The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Episode Summary: Casey, Crime Photographer — "Holiday (Encore)"

Host: Adam Graham
Series: Casey, Crime Photographer
Original Air Date: November 25, 1948 (Rebroadcast November 23, 2025)
Episode Title: Holiday

Overview of the Episode

This episode, aired as a special Thanksgiving encore, brings listeners an installment of Casey, Crime Photographer set on Thanksgiving Day. The show follows Casey, a hardboiled but compassionate newspaper photographer, as he gets swept up in a case involving an ex-safecracker friend, blackmail, and underworld intrigue. The episode explores themes of redemption, trust, and loyalty—all against the backdrop of the holiday.

Key Discussion Points and Episode Breakdown

1. Thanksgiving in the Blue Note Café

• Setting: Early afternoon, Thanksgiving Day. The story opens as Casey and his colleague Annie Williams are out in the city.
• Casey and Annie’s Plans: They're intending on a rather elegant Thanksgiving, with dinner at the Ritz and a play afterward, but these plans take a quick turn when duty (and friendship) calls.

Notable Quote:

"Movies in the afternoon, the Ritz for dinner, and then an evening show. Huh. You are having a holiday." (Casey, 07:17)

2. A Friend in Trouble: Biff Connors Returns

• Biff Connors: Once a top safecracker, now a reformed man with a family and a small business.
• The Dilemma: Biff is being strong-armed by two thugs (working for the infamous Nick Reynolds) to crack a safe, under threat to his family.
• The Stakes: The planted gun under Biff's store counter and escalating threats force him to consider the criminal proposition against his will.

Notable Quote:

"I'm an ex-con, Casey, a three-time loser. You know what it'd mean for me if the cops found a gat in my possession? You'd get the book? Sure. I'd be put away for keeps." (Biff, 10:16)

Timestamps:

• [09:28] — Biff confides in Casey about the planted gun and threats
• [12:31] — Casey deduces the men behind the threats

3. Piecing Together the Underworld Plot

• The Blackmail Connection: Casey suspects that the safe the thugs want Biff to crack may belong to Monty Summers, a private investigator turned blackmailer with dirt on Nick Reynolds.
• Risk Calculation: The team realizes that if the police are brought in, Biff as the safecracker will be "thrown to the wolves"; if not, they risk Reynolds getting away scot-free.

Notable Dialogue:

Annie: "If we could get the evidence that would put Nick Reynolds away... what a story!"
Casey: "And if the evidence got Nick Reynolds sent to jail, this town would be a much better place to live in." (16:43)

Timestamps:

• [15:13] — The risks of contacting police discussed
• [16:43] — Motivation to expose Nick Reynolds

4. The Safecracking Plan and Casey’s Scheme

• Setup: Biff is forced to go along with the safecracking at midnight, with the criminals threatening his family if he refuses.
• Casey’s Plan: While Biff stalls, Casey comes up with a plan inspired by movie cowboy antics—to stop the gang's getaway car by lassoing it with a steel cable.

Notable Exchange:

Annie: "If you and I came back and hid ourselves, when Reynolds and his gang come out, we... cover them with guns?"
Casey: "We'd only get ourselves shot. But wait a minute... Lasso! Man, horse... I’ve got an idea, Annie!" (24:19–24:26)

Timestamps:

• [22:16] — Casey and Annie case Monty Summers’ house
• [24:26] — Casey’s inspiration for the lasso-style trap

5. The Safecracking, Getaway, and Casey’s Trap

• Execution: The gang breaks into Summers' house and cracks the safe. A briefcase full of incriminating evidence is retrieved.
• The Trap: As the crooks rush to escape, Casey enacts his "lasso" plan—having previously attached a steel cable between the car and a tree. When the car speeds off, it’s abruptly stopped—sending the gangsters through the windshield, but sparing Biff, who braced himself as advised.

Notable Quote:

"Imagine the horse was lassoed, not the rider. The horse had stopped and the rider keeps on going over its head. That’s what happened to the crooks’ getaway car." (Casey, 30:02)

Timestamps:

• [26:38] — The crooks emerge, escape sequence begins
• [27:01–27:16] — Car is lassoed, crooks crash

6. Resolution and Thanksgiving Reflections

• Outcome: Biff escapes the situation clean. The evidence in the briefcase will take down Nick Reynolds and protect Biff from prosecution. Annie and Casey return to the Blue Note for a late-night, makeshift Thanksgiving dinner.
• Tone: Lighthearted camaraderie and gratitude close the episode, with playful banter around the cost of their adventure and overdue bills.

Notable Quotes:

Annie: "I've had a swell day, a real day for Thanksgiving, because we accomplished something worthwhile." (29:33)
Ethelbert: "You two had quite a holiday." (30:46)
Casey: "Here, I've been roped in myself." (31:23)

Timestamps:

• [29:20] — Thanksgiving reflections at the Blue Note
• [31:55–31:59] — "Happy Thanksgiving" to all

Host Adam Graham’s Commentary

After show, [34:22]:

• Production Notes: Adam observes that the episode only features a handful of actors, with some doubling up. Most action is described rather than depicted.
• Sponsor/Commercial Critique: Comments on how product advertisements (notably for Tony Home Permanent) are awkwardly inserted, and compares this to more effectively integrated commercial segments in other shows.
• Casey's Character: He appreciates that the story shows Casey’s "soft side," always ready to help someone in need.
• Holiday Programming Rarity: Notes that Thanksgiving-themed detective stories are rare—only four in fourteen years, two from Casey, Crime Photographer.

Notable Quote:

"Casey’s just, you know, a soft guy’s soft side. Somebody’s in trouble, they need help, and Casey, you know, will go out of his way to help them. And I think that’s true... in the pulps as well as on the radio program." (Adam Graham, 36:17)

Memorable Moments

• Casey’s “Lasso” Plan: An inventive, movie-inspired stunt to halt the criminals’ getaway car with a steel cable—blurring the line between radio mystery and cinematic western action ([29:51]).
• Thanksgiving Reflection: The episode closes with camaraderie, cold turkey, and a sense of gratitude for both adventure and friends—an unusual but fitting Thanksgiving conclusion for a detective program ([29:33]).

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment & Content | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 07:02 | Casey and Annie discuss holiday plans | | 09:28 | Biff confides in Casey about the threats to him | | 12:31 | Casey deduces the criminals' identities & plot | | 15:13 | Weighing risk of involving the police | | 16:43 | The stakes of exposing Nick Reynolds | | 22:16 | Casing Monty Summers' house; setting up the climax | | 24:26 | Casey’s plan inspired by western movies | | 27:01 | The lasso/trap executed, crooks stopped | | 29:20 | Reflection and makeshift Thanksgiving dinner | | 31:55-31:59| "Happy Thanksgiving" closing | | 34:22 | Host commentary and episode analysis |

Conclusion

This Thanksgiving-themed Casey, Crime Photographer episode deftly blends suspense, clever amateur detective work, and a touch of holiday warmth. Viewers are treated to a vintage story about loyalty and redemption—alongside a dash of radio-era ingenuity and humor. Despite minimal cast and mostly off-screen action, the episode thrives on character interplay, light banter, and the clever (if unrealistic) “lassoed getaway car” caper.

For those who missed the episode: Expect a slice of golden-age detective radio, with holiday spirit, strong moral undertones, and a reminder that sometimes, doing the right thing is the best celebration of all.