The Case of the Vanishing Postman: Nick Carter, Master Detective (August 26, 1945)

“The Case of the Vanishing Postman” is an episode of Nick Carter, Master Detective, the old-time radio show, first broadcast August 26, 1945. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

Listen to Nick Carter, Master Detective free, live around the clock: every episode, in the order it first aired. No sign-up.

What happens

Nick Carter and his secretary Patsy discover an old postman's bag in an alley, containing seven-year-old undelivered mail and a bullet. The postman, Robert Draper, disappeared seven years ago and was accused of stealing $10,000 in securities. Nick begins delivering the delayed mail to track down what really happened to Draper, uncovering a web of deceit, loan sharking, and murder.

A great city during a rainstorm, with scenes in various locations including alleys, homes, a garage, an apartment building, a bowling alley, and a city hospital.

Characters: Nick Carter, Patsy Bowen, Robert Draper, Dan Barnes, Ben Kramer, Parker Flint, Shelley, Jennifer West

Listen for: The clever use of delayed mail delivery as a detective tool, the revelation of how a head wound caused blindness and amnesia, the unmasking of a son-in-law's murderous plot, and the touching subplot of a seven-year-old marriage proposal.

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.