Bonus Summer Episode: When the Heat Breaks … Murder Follows | The Whistler – "Summer Thunder" (1945)

Bonus Summer Episode: When the Heat Breaks … Murder Follows | The Whistler – "Summer Thunder" (1945)

A classic summer mystery from the golden age of radio — plus bonus commentary and trivia after the show. The Whistler – "Summer Thunder" (1945) Step back into the golden age of radio with The Whistler, the suspense series where an unseen narrator guides ordinary people toward extraordinary—and often tragic—choices. In this 1945 classic, "Summer Thunder," an oppressive heat wave and a violent summer storm set the stage for murder, while a desperate wife accidentally destroys the very evidence that could save her husband. After the broadcast, stay tuned for bonus commentary and behind-the-scenes trivia—including how weather becomes a character in the story, why The Whistler stands apart from traditional detective dramas, and the episode's distinctly British setting. Originally aired: July 30, 1945 Approx. runtime: 34 minutes Website: theporcupinepresents.com [http://theporcupinepresents.com]

When Evidence Lies | Casey, Crime Photographer - “Photo of the Dead” (1947)

A classic noir crime drama from the golden age of radio — plus bonus commentary and context after the show. Casey, Crime Photographer – “Photo of the Dead” (1947) Step back into the golden age of radio with Casey, Crime Photographer, a series that blends journalism, police work, and moral ambiguity. In this 1947 episode, “Photo of the Dead,” a single photograph becomes the catalyst for a murder investigation — raising troubling questions about evidence, perspective, and how truth is constructed as much as it is discovered. As Casey follows the image’s implications, the story reveals the limits of objectivity in an era when crime scene photography and forensic techniques were becoming standard, but far from infallible. What the camera captures may be real — but what it means is anything but simple. After the broadcast, stay tuned for bonus commentary and behind-the-scenes context — including the role of photography in 1940s crime investigation, the early state of forensic science, and why Casey, Crime Photographer often treated truth as provisional rather than absolute. Originally aired: 1947 Approx. runtime: 35 minutes Website: theporcupinepresents.com [http://theporcupinepresents.com]

When Happiness Becomes Mandatory | Exploring Tomorrow - “The Happiness Effect” (1958)

A classic sci-fi drama from the golden age of radio — plus bonus commentary and context after the show. Exploring Tomorrow – “The Happiness Effect” (1958) Step back into the golden age of radio with Exploring Tomorrow, a late-1950s science fiction anthology that imagined futures shaped less by catastrophe than by improvement. In this 1958 episode, “The Happiness Effect,” a society attempts to eliminate unhappiness through systematic intervention, transforming contentment into a measurable and enforceable condition. What begins as benevolent progress quickly raises unsettling questions about consent, conformity, and the moral cost of engineered well-being. After the broadcast, stay tuned for bonus commentary and behind-the-scenes context — including Exploring Tomorrow’s place among late-era radio science fiction, postwar faith in psychological and chemical solutions, and why stories about “perfect” happiness so often reveal their own quiet dangers. Originally aired: 1958 Approx. runtime: 24 minutes Website: theporcupinepresents.com [http://theporcupinepresents.com]

Mutually Assured Destruction | Sherlock Holmes: The Last Analysis, Episode 14 – “Leverage”

A modern Sherlock Holmes audio drama — where emotion becomes leverage. Sherlock Holmes: The Last Analysis – Episode 14 Chapters 27 & 28 — “Leverage” As the case nears its conclusion, Sherlock Holmes discovers that the solution was never hidden in data or deduction alone. What once appeared as chaos resolves into pattern — shaped not by intellect in isolation, but by emotional connection and consequence. In this penultimate episode, insight becomes action. The personal reckonings of earlier chapters transform into usable power, and the game Sherlock thought he had lost quietly reasserts itself — now governed by rules he can no longer pretend are abstract. The Last Analysis continues the BBC Sherlock legacy through an original, serialized story of psychological tension, moral cost, and the perilous intersections between genius and attachment. Released bi-monthly on The Porcupine Presents. Originally aired: June 2026 Approx. runtime: 22 minutes

Captain Midnight - “Mysterious Voice” (1940), the finale, episodes 27-33

The last five episodes of Captain Midnight - “The Mysterious Voice,” continued from the previous podcast episode.