BONUS - Super Summer: Superman vs. Kryptonite (Part 5)

As "Bud Smith," the amnesiac Superman is a home run-crushing, strike-out hurling baseball phenom! But "Big" George Latimer still hunts for the missing Man of Steel and the crew at the Daily Planet is looking for Clark Kent. This epic adventure continues with the next five chapters, originally aired on Mutual between June 11 and June 17, 1947.

Happy 4th of July and a happy 250th birthday to the USA! In honor of this momentous occasion, I'm sharing an encore presentation of four American history mysteries. Henry Fonda recreates his role of Young Mr. Lincoln in a radio version of the classic film on Academy Award (originally aired on CBS on July 10, 1946). Honest Abe is a lawyer who must clear his wrongfully accused clients of murder. Lee Bowman plays Allan Pinkterton, one of America's most celebrated detectives, as he investigates a case of robbery and murder in "The Pinkerton Man" from The Cavalcade of America (originally aired on NBC on November 18, 1946). A recently released convict falls in with a gang that forges correspondence from historical figures in "Letters from Aaron Burr" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on November 20, 1949). And "the man with the action-packed expense account" hunts for a stolen original copy of the Gettysburg Address. Bob Bailey stars as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in "The Meek Memorial Matter" (AFRS rebroadcast from March 3, 1957).

As our epic adventure continues, Superman escaped from "Big" George Latimer, but his exposure to the kryptonite robbed him of his memory. Soon he trades his trademark cape and costume for a baseball uniform as a pitcher with an unbelievable arm in the next five chapters of the story that originally aired on Mutual between June 4 and June 10, 1947.

We wrap up our month of actors who played multiple detectives on the air with Bob Bailey. Bailey played wisecracking gumshoe George Valentine on Let George Do It before he stepped in as Johnny Dollar and made the role of "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator" his own. We'll hear him as George in "Come and Get Me" (originally aired on Mutual on May 16, 1949) and "The Silent Waterfall" (originally aired on Mutual on January 9, 1950). Then, he's Johnny Dollar in the five part mystery "The Shady Lane Matter" (originally aired on CBS between July 9 and July 13, 1956).

The stakes are higher than ever for Superman as this epic adventure continues! "Big" George Latimer may have figured out how to use the Kryptonite to wipe out Superman once and for all, as Batman and Robin continue their desperate search for the Man of Steel. We'll hear every exciting minute in these five chapters that aired on Mutual between May 28 and June 3, 1947.

We continue our look at actors who played multiple gumshoes on the air with Gerald Mohr - who, for my money, gave us the definitive portrayal of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. But Mr. Mohr wasn't only Mr. Marlowe on the air. He also put in a four-episode stint as Archie Goodwin to Sydney Greenstreet's Nero Wolfe. We'll hear Mohr as Marlowe in three radio mysteries: "The Hard Way Out" (originally aired on CBS on November 28, 1948); "The Feminine Touch" (originally aired on CBS on May 7, 1949); and "The Dark Tunnel" (originally aired on CBS on August 18, 1950). Then he's Archie Goodwin in "The Case of the Phantom Fingers" (originally aired on NBC on January 26, 1951). Finally, we'll hear his audition as "the man with the action-packed expense account" - Johnny Dollar.

Our bonus series starring the Man of Steel continues with the next five chapters of the epic adventure "Superman vs. Kryptonite." The dynamic duo Batman and Robin step in to help their super friend, who is threatened by corrupt political boss "Big" George Latimer in these exciting installments that aired on Mutual between May 21 and May 27, 1947.

Our salute to actors who played multiple radio detectives continues with Dick Powell, who transformed himself from a comedic crooner to a hard-boiled hero on the big screen. We'll hear him as two private Dicks - Richard Rogue from Rogue's Gallery and as Richard Diamond, Private Detective. He's Rogue in "The Triangle Murder Case" (originally aired on Mutual on February 21, 1946) and "The Corpse I Didn't Kill" (originally aired on Mutual on June 13, 1946). Then he's Diamond in episodes known as "The Mary Bellman Case" (originally aired on NBC on June 28, 1950) and "The Mike Burton Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 5, 1950) . Plus, we'll hear him as a third radio sleuth in the 1948 audition recording for Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Supergirl flies back to the big screen this summer (with a cameo from her cousin from Metropolis), and to celebrate we present an epic radio adventure of the Man of Steel. From the spring and summer of 1947, it's "Superman vs. Kryptonite," a story that begins when an old enemy of Superman's comes into possession of the hero's Achilles heel. We'll hear the first five parts of the story - episodes that originally aired on Mutual between May 14 and May 20, 1947.

For June, we're spotlighting stars who played multiple detectives on the air and our first leading man is Tom Conway. In 1946, he took over the deerstalker cap from Basil Rathbone on The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and in 1951, he donned Simon Templar's halo as Vincent Price's replacement on The Saint. We'll hear Conway as Holmes - with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson - in "The Darlington Substitution" (originally aired on ABC on January 4, 1947) and "The Adventure of the Scarlet Worm" (originally aired on ABC on March 24, 1947). Then, he's the Saint in "The Children's Crusade" (originally aired on NBC on May 27, 1951) and "No, My Darling Daughter" (originally aired on NBC on July 15, 1951).