Rocky Jordan
Rocky Jordan turns the private-eye adventure sideways by making its American protagonist a nightclub owner in Cairo. Jack Moyles’ Rocky runs the Café Tambourine, where travelers, criminals and political intrigue drift through the door and repeatedly pull him into mysteries beyond the club.
Where to Start
Researched entry points from recordings already in the Golden Radio Hour archive.
A Man Named Jordan, Episode 38
This is an early surviving broadcast in the GRH holdings, useful for hearing the series at a different point in its surviving run.
Episode details →The Black Ball
This is a middle-period broadcast in the GRH holdings, useful for hearing the series at a different point in its surviving run.
Episode details →RJ Spring of Moses-Audition-Show 2
This is a later surviving broadcast in the GRH holdings, useful for hearing the series at a different point in its surviving run.
Episode details →Program History
An atmospheric crime-adventure series set in Cairo, where American café owner Rocky Jordan operates the Café Tambourine and repeatedly becomes entangled in murder, espionage, and international intrigue.
Adventure/crime series about American cafe owner Rocky Jordan.
The run breaks into several distinct periods: A Man Named Jordan precursor (January 8, 1945 to April 20, 1947) on CBS Pacific Network, Rocky Jordan CBS West Coast (October 31, 1948 to September 10, 1950) on CBS Pacific Network, and George Raft CBS network revival (June 27, 1951 to August 22, 1951) on CBS Radio Network.
Names that turn up again and again in the surviving run include Cliff Howell (director, producer, and transcriber), Jack Moyles (performer), Richard Aurandt (composer, conductor, and music), Gomer Cool (writer, radio adaptor, and story editor), Larry Roman (writer, story editor, and radio adaptor), Larry Thor (announcer, commercial spokesman, and performer), and Jay Novello (performer).
Across its run, the surviving broadcasts are tied to CBS Pacific Network, CBS Radio Network, Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, and Armed Forces Radio Service.
The stories often return to Cairo and Egypt, murder, Cafe Tambourine, smuggling and contraband, and espionage and agents.
The show also sits in a wider radio history that includes A Man Named Jordan precursor, Cairo relocation and noir-adventure identity, George Raft network revival, and Mid-1950s revival auditions.
If you are following the same actors and creative circles, related programs worth opening next include The Whistler, The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, Lux Radio Theatre, and Broadway Is My Beat.
All Episodes & Recordings
Search this program or browse in its validated catalog order.
A Man Named Jordan, Episode 38
In wartime Istanbul, Rocky uncovers a scheme helping Nazi war criminals escape.
A Man Named Jordan, Episode 68
Rocky returns to Istanbul and finds the Café Tambourine threatened after a criminal rival breaks in.
The Bartered Bridegroom
A strange marriage arrangement involving a mysterious woman, a gambler, and multiple deaths pulls Rocky into a dangerous wedding plot.
Count Me Out
A killing at a rival café leads Rocky into kidnapping, inheritance trouble, and deception surrounding a dancer.
The Man in the Morgue
Rocky discovers that official records say he is dead, then finds a corpse carrying his identification.
Strangers Three
A man believed dead for years reappears, drawing Rocky into double-crosses and murder over a salvaged fortune.
Ace High Straight
A suspicious poker game leaves Rocky framed for murder after several seemingly unrelated encounters converge on him.
Up in Flames
A run of suspicious fires and an overly eager insurance agent make Rocky suspect an arson scheme.
Death in the Sand
After a desert sheikh's gathering turns deadly, Rocky is set up to take the blame for murder.
Escapade with Paula
Rocky agrees to help a secretive woman locate her missing husband and walks into intrigue and murder.
The Case of the Sleepy Camel
Three camels delivered as a gift lead Rocky to a narcotics-smuggling operation.
Baksheesh Boy
A frightened beggar boy hides in Rocky's cellar while criminals and police search for a valuable concealed object.
Champagne Caviar and Hot Ice
The theft of a diamond brooch develops into a frame-up and betrayal that Rocky must unravel.
Red Stands for Blood
A client is killed in front of Rocky, plunging him into a web of lies and murder.
Twenty Fathoms Under
Rocky joins a salvage venture around a sunken freighter and discovers insurance fraud and multiple killings.
The Two O'Clock Man
After a young thief Rocky catches is mysteriously killed, he investigates the people and deceptions behind the death.
The St Louis Blues
An old friend arrives stabbed, leading Rocky toward wartime secrets, attempted murder, and a crooked business deal.
Passport for Vivi
A girl searching for an American sailor is fatally attacked, exposing a passport-forgery racket in Cairo.
Everything Shipshape
A syndicate's attempt to buy the Café Tambourine grows into international intrigue and an effort to frame Rocky for murder.
Portrait of Rocky
A supposedly valuable Renoir proves to be fake, pulling Rocky into a murder case built around art fraud.
My Quiet Friend
Rocky resists a mob trying to dominate Cairo nightlife and discovers murders and betrayal behind the takeover.
Consignment for Naples
A black-market food operation and several deaths leave Rocky framed after a suspicious plane crash.
Fall Guy
Helping a friend in trouble leads Rocky through murder, betrayal, and the disappearance of a club owner.
Lady in Disguise
A woman using an old friend's identity asks Rocky for help just before a corrupt official who damaged his café is murdered.
The Make up Man
A flamboyant movie makeup artist survives repeated shooting attempts, and Rocky investigates the secret hidden inside the film company.
Desert Betrayal
Rocky is framed for murder while uncovering an arms-smuggling conspiracy tied to political and religious ambitions.
The Man They All Loved
The killing of a beloved missionary reveals impersonation, greed, and a concealed ivory fortune.
The Man from Damascus
A bandaged stranger pays Rocky to locate a dangerous fugitive, setting up an elaborate scheme involving vengeance and deception.
The Big Ditch
An old acquaintance draws Rocky into a deadly plot surrounding the Suez Canal.
Journey to Nashier
After unknowingly sampling a suspicious bottled product, Rocky becomes entangled in a narcotics-smuggling operation.
The Map of Murder
The murder of Rocky's new singer connects two suspicious men to a valuable wartime map.
The Broken Wing
A friend's daughter is abducted, and a murder confession hides a deeper secret that Rocky must uncover.
The Race
A criminal mastermind plants a powerful bomb in Cairo, forcing Rocky into a race to find and disarm it.
The Coward of Mutah Kahn
The assassination of a powerful sheikh sends Rocky after a conspiracy joining an old secret to a modern political plot.
Varlachi
Rocky helps a gypsy dancer and becomes caught in a stolen-jewel scheme with international consequences.
Gold Fever
An old friend's supposed gold mine becomes the center of a murder mystery driven by greed.
Cairo Vendetta
A police captain's disappearance leads Rocky into a vendetta involving a secret society.
The Gum Queen
An attack on a gum-arabic caravan exposes a diamond-smuggling operation and murder.
The Lady from Istanbul
A woman with amnesia enters Rocky's life while accused of a shooting, drawing him into a dangerous murder case.
A Stranger to the Desert
An Eskimo is found murdered in Rocky's café, leading to rare cargo and a notorious anthropologist.
Cast, Crew & Contributors
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Cliff Howell
Larry Thor
William Conrad
Gerald Mohr
Lurene Tuttle
Parley Baer