Old Radio Shows.org

Although primarily known for their work in Musicals and Soap Operas, Frank and Anne Hummert had a degree of success with Detective/Mystery radio programs. The mystery shows had many of the elements that the couple used in their Soap Opera Factory. Indeed the shows were often criticized by hard-core mystery fans for being overly melodramatic, but they were and are entertaining, and some enjoyed long term commercial success.

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons first broadcast over the Blue Network on Oct 12, 1937. Through the years the program would change networks (but usually remaining on CBS), sponsors, timeslots, and even formats; originally a 30 minute weekly, late in the run it became a 15 minute nightly broadcast. Very few recordings of the original 1690 nationwide broadcasts are known to exist. For that reason it is happy news that Old Time Radio has recently added to the episodes in their collection.

For nearly 20 years Mr. Keen, described as a “kind, elderly, boring sleuth” fought crime along with his assistant, Mike Clancy. Clancy carries much of the Immigrant stereotyping (“Saints preserve us, Mr. Keen!”) that was so prevalent in Vaudeville and the early days of radio. Keen’s private detective agency had little animosity with Official Law Enforcement (“We usually work with the Police, Ma’am.”) that is common with later Private Eyes. Early in the run the “Missing Persons” part of the show was somewhat forgotten, and most of Mr. Keen’s cases revolved around murder. Audiences didn’t seem to mind; The program lasted until Apr 19, 1955.

Enjoy this episode from June 1950 “The Quicksand Murder Case”:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Half of all the advertising revenue generated by daytime programming in the 30s and 40s came from programs created by Anne and Frank Hummert.

Anne’s father believed that it was a waste of money to educate a girl, so she finances her own education as a College Correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. After her graduation her journalistic career took her to Paris where she married John Ashenhurst, who would at one time be the youngest editor of a major US daily newspaper. When the couple returned to the US and settled in Chicago Anne was unable to find work in journalism, so she took a position as assistant to advertising executive Frank Hummert. Anne quickly rose through the ranks of the ad agency and was made a vice president, with a salary of nearly $100,000 at the age of 28. Together Frank and Anne would make their mark in the new genre being developed by pioneer Irna Phillips, the Soap Opera.

Their first success would be Just Plain Bill, the continuing story of a barber who marries well above his station. Other successes quickly followed, many of which had very long runs. Mary Noble,Backstage Wife told the story of a small town girl who moves to the big city, falls in love and marries a prominent actor who is “the matinee idol of a million other women.” Deceit, jealousy, avarice and amnesia all become part of Mary’s life as she is forced to compete with the jezebels and hussies that have designs on her husband. Beginning in 1933, Ma Perkins would have a run of 27 years. Ma lived in the small town of Rushville Center. There her family owned a small lumber yard, which supported Ma’s family, but was also the center of many deceits as relatives and towns people tried to take advantage of Ma’s simple kindness. Early in the drama Ma was combative and spiteful, but through the years she became a kind hearted sage and the conscience of the community.
After working with Frank for five years, Anne’s marriage ended in divorce about the time Frank’s wife passed away. In 1935 they were married, apparently happily for their many years together, although Frank was two decades her senior. After marrying the moved to New York and began Air Features Inc, which would become a kind of factory for radio drama. Anne would write the concepts for their many shows, then the ideas would be turned over to “dialoguers” who would fill out the scripts. Frank had a talent for finding and keeping happy clients for their shows. Anne maintained an incredible work load, outlining all of the plot developments for their various programs. Through the McCarthy years it was noted that Air Features Inc refused to fire good writers who had been blacklisted.

In addition to their Daytime Soap Operas, the Hummerts produced a number of musical programs and Crime/Mystery shows. At one point their output had 18 separate serials on the air, 90 episodes a week.

The Hummert shows include Amanda of Honeymoon Hill, Judy and Jane, Little Orphan Annie, The American Album of Familiar Music, Young Widder Brown, Stella Dallas, Manhattan Merry Go Round, Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, Frontpage Farrell, Inspector Thorne, The Romance of Helen Trent, Hearthstone of the Death Squad, and The American Melody Hour.

Dana Andrews was an A-List Hollywood talent during the 40s, but was relegated to mostly B-movies during the 50s. His career extended into the 1980s.

Born into the family of a Baptist Minister, Andrews spent his earliest years in Mississippi before the family moved to Texas. In 1931 Dana traveled to Hollywood to seek his fortune as a singer. It took nine hard years before he got his big break. During this time he was forced to take small jobs like pumping gas in Van Nuys, although one employer was confident enough in him to finance his acting lessons.

In 1940 he signed with Sam Goldwyn. His first role was as in The Westerner, starring Gary Cooper. His best early role was as one of the lynching victims in 1943′s The Ox-Bow Incident starring Henry Fonda.

Andrews starred as an obsessed detective in Laura (1944) and as a soldier returning home in The Best Years of Our Lives (Best Picture, 1946.)

Alcoholism took a toll on Andrews‘ career, relegating him to mostly B-movie roles during the 1950s. It almost cost him his life on the freeway. Crediting the example of actor Ronald Reagan’s disciplined attitude towards liquor, he finally brought his alcoholism under control. In 1963 he was elected as President of the Screen Actors Guild.

One of those coincidences that could only happen in a long and colorful career: In the 1960 film, The Crowded Sky, Andrews’ character pilots a passenger airliner that is crashed into by a small military plane piloted by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. In Airport 1975 Dana Andrews plays a business pilot who suffers a heart attack and crashes into a 747 piloted by, that’s right, Efrem Zimbalist Jr!

Enjoy this old time radio show of  Dana Andrews‘ role as obsessed detective in the Lux Radio production of “Laura”:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Candy Matson was no GIRL detective…she was all woman. Candy Matson was a response to all the hard-boiled detectives on the radio like Jeff Regan, Rocky Fortune, Pat Novak, and all those other detectives who were beaten up on a regular basis.

Candy, played by Natalie Parks, was hard-boiled in her own way. She never compromised her femininity but she did know how to use a gun and didn’t hesitate to use when it was necessary. She didn’t take any guff from the guys–the good guys or the bad guys. With a snappy comeback, she could take anybody’s head off. Candy was fearless, never hesitating to go wherever she needed to solve a case from the lowest dive to the classiest night club. Candy worked hard to get her goon.

(Source: http://CandyMatson.com/)

Enjoy this episode of Candy Matson entitled “NC98012″ broadcast today 60 years ago:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The astute Chinese-American detective, Charlie Chan first hit the airwaves on the NBC Blue Network in 1932. Charlie Chan was the creation of Earl Derr Biggers, who based the Chan character on a real Chinese-American police detective in Honolulu. The composite character first appeared in his novel, “House without a Key,” in 1925. The popularity of a 1931 film adaption of Charlie Chan led to the development of a serial radio show that aired intermittently between 1932 and 1948. Every week, Chan captured the imagination of his listeners, as he used his wit and pseudo Confucianism to solve crimes from around the world.

Enjoy this episode titled “Case of the Marching Ants”:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.