A tight radio procedural where the clue trail matters more than the chase.
This Tales of the Texas Rangers entry follows Ranger Jace Pearson and a sheriff as they test a burglar's pattern against the highway and the bus schedule.
Tales Of The Texas Rangers - Moonlight Radio
Stacy Keach Sr.
50 episodes listed below
Listen to the show on
Case files, dust roads, hard evidence.
The gist
Tales Of The Texas Rangers - Moonlight Radio works like a case file with boots on it. Each episode opens on a specific place, hour, vehicle, road, jail, station, or train, then moves through a Texas Ranger investigation with plain dialogue and steady procedural pressure.
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About Tales Of The Texas Rangers - Moonlight Radio
Tales Of The Texas Rangers - Moonlight Radio is a historical crime reenactment series with the shape of a working case file. It does not loiter. Each episode sets down the time, the place, and the first piece of trouble, then lets the investigation start moving. The show repeatedly frames its stories as cases from the files of the Texas Rangers, with fictionalized names, dates, and places standing in for recorded events. That gives the drama a stern, practical edge. A pair of loggers cross a creek in the Piney Woods. A ranch couple turns down a narrow dirt road and sees a car at the house. Two men in a green convertible pressure a service station operator after closing. A deputy stands by inside the space between a jail and a sheriff's office. A passenger train pushes through rocky West Texas with the steam gauge low. The details are plain, and that is the point. The show builds suspense out of roads, buildings, vehicles, witnesses, and the ordinary routines that put people in danger. Joel McRae appears across the excerpts as Ranger Jace Pearson, the steady figure around whom the lawman structure gathers. The writing favors direct questions and practical observation over psychology. It has a Western surface, but the engine is procedural: who was where, what was seen, what object matters, and how a suspect's movement can be tested against the ground. The tone is grave and functional. Even when local banter enters, it works as texture, not relief from the case. Modern listeners may notice announcements and ads around some episodes, but the core attraction is the stripped-down drama of pursuit and deduction. It is best for listeners who want vintage true-crime reenactment with dust on its boots and paperwork in its pocket.
Made for: For listeners who like vintage crime drama, Western lawman stories, and compact investigations built from physical clues, locations, and terse witness scenes.
What sets it apart: It stands apart by pairing Texas Ranger case framing with radio dramatization: each story begins from a specific disturbance and advances through practical deduction rather than modern commentary.
In their own words
Chronicles the cases of a law enforcement officer in the American West, blending traditional Western themes with modern investigative techniques. The stories are based on real cases.
Why you'd press play
A bullet angle grows a third hand, and you get detective logic with dust on its boots.
Press play if you want
- to chase footprints, train schedules, and ballistics instead of a profiler's hunch
- Joel McRae's Ranger Jace Pearson catching the physical clue everyone else stepped past
Texas Ranger investigationshistorical crime reenactmentsranch and small-town incidentsservice station and roadside incidentsjail and sheriff's office scenesPiney Woods settingsWest Texas rail countrycase-file narration
Talks about
Best episodes of Tales Of The Texas Rangers - Moonlight Radio
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A freight schedule and a family accusation drive this lean Ranger case.
Will Bonner is shot in Stump Hill, and Ranger Jace Pearson works the case through a freight schedule, a five-mile walk, and a family accusation.
Podcasts like Tales Of The Texas Rangers - Moonlight Radio
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Cold World Crime TimeTrue crime with blunt moral focus.
Beyond ReproachPolitical scandal, history, and sharp receipts.
The Steve Wraith Crime PodcastCrime stories told through lived memory.
Episodes
- 1
Texas Rangers - Loggers Larceny
Hidden gemNBC presents Joel McRae as Ranger Jace Pearson in Tales of the Texas Rangers, framing 'Logger's Larceny' as an authentic reenactment from Texas Rangers files.
Apr 19, 2026·30m·1 clip - 2
Texas Rangers - Fugitive Trail
NBC presents Joel McCrea as Ranger Jace Pearson in Tales of the Texas Rangers, and the program frames the story as an authentic reenactment from Texas Rangers files.
Apr 18, 2026·30m·1 clip - 3
Texas Rangers - The Trigger Man
This episode of 'Tales of the Texas Rangers' dramatizes a 1947 crime case involving two men attempting to force a service station operator in Oklahoma to provide gas and tire service late at night.
Apr 17, 2026·30m - 4
Texas Rangers - The Lucky Dollar
This episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers presents an authentic reenactment of a case from the Texas Rangers files, starring Joel McRae as Ranger Jace Pearson.
Apr 16, 2026·30m - 5
Texas Rangers - The Wheelchair Killer
This episode presents a fictionalized reenactment of a Texas Rangers case involving a wheelchair killing in Colby, Texas, where a sheriff and deputy monitor a crowded town during a CCC camp allowance night.
Apr 15, 2026·30m - 6
Texas Rangers - The White Suit
A dramatized reenactment of a Texas Ranger case involving a dangerous gunman in a county jail.
Apr 14, 2026·30m - 7
Texas Rangers - Last Stop
A fictional reenactment of a Texas Rangers case set in 1931, following a train journey through West Texas.
Apr 13, 2026·26m - 8
Texas Rangers - Knockout
A dramatized reenactment of a case from the Texas Rangers files, blending Western themes with modern investigative techniques.
Apr 12, 2026·29m - 9
Texas Rangers - The Devils Share
A scripted radio drama reenacting a case from the Texas Rangers, blending western themes with investigative techniques.
Apr 11, 2026·29m - 10
Texas Rangers - Open And Shut
A dramatized reenactment of a Texas Rangers case, blending western themes with investigative storytelling.
Apr 10, 2026·30m - 11
Texas Rangers - The Ice Man
Hidden gemJace Pearson and a sheriff work a burglary pattern tied to the highway and the early-morning bus route.
Apr 9, 2026·29m·1 clip - 12
Texas Rangers - Play For Keeps
Hidden gemTales of the Texas Rangers presents Sheriff Bob Smithers's murder after he raids Lou Walton's suspected gambling house in Bradshaw County.
Apr 8, 2026·30m·2 clips - 13
Texas Rangers - The Broken Spur
Hidden gemTales of the Texas Rangers presents “The Broken Spur,” a June 5, 1948 murder investigation involving Milton Thomas, a burned ranch house, and $5,100 in cash.
Apr 7, 2026·30m·2 clips - 14
Texas Rangers - Christmas Present
Apr 6, 2026·30m - 15
Texas Rangers - Little Sister
Hidden gemIn the 1947 radio reenactment “Little Sister,” Texas Ranger Jace Pearson investigates two sisters after a movie-theater robbery involving a stolen blue sedan and a $20 bill.
Apr 5, 2026·30m·2 clips - 16
Texas Rangers - Blood Relative
Hidden gemWill Bonner is killed in Stump Hill, Texas.
Apr 4, 2026·29m·1 clip - 17
Texas Rangers - Death In The Cards
Apr 3, 2026·30m - 18
Texas Rangers - Last Stop
Apr 2, 2026·26m - 19
Texas Rangers - Knockout
Apr 1, 2026·29m - 20
Texas Rangers - Killers Crop
Mar 31, 2026·30m - 21
Texas Rangers - Troop Train
Mar 30, 2026·29m - 22
Texas Rangers - The Trap
Mar 29, 2026·30m - 23
Texas Rangers - Canned Death
Mar 28, 2026·30m - 24
Texas Rangers - The Boomerang
Mar 27, 2026·29m - 25
Texas Rangers - Uncertain Death
Mar 26, 2026·30m - 26
Texas Rangers - Stick Up
Mar 25, 2026·23m - 27
Texas Rangers - Blood Trail
Mar 24, 2026·29m - 28
Texas Rangers - Drive In
Mar 23, 2026·30m - 29
Texas Rangers - Helping Hand
Mar 22, 2026·30m - 30
Texas Rangers - Finger Man
Mar 21, 2026·29m - 31
Texas Rangers - The Open Range
A dramatized episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers about a case on the open range in 1948.
Mar 20, 2026·30m - 32
Texas Rangers - Dream Farm
A scripted reenactment of a Texas Rangers case, presented as a classic radio drama with advertisements.
Mar 19, 2026·29m - 33
Texas Rangers - Fools Gold
A dramatized episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers, presenting a fictional case based on real events.
Mar 18, 2026·30m - 34
Texas Rangers - The Hatchet
A dramatized reenactment of a Texas Rangers case from 1941, focusing on a family preparing for church before a crime unfolds.
Mar 17, 2026·30m - 35
Texas Rangers - The White Elephant
A dramatized case from the Texas Rangers files, featuring a confrontation between a brakeman and a hobo on a moving freight train.
Mar 16, 2026·30m - 36
Texas Rangers - Sell Out
A scripted radio drama reenacting a fictional case from the Texas Rangers files.
Mar 15, 2026·30m - 37
Texas Rangers - Travesty
A dramatized case from the files of the Texas Rangers, blending western themes with investigative storytelling.
Mar 14, 2026·29m - 38
Texas Rangers - Wild Crop
A dramatized reenactment of a Texas Rangers case from 1947 involving two men in a field near Borger, Texas.
Mar 13, 2026·30m - 39
Texas Rangers - Death Plant
A dramatized reenactment of a case from the Texas Rangers files, presented as a radio show with a western setting.
Mar 12, 2026·29m - 40
Texas Rangers - Candy Man
A dramatized episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers featuring a prisoner smuggling candy to a murder suspect.
Mar 11, 2026·30m - 41
Texas Rangers - Quick Silver
A dramatized radio episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers, featuring a fictional case called 'Quicksilver' based on real events.
Mar 10, 2026·30m - 42
Texas Rangers - Clip Job
A dramatized reenactment of a case from the Texas Rangers files, presented as a radio show with a western setting.
Mar 9, 2026·30m - 43
Texas Rangers - Birds Of A Feather
A dramatized reenactment of a case from the Texas Rangers, presented as a radio show with a musical interlude.
Mar 8, 2026·30m - 44
Texas Rangers - Paid In Full
A radio drama episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers, featuring a fictionalized case reenactment with a western setting.
Mar 7, 2026·29m - 45
Texas Rangers - Blood Harvest
A dramatized reenactment of a Texas Ranger case involving a nighttime alfalfa theft in 1947.
Mar 6, 2026·30m - 46
Texas Rangers - The Lucky Dollar
Tales of the Texas Rangers opens with a Christmas appeal asking listeners to give toys to less fortunate children through local agencies in their own city or town.
Mar 5, 2026·30m·1 clip - 47
Texas Rangers - Death Shaft
This episode dramatizes a Texas Rangers case from 1941 involving an investigation into an abandoned mine in West Texas.
Mar 4, 2026·30m - 48
Texas Rangers - The Rub Out
This episode presents a fictionalized reenactment of a Texas Rangers crime case called 'The Rub Out', following an introduction promoting NBC's Monday Night of Music programming.
Mar 3, 2026·29m - 49
Texas Rangers - Blind Justice
Hidden gemThe episode opens with NBC presenting Joel McRae in Tales of the Texas Rangers and Ranger Jace Pearson, then states that the stories come from the Texas Rangers’ files.
Mar 2, 2026·30m·1 clip - 50
Texas Rangers - The Cactus Pear
This episode presents an authentic reenactment of a case from the Texas Rangers' files, starring Joel McRae as Ranger Jace Pearson.
Mar 1, 2026·30m