Podcast Summary: "The Saint: Follow the Leader" (07/16/1950)

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Host: Choice Classic Radio
Episode Air Date: February 8, 2026 (original 1950 airdate)
Featured Detective: Simon Templar, "The Saint"

Overview

In "Follow the Leader," Simon Templar, known as "The Saint," finds himself ensnared in a deadly intrigue involving a seemingly worthless whiskey glass wanted by a cast of international villains. As Templar navigates his witty way through threats, torture, and murder, the true value of the glass—and its connection to notorious Nazi war criminals—comes to light. The episode masterfully blends suspense, sharp humor, and classic detective tropes from the Golden Age of Radio.

Key Discussion Points and Plot Breakdown

1. Suspicious Strangers and Comic Banter ([00:12]–[01:39])

• Simon Templar encounters two suspicious men, Ali and Victor, lingering near his home and immediately engages in sarcastic banter.
• Templar quips:

  "That's amazing. This is the first time in all these years I've ever heard the Empire State Building speak." ([00:15])

• Ali threatens Simon, but Victor tries to play things off as innocent, which Simon doesn't buy.

2. Kidnapping and Interrogation by “The Leader” ([01:45]–[04:55])

• Templar is forcefully taken to see "Herr Schmidt," known as “The Leader.”
• Johann Schmidt (Karl Bruder): Demands "the glass," a nondescript whiskey glass recently brought from Mexico.
• Templar stalls and jokes despite being tied up and slapped, insisting:

  "If I give the correct answer, do I get to try for the giant jackpot?" ([03:50])

• Templar tricks his captors by claiming the key to the locker holding the glass is hidden in his lamp.

3. Escape via “Torture Trickery” ([05:01]–[07:15])

• Ali sets up for torture with hot irons, boasting:

  "Best torture man in whole world." ([06:12])

• Templar feigns bravado, inventing a legendary "butterfly twist" torture method and persuades Ali to untie him.
• He escapes by bashing Ali with a chair.

4. The Murder and the Mission Revealed ([07:40]–[10:47])

• Claire, Templar’s acquaintance, arrives, distraught:

  "He's dead... He was shot." ([08:04])

• It’s revealed their friend Maxime—who smuggled the glass—has been killed by the villains.
• The glass’s importance? It carries the fingerprints of Karl Bruder, "Hitler's heir apparent." By proving Bruder is alive, international justice could be served.
• Claire reveals the group’s anti-Nazi mission and her own mistaken suspicions:

  "Ours is not a very closely knit organization, Simon... neither of us knew." ([10:11])

• The loss of the glass is momentous, symbolizing both personal and historical tragedy.

5. Final Confrontation and Clever Reversal ([11:05]–[14:13])

• Templar and Claire confront Schmidt and Victor at Grand Central.
• Templar taunts and outwits the villains, using his signature glib style:

  "She isn't afraid of the gun, Victor. It's that suit you're wearing." ([11:49])

• Templar reveals he photographed the glass’s fingerprints and thus still possesses the critical evidence.

  "I dusted the glass with powder and photographed the prints. So I've got the fingerprints and more important I've got the leader, right?" ([12:57])

• The decisive twist: Victor, not Schmidt, is the real Karl Bruder. Templar cleverly unmasks him:

  "You're Carl Bruder, little man. That's why you wear such a badly fitting suit. Bruder was the Nazi Beau Brummel. So your disguise called for you to get as far away from elegance as you could, didn't you?" ([13:42])

• The episode closes as the villains’ fate is sealed.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Simon’s dry wit under duress:

  "Ask a civil question and you get a slap in the face." ([02:23])

• Victor’s threat:

  "If you give the correct answer, son, you get to die simply and quickly..." ([03:54])

• Templar’s taunt on torture:

  "Believe you mean to say you've never heard of Terrible Templar? The trouble with you is you just haven't been attending the annual torturers convention." ([06:20])

• Claire on the stakes:

  "We were going to send the glass to Germany to have the prints compared with the set of prints known to be Bruder’s...Then they’d have to arrest him and make him answer for his crimes." ([09:43])

• Final unmasking:

  "You're Carl Bruder, little man. That's why you wear such a badly fitting suit..." ([13:42])

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:12 | Simon meets Ali and Victor; comical threats | | 01:45 | Taken prisoner; introduced to the “Leader”/Schmidt | | 04:02 | Templar reveals false hiding place of glass/key | | 05:37 | Threat of torture; Templar tricks Ali and escapes | | 07:42 | Claire returns, revealing Maxime’s death | | 08:49 | The true importance of the whiskey glass revealed | | 11:08 | Confronting the villains at Grand Central | | 12:57 | Templar reveals he has the fingerprints (not just the glass) | | 13:42 | True identity of Karl Bruder (Victor) revealed |

Tone and Style

The episode’s tone is brisk and briskly witty, with rapid-fire exchanges driven by Simon Templar’s unflappable, sardonic bravado. Even amid threats and danger, the humor never flags—a hallmark of "The Saint" and 1950s radio detective stories.

Conclusion

"Follow the Leader" stands as a classic detective thriller: a tense cat-and-mouse game packed with disguise, double-cross, and a blend of moral seriousness and playful repartee. Templar’s cool wit and quick thinking dismantle an international plot and ensure that justice, and a little bit of poetic comeuppance, are served.

Listeners are left reminded of the enduring appeal of clever detective heroes and the fight against evil that resonates beyond its era.