Enjoy two free detective episodes of Boston Blackie w/ Dick Kollmar

A) 7/16/46 The Green Line Trucking Murder

B) 7/23/46 The Murdering Cuckoo Clock

Everyone loves an underdog, especially one who can exchange barbs with police inspectors and prove himself smarter than the law. On radio, Boston Blackie was an ex-safecracker, constantly suspected of crimes he did not commit and forced to play the role of detective to clear his name. Girlfriend Mary Wesley assisted Blackie from time to time. As the announcer reminded listeners each week, Blackie was “enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend.” Blackie helped many underworld characters resolve their disputes with the law and was forced to defend himself against the accusations of Inspector Faraday. Looking for a summer replacement for Amos ‘n’ Andy, Frederic W. Ziv test-marketed Boston Blackie nationwide. Lever Brothers sponsored the program and pitched Rinso Laundry soap. The short-run 1944 series featured Chester Morris reprising his 1941 screen role as Boston Blackie, with Richard Lane as Inspector Faraday. Blackie was aided by the Runt, a small-time hood, who also appeared in the Columbia Pictures series. For Columbia, the radio program served to cross-promote the latest Boston Blackie picture. For Ziv, the investment proved fruitful. The program was a tremendous success and quickly went into production for syndication … without Chester Morris. Beginning in 1945, Ziv released the first of what would be numerous package deals consisting of transcription discs to radio stations coast-to-coast. Broadway actor Richard Kollmar (husband to Dorothy Kilgallen) played the title role and the Runt was replaced by a character named Shorty. For the radio series, a female character was added, Mary Wesley (played by Jan Miner and Lesley Woods). In the Boston Blackie novels by Jack Boyle, Mary was Blackie’s wife but Ziv thought a girlfriend, especially one who suspected Blackie of committing crimes but hoped to be proven wrong, was more interesting. Boston Blackie proved to be among Ziv’s most lucrative investments, running a close second to The Cisco Kid but outshining his other radio ventures, including shows starring Red Skelton and Eddie Cantor.