THE LADY FROM BRAZIL and THE LADY WHO WANTED TO LIVE JEFF REGAN, INVESTIGATOR
Release Date: 10/17/2025
THE CRYSTAL LAKE MATTER JOHNNY DOLLAR
1001 RADIO DAYS
Each story of the Bailey years started with a phone call from an insurance executive, calling on Johnny to investigate an unusual claim. Each story required Johnny to travel to some distant locale, usually within the United States but sometimes abroad, where he was almost always threatened with personal danger in the course of his investigations. Johnny's file on each case was usually referenced as a "matter," as in "The Silver Blue Matter" or "The Forbes Matter". Later episodes were more fanciful, with tit
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THE LOST BY A HAIR MATTER and THE NIGHT IN PARIS MATTER YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR
1001 RADIO DAYS
The format best remembered was instituted by writer-director Jack Johnstone. Each case usually started with a phone call from an insurance adjuster, calling on Johnny to investigate an unusual claim: a suspicious death, an attempted fraud, a missing person, or other mysterious circumstances. Each story required Johnny to travel to some distant locale, usually within the United States but sometimes abroad, where he was almost always threatened with personal danger in the course of his investigations. He would compare notes with the police officials who had first investigated each strange...
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THE WILL AND A WAY MATTER and THE BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE MATTER YOURS TRULY JOHNNY DOLLAR
1001 RADIO DAYS
The format best remembered was instituted by writer-director Jack Johnstone. Each case usually started with a phone call from an insurance adjuster, calling on Johnny to investigate an unusual claim: a suspicious death, an attempted fraud, a missing person, or other mysterious circumstances. Each story required Johnny to travel to some distant locale, usually within the United States but sometimes abroad, where he was almost always threatened with personal danger in the course of his investigations. He would compare notes with the police officials who had first investigated each strange...
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THE ONLY ONE BUTT MATTER and THE FRANTIC FISHERMAN MATTER YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR
1001 RADIO DAYS
The format best remembered was instituted by writer-director Jack Johnstone. Each case usually started with a phone call from an insurance adjuster, calling on Johnny to investigate an unusual claim: a suspicious death, an attempted fraud, a missing person, or other mysterious circumstances. Each story required Johnny to travel to some distant locale, usually within the United States but sometimes abroad, where he was almost always threatened with personal danger in the course of his investigations. He would compare notes with the police officials who had first investigated each strange...
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DRAGNET TRIPLE PLAY: THE BIG TAR, BIG MANNEKIN, BIG HANDSOME BANDIT
1001 RADIO DAYS
Dragnet, the brainchild of Jack Webb, may very well be the most well-remembered, and the best, radio police drama series. From September, 1949 through February 1957, Dragnet's 30 minute shows, broadcast on NBC, brought to radio true police stories in a low-key, documentary style. The origins of Dragnet can be traced to a semi-documentary film, "He Walked by Night" from 1948, in which Webb had a small role. Both employed the same Los Angeles Police Department technical adviser, used actual police cases and presented the case in "just the facts" manner that became a hallmark of Dragnet. It is...
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THE BIG MANNEKIN and THE BIG CANDY JAR DRAGNET
1001 RADIO DAYS
Dragnet, the brainchild of Jack Webb, may very well be the most well-remembered, and the best, radio police drama series. From September, 1949 through February 1957, Dragnet's 30 minute shows, broadcast on NBC, brought to radio true police stories in a low-key, documentary style. The origins of Dragnet can be traced to a semi-documentary film, "He Walked by Night" from 1948, in which Webb had a small role. Both employed the same Los Angeles Police Department technical adviser, used actual police cases and presented the case in "just the facts" manner that became a hallmark of Dragnet. It is...
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THE BIG SWITCH and THE BIG GONE DRAGNET
1001 RADIO DAYS
Dragnet, the brainchild of Jack Webb, may very well be the most well-remembered, and the best, radio police drama series. From September, 1949 through February 1957, Dragnet's 30 minute shows, broadcast on NBC, brought to radio true police stories in a low-key, documentary style. The origins of Dragnet can be traced to a semi-documentary film, "He Walked by Night" from 1948, in which Webb had a small role. Both employed the same Los Angeles Police Department technical adviser, used actual police cases and presented the case in "just the facts" manner that became a hallmark of Dragnet. It is...
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THE FRISCO FIRE MATTER and THE FAIR WEATHER FRIEND MATTER YOURS TRULY JOHNNY DOLLAR
1001 RADIO DAYS
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar is a radio drama that aired on CBS Radio from February 18, 1949 to September 30, 1962.[1][2] The first several seasons imagined protagonist Johnny Dollar as a private investigator drama, with Charles Russell, Edmond O'Brien and John Lund portraying Dollar in succession over the years. In 1955 after a yearlong hiatus, the series came back in its best-known incarnation with Bob Bailey starring in "the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account – America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator." There were 809 episodes (plus two...
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THE SHANKAR DIAMOND MATTER and THE JIMMY CARTER MATTER YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR
1001 RADIO DAYS
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar is a radio drama that aired on CBS Radio from February 18, 1949 to September 30, 1962.[1][2] The first several seasons imagined protagonist Johnny Dollar as a private investigator drama, with Charles Russell, Edmond O'Brien and John Lund portraying Dollar in succession over the years. In 1955 after a yearlong hiatus, the series came back in its best-known incarnation with Bob Bailey starring in "the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account – America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator." There were 809 episodes (plus two...
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THE VILLAGE OF VIRTUE MATTER and THE CARSON ARSON MATTER YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR
1001 RADIO DAYS
Each story of the Bailey years started with a phone call from an insurance executive, calling on Johnny to investigate an unusual claim. Each story required Johnny to travel to some distant locale, usually within the United States but sometimes abroad, where he was almost always threatened with personal danger in the course of his investigations. Johnny's file on each case was usually referenced as a "matter," as in "The Silver Blue Matter" or "The Forbes Matter". Later episodes were more fanciful, with tit
info_outlineJEFF REGAN, INVESTIGATOR
Jeff Regan, Investigator, was one of countless private detective series that proliferated in the years following WWII. The series initially featured Jack Webb in the title role, who was coming off his work in Pat Novak for Hire, followed by Johnny Madero, Pier 23. The series premiered July 10, 1948, over the CBS network. Originally promoted as Joe Canto, Private Eye, the series was never actually broadcast under that name. However, Barton Yarborough, Jack Webb’s first partner in Dragnet, would make a guest appearance in the show playing a bit part named Joe Canto. The series was sometimes incorrectly called The Lyon’s Eye by collectors because Regan frequently opened each show stating “I’m Jeff Regan. They call me The Lyon’s Eye” or something similar.
The first run of Jeff Regan ran from July 10 to December 18, 1948. Webb continued to play a hard-boiled character as in previous roles, but this time with a better relationship with the police. Webb left the show after 24 episodes when CBS declined his request for a $15 per episode raise. He returned for a brief run on a revived Pat Novak for Hire before premiering on his signature program, Dragnet, in June 1949.
After 10 months, Jeff Regan was brought back to the air on October 5, 1949. After auditioning some 60 top actors for the role, Frank Graham was selected to play Regan. Regan’s boss Anthony J. Lyon had been voiced by Wilms Herbert and then Herb Butterfield during the Jack Webb era. The 1949 revival cast Frank Nelson as Lyon. Nelson was best known as the sarcastic character who would pop up almost anywhere on The Jack Benny Show.
Paul Dubov assumed the Jeff Regan mantle during a part of the program’s run. For eight weeks between April and June 1950 he stepped in to replace an ailing Frank Graham. Frank Graham’s return as Jeff Regan lasted just a couple months, with the last episodes being recorded on August 2, 1950 for broadcast later. However, the program ended after Graham’s tragic death at the age of 35 on September 2, 1950. The final episode of Jeff Regan, Investigator titled “The British are Coming” aired the following day, September 3, 1950.
Bob Stevenson was the primary announcer for the show. Del Castillo, Dick Aurandt, and Milton Charles were responsible for the music. Although there was indication to take it to a national audience, the show never aired beyond CBS’ West Coast network.
Jeff Regan, Investigator holds up as an above-average example of the mid-century detective genre. This is due to the considerable talent invested in the program which included the voice talents of Jack Webb, Herb Butterfield, and Frank Nelson as well as the writing skills of E. Jack Neuman, who created the program, Larry Roman, William Froug and William Fifield. Some of his stories were good enough that E. Jack Neuman would re-use many of the Jeff Regan scripts when he worked on other series.
This synopsis was written by Patrick Andre and Ryan Ellett with information taken from John Dunning’s Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio, The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio website, Jay Hickerson’s Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming, and “The Secret Files of Jeff Regan, Investigator" by Stewart Wright, published in Radiogram, June 2019.