he Zero Hour (aka Hollywood Radio Theater) was a 1973–74 American radio drama anthology series hosted by Rod Serling.[1][2] With tales of mystery, adventure and suspense, the program was broadcast for two seasons.

The radio series debuted on September 3, 1973, in syndication, and was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System in December. The original format featured five-part dramas broadcast Monday through Friday with the story coming to a conclusion on Friday. Including commercials, each part was approximately 30 minutes long. Mutual affiliates were free to broadcast the series in any available time slot that they wished.[3]

In 1974, still airing five days a week, the program changed to a full story in a single 30-minute installment with the same actor starring throughout the week in all five programs. That format was employed from late April 1974 to the end of the series in July 1974.

Producer J. M. Kholos was a Los Angeles advertising man who acquired the rights to suspense novels, including Tony Hillerman's The Blessing Way, for radio adaptations. In some cases, the titles were changed. For example, the five-part "Desperate Witness" was an adaptation of The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing. To create a strong package, Kholos followed through by lining up top actors, including John Astin, Edgar Bergen, Joseph Campanella, Richard Crenna, John Dehner, Howard Duff, Keenan Wynn, Richard Deacon, Patty Duke, Nina Foch, George Maharis, Susan Oliver, Brock Peters and Lurene Tuttle.

The opening theme music was by Ferrante & Teicher. Don Hills produced the series for StudioHouse, which also produced the Salvation Army's Heartbeat Theatre. Counting each five-part show as five episodes, there were a total of 130 episodes. Failing to find a large audience due to the initial weekly serial format and lack of promotion, Mutual canceled the program, and the final episode was broadcast on July 26, 1974, though many Mutual affiliates continued broadcasting repeats for several months afterwards. According to director Elliott Lewis, "They wanted as much name value as possible to help with sales. They forgot they had to sell it. Everybody sat in the office and waited for someone to call them up and buy the show."[4]

Highbridge Audio released six of the five-part stories on audiocassettes. "Desperate Witness"; "Face Of The Foe"; "But I Wouldn't Want To Die There"; "Wife Of The Red-Haired Man"; "The Heir Hunters" and "If Two Of Them Are Dead."

Episodes – Series One Episode Title Written by / based on novel by Airdate 1–5 "Wife of the Red Haired Man (parts 1-5)" Bill S. Ballinger September 3, 1973 to September 7, 1973 "This week Bill S. Ballinger's best selling novel of the pursuit of a damned couple, starring Patty Duke Astin, John Astin, and Howard Duff."

no evidence of this radio show being copyrightnprotected

Elements of mystery have always been represented in literature, but the detective story didn't arrive on the scene until the mid 1800's. Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue, published in 1841, was the first. The Murder's main character, C. Auguste Dupin, was a brilliant detective who relied on superior deductive powers to solve the crime. He and his unnamed narrator companion solved this and two other mysteries.

Later in the 19th century Sir Arthur Conan Doyle expanded on Poe's new concept in his Sherlock Holmes stories. Many think that Doyle patterned Holmes and Watson after Dupin and his friend. The Sherlock Holmes stories were wildly popular in England, and after Conan Doyle, the British continued to dominate the detective genre with other detectives who depended on keen observation and deductive logic to solve crimes. These detectives most commonly applied their brilliance to crimes in quaint country houses outside small idyllic villages.

Then, in the 1930's and 1940's American writers added a grittier urban element to the detective genre -- the hardboiled detective. As opposed to the typical British detective, the hardboiled detective was generally a cynical loner with a strong sense of justice that wasn't necessarily limited to that provided by the court system. Instead of country houses, these detectives were more likely to be found in shady all-night bars or on the mean streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York City.

Dashiell Hammett introduced the new genre, and Sam Spade, in 1930 in his novel The Maltese Falcon. A few years later Raymond Chandler came along and perfected the type, with his detective, Philip Marlowe. Chandler introduced Marlowe in his first novel, The Big Sleep, and Philip Marlowe continued to solve crimes in six subsequent Chandler novels. Chandler had previously published a number of short stories featuring other detectives; however, Marlowe proved so popular that when the stories were later republished the author often switched the detectives to Philip Marlowe.

Chandler's style was unique. His sparse style was full of wonderfully sharp similies and rich descriptive narration. Here's an example from The Little Sister: "I put the duster away folded with the dust in it, leaned back and just sat, not smoking, not even thinking. I was a blank man. I had no face, no meaning, no personality, hardly a name. I didn't want to eat. I didn't even want a drink. I was the page from yesterday's calendar crumpled at the bottom of the waste basket."

Elements of mystery have always been represented in literature, but the detective story didn't arrive on the scene until the mid 1800's. Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue, published in 1841, was the first. The Murder's main character, C. Auguste Dupin, was a brilliant detective who relied on superior deductive powers to solve the crime. He and his unnamed narrator companion solved this and two other mysteries.

Later in the 19th century Sir Arthur Conan Doyle expanded on Poe's new concept in his Sherlock Holmes stories. Many think that Doyle patterned Holmes and Watson after Dupin and his friend. The Sherlock Holmes stories were wildly popular in England, and after Conan Doyle, the British continued to dominate the detective genre with other detectives who depended on keen observation and deductive logic to solve crimes. These detectives most commonly applied their brilliance to crimes in quaint country houses outside small idyllic villages.

Then, in the 1930's and 1940's American writers added a grittier urban element to the detective genre -- the hardboiled detective. As opposed to the typical British detective, the hardboiled detective was generally a cynical loner with a strong sense of justice that wasn't necessarily limited to that provided by the court system. Instead of country houses, these detectives were more likely to be found in shady all-night bars or on the mean streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York City.

Dashiell Hammett introduced the new genre, and Sam Spade, in 1930 in his novel The Maltese Falcon. A few years later Raymond Chandler came along and perfected the type, with his detective, Philip Marlowe. Chandler introduced Marlowe in his first novel, The Big Sleep, and Philip Marlowe continued to solve crimes in six subsequent Chandler novels. Chandler had previously published a number of short stories featuring other detectives; however, Marlowe proved so popular that when the stories were later republished the author often switched the detectives to Philip Marlowe.

Chandler's style was unique. His sparse style was full of wonderfully sharp similies and rich descriptive narration. Here's an example from The Little Sister: "I put the duster away folded with the dust in it, leaned back and just sat, not smoking, not even thinking. I was a blank man. I had no face, no meaning, no personality, hardly a name. I didn't want to eat. I didn't even want a drink. I was the page from yesterday's calendar crumpled at the bottom of the waste basket."

Elements of mystery have always been represented in literature, but the detective story didn't arrive on the scene until the mid 1800's. Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue, published in 1841, was the first. The Murder's main character, C. Auguste Dupin, was a brilliant detective who relied on superior deductive powers to solve the crime. He and his unnamed narrator companion solved this and two other mysteries.

Later in the 19th century Sir Arthur Conan Doyle expanded on Poe's new concept in his Sherlock Holmes stories. Many think that Doyle patterned Holmes and Watson after Dupin and his friend. The Sherlock Holmes stories were wildly popular in England, and after Conan Doyle, the British continued to dominate the detective genre with other detectives who depended on keen observation and deductive logic to solve crimes. These detectives most commonly applied their brilliance to crimes in quaint country houses outside small idyllic villages.

Then, in the 1930's and 1940's American writers added a grittier urban element to the detective genre -- the hardboiled detective. As opposed to the typical British detective, the hardboiled detective was generally a cynical loner with a strong sense of justice that wasn't necessarily limited to that provided by the court system. Instead of country houses, these detectives were more likely to be found in shady all-night bars or on the mean streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York City.

Dashiell Hammett introduced the new genre, and Sam Spade, in 1930 in his novel The Maltese Falcon. A few years later Raymond Chandler came along and perfected the type, with his detective, Philip Marlowe. Chandler introduced Marlowe in his first novel, The Big Sleep, and Philip Marlowe continued to solve crimes in six subsequent Chandler novels. Chandler had previously published a number of short stories featuring other detectives; however, Marlowe proved so popular that when the stories were later republished the author often switched the detectives to Philip Marlowe.

Chandler's style was unique. His sparse style was full of wonderfully sharp similies and rich descriptive narration. Here's an example from The Little Sister: "I put the duster away folded with the dust in it, leaned back and just sat, not smoking, not even thinking. I was a blank man. I had no face, no meaning, no personality, hardly a name. I didn't want to eat. I didn't even want a drink. I was the page from yesterday's calendar crumpled at the bottom of the waste basket."

Dragnet was a police drama series that followed the realistic cases of Los Angeles Police Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, portrayed by Jack Webb, as he investigated crimes based on actual police files, with the names changed to protect the innocent; the show was known for its semi-documentary style and focus on detailed police procedures, often featuring everyday crimes like theft, fraud, and even sex crimes, presented with a very matter-of-fact tone.

Dragnet was a police drama series that followed the realistic cases of Los Angeles Police Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, portrayed by Jack Webb, as he investigated crimes based on actual police files, with the names changed to protect the innocent; the show was known for its semi-documentary style and focus on detailed police procedures, often featuring everyday crimes like theft, fraud, and even sex crimes, presented with a very matter-of-fact tone.

Dragnet was a police drama series that followed the realistic cases of Los Angeles Police Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, portrayed by Jack Webb, as he investigated crimes based on actual police files, with the names changed to protect the innocent; the show was known for its semi-documentary style and focus on detailed police procedures, often featuring everyday crimes like theft, fraud, and even sex crimes, presented with a very matter-of-fact tone.

Dragnet was a police drama series that followed the realistic cases of Los Angeles Police Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, portrayed by Jack Webb, as he investigated crimes based on actual police files, with the names changed to protect the innocent; the show was known for its semi-documentary style and focus on detailed police procedures, often featuring everyday crimes like theft, fraud, and even sex crimes, presented with a very matter-of-fact tone.

Central character: Sergeant Joe Friday, a dedicated and by-the-book detective.

Realism: The show aimed to depict police work as accurately as possible, including realistic police jargon and procedures.

Impact: "Dragnet" is considered a pioneering police drama that set a standard for realistic crime shows on radio and later television.

Dragnet was a police drama series that followed the realistic cases of Los Angeles Police Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, portrayed by Jack Webb, as he investigated crimes based on actual police files, with the names changed to protect the innocent; the show was known for its semi-documentary style and focus on detailed police procedures, often featuring everyday crimes like theft, fraud, and even sex crimes, presented with a very matter-of-fact tone.

Central character: Sergeant Joe Friday, a dedicated and by-the-book detective.

Realism: The show aimed to depict police work as accurately as possible, including realistic police jargon and procedures.

Impact: "Dragnet" is considered a pioneering police drama that set a standard for realistic crime shows on radio and later television.

Dragnet was a police drama series that followed the realistic cases of Los Angeles Police Detective Sergeant Joe Friday, portrayed by Jack Webb, as he investigated crimes based on actual police files, with the names changed to protect the innocent; the show was known for its semi-documentary style and focus on detailed police procedures, often featuring everyday crimes like theft, fraud, and even sex crimes, presented with a very matter-of-fact tone.

Central character: Sergeant Joe Friday, a dedicated and by-the-book detective.

Realism: The show aimed to depict police work as accurately as possible, including realistic police jargon and procedures.

Impact: "Dragnet" is considered a pioneering police drama that set a standard for realistic crime shows on radio and later television.

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