The Hooded Gang Protection Racket: Boston Blackie (June 18, 1946)

“The Hooded Gang Protection Racket” is an episode of Boston Blackie, the old-time radio show, first broadcast June 18, 1946. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A protection racket gang operates with masked members who know each other only by numbers. When one of their shakedown men extorts $5,000 from candy shop owner Howard by threatening his wife, Boston Blackie steps in with an offer to loan Howard the money and catch the extortionist. Inspector Faraday arrives at the shop and mistakes Blackie's involvement for guilt, complicating the trap.

A candy shop in the city, with a back room where Blackie can hide.

Characters: Boston Blackie, Inspector Faraday, Howard, Mrs. Howard, The Shakedown Man, Masked Gang Members

Listen for: A tense confrontation between Boston Blackie and Inspector Faraday over the protection money, with the threat of violence against Howard's wife hanging over the entire situation.

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.