The Green Hornet: The Lost Radio Adventures

Fran Striker wrote in a number of inside jokes throughout The Green Hornet radio program, with characters on rare occasion making reference to The Lone Ranger. One of these jokes can also be credited as the most important and influential factor in the expansion of The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet.

During the broadcast of January 13, 1938, The Green Hornet pays a late-night visit to the house of Judge Woodbury, known for being strict in his courtroom and in need of a little push to set a trap and expose a crooked attorney. The Green Hornet climbs through the window of the judge’s bedroom. As the announcer describes ...

ANNOUNCER: The slick black car of The Green Hornet with its super-powered motor was parked in the drive of Judge Woodbury’s home a few minutes later. The Judge was listening to The Lone Ranger, one of his favorite radio programs, half dozing in his chair.

To accomplish this trick, Striker’s notes on the script suggested playing back a recording of The Lone Ranger. But to date, Trendle had never recorded any of the Ranger broadcasts. The series had always been broadcast live on a coast-to-coast hookup. So the Ranger broadcast of December 17, 1937, was recorded solely for the purpose of this Green Hornet scene and was the spark that launched Trendle into the transcription business, leading to a transcription of every episode of The Lone Ranger beginning with the broadcast of January 17, 1938.  

The earliest announcement came on Monday, January 10, 1938, when King-Trendle released a public statement that The Lone Ranger was riding cross country and not just the western plains. Coincident with the Republic Pictures movie serial in February, King-Trendle announced it would market transcriptions of the radio series for February 1 assignments. The strong growth of the series since it premiered four years previous showed promise and broke all records for mail response for WXYZ. Then heard over 27 stations, Trendle wanted to expand his empire with transcription discs and began advertising the series, claiming the discs would be available for broadcast starting February 15. Sales were certainly impressive and profitable, leading to Trendle’s second transcribed series, Ann Worth, Housewife. 

Advertisement for renting transcription discs.

By August 1938, King-Trendle Broadcasting was still feeding The Green Hornet live to Mutual stations and it was not transcribed. A business meeting in July 1938 discussed the possibility of expansion. Sponsor interest was growing in various sections of the country, giving them guide to how many transcriptions would need to be produced to meet the demand. On August 16, Richard O. Lewis, general manager of KTAR in Phoenix, Arizona, wrote to WXYZ. The station was featuring The Lone Ranger and Lewis wanted pricing information about The Green Hornet, as well as a sample transcription. Lewis asked that the material be sent to J.R. Heath, KTAR’s commercial manager. Charles Hicks sent a case history of The Green Hornet program, which featured a brief background of the premise, the characters, statistics in ratings, reviews from nationwide periodicals and the success of the Detroit and Ebling creameries as sponsors. Hicks also said the cost for an audition transcription was $10, which would be refunded if the recording were returned in good condition or if the station contracted for The Green Hornet.

At least three transcriptions were made during the month of May 1938, possibly copied for stations out of range of network outlets carrying it live which expressed an interest in reviewing the show. J.R. Heath wrote to Hicks on September 6, requesting the audition record so that “after auditioning the show we will then be in a position to advise you as to the account’s interest.” Hicks replied with hesitation, stating: “Before we send the audition recording in accordance with your request, it might be proper for you to consider this one angle. The date of producing Green Hornet transcriptions for a nationwide market is still to be decided upon and how soon it will be known is dependent upon just such requests as yours. The more requests we receive the better we will be able to judge the importance of an earlier date than what has been planned. Therefore, at the present time the indefiniteness of the production date may cause you a problem if your client became interested as a result of hearing the audition recording and ordered the program to start earlier than what it could be made available in transcription form.”

KTAR was not the only station to submit an inquiry. On August 18, Dale Robertson, general manager of WBAX in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, asked for sales materials regarding The Green Hornet. In late September, Fred A. Palmer of KOY, another Phoenix station, submitted a similar request. In early January 1939, James M. Kennedy of WBAL in Baltimore requested via telegram a sample Green Hornet transcription. By the fall of 1938, Trendle decided to expand The Green Hornet via transcriptions in the same manner as the masked rider of the plains. Through special arrangement with NBC’s Chicago office, Trendle agreed to foot the bill for the series to be transcribed to disc. While transportation charges on test pressings for 18 of the first 24 broadcasts cost Trendle $3.55, the cost to have each episode transcribed was much more — $90 per program. By August 1938, Striker had begun assigning a title for each of the radio scripts. Prior episodes had no title assigned by Striker, Trendle, or any member of the production crew. Beginning with the broadcast of April 6, 1939, every episode of The Green Hornet was recorded and King-Trendle was already making preparations for the series to be available to local station managers. 

Green Hornet transcription discs at Audio Archives.

The transcription of the May 26, 1938 broadcast was assigned the title of “Frame Up That Misfired” and transcription No. 1. The transcription of the May 24, 1938 broadcast was assigned the title of “There Was A Crooked Man” and transcription No. 2. For the remainder of the transcription discs offered to radio stations, the April 6, 1939 broadcast began as transcription No. 3. (None of the other May 1938 transcriptions were included with the discs when the series was syndicated across the country, including the broadcast of May 5, 1938, which today circulates among collector hands.) 

Transcriptions may have been costly, but The Green Hornet, Inc. saw a much larger profit when it rented the discs to various stations at various prices, which more than made up for the investment. The cost for each station was adjusted according to station size and number of listeners. A smaller station in the Midwest paid much less for renting the discs than a larger station in the East. In anticipation of using artwork and photographs of the title character in advertisements, Al Hodge signed a release granting use of his likeness in photos and images for promotional purposes on November 18, 1938. This was primarily to please the executives at NBC, who wanted to cover all the bases. Other cast members appeared in similar photographs and it can be assumed they, too, signed similar releases.

With the advent of transcription discs, Fran Striker had to exercise extra caution, avoiding any specific reference to prior Hornet adventures unless it was absolutely necessary. Episodes such as the broadcast of September 9, 1937, had Kato returning from vacation and Fawcett, the special investigator from the State Attorney office, mentioning the drug ring smashed a few weeks ago and “the blackmail ring last week.”

Striker had written a number of two-part and three-part stories, with each episode featuring a resolution for that particular broadcast, but generally, he maintained single-adventure plots for the series. A press release with a brief plot summary which could be used as a local newspaper promotional piece accompanied the transcription discs. Reprinted below are a few of those summaries. 

(“The Trapped Witness,” originally broadcast February 26, 1940)

Transcription No. 422-B9
A murder in a Chinese restaurant prompts Britt Reid, youthful publisher, to assume the role of the Hornet to unearth a cigar store racket and discover the slayer.

(“The Tricky Tankers,” originally broadcast February 28, 1940)
Transcription No. 423-B10
When a high pressure promoter goes into the gasoline business to undersell his competitors, Britt Reid, crusading young publisher, assumes the role of The Green Hornet to expose a plot to swindle thousands of motorists. 

(“Income From Immigrants,” originally broadcast March 4, 1940)

Transcription No. 424-B11
Reid dons the mask of the Hornet to uncover a scheme whereby racketeers provide “doubles” to take final citizenship examinations for foreigners, and then blackmail them later.

© The Green Hornet, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

The transcription discs contained a second series of numbers with the letter “B” before the number as a procedure ordered by Charles Hicks to straighten the numbering system. As of April 1, 1940, it became apparent that The Green Hornet synopses provided to NBC-Blue did not help with keeping the recordings consistent, because the network was using different program numbers than what the sheets revealed.

Another problem was that someone in the recording department was putting a Hornet seal over the program numbers. The stations had to listen to the programs in order to find out which episode number it was. This was specifically an issue with KTAR in Phoenix, which decided not to bother with verifying the sequential numbers and chose to broadcast the episodes out of sequence.

On the evening of Thursday, August 25, 1944, a number of radio listeners expressed curiosity when WMAQ in Chicago started in at 10:30 with a fascinating, but unscheduled, episode of The Green Hornet, ran it for nine minutes, then switched into Everything for the Boys, normally heard at that time. An announcer explained briefly that it had all been a mistake. The boys at WMAQ recorded both programs earlier in the evening as network features, at which time they were recorded as transcriptions for broadcast at a later time. Apparently an employee typed out labels for both transcriptions, then put the Hornet label on the Everything for the Boys record, and vice versa. The Green Hornet boiled merrily till 10:39 until it was verified that the traffic department hadn’t scheduled a last minute change. Then the announcer broke in while the engineer put on the right record, measuring off approximately nine minutes from the beginning so Everything for the Boys would end at the proper time. 

The system was not foolproof, causing confusion not just with the station operators, but with the listeners as well. KFMB in San Diego, California, part of the Worchester Broadcasting Corporation, paid Trendle $28 for each episode played over their network. On March 5, 12, 19 and 26, 1945, episodes 688 through 691 were played in sequence. For the broadcast of April 2, however, an error occurred. Half of each episode was featured on one side of two separate discs. When the first half of an episode concluded on one disc, the second half picked up almost instantly from the other disc. The opposite side of those two discs featured the two halves of the next episode. Due to an error in labeling before the transcriptions were received by KFMB, the network broadcast the first part of episode No. 692 titled “Load of Cigarettes,” and the second part of No. 693 titled “The Bigger They Are.” The mistake was not caught until the recording was being played over the air, and the network began receiving phone calls from listeners asking for an explanation. KFMB could not charge its sponsor for the broadcast because of the error, and the network applied for a credit with King-Trendle to compensate for the mistake. (On April 9, the network continued with the next sequential episode, No. 694.) KFMB’s request for a credit was approved by Trendle, but not until eight months later because he insisted the source of the error had to be verified first. 

© The Green Hornet, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

With this explained, radio broadcasts pre-May 1938 of The Green Hornet do not exist in recorded form. They simply were not recorded. What follows is a list of 15 "lost" episodes with plot summaries.

Episode #126 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Thursday, April 22, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#49456, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Britt Reid, through various connections, has learned much of the plans of Hymie Lobell, a racketeer and smuggler of illegal aliens who worked with Big Batten, another gangster. When the Feds crack down, the criminals push the human cargo overboard with heavy chains, drowning men, women and children. The Green Hornet creates a set-up that allows the latest shipment of immigrants along the Jersey coast to be armed, thus preventing them from being drowned. Using his private plane, Reid witnesses the transaction and phones the Coast Guard via wireless, which rushes to the scene to find the criminals red-handed with cargo they cannot dispose of. 

Episode #127 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Tuesday, April 27, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#49613, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Laundry owner Boswell attempts to defy a protection racket, only to have his store bombed. The Green Hornet pays a late night visit to Boswell to ask him to help in a ruse that might overthrow the racketeers. Boswell gives the masked man the benefit of a doubt and agrees to hide out and allow people to believe that he was killed when the bomb was thrown from a car. Inspector Beasley investigates the disappearance, and Reid discovers Beasley is a crooked cop who schemes for two gunmen to eliminate Boswell — if they can find him. The Green Hornet forces Beasley to remain in the same room intended for the next bombing. Unable to escape, the crooked cop confesses, unaware that police are listening.

Episode #128 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Thursday, April 29, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#49614, copyrighted under King-Trendle.

Plot: Jonothan Adsit’s body is found in the river and Mike Axford follows a lead involving two crooks who were responsible. Britt Reid, however, investigates the motive behind the crime. Kato finds the ferry on which Adsit was murdered and a suitcase containing vital papers owned by Adsit. After learning the crooks are being released for lack of evidence, Reid sends a letter to one of them, offering to sell him the contents. Tailing the crooks to Lawrence Sprague, Adsit’s nephew, the truth becomes known — a crooked $2 million deal involving the purchase of swamp land to be made into beaches, a project that never would have worked, according to Adsit’s figures. But Sprague didn’t intend on spending the money for the project. Sprague murdered his uncle so the deal could go through and he could profit from the wasted public money. The Green Hornet gasses one of the crooks unconscious and punches the other to the ground so police will find their job easier when they arrive.

Trivia: The spelling of Jonothan is taken directly from the script. That is not a mis-spelling.

Episode #129 [NO TITLE LISTED, PART ONE OF TWO]
Broadcast on Tuesday, May 4, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#49736, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Britt Reid organizes a stock racket-smashing campaign when he learns that Axford and his friends have been duped into buying worthless gold mines. The editorial makes front page headlines, forcing Jason Larriby and his colleague in crime, White, off the streets. In an act of vengeance, Larriby makes arrangements for Reid to be kidnapped, but his goons pick up Kato instead and take him to a secluded boat. Meanwhile, The Green Hornet creates a clever scenario, making the con artists believe the stock is actually valuable and forcing them to buy back the stock from their victims — and on a number of occasions, paying more than they sold it for. When The Green Hornet visits, he laughs as the truth is revealed. Ordering the men to leave town, The Green Hornet fixes a Hornet seal to the fake telegram as a memento for the crooks. Only later that evening, pre-occupied with the thought of Kato’s disappearance, does Reid realize he accidentally left his fingerprint on the Hornet seal.

Episode #130 [NO TITLE LISTED, PART ONE OF TWO]
Broadcast on Thursday, May 6, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#49737, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Two weeks after the kidnapping of Kato, police still scour the nation in search off the missing Oriental. Larriby and White, in the meantime, operate a crooked appliance racket, forcing people to pay installments on appliances that break soon after the owners take possession. Larriby sends a $100,000 ransom note to Britt Reid and signs it with the seal of The Green Hornet. This tips Reid as to who is responsible for the kidnapping. While police are busy seeking The Green Hornet, Reid gets the ransom money ready. Through a clever ruse, he allows the police to trail the cash to Larriby and White, and he discovers the whereabouts of
the Japanese valet. Kato is rescued and rushed to the hospital.

Episode #131 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Tuesday, May 11, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#49809, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Britt Reid spent more than 30 hours waiting for the call that a tramp steamer was located so he could join the law in the rescue of Kato. The operation was a success, but Kato had taken a severe beating from the crooks. While Kato recovers from his wounds in the hospital, Ed Lowry follows a lead on a gangster who needs an operation but won’t have it, afraid that under anesthesia he’ll talk too much. The trail leads to C. Archibald Mercedes, a wealthy man, once the target of Uncle Sam over back income taxes. The Green Hornet pays Mercedes a late-night visit, moments before a secret one from a professional counterfeiter working for the mob. He discovers Mercedes was unloading hidden gold for cash, since the government went off the gold standard. Thanks to The Hornet, the men are gassed unconscious so police can uncover the scheme and assist the Feds in their recent investigation of a counterfeiting racket.

Episode #132 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Thursday, May 13, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#49810, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Millionaire Adolph Vickers is found murdered in his luxurious home office. Margory Dryden and her father, Harry Dryden, of the meat packer Dryden family, separately confess to the crime, but when the police discover the time of the murder, they rule out both Drydens. Reid soon learns that Vickers made his living blackmailing millionaires, and Dryden was among the victims. The Green Hornet temporarily accepts the murder rap in order to lure the real killers to Dryden’s residence, where evidence planted by Reid leads Rollins and his goon to suspect Dryden is The Green Hornet. When the men attempt to blackmail the millionaire, they discover they are not alone in the house. The Green Hornet gasses the crooks unconscious and orders Dryden to phone the police.

Trivia, etc. Kato is not heard in this episode, but Reid pays him a visit at the hospital. The script calls for Kato’s few lines to be “whispered unintelligibly” since the actor is still on vacation.

Episode #133 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Tuesday, May 18, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#50087, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: The police plan an elaborate scheme to infiltrate the biggest blackmail ring operated by the syndicate, headed by Harvey Riggs. The plan includes a policeman infiltrating the operation, but Riggs is too smart for that. The police, believing they know the whereabouts of the books and records Riggs keeps, intend to raid the nightclub. Riggs, however, gave the wrong information and knows the police will have an embarrassing time explaining their mistake. The Green Hornet tricks Riggs into believing the police are not duped and discovers the real whereabouts of the valuable papers. After gassing Riggs and his gun moll unconscious, The Green Hornet steals the papers and leaves. Angry, Riggs sets out to murder the undercover police officer. Mike Axford and Britt Reid inadvertently foil the murder with Axford’s quick draw of a gun, and the crooks are arrested and jailed. The papers, enough evidence to send Riggs and his whole gang to prison, are delivered to police via special delivery the next morning.

Episode #134 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Thursday, May 20, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#50088, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: A revolutionary leader in a small Central American republic known as San Sabino is paying for guns and ammunition to be shipped to him. The receivers of the cash are in the The Green Hornet’s city, and Britt Reid stumbles on the scheme when Miss Case accidentally receives the wrong mail from a classified ad in the newspaper. The mail was returned to the post office, and Kato trailed the woman who picked up the correct mail to learn the location of the gun runners. The Green Hornet fools the crooks into believing the female has double-crossed them, including stealing the money. Realizing the police are safer to deal with than members of
her gang, she agrees to confess; The Green Hornet drops her off at the police station.

Episode #135 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast Tuesday, May 25, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#50089, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: When Mike Axford finds himself chasing down a stolen car while riding on patrol, he discovers his own vehicle is the stolen property. The youngster hired to steal the car leads police to the joint where hot cars are fixed up with new paint jobs and registration numbers. A raid reveals nothing. When the kid gets bailed out by an expensive mouthpiece and a man named Dornigan is killed when trying to get out of the racket, The Green Hornet visits the high-priced lawyer named Mercer. Convincing Mercer that he was hired by Pritchard, the head of the stolen auto racket, to eliminate the attorney, he finds Mercer willing to take him to a hidden section of the garage that police are unaware of. At the point of his gas gun, The Green Hornet forces Pritchard to empty his safe of cash and when the police arrive, courtesy of Kato’s tip, the masked man makes a quick getaway, while revealing the workshop in the garage. Back home, Reid hands the money to Kato and asks that it go to the mother and widow of Dornigan.

Episode #136 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Thursday, May 27, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#50090, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Aaron Bostwick is a lieutenant in a shrewd loan shark operation in which his clients are forced to pay only the interest, but never the principal. When Jack Forbes, one of his clients, decides to inform the law, he is beaten up and urged to remain silent for the sake of his wife and child. Seeking the big boss behind the crooked practice, The Green Hornet has Kato tap the phone lines so they can hear the conversations. After rigging an envelope in the mail so the police will receive a tip-off, Reid orders Forbes’ name to appear in the papers so the man will be used as bait. The masked man visits Forbes to save him from a murder, forcing Bostwick to leave the premises under the guise of Forbes. Bostwick pleads for his life, but the shooting is a near-miss and the police arrive to take control of the situation — even tracking the letter signed by the Hornet to the post office box and leading to the big boss himself, smashing the racket.

Episode #137 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Tuesday, June 1, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#50256, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Arnold Metcalf and wife Mona operate a matrimonial agency in which their classified ads attract gullible singles into sending money for transportation so the mail-order bride can visit them. When a man named Massey arrives from Oklahoma, threatening action because The Daily Sentinel allowed the ad to continue, Britt Reid sets out as The Green Hornet to smash the racket. The Feds are closing in, but The Green Hornet visits late-night at the Metcalf’s, gasses Massey unconscious and steals the papers the out-of-state visitor had that would send them to prison. The Green Hornet threatens to give the papers to the Feds unless Metcalf sends refunds to all he cheated. Metcalf agrees. While the masked man is accused of being involved, Reid tells Kato to make sure the papers are mailed to federal authorities as soon as it is verified Metcalf’s checks have cleared the bank.

Trivia, etc. It is revealed in this episode that Miss Case has a male cousin named Jack.

Episode #138 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast Thursday, June 3, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#50257, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Colonel Brookfield and his wife are fakes, attempting to borrow cash from the wealthy and having left Montreal some time ago for not being able to pay back the loans. With the help of a professional engraver, Brookfield arranged for fake bonds to be printed and now uses them as collateral for more loans, intending to sail for parts unknown after the cash is delivered. The Green Hornet shows up and steals some of the bonds, and Brookfield phones the police to claim the masked man tried to sell him fake bonds. Overhearing the story outside a window, The Green Hornet returns and threatens Brookfield in front of the inspectors — claiming the bonds he stole were fake and the murder of the engraver last night was part of Brookfield’s doing. The masked man escapes and the inspectors take Brookfield and his wife in to investigate further.

Episode #139 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Tuesday, June 8, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#50356, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Big-time racketeer Fletcher tries to push a monopoly through the board of aldermen. The scheme will profit at least $1 million, because the Blake ordinance would require all landlords to put the Fletcher patented number plate on their property. The special plate is designed to light at night, and Fletcher knows the bulbs are inferior, guaranteeing a larger profit when people are forced to buy replacements. Britt Reid finds out about the situation, Kato taps Blake and Fletcher’s phone to keep informed and discover Alderman Rollin is also involved. The Green Hornet maneuvers events, including gassing Rollins and planting a check signed by Fletcher for $2,000 so that police get him for bribery. News reporters will break the story, so the proposed law will not pass.

Episode #140 [NO TITLE LISTED] 
Broadcast on Thursday, June 10, 1937
Copyright Registration D-2-#50357, copyrighted under The Green Hornet, Inc.

Plot: Britt Reid pulls strings to have Muggs released from jail so the little fellow with underworld contacts can seek information about the death of John Edwards, a prominent banker. Britt dates the banker’s daughter the night before and returned to find her father dead, and Reid suspects it was murder. The trail leads to Morrie Clarke, a former bank examiner. Kato taps his phone and learns from Clarke’s nervous call the identity of the murderer and the motive. After gassing five bank examiners unconscious, The Green Hornet flees the scene so when the police arrive, one of the men wakes from his slumber to explain how Clarke knew that after a suicide an audit is required. So Clark arranged for fake bank examiners to perform an audit, but also quietly alter the books in order to steal money from the bank.

The information contained in this article contains excerpts from The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion Pictures, Comics and Television, by Martin Grams Jr. and Terry Salomonson. The book was published in 2009 by OTR Publishing and is the official 800 page guide to all things involving The Green Hornet, Kato and the Black Beauty.

For more information about this book, please visit www.MartinGrams.com.

James Rosin, Actor and Author

One of Jim's books.

As an actor, James Rosin appeared on numerous television programs including Love, American Style, Banacek, Cannon, Adam-12, Mannix, T.J. Hooker, Quincy M.E. and many others. Rosin is known to science-fiction fans as John Ya Ya in the 1984 movie, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Rosin can be seen in Eraser (1996), Sleepers (1998) and can be seen in other movies. A frequent guest at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, he recently authored a number of books about classic television programs, including Wagon Train, which has been receiving DVD releases and reruns on the Encore Westerns Channel. For anyone who is not familiar with the talented Jim Rosin, I wanted to introduce you to him.  Enclosed is my brief interview with Jim.

You were an actor for many years. What was your first book and how did you get started writing?
My first two books were about music. The first entitled Rock, Rhythm and Blues and was all about the rock ‘n’ roll and R&B era of the 1950s through the early 1960s. It focused on all of the nationally-known recording artists from Philadelphia. It also covered American Bandstand that originated in West Philly. I followed that with Philadelphia: City of Music, which covered the R&B years in the city of brotherly love featuring the “Sound of Philadelphia,” created by people like Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Tom Bell and Linda Creed. I was able to interview many of the popular musical artists that I grew up with focusing on Charlie Gracie, The Comets, James Darren, Lee Andrews, Danny and the Juniors, Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker, The Orlons, The Dovells, and The Tymes; followed by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, The Intruders, The Soul Survivors, Eddie Holman, The Delfonics, The Stylistics, Patty LaBelle, Bunny Sigler, The Three Degrees and The Trammps. I always loved music and all these recording artists were from my hometown and very familiar. That motivated me to write about the rich, musical history of Philadelphia.

What made you decide to write books about classic TV series?
Television drama always intrigued me, even as a small boy growing up in the 1950s. Each week there was The Loretta Young Show, Jane Wyman’s Fireside Theater, Medic, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Four Star Playhouse, and so on. As a teenager I never missed shows like Route 66, Naked City and Wagon Train because they were all about people, the human condition, and that fascinated me. (They became the first three shows I wrote about.)

I decided to write about and focus on others that I felt were unique, well-done, popular and enjoyed by millions of people. Adventures in Paradise was a series totally different than anything that existed on network television that took you to an alluring part of the world. (That became my fourth book.) Peyton Place was the first TV novelization with a continuing storyline. The Invaders featured an incredible premise -- a man alone in a quest to save mankind was hard to turn away from -- especially for those of us with an imagination. The Streets of San Francisco (another Quinn Martin series) was a quality police drama filmed in the most picturesque city in the country; with good stories and two very appealing actors that enjoyed a wonderful chemistry. Quincy M.E. was a series I worked on as an actor/writer and that experience along with Jack Klugman's integrity, work ethic and standards of excellence motivated me to do a book about that show.

Jim Rosin and Roy Thinnes of The Invaders

What book do you think generated a favorable response?
I think every book that I did led to a good incident one way or another. First, it brought me into contact with a lot of wonderful actors, directors and writers that I grew up with in movies and television. To varying degrees they were all willing to relive the glory days and that was fun. It was also nice that I had been an actor in Hollywood for eleven years, and had a reference which made many of them feel more comfortable. When the books were published, it was gratifying to receive phone calls and emails from these folks expressing an appreciation for the end result. Because of the success I had with these books, I was also able to help other writers get their work published which was also gratifying. I’ve also tried to improve on what I’ve done. Criticism only makes my books better. I revised the second edition of Route 66, added about 100 pages; and to a lesser degree made alterations and added new material to Wagon Train, Adventures in Paradise and The Invaders. Longfellow said it best: “Not enjoyment and not sorrow, is our destined end or way, that to act in each tomorrow finds us further than today.”

What is your favorite book and why?
It’s hard to pick out a favorite. I loved all the shows I wrote about for different reasons. Some of them were harder to research because many of the people on the show are no longer with us. Also those that were available had trouble remembering. When you go back 40 or 50 years that’s understandable. That happened to me on Adventures in Paradise, and to a certain extent on other shows I wrote about.

Can you talk about your acting career and the shows you did?
I really enjoyed being an actor both in Los Angeles and in New York. Unfortunately, competition is intense and much of your time is spent waiting, hoping and doing other things. However, I was able to work a bit in New York doing plays, and on a network daytime drama. In Los Angeles, I played featured and co-starring roles in about 23 television shows, and I later worked on several feature films, and appeared on L.A.s smaller theater circuit. I believe writing is more gratifying for the average performer because it’s really more of an investment on your part. No one can stop you from doing it… unlike acting. I believe that’s why you see so many performers seek other creative outlets.

THE HOWDY DOODY RADIO SHOW

Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob

From 1947 to 1960, The Howdy Doody Show entertained young children across the country, often credited by historians as one of the leading reasons why television became a staple in American living rooms. The television series certainly demonstrated the potential of the new medium to advertisers, which competed against the already established medium of radio. Each week the television viewers to exposed to the antics of Clarabelle the Clown, watched silent slapstick comedies, and watched as Howdy Doody joined Buffalo Bob in attempts to foil the schemes of Mr. Bluster. Princess Summerfall-Winterspring a beautiful Indian Princess, sang and told stories. Howdy Doody had red hair, 48 freckles (one for each State of the Union) and was voiced by Bob Smith himself. (Which also explained why Howdy Doody never put in a public appearance when Buffalo Bob and Clarabelle appeared on stage for various functions.) 

The Howdy Doody Show was a program of historic firsts. It was Howdy Doody’s face that appeared on the NBC color test pattern beginning in 1954, was the first children’s program telecast in color on NBC, and was the first children’s program to be broadcast five days a week.

On the afternoon of February 12, 1952, The Howdy Doody Show reached a milestone, celebrating its 1,000^th telecast. To mark the first TV network show to reach 1,000 performances, the Howdy Doody telecast a gala on-the-air celebration with celebrity guests Milton Berle, Ed Wynn, Jack Carson, Danny Thomas, Dave Garroway, Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney, and Kukla, Fran and Ollie.

Rehearsals of The Howdy Doody Show

As a result of all the publicity and popularity of the children’s program, and with Bob Smith’s experience on the radio, it wasn’t difficult to convince the network to grant Bob Smith a Saturday morning radio program of the same name.

Bob Smith got his start in broadcasting on WBEN radio in Buffalo, NY, after being discovered by singer Kate Smith. He later moved to WNBC in New York City. The character of “Howdy Doody” really began on Bob Smith’s radio program, Triple B Ranch, in 1947. At that time, Bob Smith was voicing a character named Elmer who always greeted the children in the audience with “Howdy Doody, Kids!” Soon the children were calling Elmer by the name of “Howdy Doody.” Later in 1947, Howdy Doody made his television debut and the show rose to popularity. In 1950, Smith gave up his radio show to devote full time to The Howdy Doody Show on television.

Bob Smith and his famous puppet, Howdy Doody, were joined by their television friends and other cast members – Mr. Bluster, Flubadud, Princess Summerfall-Winterspring (played by the beautiful Judy Tyler), Dilly Dally, and Clarabell the Clown and his All-Clown Orchestra. The format was the same as the television program as a comedy-variety show staged strictly for a children’s audience, with children in the “Peanut Gallery” being invited to sing with Howdy, to say “Howdy-Doody,” etc. from time to time, thus getting the children into the act. (Screening silent comedies was not done on the radio program like it was on the television counterpart.) The audience was composed of children invited from various public schools in the New York area, plus other children who requested tickets in advance if such an offer was made available from time to time. Adults accompanied the children, but did not sit in the “Peanut Gallery.”

The Saturday (later Sunday) morning radio program was produced and directed by Simon Rady, a package production of the Kagren Corporation. The entire radio program originated from New York City. Every episode was taped in advance sometime during the week, so once a week a large handful of the kids that appeared on the television program as members of the Peanut Gallery were treated to a radio broadcast after the live television show went off the air. The script writers were Bob Cone and Eddie Keane. Eddie Keane was also the musical director. He wrote the music Howdy Doody sang. Celebrity guests paid visits from time to time. Bob Smith himself played the piano in novelty numbers. In short, the radio program was pretty much the same as the televisions series, without the visuals and added sound effects.

Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob

In the minds of the juvenile listeners, the “All-Clown Band” probably consisted of a dozen face-painted clowns – the kind you would see in a traveling circus. In reality, the magic of radio proved a disappointment to the kids sitting in the Peanut Gallery. The “All-Clown Band” was really one person, Buffalo Bob Smith, playing whistles, washboard, bells, spoons, horns, frying pans, and more. Clarabell, initially played by Bob Keeshan (who would later gain fame as Captain Kangaroo) never spoke on the television series. For radio, he honked a horn instead of talking. Some might believe a sound man was responsible but Keeshan was present in the studio, in complete clown makeup. (Remember, young kids were still present.) Keeshan also supplied the voice of Zabby, the “man from Mars,” and Flubadub, “the only talking animal in radio.” Whenever the role of The Inspector was needed, Keeshan also voiced The Inspector.

Bill Le Cornec was the voice of Dilly Dally. Dayton Allen supplied the voice for Mr. Bluster, Phineas P. Bluster, Flubadub and on rare occasions he doubled for the voice of Howdy Doody. Allen’s last broadcast was November 29, 1952. Bob Keeshan’s last broadcast was also November 29, 1952. Effective with the broadcast of December 6, 1952, Bob Nicholson played the role of Clarabelle as well as all the other roles Keeshan played. (Nicholson later went on to more success as co-producer of television’s The Newlywed Game.)

Broadcast Breakdown

December 15, 1951 to September 5, 1953

East Coast Broadcast: Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

West Coast Broadcast: Saturday from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. *

* In the Los Angeles area, Howdy Doody aired only twice on the radio and at a different time slot from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. on September 6 and 13, 1952, hoping to attract a local sponsor. Also, for the June 21, 1952 broadcast, only the second half was heard on the repeat West Coast show (12:30 to 1:00 p.m.).

September 6, 1953 to April 18, 1954

East Coast Broadcast: Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

West Coast Broadcast: Sunday from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. (times also varied in different areas)

Sponsors

-- December 15, 1951 to March 15, 1952, sustained

-- March 22, 1952 to June 14, 1952, the 9:00 to 9:15 a.m. portion was sponsored by International Shoe. (West Coast Repeat was 12:30 to 12:45 p.m., obviously) One exception: Over WNBC in NYC, International Shoe was not the sponsor.

-- June 21 to August 9, 1952, sustained. (International Shoe took a summer hiatus)

-- August 16, 1952 to March 14, 1953, the 9:00 to 9:15 am segment sponsored by International Shoe on a portion of the network only. (Other stations sustaining or co-op).

-- From March 21, 1953 to April 18, 1954, the entire hour was under co-op, part of the network’s Minute Man Plan.

The beautiful Judy Tyler.

Today, very few people know that The Howdy Doody Show was also broadcast on radio. And a popular assumption was that the radio program was nothing more than an audio track from the television series, but the radio series did consist of original material created and produced for the radio. Jay Hickerson of Leesburg, Florida, has been the official record keeper for more than two decades when it comes to all existing and available circulating radio programs. His publication is updated every four years with annual supplements in between. According to Hickerson, a total number of 17 radio broadcasts exist in recorded form. Only ten have been assigned broadcast dates. The remaining seven have not been verified and dates assigned by collectors are apparently inaccurate (citing Wednesday and Thursday dates, not Saturday or Sunday). The exact dates of the remaining recordings still need to be determined. Verified dates include December 15, December 22 and December 29, 1951. February 23, March 1, May 3, June 28 and August 16, 1952. January 3 and April 4, 1954.

Among the highlights of the radio program was the premiere broadcast of December 15, 1951. Milton Berle, the popular television personality, and his little daughter, Vicki, are guests. All of the kids in the Peanut Gallery referred to the comedian as “Uncle Miltie.” Western star Gabby Hayes, who appeared in a number of Howdy Doody television broadcasts, made his first of many appearances on the program, telling tales of stagecoach times and about his uncle who drove a reindeer stage one Christmas.*

* Gabby Hayes would make his second visit to the radio program on February 16, 1952.

Gabby Hayes

For the broadcast of December 22, 1951, Bob Smith told the story of “The Little Branch,” a Christmas story about the little branch on a big pine tree that became a Christmas tree. The broadcast of January 12, 1952, featured a dramatization of “Hopalong Riding Hood,” spoofing the Western cowboy hero and the Little Red Riding Hood story. The February 23, 1952 broadcast of Howdy Doody was a special George Washington program. All of the stories and songs were about the first President of the United States.

Beginning with the broadcast of August 23, 1952, an announcement was made during the International Shoe-sponsored segment about a Poll Parrot Shoe write-in gimmick. Every youngster who wrote in to tell what he liked about Poll Parrot Shoes would get a membership card in the “Howdy Doody Thinker-Upper Club,” which had just been organized. The two best letters received each week would be read over the air and the writers would receive a special gift such as a Howdy Doody doll or a Clarabelle doll, or a Howdy Doody Phonograph. Kids simply needed to visit the nearest Poll Parrot dealer; take a look at all the Poll Parrot shows and then go home and write their letter.

As a result of the troubles behind-the-scenes with Bob Keeshan and the producers, Clarabelle the Clown was written out of the series more than once, only to return to the program soon after. During the broadcast of August 30, 1952, and beginning the week after, youngsters had to enjoy the show without the consistent horn-hinking. Clarabelle would return a few weeks later. Bob Keeshan made his final appearance as Clarabelle on the broadcast of November 29, 1952, and the clown was written out of the series. Young children were led to believe that Clarabelle would not return for a few weeks, but the fan letters poured in and the week after, December 6, Bob Nicholson began playing the role. Clarabelle never left the program as it was dramatized the week prior, and tens of thousands of young children were no doubt relieved.

Clarabell, Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob Smith

The Presidential election of 1952 received major television coverage, much more than the 1948 election since most Americans did not have a television set. As a result, Howdy Doody ran for office. Free campaign buttons were distributed to any child who wrote to the network. Young children all over the nation had been encouraged to send in their votes. This was not just a publicity stunt for the television and radio program, but an attempt to convince the executives at International Shoe to continue sponsorship of the radio program since they expressed a desire to option a clause in their contract to cease sponsorship. They reportedly received over 60,000 requests, statistically representing one-third of the American homes with television sets. Within the first two weeks, other potential advertisers were convinced and the Howdy Doody radio program was successfully profitable for NBC-Radio. Among the new sponsors was the Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company. During the radio broadcast of November 8, 1952, an announcement was made that “Howdy Doody” had been elected “President of all the kids in the United States,” due to the overwhelming response.

Tape Problems

On television, Buffalo Bob Smith encountered the usual errors that result in “live” broadcasting. During one broadcast, while showing a silent slapstick comedy, one of the children exited the Peanut Gallery and walked up to Buffalo Bob and sat on his lap. Loud enough for the microphone to pick up Smith’s narration of the film, the young lad remarked, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

For radio, you would think taping the show in advance for later playback was not without its flaws. Not so. In the start of the broadcast of January 5, 1952, there were three seconds of dead air due to tape machine failure. The content lost was “It’s Howdy Doody Time,” the answer the children gave to the opening. The June 7, 1952 broadcast suffered another setback. Trouble with the taping resulted in dead air from 9:16 to 9:20, at which time the tape resumed. NBC filled the four minutes with Electrical Transcription music. (It only took the network 25 seconds to start the music from the moment the show went to dead air.) The broadcast of September 20, 1952, began a little late (10 seconds of dead air time to be exact) because of the tape machine being “frozen.”

Judy Tyler, a.k.a. Princess SummerFall-WinterSpring

In Conclusion

In September of 1954, months after the radio series concluded, Buffalo Bob Smith, at age 36, was stricken in his home with a heart attack. NBC Television used some film previously made by Smith himself, beginning September 6. The reruns gave Smith a chance to recover, and Smith never returned to the program until January of 1955. No doubt the radio program would have also been affected had the series continued beyond April of 1954.

After she left the Howdy Doody Show, Judy Tyler became a night-club singer and got rave reviews for her opener at Mocambo’s in Hollywood. Bob Keeshan began a long and successful career as Captain Kangaroo.

His love of radio was clearly evident after the Howdy Doody television show concluded, when Bob Smith purchased a radio station in Maine and continued his career in broadcasting as an announcer and emcee for numerous radio programs.

The 2011 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention Recap

The 2011 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention was a big success. Everyone weighs the success of a convention in various forms. The way my wife and I look at it, the larger the attendance, the bigger the success. And MANC had the largest crowd ever in September of 2011. (Yes, I'm a little behind with this blog posting.) All of the photos in this blog post are courtesy of Al Stone (unless mentioned), who recently handed me a CD of photos he took at last year's event. Thank you, Al!

Fans line up to get Patty Duke's autograph. (Photo courtesy of Mark Gross.)

Celebrity guests included Jimmy Hunt from the 1954 classic, Invaders From Mars, Lauren Chapin and Billy Gray from Father Knows Best, Davy Jones (who passed away a few months later), Patty Duke, Tony Dow (Wally from Leave it to Beaver), Karen Valentine (from Room 222), Michael Constantine (also from Room 222), and Charles Herbert (The Fly and The Twilight Zone).

Tony Dow, Lauren Chapin and Billy Gray on the Q&A panel.

All of the guests were remarkable. Davy Jones was not even charging for his autograph and posed for photos with his fans. No one left the table disappointed. Patty Duke was a sweetheart. When she participated in the Q&A session on stage, the event room was standing-room only. On one particular afternoon, a woman brought her daughter to the show to meet Patty Duke. It seems the daughter recently watched The Miracle Worker in high school and wanted to meet the woman who played Helen Keller. Having discovered she forgot her DVD at home, which she wanted to get autographed, Patty Duke graciously picked up a DVD copy off her table, tore the plastic wrap off and signed the insert for the young girl. No charge. Talk about class.

Patty Duke chats with the audience during the Q&A Session.

The Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention (or MANC as many people refer to it) offers more than 150 vendor tables and nine or ten celebrities. MANC offers slide show seminars every hour. Among the highlights this year was a salute to Buck Rogers. The interplanetary hero appeared in comic strips, pulps, movies, radio and television and became an important part of American pop culture. The phenomenon paralleled the development of space technology in the 20th century and introduced Americans to outer space as a familiar environment for swashbuckling adventure. Not only were attendees treated to a superb slide show presentation by Maury Cagle, but a special display was put on by the Solar Guard Fan Club and the Radio & Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland.

Karen Valentine, Michael Constantine and Davy Jones.

Norman Cavey and Bruce Barrett put together a great slide show about The Enchanted Forest, an amusement park in Maryland that once rivaled Walt Disney World in Florida. The park has been closed for two decades and the restoration and preservation of The Enchanted Forest has become a volunteer project. Thanks to Norman and Bruce, attendees were treated to a documentary approach (with tons of rare photographs) of what the theme park was like during its heydey. A scale model of the entire park was also on display.

Larry Storch from F-Troop stopped by.

The convention also features a movie room which screens rare films 24 hours a day, for three and a half days. Among the highlights was a 1954 wrestling grudge match as it aired on television, World War II cartoons, the "lost" 1932 movie Beauty Parlor, the 1912 Queen Elizabeth movie starring the great Sarah Bernhardt.... well, you get the idea.

Old-Time Radio shows are also re-created on stage. Don Ramlow and his wife Mary put on two masterful re-creations and shares the MANC vision of producing "lost" radio plays. That is, radio scripts from the 1930s, 40s and 50s are used for the stage performances but the scripts chosen are for episodes collectors have never heard. Radio broadcasts not known to exist in recorded form. This way attendees get to enjoy a new adventure.

There is also a charity auction designed to benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Elizabeth Taylor's autograph went for almost $300! Of course, we have a story behind that one. Last year we wrote to a number of celebrities asking them to donate an autographed photo for the auction. The day after the 2010 convention, a signed photo from Elizabeth Taylor arrived in the mail box. So we figured to wait and hold on to it for next year. Well, Taylor passed away since then so we were not concerned about including the envelope the photo came in, with the auction prize. After all, it's not like they could write to her. This might have been the last time anyone could buy a legit Elizabeth Taylor autograph. And the bidding went high!

Fans even come in costume!

Among the vendors are Bear Manor Media Publishing, VCI Entertainment, Scarlet: The Film Magazine, and many other national labels as well as locals and private collectors. Movie posters, books, DVDs, and much more are offered for sale and many times at rock bottom prices.

Personally, I attend a dozen conventions a year. Every event has their own flavor and decor. The crowds are always friendly. But at a time where an aging fanbase and a declined economy are taking their toll, MANC is proud to have an increase in attendance every year. Last year MANC almost hit 1,500 attendees. This is something very few conventions can brag about. It shows future stability for an event designed to bring everyone together for three days and share a common interest.

The 2012 MANC will be held three weeks from now. If you ever considered attending, make your plans now. I also encourage you to check out the web-site. Even if you do not plan to attend this year, the web-site has tons of fascinating articles worthy of checking out. From Batman, Terry and the Pirates, Howdy Doody, Celeste Holm, Andy Griffith and many others. It will keep you busy reading more nostalgic goodies for an hour or two.
http://midatlanticnostalgiaconvention.com/the-2011-nostalgia-convention/