The Five Mysteries Program was an audience participation

Audience

An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...

 radio series broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System

Mutual Broadcasting System

The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...

 from August 10, 1947 to March 27, 1950. In 1947-48 it aired on Sundays at 2pm.

Such mysteries were produced and syndicated (1945-48) to individual local radio stations as a "barter-trade" program to sell advertising to local merchants or trade the advertising announcements for goods, services or premiums, such as prizes awarded to listeners in radio station contests or promotions. To facilitate personalizing the shows to individual stations and insert the local ads, the producers put musical interludes in the shows with enough time for a local announcer to introduce the episode, present the advertiser's message and wrap things up with other local information.

Each 30-minute show featured five mini-mysteries dramatized with actors, organ music and sound effects. Solutions to each mystery were then suggested by a panel of listeners and studio guests. The panelists sometimes shared a common background; for example, on the April 14, 1949 program, the amateur sleuths were gas industry officials.

Cast members included Jackson Beck

Jackson Beck

Jackson Beck was an American actor best known as the announcer on radio's The Adventures of Superman and the voice of Bluto in the Famous era Popeye theatrical shorts.-Career:...

, Staats Cotsworth, Michael Fitzmaurice, Timmy Hyler, Abby Lewis, Frank Lovejoy

Frank Lovejoy

Frank Lovejoy was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He was born Frank Lovejoy Jr. in Bronx, New York, but grew up in New Jersey. His father, Frank Lovejoy Sr., was a furniture salesman from Maine...

 and Ian MacAllister. Organist Rosa Rio

Rosa Rio

Rosa Rio , born Elizabeth Raub, was an American organist who began her career as a silent film accompanist. She became a leading organist on network radio and continued to perform until age 107...

 provided the music.

While the premise was simple, the mysteries were well written, requiring some thought to come up with the right answer. Similar to the Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries

The Adventures of Ellery Queen

The Adventures of Ellery Queen is the title of a radio series and four separate television series made from the 1950s through the 1970s. They were based on the fictional character and pseudonymous writer Ellery Queen.-Radio:...

, one listened to the story, evaluated the clues, and at the conclusion, matched wits with the sleuths to correctly identify the suspect. It was one of the few interactive radio shows.

Episodes

• 1 My Pal Patsy
• 2 Death Calls at Dinner
• 3 Blood Brothers
• 4 Best Laid Plans
• 5 Three Scarlet Letters (aka Life's Blood)
• 6 Murder Diamond Row (aka Allure on Diamond)
• 7 No Leg to Stand On
• 8 Missing Ruby
• 9 Command Performance
• 10 Death in a Turkish Bath
• 11 The Book Case
• 12 Case of Oversight
• 13 Unknown Code
• 14 Masked Medicos
• 15 The Pilot Shows the Way
• 16 Home Stretch Homicide
• 17 Blind Confession
• 18 An Evening Interruption
• 19 The Bridge Clue
• 20 The Sorority Pin Clue
• 21 The Patio Murder
• 22 Dentist for Murder
• 23 The Teddy Bear Mystery Murder
• 24 Random Shot
• 25 Death on a Train
• 26 A Rose by Another Name
• 27 Death in the Tub
• 28 Knife in the Tree
• 29 Dead Man's Bruise
• 30 Clue of the Drinking Dog
• 31 The Sheridan Murder
• 32 The Private Elevator
• 33 The Mirror Murder
• 34 The Movie Murder
• 35 The Sprinkler Clue
• 36 The Blackout Murder
• 37 Foothold on Murder
• 38 Eye on Murder
• 39 The See Through Alibi
• 40 Cell Thirteen
• 41 Newspaper of Murder
• 42 Bad Breaks Murder Case
• 43 Radium Murder Case
• 44 Methodical to a Fault
• 45 Squealing Gearshift (aka Lady Garage Mechanic)
• 46 Announcers Delight (aka Case Of The Announcer)
• 47 Carnival Murder
• 48 Man in Back Seat (aka Highway Death)
• 49 Return Mr Lawrence
• 50 Collectors Item
• 51 Broken Wheel
• 52 Misfit Clue
• 53 Murder Sounds Alarm (aka Police Special)
• 54 Marks of Death
• 55 A Body Turns
• 56 The Open Door
• 57 The White
• 58 Honor Among Thieves
• 61 Blood Will Tell
• 62 An Open And Shut Case
• 63 The Fortune Teller
• 64 The Masquerade
• 65 The Weapon
• 66 The Needle
• 67 Scientific Clue
• 68 Zombie
• 69 Snap Judgement
• 70 In Darkness
• 71 Time And Tide
• 72 Trip Hammer Murder
• 73 The Man From Nowhere
• 74 Phantom Phone Call
• 75 Sound And Fury
• 79 Murder In The Tomb
• 80 The Body In The Phone Booth
• 81 Fast Track For Murder
• 82 A Corpse Can't Talk
• 83 Music For Murder
• 84 Locale - Tibet
• 103 Too- Early Bird
• 104 Fine Art of Murder
• 105 Murder If You Please
• 106 Murder in Blue
• 107 Spitting Revolver
• 108 Blood on My Hands
• 109 Broken Window
• 110 Alibi in Red
• 111 Murder in Cairo
• 112 License for Murder
• 113 Postman Didn't Ring
• 114 Clue in the Hand
• 121 Death at X Bar
• 122 Study in Ornithology
• 123 Pattern of Guilt
• 124 Fishermans Clue
• 125 Trial by Fire
• 126 Murder Under Tent
• 169 Murder In Compartment B
• 170 Bargain By Blackmail
• 171 Murder On The Fifteenth Floor
• 172 Suicide The Coroner Says
• 173 Killed With Kindness
• 174 Mon Ami
• 185 Locale - Tibet (Repeat)
• 193 The Yellow Bird
• 194 Underground Alibi
• 195 Motive For Murder
• 196 Murder At The Mountain Lodge
• 197 Pardon My Shot, Sir
• 198 Roses For The Funeral
• 211 Murder In The Yard
• 212 Tempest In A Coffee Pot
• 213 The Magician's Murder
• 214 Ransom
• 215 Crime Class
• 216 The Star Spangled Fraud
• 235 Double Revenge
• 236 Back Stage Murder
• 237 Love Her To Death
• 238 Ebb Tide For Murder
• 239 Dialtone For Death
• 240 Crime Wave
• 253 Death Pays Off
• 254 Tune Into Murder
• 255 The Pearl Diver
• 256 Murder On Stage, Everybody
• 258 Hook, Line And Sinker
• 259 Non-Stop Alibi
• 260 Lock And Key
• 262 A Saucer Of Loneliness
• 263 Alec Kills Martha On Lake
• 264 Alice Killed
• 265 Chicago To Denver
• 266 Dead Men Do Tell
• 267 Death
• 268 Dr Brown's Poisoned Wife
• 269 Dr Martin Kills Campbell
• 270 Gas Station Shooting
• 271 Hammond Killed
• 272 Jules Buck Murder
• 273 Larson Kills Girlfriend
• 274 Lord Duncan Murdered
• 275 Machinery Factory Murder
• 276 Mary Murdered By Brother
• 277 Mr Daily's Fake Robbery
• 278 Mrs. Sheppard Murder
• 279 Murder
• 280 Murdered Wife in a Box
• 281 Plane Crash Death
• 282 Prison Murder
• 283 Prize Diamond Stolen
• 284 Radio Station Murder
• 285 Rawlings Is Dead
• 287 Rocky Marino Evidence
• 288 Rocky Stebbins Alibi
• 289 Sapphire Theft
• 290 Scorpion Recording
• 291 Stabbing Murder
• 292 The Chloroform Murder
• 293 The Forsythe Case
• 294 The Horse Stable Murder
• 295 Thomas Murders Partner
• 296 Wife Poisons Husband at Party