my resignation to the Board of Regents. A thing unheard of. No dean ever quits at McKay… This is a Black Week for McKay.”
  — Dean Crawford (21:06)
• Final Confession
  “I wanted to kill her. And I did what she did to me. The things she made me do for her. The things I got for her. And she laughed.”
  — Donald Jordan (26:49)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:50-02:39| Atmospheric intro and crime scene discovery | | 04:11-07:03| Interview with Reina Martinez | | 07:53-09:40| Clover at Lorca’s bakery | | 10:01-11:03| Background checks on suspects | | 11:29-13:01| Discovery of Reina’s murder, Bobby found | | 14:17-17:48| Interrogation of Coach Douglas | | 18:42-20:16| Lorca questioned about motives | | 21:00-22:48| Revelation at McKay College, Donald's debts & alibi | | 23:15-26:49| Fraternity house confrontation and confession |

Tone and Style

Moody, poetic, and hard-boiled. Detective Danny Clover’s narration is introspective and full of urban melancholy, while dialogue among suspects is peppered with quick wit, bravado, and bitter resentment. The relationships are charged with jealousy, vulnerability, and longing, giving the episode dramatic tension true to noir detective storytelling.

Final Thoughts

This episode exemplifies the classic radio detective formula: a gritty urban setting, impassioned suspects, poetic narration, and a winding trail of clues leading to a tragic, all-too-human crime. Detective Clover’s empathy and insight into loneliness and longing help him see through the lies and confessions, as jealousy and obsession lead two young lives to ruin and another to waste.

Listeners are transported to New York’s Broadway during a cold, hurried autumn—where dreams and violence walk in step and heartbreak haunts every darkened alley.