Get this and get it straight.

Crime is a sucker's road.

And those who travel

it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave.

The story you were 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 Saint,

starring Vincent Price.

Bob Bailey, in the exciting adventures

of the man with the action-packed expense account.

America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator...

Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.

... Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Hello and welcome to Down These Mean Streets and more old-time radio detectives and crime solvers.

Well, it's a brand new year, and today we're kicking off 2026 with a new month-long series.

Each week will shine a light on a classic leading man of Hollywood,

an actor who also lent his voice to a radio detective.

And we're starting with Alan Ladd. On screen, Ladd was a cool, tough customer in noir dramas like this gun for hire, the blue dahlia, and the Glass Key. And he wore a six

gun in classic westerns, including what's probably his most famous performance in the title role

of Shane.

But on radio, lads start as mystery writer and amateur detective Dan Holliday

in the syndicated series Box 13.

...