The Stolen Portrait of The Duke of Massen: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (April 1, 1949)

“The Stolen Portrait of The Duke of Massen” is an episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, the old-time radio show, first broadcast April 1, 1949. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Johnny Dollar arrives in London to investigate the theft of a valuable painting by the Old Masters that was part of an international art-sharing program. The portrait of the Duke of Massen, loaned from Paris, vanished from the Corbinbury Art Gallery the night after its arrival, and the theft has already cost the insurance company a quarter-million dollars. Dollar teams up with the museum's assistant, Miss Harding, to examine the scene and begin his investigation.

London, England; the Corbinbury Art Gallery; a ship en route to London

Characters: Johnny Dollar, Mr. Morely, Miss Harding, Inspector Coward

Listen for: The details of the theft and Johnny Dollar's investigation into who stole the portrait; mentions of the international masterpieces program and the painting's value.

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.