Broadway Is My Beat CBS · April 4, 1953

Bimb 53 04 04 (159) The Barton Russell Murder Case

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# Broadway Is My Beat: The Barton Russell Murder Case

Picture Manhattan's glittering theater district—April 1953—where the neon signs cast their garish glow on rain-slicked streets and the promise of Broadway stardom masks a world of desperation and violence. When renowned theatrical producer Barton Russell is found dead in his office high above the Great White Way, Detective Danny Halloran must navigate a tangle of jealous actors, vengeful understudies, and powerful producers willing to kill for a starring role. As the investigation unfolds across backstage dressing rooms and smoky jazz clubs in Times Square, listeners will experience the authentic snap and crackle of postwar New York crime—where ambition, betrayal, and cold hard cash collide beneath the footlights. This is crime drama at its most atmospheric and urgent.

*Broadway Is My Beat* captured the imagination of millions during its five-year CBS run by grounding its stories in the real New York that audiences knew or desperately wanted to experience. Created by Edward J. Moore, the show featured the dulcet voice of veteran actor Larry Thor as the world-weary but incorruptible Detective Halloran, who brought Dashiell Hammett-inspired realism to each case. The series distinguished itself through meticulous attention to the peculiar criminal ecosystems that existed within the entertainment world—a setting few other radio programs had explored with such authenticity and sophistication. These cases were drawn from actual NYPD files, lending the stories a documentary-like credibility that listeners found irresistible.

Tune in now to this meticulously preserved episode and step into the smoky shadows of 1950s New York, where theater dreams turn to nightmares and murder demands justice. The Barton Russell case awaits—sharp dialogue, tense investigation, and mystery that will keep you guessing until the final revelation.