Murder At The Circus: Boston Blackie (April 14, 1948)

“Murder At The Circus” is an episode of Boston Blackie, the old-time radio show, first broadcast April 14, 1948. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A magician named Rondo is drowned when the rope holding his trunk is cut as he performs his escape act at the circus. Boston Blackie is drawn into the case when Inspector Faraday summons him, and suspicion falls on knife-thrower Charlie Peterson. As Blackie investigates, he uncovers a web of jealousy, card cheating, and murder among the circus performers.

A circus, where Rondo performs a water tank escape act while bound in a trunk.

Characters: Boston Blackie, Inspector Faraday, Mary, Ringmaster Bolton, Charlie Peterson, Louise, Joe (roustabout), Rondo (magician)

Listen for: The explanation of how the magic trunk escape is supposed to work, the discovery of marked playing cards, and how a whip can be used to cut a rope.

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.