Radio Detective Story Hour

In 1935, then relatively unknown and untested Federal Prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey was appointed special prosecutor for New York County by then Governor Herbert Lehman to attempt to pursue the mob and political corruption including graft, bribes and other crimes.

Inspired by Dewey’s work, a young, former law student named Edward A. Byron, created a new radio drama for producer Phillips H. Lord about a crime fighting DA. The series was called Mr. District Attorney. It was less of a courtroom drama and more of a detective-crime-solving attorney one.

The series featured actors Jay Jostyn and Vickie Vola (both above right) as the D.A. and Miss Miller, his secretary. Both portrayed these roles until it left network radio in 1952 having joined the series about 1940.

Music under is "I Can't Get Started" performed by Warren Vache.

Thanks to Chuck Schaden for the Jostyn clip.

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With changes in how Hollywood worked with actors and contracts, a number of well-known actors began doing usually short term series on radio including Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in Bold Venture, Dana Andrews in I Was A Communist for the FBI, Joel McCrea, Tyrone Powers, Alan Ladd and Glenn Ford, who starred in a detective/adventure series called The Adventures of Christopher London.

In declining radio markets, competition was fierce and some of the stars, it was hoped, would draw listeners away from popular programs on other networks. When you listen to The Adventures of Christopher London you’ll notice right away that it is a top notch production. NBC hired mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner to create a character that is a handsome, single, cynical, ladies’ man that sets out each week on an adventure solving crimes around the world.

Despite its best effort, as was the case with many big screen actors coming to radio, it simply wasn’t enough to sustain any length of time to develop a truly devoted listenership.

Music under includes Requiem For a Dream performed by the Kronos Quartet; the Larry Clinton Orchestra with Bea Wain singing Heart and Soul and Al Bowlly singing Heart and Soul.

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Cornell Woolrich wrote a short story under the pseudonym of William Irish which he titled The Red Tide. While the story was well written, the plotting was overly melodramatic and never was one of his better ones. In 1943, it is believed he was given an opportunity to write a radio play based on the story for the series Suspense. He expanded the original story and created a passable radio play utilizing his familiar oscillation plotting in which the reader and listener is moved in opinion back and forth on the guilt or innocence of one of the characters. He titled the script Last Night and was so pleased with it, that he later re-wrote the original story expanding it similar to the radio play and titling it the same as the script.

The play starred the actress known as Margo on screen, possibly because her real name was Maria Marguerita Guadelupe Boldao y Castilla. Margo's acting in the radio play was like the story - overly melodramatic. Still it passes as an interesting Woolrich noir storyline involving possible murder.

Music under is "Blue Is Green" performed by Miles Davis.

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