30 minute police/detective show
Gang Busters was one of the most popular and long lasting shows of Old Time Radio. The show first aired as a program called "G-Men" in 1935. It changed it’s name to "Gang Busters" in 1936, and lasted on the air until 1957, almost the entire period known as Old Time Radio.
The show was created by Philip H. Lord, who wanted to create a thoroughly authentic series about the government’s fight against crime. Lord was able to get the cooperation of the FBI, in the person of J. Edgar Hoover, for the show. Hoover allowed the show to use the FBI’s closed case files for material, as long as the FBI approved of the scripts for the episodes.
Each episode started with an interview between Lord and the law enforcement agent involved with the case. The interview would set the premise for the episode, then the interview voices would fade out and the dramatization would begin. (As a completely useless bit of trivia, Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf – the father of General Schwarzkopf from the Persian Gulf War, later conducted the interviews.)
The tone and atmosphere of the show was quite violent. The very first episode was a dramatization of the FBI shootout with John Dillinger. Sounds effects were expertly used to convey the violence of the story: broken glass, a burglar alarm, police siren, rounds from a shotgun, etc. Even though the show used the case files from law enforcement, the stories were usually told from the criminal’s point of view. As one might expect from a show approved by the FBI, the message of each episode is "CRIME DOES NOT PAY", this message to the listener is as subtle as a cop’s billyclub to the throat.
One of the most popular features of the show is the "Gang Busters Clues" segment. During this period of the show, the listener would hear about real criminals wanted by the police or FBI, giving out a physical description of the alleged criminal and information about their case. The "Clues" led to the capture of 286 most wanted; similar to the tv show "America’s Most Wanted."
The show switched networks and sponsors, but was last aired in 1957 on the Mutual Network, the show spanned almost the entire period of Old Time Radio. The radio show was turned into a movie serial, a television show, and the tv show was re-edited to become two feature length movies: "Gang Busters" and "Guns Don’t Argue."
Text from Wikipedia
Purchase as a download, purchase as CD(s), or listen for free
Purchase as CD $4.50
All of our Old Time Radio Programs are in MP3 format. You can play them on your computer, you can transfer them to MP3 players (like the IPod), but, by and large, you cannot play them on stereos, walkmen, or car radios.
The sound quality of Old Time Radio Programs can vary greatly. Some episodes are excellent, others you have to turn up the volume a little and ignore the static. All of the episodes can be listened to and enjoyed. You can listen to our free samples to get a feel for how the programs sound.
You may also like: Dragnet
Episode List
gang-busters - 001 - Balanski Gang.mp3
gang-busters - 002- Crime Wave Special.mp3
gang-busters - 003 - Crime Wave Special.mp3
gang-busters - 004 - Incorrigible Killer.mp3
gangbusters_001.zip
gangbusters_002.zip
gangbusters_003.zip
gangbusters_004.zip
gangbusters_005.zip
gangbusters_006.zip
gangbusters_007.zip
gangbusters_008.zip
gangbusters_009.zip
gangbusters_010.zip
gang-busters_3 Million Dollar Robbery.mp3
gang-busters_35,000 Dollar Theft.mp3
gang-busters_410328 The Nickle And Dime .mp3
gang-busters_450915 Henry Red Beaver.mp3
gang-busters_451208 Crime Wave Special R.mp3
gang-busters_451212 Crime Wave Special R.mp3
gang-busters_460316 The Death Mask Kille.mp3
gang-busters_481009 Incorrigible Killer.mp3
gang-busters_490927 CaseOfQuincyKillers.mp3
gang-busters_49XXXX Bilanski Tillitson G.mp3
gang-busters_520816 The Onion Jar.mp3
gang-busters_531005 Jewel Robbery.mp3
gang-busters_A Date With Death.mp3
gang-busters_Al Simioni.mp3
gang-busters_Alcantraz Prison Riot.mp3
gang-busters_Brothers In Banditry.mp3
gang-busters_Carlos LaJoya.mp3
gang-busters_Carnival Caper.mp3
gang-busters_Case of the Golden Touch.mp3
gang-busters_Case of the Tennessee Trigg.mp3
gang-busters_Chicago Tunnel Gang.mp3
gang-busters_Collector Who Robbed Superm.mp3
gang-busters_CollectorWhoRobbedSupermark.mp3
gang-busters_Costume Killer.mp3
gang-busters_Dakota Badman.mp3
gang-busters_Date with Death.mp3
gang-busters_Elusive Leader.mp3
gang-busters_Five Days Of Danger.mp3
gang-busters_Four Feathers.mp3
gang-busters_Frank Luston.mp3
gang-busters_Fugitive Soldier.mp3
gang-busters_Golf Course Murder.mp3
gang-busters_Horserace Hijackers.mp3
gang-busters_Jersey Butcher Bandits.mp3
gang-busters_Joe McCann and The West Sid.mp3
gang-busters_Joe McCann, West Side Syndi.mp3
gang-busters_John K Giles.mp3
gang-busters_Metropolitan Motor Mob.mp3
gang-busters_Military Police12th Anniv.mp3
gang-busters_Million Dollar Robbery.mp3
gang-busters_Miss Gangbusters.mp3
gang-busters_New JerseyTrio.mp3
gang-busters_New York Narcotics King.mp3
gang-busters_Nicky Small.mp3
gang-busters_Notorious Bugs Moran Part 1.mp3
gang-busters_Notorious Bugs Moran Part 2.mp3
gang-busters_Park Avenue Pilferers.mp3
gang-busters_Red Hot Readers.mp3
gang-busters_Rumbold Vault Robbery.mp3
gang-busters_Sledgehammer Handicap.mp3
gang-busters_Soldier.mp3
gang-busters_Supersonic Safecrackers (au.mp3
gang-busters_TennesseeTriggermen.mp3
gang-busters_The 3 Million DollarRobbery.mp3
gang-busters_The Bandit Brothers.mp3
gang-busters_The Broadway Bandits.mp3
gang-busters_The Brothers In Banditry.mp3
gang-busters_The Carnival Caper.mp3
gang-busters_The Case Of The Red Hot Rea.mp3
gang-busters_The Chicago Tunnel Gang.mp3
gang-busters_The Cininnati Narcotics Rin.mp3
gang-busters_The Collector Who Robbed Su.mp3
gang-busters_The Cumberland Safecracker.mp3
gang-busters_The Dakota Badman.mp3
gang-busters_The Devil and the Syndicate.mp3
gang-busters_The Elusive Leader.mp3
gang-busters_The Four Feathers.mp3
gang-busters_The Golden Touch.mp3
gang-busters_The Golf Course Murder.mp3
gang-busters_The Horserace Hijackers.mp3
gang-busters_The Jersey Butcher Bandits.mp3
gang-busters_The Kidnapped Paymaster.mp3
gang-busters_The Metropolitan Motor Mob.mp3
gang-busters_The Mound City Safecrackers.mp3
gang-busters_The New Jersey Trio.mp3
gang-busters_The Notorious Bugs Moran 1.mp3
gang-busters_The Notorious Bugs Moran 2.mp3
gang-busters_The Safe Cracking Combine.mp3
gang-busters_The Sledgehammer Handicap.mp3
gang-busters_The Tennessee Triggermen.mp3
gang-busters_TheCincinattiNarcoticsRing.mp3
gang-busters_Three Safe Crackers.mp3
gang-busters_Throneberry Brothers.mp3
gang-busters_Triple Threat Bandits.mp3
