Product ID: YTJDDE
Control Number: 7498158
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar 754 Episodes
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was one of the longest-running and most iconic detective radio series of the golden age, centering on the adventures of “the man with the action-packed expense account”—Johnny Dollar, an insurance investigator whose cases took him across the country and around the world. Blending mystery, action, and noir-style narration, the series stood out for its engaging storytelling format, vivid character work, and high production value. With a balance of hardboiled grit and emotional depth, Johnny Dollar became a staple of American radio drama for over a decade.
Part detective and part accountant, Johnny Dollar brought justice with a pen in one hand and a pistol in the other—charging every bullet, plane ticket, and broken heart to the company.
The Stars
Over the course of its long run, several actors portrayed Johnny Dollar, each bringing a distinct tone to the character:
– Charles Russell (1949–1950): the original voice, suave and sardonic.
– Edmond O’Brien (1950–1952): grittier and more hardboiled.
– John Lund (1952–1954): smoother and more reflective.
– Bob Bailey (1955–1960): widely regarded as the definitive Johnny Dollar, especially during the five-part serialized format.
– Bob Readick (1960–1961) and Mandel Kramer (1961–1962): carried the show through its final years.
Each actor offered a different shade of Dollar—sometimes weary and wisecracking, sometimes emotionally invested in the cases he took on.
Key Dates
• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar debuted on CBS Radio on February 18, 1949, and ran until September 30, 1962, making it one of the final original dramas of the network radio era.
• The most acclaimed run came from 1955 to 1960, when the series switched to a five-night-a-week serial format (Monday through Friday), with Bob Bailey in the lead.
• A total of over 800 episodes were produced, with many still preserved and widely circulated among collectors.
Other Information
Each episode followed Johnny Dollar as he investigated suspicious insurance claims—everything from arson and fraud to murder and missing persons. Though he worked for insurance companies, Dollar operated like a private detective, using charm, cunning, and occasionally a fist to solve the case.
The show’s unique hook was the use of an "expense account" narration—each episode was framed by Johnny dictating his report, listing travel costs, meals, bribes, and damages, often with dry humor and world-weary insight. This clever structure added authenticity and gave the stories a personal, reflective tone.
The 15-minute serialized format introduced in 1955 (and continued through 1956) is often considered the creative high point of the series, with strong writing, emotional complexity, and rich character development. After 1956, the show returned to a weekly half-hour format but retained much of its storytelling quality.
Johnny Dollar stood apart from other radio detectives by mixing hardboiled toughness with genuine emotional stakes—often showing the cost of violence and the human side of insurance work. Despite its procedural trappings, the series was often poetic, melancholic, and suspenseful in equal measure.
Today, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar is remembered as one of the finest and most enduring detective shows in radio history—an intelligent, stylish, and consistently entertaining program that closed the curtain on an era of dramatic excellence.
Suggested Retail Price: $34.99
Mice Price: $26.89
Length: 35
Width: 754
Weight: 0.0500 pounds
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