The Ruth Larson Murder Case: Broadway Is My Beat (June 23, 1951)

“The Ruth Larson Murder Case” is an episode of Broadway Is My Beat, the old-time radio show, first broadcast June 23, 1951. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Detective Clover investigates two murders on Broadway: first, the brutal killing of 14-year-old Ruth Larson, found in a vacant lot with a fractured skull caused by a gun butt, and then the discovery of Mrs. Beatrice Murray, a charitable middle-aged woman, murdered in her backyard under similar circumstances. With no apparent motives for either crime, Clover struggles to find the connection between the two victims and identify the killer.

Broadway and the surrounding streets of New York City, including the city morgue, Detective Clover's office, and residential homes

Characters: Detective Clover, Mr. Larson, Mrs. Larson, Ruth Larson, Danny, Dr. Sinsky, Mr. Murray, Beatrice Murray

Listen for: The distinctive narration of Detective Clover reflecting on the brutal crimes, the contrast between the victims' innocence and the violence done to them, and the mounting tension as two seemingly unrelated murders suggest a pattern

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.