Get this and get it straight. Crime is a suckers road and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave.

The story you are about to hear is true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective.

The Adventures of the Saints starring Vincent Prize.

Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account.

America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator.

Yours truly, Johnny Deller. And the Hello and welcome to down these mean streets where this week were lighting

birthday candles for the great Orson Wells.

Radio plays a huge role in the myth and legend of Wells.

The most infamous example is probably his Mercury Theater adaptation of the War of the Worlds.

But outside of that Martian invasion, Wells worked all over radio, both at home and abroad.

He spoofed his own image on the Jack Benny program. He starred in Tales

well-calculated to keep you in suspense and he voiced one of radio's

greatest men of mystery as the Shadow.

This week in honor of his birthday will hear Orson Wells and some of his radio performances

beginning with an episode from The Lives of Harry Lime.

Produced in the UK by Harry Allen Towers,

the show found Wells recreating his role from Carol Reed's classic movie The Third Man.

In the film, Harry Lyme was a rogue who made his money

by selling watered down penicillin to hospitals. But in his weekly radio exploits

Harry's crimes,

were a little less cold-blooded.

...