Radio Drama · Old Time Radio Researchers · Mystery & crime · Drama

Counterspy

Networks
NBC Blue, Mutual (as its archives name them)
Heard
1942–1953
Episodes
87

COUNTERSPY

More about it

The old time radio espionage and thriller, David Harding Counterspy, was brought to life by radio legend Phillips H Lord. Lord was an old time radio powerhouse, responsible for such shows as Gangbusters, Mr. District Attorney, We the People, and many more. Airing on the NBC Blue radio station (later becoming ABC) and the Mutual Network from 1942 to 1957, this show helped fill the need of radio listeners who wanted some WWII and post-WWII espionage. David Harding was the chief of US Counterspies, a fictional organization. US Counterspies was involved in all sorts of espionage and counter-espionage against Japan’s Black Dragon, and Germany’s Gestapo. It has been hinted at, but not proven that Phillips Lord was involved in some sort of espionage, or government work himself. But that is just a rumor. What is true though is that Lord had unique access to the inner workings of our countries crime and intelligence agencies. This came about because of the cozy arrangement he had while doing the Gangbusters radio show. Gangbusters had had J. Edgar Hoover’s blessing and help, and he had a good relationship with the mysterious Hoover. It’s believed that through Phillips, some of the stories came about. At the beginning of David Harding Counterspy the main enemies were Germany and Japan. But after World War II ended, David Harding got to tangle around a bit with the commies. David Harding Counterspy also solved crimes here in the US, from stolen car rings to drug smuggling,…

Episodes, in broadcast order

  1. Washington Woman Spy aka Cherchez la Femme

    · No. 4 · 30 min

  2. TCOT Border Invaders aka Nazis From Mexico

    · No. 6 · 29 min

  3. TCOT Loganberry Point Spy

    · No. 12 · 29 min

  4. The Case of The Loganberry Point Spy

    · No. 12 · 29 min

  5. TCOT Gasoline Barge (Counterfeit Gas Coupons)

    · No. 19 · 26 min

  6. The Case of The Gasoline Barge (Counterfeit Gas Coupons)

    · No. 19 · 26 min

  7. TCOT Industrial Spy Ring

    · No. 25 · 30 min

  8. The Case of The Industrial Spy Ring

    · No. 25 · 30 min

  9. The Case of The Illegal Radio Station

    · No. 36 · 30 min

  10. TCOT Confidential Messenger

    · No. 47 · 30 min

  11. TCOT Kidnapped War Worker

    · No. 118 · 5:30

  12. Washington Woman Spy aka Cherchez la Femme

    · No. 155 · 30 min

  13. Explosive Dog aka The Case Of The Dog Of Dynamite

    · No. 161 · 30 min

  14. Stolen Car Racket (Rehearsal)

    · 33 min

  15. No Title Given (Rehearsal - Pt.2 only)

    · No. 273 · 13 min

  16. The Housing Racket aka Bunko Builders

    · No. 303 · 28 min

  17. Camera Happy Crook aka Photogenic Crook

    · No. 304 · 29 min

  18. The Recruited Nurse

    · No. 305 · 29 min

  19. The Case of The Mexican Rancho

    · No. 344 · 30 min

  20. TCOT Mexican Rancho

    · No. 344 · 8:40

  21. The Case of The Poison Peddler

    · No. 345 · 29 min

  22. TCOT Poison Peddler

    · No. 345 · 29 min

  23. The Case of The Blackmailed Hijacker

    · No. 385 · 29 min

  24. TCOT Blackmailed Hijacker

    · No. 385 · 29 min

  25. The Case of The Murmured Millions

    · No. 386 · 29 min

  26. TCOT Murmured Millions

    · No. 386 · 29 min

  27. Statue of Death

    · No. 387 · 29 min

  28. COT Bouncing Bank Robber

    · 29 min

  29. Desert Explosion

    · No. 388 · 29 min

  30. COT Desert Explosion

    · 29 min

  31. Bouncing Bank Robber

    · No. 389 · 29 min

  32. Murdering Messenger

    · No. 390 · 29 min

  33. COT Cold Blooded Professor Part 1

    · 29 min

  34. Cold Blooded Professor Pt1

    · No. 391 · 30 min

  35. COT Cold Blooded Professor Part 2

    · 29 min

  36. Cold Blooded Professor Pt2

    · No. 392 · 30 min

  37. Arrogant Arsonist

    · No. 393 · 30 min

  38. Courageous Come-on

    · No. 394 · 30 min

  39. Flatbush Fagin

    · No. 395 · 30 min

  40. Hot Car Killer

    · No. 396 · 30 min

  41. Postal Pirates Pt1

    · No. 397 · 30 min

  42. Postal Pirates Pt2

    · No. 398 · 30 min

  43. Visiting Vultures

    · No. 399 · 30 min

  44. Vicious Visitor

    · No. 400 · 29 min

  45. Sweepstakes Murder

    · No. 401 · 30 min

  46. The Case of the Genuine Counterfeit

    · No. 402 · 29 min

  47. Case of the Society Swindler

    · No. 403 · 30 min

  48. Case of the High Class Hijacker

    · No. 404 · 30 min

  49. The Case of the Photograph Furrier

    · No. 405 · 29 min

  50. The Case of the International Intrigue

    · No. 406 · 30 min

  51. Magic Murder

    · 29 min

  52. Case of the Mile High Murders

    · 29 min

  53. (xx) The Case of The Hoodlum's Hero

    · 27 min

  54. TCOT Hoodlum's Hero

    · 27 min

  55. Fabulous Formula Pt1

    · 29 min

  56. Fabulous Formula Pt2

    · 30 min

  57. Case of the Hijacked Country

    · 24 min

  58. Murdered Confessor

    · 28 min

  59. Soaring Saucer

    · No. 415 · 31 min

  60. Crystalline Double Cross

    · No. 416 · 28 min

  61. Tattooed Eye

    · 24 min

  62. The Case of the Foolish Father

    · 30 min

  63. Case of the Foreign Fires

    · 28 min

  64. Case of the Foreign Fires

    · 28 min

  65. The Case of the Curious Conspiracy

    · 29 min

  66. The Case of the Insidious Impersonation

    · 29 min

  67. Case of the Carbon Consul

    · 29 min

  68. The Case of the Stolen Secret

    · 29 min

  69. The Case of the Pseudo Spuds

    · 28 min

  70. The Case of the Hideous Hijacker

    · 30 min

  71. The Case of the Spectrograph

    · 31 min

  72. The Case of the Infiltrating Agent

    · 28 min

  73. The Case of the Invisible Insurrectionist

    · 29 min

  74. The Case of the Pretty Plant

    · 29 min

  75. The Case of the Kleptomaniac Clues

    · 28 min

  76. The Case of the Captured Contact

    · 24 min

  77. Case of the Double Crossing Defender

    · 29 min

  78. The Fight Against Narcotics

    · 30 min

  79. The Case of the Corrupt Counselor

    · 29 min

  80. The Case of the Diamond Thieves

    · 30 min

  81. Maisie the Barfly

    No date given · 23 min

  82. 5x-xx-xx (xx) Maisie the Barfly

    No date given · 23 min

Where it comes from 3

The archive items its episodes are played from, best first, with each one’s rights as its archive states them. An episode two sets both hold is played from the first.

  1. Counterspy - Single Episodes

    Old Time Radio Researchers · Old Time Radio Researchers Group · 71 episodes here · archive.org (opens in a new tab)

    the Internet Archive states no licence or rights for it.

  2. Counterspy - 67 episodes of the Old Time Radio drama

    Old Time Radio · 12 episodes here · archive.org (opens in a new tab)

    the Internet Archive states no licence or rights for it.

  3. Counterspy

    The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection · The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection · 4 episodes here · archive.org (opens in a new tab)

    the Internet Archive states no licence or rights for it.

A set by the Old Time Radio Researchers Group (otrr.org), at the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio collection.

More Mystery & crime

Radio drama, old-time radio and historic broadcasts from the Internet Archive (its Old Time Radio collection with the Old Time Radio Researchers' sets, WWII Era Audio Recordings, the Pacifica Radio Archives, the Radio Haiti Archive, German radio plays and listeners' uploads), Wikimedia Commons (with the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision's broadcasts) and the Library of Congress. Every episode plays from its archive, which this site does not copy; rights are as each archive states them. Nothing here is called public domain on this site's say-so. In the United States, sound recordings first fixed before 15 February 1972 have federal protection under the Music Modernization Act of 2018, for most until 2067 at the latest, so most American radio of the 1930s to the 1950s is not in the public domain there. Each set shows the licence, mark or statement its archive gives, and says whose it is. Horror, crime, war and westerns are for teenage and adult profiles, racist caricature for adults only, and children’s profiles hear what was made for children. More about these archives.