Murder in Wax: Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator (November 21, 1951)

“Murder in Wax” is an episode of Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator, the old-time radio show, first broadcast November 21, 1951. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

When a murder victim's parrot is found with human blood on its feet, Barry Craig traces the bird to a dead man on the docks. The case takes a strange turn when an amusement park announces a wax exhibit depicting the very same murder—less than 24 hours after it happened. Craig investigates the museum and its new owner, uncovering connections to a decades-old robbery and blackmail scheme.

New York City, including tenement row near the docks, Starbright Park amusement museum, Scaller's sculpture studio, and various offices and streets

Characters: Barry Craig, Mona Gale, Lieutenant Trev Rogers, Vince Larimer, Dolly Flanders, Howard Crump, Fernando Scaller, Sandy Dowell

Listen for: The mysterious parrot that becomes the first clue; the rapid appearance of the wax exhibit; the revelation of Sam Tracy's hidden past; Crump's psychological breakdown when trapped in his office

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.