The Oh, The The Happy holidays and welcome to the annual Down These Mean Streets Christmas Crime Spectacular.

Every year as the holiday approaches, I like to celebrate with some old time radio

detectives solving some seasonal mysteries.

This year one of my favorite sloths is keeping Christmas safe from the Grinches and

scrooges with larceny in their two small hearts.

He's Casey, crime photographer, the newshound and amateur gumshoo played by Stats Kotsworth, and we'll hear him in a pair of Christmas capers

Up first is Christmas shopping originally aired on CBS on December 19th, 1946.

Casey and his Girl Friday, reporter Anne Williams,

are fighting their way through the crowds at the department store, as if that wasn't hectic enough,

Casey spies a known thief picking a man's pocket.

When Casey and Anne come to the victim's aid, they're shocked to discover the man maintains his wallet wasn't stolen.

This odd incident leads Casey and Anne to a kidnapping case and the hunt for a murderer.

Leslie Woods plays Anne, and Bernard Lenro is Captain Logan.

Then from December 25, 1947, it's the Santa Claus of Bum Boulevard.

Jan Minor plays Anne in this story of a philanthropist who makes an annual trip to Skid Row.

He hands out money to its down and out residents every Christmas.

Unfortunately, this local Saint Nick has been robbed, and it's up to Casey and Company to save the holiday.

John Gibson is heard in both of these shows as Ethelbert, the whimsical bartender at Casey's favorite watering hole, the Blue Note Cafe.

When they visit, Casey and Anne can grab a drink, they can also enjoy the music of

Jazz pianist Herman Chittison.

His tunes can be heard in the background every time Casey and Ann stop by.

Both of these shows were directed by John Dietz and both were written by Alonzo Dean Cole

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