Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)

BONUS Episode: Thanksgiving Day Detectives' Parade

Date: November 26, 2025
Host: Mean Streets Podcasts

Episode Overview

This special Thanksgiving bonus episode is a festive showcase of the greatest radio detectives from the golden age of radio. Listeners are treated to a four-course “feast” of classic detective programs—including Casey, Crime Photographer, Jeff Regan, Investigator, Let George Do It, and Sam Spade—all centered around Thanksgiving, gratitude, and, of course, crime. The episode weaves together humor, suspense, and nostalgia, serving up both iconic mysteries and reflections on the spirit of the holiday.

Key Segments, Shows, and Discussion Points

1. Thanksgiving Introductions & Era Reflections

00:00 – 04:27

• The episode opens with Sam Spade's iconic “Crime is a sucker's road” monologue followed by introductions to legendary detectives Philip Marlowe, The Saint, Johnny Dollar, and Sam Spade.
• The host offers insight into the postwar context of these shows, mixing vintage ads for household staples (glass containers, cheese, etc.) with advice to families facing inflation and the high cost of living.
• Notable Quote:
  "Remember that all members of a family must pull together at a time like this. So do your share." — Sam Spade / narrator, [02:57]

2. Casey, Crime Photographer – “After Turkey, The Bill”

04:28 – 33:47

• The first feature is a Thanksgiving-themed episode of Casey, Crime Photographer, focusing on a restaurant robbery.

• Characters discuss modest holiday dinners, relationships, jealousy, and the specter of petty crime against the backdrop of a “medium-priced uptown restaurant.”

• The episode cleverly interlaces the Thanksgiving dinner setting with a story of mistaken guilt, cousin rivalry, and parental intervention, culminating in the real culprit being discovered.

• Memorable Moment:
  Effie and Casey humorously argue over who ought to pay the bill for their “crummy joint” Thanksgiving meal.
  "We hope you appreciate our sacrifice, Ethelbert." — Casey, [10:08]
  "To prove your gratitude, Ethelbert, you can pay for our dinners." — Effie, [10:16]

• Key Plot Point:
  A robbery is committed and a flashy blue overcoat and grease-stained shoes are critical clues. Jealousy between cousins leads to a double frame-up, but Casey susses out the real criminal: the girlfriend’s father.

• Notable Quote:
  "You see, I know the guilty boy, Mr. Casey. And she's loved Joe ever since they were children. No Joe. I found his grease stained shoes hidden in the cellar... Let's get him. Take him to the cops." — Mr. Newcomb, [27:54]

3. Believe It or Not Interlude & Thanksgiving Fun Facts

33:47 – 35:14

• A “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” segment offers quirky Thanksgiving historical trivia, including the origin of the Thanksgiving “feast” and fast in 1631, and President Lincoln’s formalization of Thanksgiving.
• Memorable Moment:
  The host notes:
  "Until the year 1631, the stern pilgrims celebrated their Thanksgiving Day by rigorously abstaining from food and drink…" — Jeff Regan, [34:22]

4. Jeff Regan, Investigator – “The Pilgrim’s Progress”

35:14 – 65:04

• Set in California, Jeff Regan is sent to retrieve a Thanksgiving turkey for his boss and is swept into a madcap masquerade of pilgrims, blunderbusses, and murder at the “Hendricks” ranch.

• The show pokes fun at holiday excess, Los Angeles quirks, and hardboiled conventions, all while weaving a murder mystery tied to a jewel heist and a fake “Plymouth Rock.”

• Notable Quotes:
  "You just haven't got the Mayflower spirit—you drank it all, this is silent." — “Miles Standish,” [39:27]
  "Thanksgiving's not for a week—come on, get off it.” — Regan, [39:36]

• Memorable Run:
  The subplot involves a turkey, a diamond called “Plymouth Rock,” several murders, and a satirical reimagining of the “first Thanksgiving.”

• Highlight:
  The episode lampoons advertising pressures (Anchor Glass, Tony Home Permanent), culminating in Regan reflecting on holiday madness and the flowing of “dizzying love and greed.”

5. Casey, Crime Photographer (Encore) – “Thanksgiving Safecracker”

65:14 – 92:19

• Another Casey adventure, this time focusing on Biff Connors, a reformed safecracker, who’s being strong-armed by professional crooks into returning to crime.

• The plot unfolds across blue-collar bars, busy Thanksgiving streets, and ultimately an elaborate sting at a corrupt blackmailer’s mansion.

• Notable Quotes:
  "Are you a busy professional woman? A teacher? A nurse, perhaps? Well, Tony, home permanent is a blessing for busy women like you..." — vintage ad, [68:30]
  "Casey brought a very strong 150-foot steel cable out there, Ethelbert...and the only reason Biff Connors wasn't knocked through the windshield like the others was 'cause he braced himself. Like Casey told him." — Effie, [90:39]

• Memorable Moment:
  Casey rigs a getaway car with a steel cable, taking a cue from the movies, to foil the villainous “Nick Reynolds” and exonerate Biff, mixing action with lighthearted Thanksgiving banter.

• Coda:
  Despite missing their fancy dinner at the Ritz, Casey and Anne enjoy a late night of cold turkey, having “accomplished something worthwhile” on Thanksgiving, [89:47]

6. Let George Do It – "Cause for Thanksgiving"

92:19 – 127:08

• George Valentine investigates a mute boy found wandering the docks, unraveling a waterfront murder and a case of international smuggling.

• The episode deftly balances suspense with the pathos of a homeless child on Thanksgiving, the pressures facing immigrant communities, and the stakes of honesty.

• Notable Exchanges:
  "It's Thanksgiving. I mean, a kid belongs in somebody's home on Thanksgiving. Well, are you gonna just sit there, Valentine?" — Riley, [100:16]

  "You mean it was to be smuggled out of the country?"
  "That's right. The kid… was a part of it... Nobody can stop him. All over the world, up and down like monkeys. Perfect, isn't it?"* — George & Brooksie, [120:03]

• Resolution:
  George saves the boy, exposes the criminals, and shares a turkey dinner with a new “pilgrim” in the truest spirit of Thanksgiving.

7. Satirical Interlude – “Take an Indian to Lunch This Week”

127:08 – 129:37

• This tongue-in-cheek musical satirizes the “melting pot” mythology of Thanksgiving, parodying 1960s attempts at inclusion (and exclusion) with lines like:
  “Take an Indian to lunch this week... Let him know he's almost as good as we.” — parody lyrics, [127:50]

8. Sam Spade – "The Terrified Turkey Caper"

129:38 – 156:45

• Sam Spade is hired by “Tom Turkey,” an anxious man convinced someone is trying to kill him before Thanksgiving. Spade’s investigation uncovers insurance fraud, faked suicides, a chain of murders, a would-be blunderbuss-wielding pilgrim, and a greedy attorney named Leander Loose.
• Notable Scenes:
  • Spade’s skeptical banter with Tom Turkey, who insists:
    "My name is Tom Turkey and they're going to kill me for Thanksgiving." — Tom Turkey, [134:08]
  • A wild rescue at the Helping Hand Mission, involving Spade, pilgrims, and Thanksgiving meals for the poor.
  • The revelation that the “seven year” statute for pronouncing someone legally dead is at the heart of the insurance scam.
• Closing:
  Spade delivers his report with customary wit, Effie gets a historical blunderbuss as a gift, and they plan to enjoy cold turkey at her mother’s house.
  "Every giblet in place and not a feather ruffled." — Sam Spade, [130:01]

9. Closing Messages & Anti-Prejudice Appeal

156:45 – end

• Vincent Price delivers an earnest closing message about the dangers of prejudice, urging listeners to “judge our neighbors by the character of their lives alone and not on the basis of their religion or origin.”

Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• Crime is a Sucker’s Road:
  "Crime is a sucker's road, and those who travel it wind up in the gutter, the prison, or the grave." — Sam Spade, [00:00]

• On Thanksgiving’s Purpose:
  "Thanksgiving Day is a time for family reunions, feasting and fun. But through all the gaiety, there runs a deep note of real thanksgiving for blessings past and present." — Casey, [12:49]

• On Sacrifice:
  "Pass the salt. Also honest, kind, and steadfast... We're really understating our sterling qualities." — Casey and Effie, [10:14]

• On Love and Dizzying Deeds:
  "See what some guys will do for love. As my sister Edna says, 'If love didn't make the world go round, there wouldn't be so much dizziness.'" — Casey, [31:13]

• On the Spirit of Thanksgiving:
  "I've had a swell day, a real day for Thanksgiving, because we accomplished something worthwhile." — Anne Williams, [89:52]

• Social Satire:
  "Take an Indian to lunch this week... Let him know he's almost as good as we." — Satirical song, [127:50]

• Closing Anti-Prejudice Appeal:
  "Let's judge our neighbors by the character of their lives alone and not on the basis of their religion or origin." — Vincent Price, [156:45]

Episode Tone and Style

The tone shifts from wry, nostalgic, and slightly arch (as the host and ads set the scene for 1940s/50s radio) to outright comedic, then moving as the various dramas and resolutions unfold. Throughout, the parade of famous sleuths is handled with affectionate humor, camp holiday warmth, and a clear reverence for the storytelling craft of golden age radio.

For Newcomers and Old Time Radio Fans

This “Thanksgiving Detectives' Parade” serves as both a master class in classic radio drama and a loving tribute to the resilience and quirks of both detectives and ordinary people during the holidays. Each segment stands alone, but together, they offer a cornucopia of suspense, laughter, and reminders of the importance of integrity, gratitude, and community.

Listen for:

• Genre-defining hardboiled banter and satirical holiday moments
• Clever detective work sharpened by the “high cost of living”
• Deeply human stories of redemption, family, and second chances on Thanksgiving
• A rare chance to hear iconic characters gathered together with the holiday spirit (and more than a little friendly ribbing)

Happy Thanksgiving from Down These Mean Streets!