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. the Hello and welcome to down these mean streets and more crime solvers from the

golden age of Radio.

This week our stars are three gentleman thieves,

one reformed, and two who still work on the wrong side of the law,

but occasionally practice their trade to benefit others instead of lining their own pockets.

The character of the Debeneer thief is one of the most popular in fiction.

As much as we love our private eyes. is one of the most popular in fiction.

As much as we love our private eyes and police officers,

there's something thrilling about vicariously participating

in a con or a heist. And it's equally entertaining to see a one-time crook use the tricks of his trade to take down a more nefarious villain.

We'll open today's show with Boston Blackie, enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend.

Introduced in novels and short stories as a safe-cracking jewel thief, Blackie evolved into a detective who went to work against the

underworld. Unfortunately, he could never convince Inspector Faraday that he had truly changed his stripes.

Richard Kalmer played Blackie in a long-running syndicated radio series,

but today we'll hear Chester Morris as the hero. Morris starred as Blackie in a series of

Columbia B pictures and he reprised the role in a 1944 NBC Summer Radio series.

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