The Joe Gruber Murder Case: Broadway Is My Beat (July 8, 1951)

“The Joe Gruber Murder Case” is an episode of Broadway Is My Beat, the old-time radio show, first broadcast July 8, 1951. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A man with a gun hijacks a hearse during a funeral, escaping from police by hiding in the coffin. Detective Clover investigates the murder of a neighbor who tried to stop the killer, and questions Mrs. Conlin about why the gunman tried to break into her apartment the night before.

New York City on a hot summer day, including a funeral, police station, and Mrs. Conlin's apartment building

Characters: Detective Clover, Danny, Sergeant Geno, Lucian Cobb, funeral director, Mrs. Conlin, Catherine, Myra, Hearse driver

Listen for: The clever escape method using the hearse and coffin, and the mystery of why Mrs. Conlin was the gunman's target

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.