Mr. and Mrs. North


(4.2 stars; 38 reviews)

Mr. and Mrs. North was a captivating radio mystery series that aired on CBS from 1942 to 1954. The show featured Alice Frost and Joseph Curtin in the title roles when it first premiered in 1942. The series gained recognition in 1946 when it received the first Best Radio Drama Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

In 1953, the roles of Mr. and Mrs. North were taken over by Barbara Britton and Richard Denning, continuing the legacy of this beloved mystery series.


This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

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Chapters

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Russian Restaurant Murder 29:04
Banker Fairchild Killed at Madame Zora's 14:34
Sylvia Fleming Murdered 14:52
The Letter 30:04
Literary Murder 29:36
Mistaken Countess 30:16
The Norths Get Wired for Sound 23:40
The Norths Discover Christopher Columbus aka Who Killed Columbus 27:52
Frisbie Proves His Point 27:56
An Invitation To Murder 30:22
Milkman's Ring 24:12
Clarinet In The Country aka Murder In AFlat Jam Session 24:36
Filed Skate 23:47
Million Dollar Murder 25:44
Who Killed Mr. Stefano 24:39
Charles Wyatt Murder 26:36
The Premature Corpse aka Hathaway Murder 23:22
The Heavenly Body 26:37
Don't Cry Wolf 24:14
Murder Mismanaged 24:02
Death In The Dark 23:58
The Last Escape 24:31
Fools Gold 30:10
Wheel Of Chance 28:39
Coat Of Arms 24:33
The Comic 24:02
Bet On Murder 23:44
Family Affair 25:11
The Diamond Noose 23:43
Crooked Ring 23:37
House Of Hate 25:22
Brother Danny 24:29
Masquerade 24:42
Runaway From Murder 23:53
Hostage 23:36
Death Comes in Cans 24:03
Episode 37 23:27
Shoot To Kill 25:05
Death Is Forever 25:02
The Man With A Rifle 24:00
Cry Foul 24:10
Collectors Item 24:30
The Fallen Star 27:04
Operation Murder 29:30
Nightwalk 14:05
Nightwalk 15:10
Nightwalk 15:43
Nightwalk 15:04
Gangster 29:43
Honey Jones aka Dime A Dance 26:16
Missing Sparkler 29:32
Murder By The Book 29:51
Pam Goes It Alone 29:59
Pam Solves It 31:15
Deadly Innocent 24:26
Episode 520325 26:27
No Vacation From Murder 24:02
A Touch of Death 25:50

Reviews

There wasn't a weekly "show" like many other OTR programs.


(4 stars)

The Mr. and Mrs. North shows popped up irregularly. They were interesting enough for me to check out the source - the books by Richard and Frances Lockridge. The books are much better than the radio programs - the quirky, playful dialogue, only hinted at in the radio programs, gets much more emphasis in the books. And the setting - New York City in the 1940s to early 1960s is something to be savored, like the very cold martinis with lemon peel that the Norths drink every chance they get. Not great mystery novels - but very enjoyable, amusing and relaxing. They will make you nostalgic for a New York City that is no more. Here are the books: The Norths Meet Murder (1940) Murder Out of Turn (1941) A Pinch of Poison (1941) Death on the Aisle (1942) Death Takes a Bow (1943) Hanged for a Sheep (1944) Killing the Goose (1944) Murder Within Murder (1946) Untidy Murder (1947) Payoff for the Banker (1948) Murder Is Served (1948) Death of a Tall Man (1949) The Dishonest Murderer (1949) Murder in a Hurry (1950) Murder Comes First (1951) Dead as a Dinosaur (1952) Death Has a Small Voice (1953) Curtain for a Jester (1953) A Key to Death (1954) Death of an Angel (1955) Voyage into Violence (1956) The Long Skeleton (1958) Murder is Suggested (1959) The Judge is Reversed (1960) Murder Has Its Points (1961) Murder by the Book (1963)

Good Shows, But Terrible Sound Transfer


(2 stars)

Can someone step up to the plate and process the poor audio transfers? It runs the otherwise great shows. The levels are all over the place: very low or very high. Then very muddy or very shrill. Need a professional to fix it. It's not enough to simply acquire show and post them no matter what the sound quality.

Entertaining and Funny


(4 stars)

For a couple who aren't homicide detectives, death sure finds them everywhere! Mrs. North's penchant for sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong left me laughing more often than not. The audio quality on a few episodes has me straining to understand but overall it it just reminded me of growing up listening to radio and how far radio has come. Yay! One story near the end spans several episodes and the end of that story is missing. Thank you to Old Time Radio for making this available for us.

enjoyable


(3 stars)

i enjoy old radio programs a ton. radio today honestly lacks hugely by comparison even if it can be dated or corny. These are enjoyable enough and i agree the books are better. i am pretty sure there is a show based on the books as well... acorntv app i want to say has it. the only problem with these recordings are the ones around 14 minutes... they cut off and are unfinished. At first I thought it was sequential and carried over in the next episode lol nope! oh well

Warm Norths


(3 stars)

I first heard this series in the '70s and was taken in by the combo of light romance, danger and mystery. Now, time has taken its toll and tho still good, shows its age.

Amateur-sleuthing-couple stories with a light touch


(5 stars)

The stories are good; the acting, very good; but the distinct pleasure in this show is the well-written repartee between the Norths.

Great series, drops off near the last episodes


(4 stars)

A True Professional?


(4 stars)

I am not sure if people realize that Archive.org is run by volunteers. All professionals in their own right. After listening to a few of these stories I do agree they need some work. I re-processed one episode just to balance out those highs and lows on my own computer. I appreciate the fact that these programs need work, maybe one could volunteer to upgrade these programs. And then upload them here? I watched Mr. and Mrs. North when they were rebroadcast on of all places Christian television and was very happy to find the radio shows on here. I will download the whole set and see if there isn't any way to clean them up and send them back here. If I have the time that is.