Created by Jason James
Pseudonym of Joe Eisinger
In 1947, George Raft, his glory days as a movie tough guy slipping away, starred as EDDIE ACE, a hard-boiled New York City private eye on the short-lived syndicated radio series, The Cases of Mr. Ace.
Each week Eddie would drop by the office of beautiful “lady psychoanalyst” Dr. Karen Gayle, who was writing a book on criminal behavior — as she would remind us every episode — and demand to hear the experiences of a real live private detective. Every week, Eddie would oblige, doing his best to give her the lowdown on his latest case, and hit on her a few times.
Not that he was turning soft, mind you, palling around with a fancy pants shrink or anything. Ace maintained a snarky, cynical tone, as befits a hard man in a hard racket, running the one-man Ace Investigations on 6th Avenue, and he’s been known to pal around with members of the Mob. By most accounts Raft was at best okay as Mr Ace; perhaps a little less wooden than in some of his cinematic adventures. He later starred in the remake of Rocky Jordan, another radio private eye, which proved to be slightly more successful, running for a couple of years.
The radio show was an unofficial spin off from Mr. Ace, a 1946 B flick from United Artists which had starred Raft as Eddie Ace, although this Eddie was a completely different character, as far as I can tell. He wasn’t a private eye at all, but a shady local political fixer who’s hired by an ambitious congresswoman who wants to be the first governor of her (unnamed) state.
But the character of Eddie wasn’t through with his metamorphisis. The Cases of Eddie Ace morphed into The Cases of Eddie Drake when the show was bought for television by CBS, but New York and Raft were left behind, replaced by studly newcomer Don Haggerty, and relocated to sunnier, funnier Los Angeles.
IT’S A HIT! (NOT SO FAST)
- “George Raft starred in a fast-paced, hard-hitting vehicle worthy of his great movie reputation. Millions of Raft fans will love him as “Mr. Ace” in this network caliber half-hour show. Top Hollywood cast. Top script, Jason James of “Sam Spade” fame. And what music! Not an organ but a full orchestra
—Â Billboard on the taping of the first show in New York (June 7, 1947)
RADIO
- THE CASES OF MR. ACE
(1947, Paragon Radio Productions Syndicate)
30-minute episodes
Unknown number of episodes
First broadcast: June 25, 1947
Last broadcast: September 3, 1947
Created by Jason James
Writers: Jason James, Robert C. Dennis
Produced and directed by Jason James (pseudonym of Joe Eisinger)
Starring George Raft as EDDIE ACE
with Jeanette Nolan as Dr. Karen Gayle
Also starring Gloria Blondell, Jeff Chandler, Leo Cleary, Ruth Conte, Theodore Von Eltz, Joseph Kearns, Mary Jane Croft, Charlie Lung, Elliott Reid, Lorraine Beaumont, Frances Heflin,
Announcer: Carlton KaDell- “A Man Named Judas” (June 25, 1947)
- “The Premier”
- “Lost Package”
- “Key To A Boobie Trap”
- “The Murder of Frederick Miller”
- “The Watch and The Music Box”
