[The Billboard, November 7, 1936] “NBC Thesaurus has started delivery on its newFive-Minute
Mysteryseries. Deliveries weren’t due until November 15.”
something unusual in short period transcribed program features.
“There are 54 episodes available in the series and each mystery is complete in itself—presenting
the crime, the necessary clues, and the solution. A few of the episode titles are shown below. Each
episode runs not quite five minutes, allowing time for opening and closing commercial
announcements.
“These Five Minute Mysteries can be sponsored as individual features or can be interpolated in
longer program periods. Try listening to a few episodes—any NBC THESAURUS station will be
glad to oblige.
“A few of the programs in the series: Case of Pharaoh’s Curse—Murder in the Big League—The
Drums of Doom—The Dead Man Who Returned—Case of the Lovesick Wife—The Organ in the
Graveyard—The Vampire on the Moor—Case of the Gangster Casket—and 46 other Mysteries!
“For further information regarding the series ask the nearest NBC THESAURUS station or write
NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC. A Radio Corporation of America Service,
ELECTRICAL TRANSCRIPTION SERVICE, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, Merchandise Mart,
Chicago, Ill.”
NBC Electrical Transcription Service, New York.
First released in November, 1936, and provided as part of the NBC Thesaurus service to
participating stations across the country.
[
It is known that the series ran in New Zealand on Wellington station 2YC in 1941. It’s presumably likely
that it also was broadcast on Australian and other N.Z. stations.]
Unknown.
Unknown.
Episodes numbers 1-42 are known to survive.
(NBC ELECTRICAL TRANSCRIPTION SERVICE, NEW
Circa 1936
The Case of the Sexton’s Burnt Bank”
The Case of the Burglar’s Denial”
Who Killed Cock Robin?”
The Case of the Captain’s Bridge”
The Case of the Beacon Light”
The Case of the Half-Burnt Cigarettes”
Death In a China Cup”
The Case of the Talking Bird”
The Case of the Lovesick Wife”
The Case of the Gasping Girl”
The Case of the Blank Cartridges”
The Case of the Lowesbury Landscape”
The Case of the Gangster’s Casket”
The Case of the Devil’s Left Foot”
The Case of the Bellringer’s Belfry”
The Man With the Double Voice”
The Case of the Empty House”
The Dead Man Who Returned”
The Case of the Growling Gorilla”
The Drums of Doom”
The Case of the Moaning Ghost”
The Chinaman’s Chance”
The Case of the Missing Ruby”
The Needle of Death”
The Death Was Cheated”
The Black Wings of Death”
Arsenic Leaves Its Mark”
The Case of the Black Rose”
Murder in the Big League”
The Case of the ‘Flying Dutchman’”
When the Corpse Walked”
The Case of the Pharaoh’s Curse”
Return from the Grave”
The Body in the Morgue”
The Invisible Thief”
The Case of the Egyptian Mummy”
The Case of the Phantom Limousine”
The Vampire on the Moor”
You Can’t Win”
The Case of the Singing Voices”
The Clue of the Note”
The Ladder of Death”