OVERVIEW/SUMMARY

In 1943, 1946, 1950-1951, and 1982 Nero Wolfe was aired on radio.  Sidney Greenstreet was perhaps the most famous actor to play Nero Wolfe.  The two earlier series have only one episode each available. 

Steve Hood's excellent summary of the various radio series is online at: http://www.old-time.com/otrlogs2/nero_sh.html.

Santo Ortego1943 -- 1944 Series: "THE ADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE" (one episode remains)

NETWORK: NBC
SPONSOR: JERGENS LOTION
STARS: Santos Ortego (Wolfe), Elliott Lewis (and others, as Archie)
OTHER: Aired as part of "MYSTERY PLAYHOUSE" with Peter Lorrie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Nero_Wolfe
Francis X Bushman

1945 --1946 Series: "THE AMAZING NERO WOLFE" (one episode remains)

NETWORK: ABC, SPONSOR: JERGENS LOTION; TIME: Sunday 8:00pm
STARS: Francis X. Bushman (as Wolfe) [Francis X. Bushman was an extremely famous early film star.]; Archie Goodwin was played by a variety of actors
The Amazing Nero Wolfe: The Shakespeare Folio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqml4cQpfew

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Nero_Wolfe

1950 -- 1951 Series: "THE NEW ADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE" (25 episodes remain)
https://archive.org/details/OTRR_New_Adventures_of_Nero_Wolfe_Singles

Sidney GreenstreetGreenstreet LPNETWORK: NBC
TIME: Fridays: 8:00 - 8:30 PM
STARS: Sidney Greenstreet (Nero Wolfe); Archie Goodwin was played by a variety of actors
WRITER: Louis Vittes based on the stories by Rex Stout
ANNOUNCER: Don Stanley
PRODUCER: Edwin Fadiman
DIRECTOR: J. Donald Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Adventures_of_Nero_Wolfe

Mavor Moore-CBC1982 Nero Wolfe 13 Episodes
https://archive.org/search.php?query=mavor%20moore

NETWORK: CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company)
STARS: Mavor Moore (Nero Wolfe), Don Francks (Archie Goodwin), Cec Linder (Inspector Cramer), Frank Perry (Fritz Brenner), Alfie Scopp (Saul Panzer)
WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER: Ron Harmmann
Aired: January 16, 1982 – April 10, 1982

Disquise For Murder
Before I Die.mp
Counterfeit For Murder
The Cop Killer
Christmas Party
Cordially Invited To Meet Death
Man Alive
Instead of Evidence
Eeny Meeny Murder Mo
The Squirt And The Monkey.
The Next Witness
Death Of A Demon
Murder Is No Joke

These shows actually follow the plot of the books and are, to a great extent, an extremely well done reading of the books using an ensemble cast.


DOWNLOAD OR LISTEN TO AVAILABLE EPISODES

The available titles from the three early radio shows are in public domain and available for online listening, free download or purchase from a number of "Old Time Radio" (OTR) sites. The Internet Archive (archive.org), a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, and more, now has a number of the public domain broadcasts available for free (and easy) download or listening:

  • THE NEW ADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE: https://archive.org/details/OTRR_New_Adventures_of_Nero_Wolfe_Singles (25 episodes)

    A Slight Case of Perjury
    Deadly Sell-Out
    Room 304 (Last Episode)
    Phantom Fingers
    Stamped for Murder
    The Bashful Body
    The Beautiful Archer
    The Brave Rabbit
    The Calculated Risk
    The Care Worn Cuff
    The Careless Cleaner
    The Dear, Dead Lady
    The Disappearing Diamonds
    The Final Page
    The Girl Who Cried Wolf
    The Hasty Will
    The Impolite Corpse
    The Killer Cards
    The Lost Heir
    The Malevolent Medic
    The Midnight Ride
    The Party for Death
    The Slaughtered Santas
    The Tell-Tale Ribbon
    The Vanishing Shells

  • NERO WOLFE: https://archive.org/details/NeroWolfe (10 episodes)
    The Missing Book
    Stamped for Murder (also in the package of 25 episodes)
    Case Of The Careworn Cuff (also in the package of 25 episodes)
    The Beautiful Archer (also in the package of 25 episodes)
    The Brave Rabbit (also in the package of 25 episodes)
    The Careless Cleaner (also in the package of 25 episodes)
    The Dear Dead Lady (also in the package of 25 episodes)
    The Impolite Corpse (also in the package of 25 episodes)
    The Girl Who Cried Wolfe (also in the package of 25 episodes)
    The Slaughtered Santas

There are MANY "Old Time Radio sites with information and downloads or listening copies. However, the sites change (come and go) often, so you can simply use the phrase "nero wolfe otr free download" or "nero wolfe otr" to search for more sites.


The 1982 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) show starring Mavor Moore is not in the Public Domain. The series was released on audiocassette by Durkin Hayes Publishing (DH Audio), and they are no longer in business. However, the 13 episodes are sometimes available online for free download and/or listening.