Alternate names: Barry Crane, Barrie Craig
Created by —
Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from both coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first “Barry Crane” and then “Barrie Craig.” NBC produced it in New York from 1951 to 1954, and then moved the production to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955.
William Gargan, who was already familiar to listeners (and viewers) as radio (and television) private detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye BARRIE CRAIG, while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig’s office was on Madison Avenue and his adventures were fairly standard PI fare. He worked alone, solved cases efficiently, and feared no man. As the promos went, he was “your man when you can’t go to the cops. Confidentiality a speciality.”
Like Sam Spade, Craig narrated the stories in this half-hour show, which had an impressive four-year run, even as the Golden Age of Old Time Radio was teetering to an end.
THE EVIDENCE
A reader was kind enough to send us this plot synopsis of an episode. I certainly don’t intend to fill this site with details of every case every fictional P.I. ever had, but I think it will give you a good idea of what this show, and many other old-time radio detective shows, were like, and help newcomers eappreciate just how well-written and complex these stories often were (and remember, these shows were generally only 30 minutes long!).
I enjoy all your info, I thought I would include this little tidbit on one of the episodes.
Barry Craig — Confidential Investigator in “Death — The Hard Way,” starring William Gargan. Guest Stars: Patrick O’Neal, Eve Miller, Dan Tobin, Tol Avery. Directed by Blake Edwards.
Private eye Barry Craig (William Gargan) is hired by would-be public figure Peter Tilton (Dan Tobin) to pay off the debts owed by his wife (Eve Miller) to a casino, and he goes up against tough owner LaVerne Ellis (Tol Avery) to keep her out. When Mrs. Tilton and her cousin Paul Baker (Patrick O’Neal) turn up injured, their car run off the road, Tilton suspects that Ellis is responsible and is about to make a complaint to the state police and get him closed down, but Craig convinces him let the detective look into it.
But someone complains to the police, and Ellis is closed down and vows revenge on Tilton. When Tilton’s car is blown up with him in it, Ellis is the prime suspect, but Craig doesn’t believe it–he gets Ellis to confront Mrs. Tilton with a blackmail attempt, and gets her to admit the truth, that she and Baker, who are not cousins, set the whole thing up in an elaborate attempt to kill her husband and frame Ellis. Before Craig can get anyone to the police, however, Baker opens fire on them in the darkened casino. Best line–Craig tells a would be strong-arm man, “I’m a bad shot, but you’re a big boy.”
On William Gargan as a Detective (and an Actor)
If William Gargan brought an air of authenticity to his roles as a private detective, there were some good very reasons. His father was a bookmaker, so Gargan learned a lot about the gambling world and met a lot of interesting characters from across the spectrum of society. The main reason why Gargan was so convincing as a detective was that he was probably the only actor of his time who had actually been a private detective.
He first worked as a credit investigator and collection agent for a clothing firm. Once Gargan was shot at when he attempted to get a deadbeat customer to pay his overdue account.
Next, he worked for about a year as a private detective with a New York agency for “$10.00 a day and expenses.” Gargan did many of the usual detective jobs: guarding payrolls, tailing possible suspects, conducting stakeouts, and protecting clients with valuables. He was fired when he lost track of a diamond salesman he was supposed to be protecting.
As an actor, William Gargan had played Ellery Queen in three movies, before being cast as Kane. After he left Martin Kane, Gargan landed on his feet. He signed a million dollar, seven year contract with MCA for the radio show Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator on NBC. The final spelling used for his character’s first name, Barrie, was the same as that of Gargan’s oldest son. Gargan eventually got throat cancer, had a laryngectomy and campaigned vigourously (and rather ironically) against smoking for The American Cancer Society for the last twenty years of his life).
— Stewart Wright. For more on Gargan, see this excerpt from his autobiography.
UNDER OATH
- “The Adventures of Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator was pretty much straight detective crime-mystery fare for the era. What set it apart and differentiated it from the other popular detective mysteries of the 1950s was the superb talent, crisp direction and excellent scripting.”
— The Digital Deli Too
RADIO
- BARRIE CRAIG, CONFIDENTIAL INVESTIGATOR
(aka “Barry Crain, Confidential Investigator;” “Barry Crane, Confidential Investigator;” “Barrie Crane, Confidential Investigator;” “Barrie Craig Who-Dun-It”
(1951-55, NBC)
153 60-minute episodes, 39 30-minute episodes
First Broadcast: October 3, 1951
Last Broadcast: June 30, 1955
Writers: Louis Vittes, John Roeburt, Frank Kane, Ernest Kino
Directors: Himan Brown, Arthur Jacobson, Andrew Love, Blake Edwards, Edward King
Announcers: Don Pardo, Ed King
Starring William Gargan as BARRY CRAIG
with Santos Ortega as Lieutenant Edwards
Ralph Bell as Lieutenant Rogers
and John Gibson as The Bartender
Guest stars: Patrick O’Neal, Eve Miller, Dan Tobin, Tol Avery, Elspeth Eric, Arlene Blackburn, Joan Alexander, Parker Fennelly, Arnold Moss, Barbara Weeks, Luis Van Rooten, Herb Ellis- “The Simultaneous Man” (October 3, 1951)
- “Murder In Duplicate” (October 10, 1951)
- “The Judge and the Champ” (October 17, 1951)
- “Celluloid in the Fishtank” (October 24, 1951)
- “Corpse On Delivery” (October 31, 1951)
- “The Case of the Borrowed Knife” (November 7, 1951)
- “Dead On Arrival” (November 14, 1951)
- “Murder In Wax” (November 21, 1951)
- “The Case of the Naughty Necklace” (November 28, 1951)
- “The Paper Bullets” (December 5, 1951)
- “Death and the Purple Cow” (December 12, 1951)
- “Ghost of A Chance” (December 19, 1951)
- “Song of Death” (December 26, 1951)
- “Death of A Private Eye” (January 2, 1952)
- “Murder Island” (January 9, 1952)
- “Fatal Appointment” (January 16, 1952)
- “The Deadly Fight” (January 23, 1952)
- “The Very Odd Job” (January 30, 1952)
- “Diary of Death” (February 6, 1952)
- “A Time To Kill” (February 13, 1952)
- “Motive for Murder” (February 20, 1952)
- “Murder In Mink” (February 27, 1952)
- “Key Witness” (March 5, 1952)
- “Unknown Corpse” (March 12, 1952)
- “The Masked Mermaid” (March 18, 1952)
- “Love That Kills” (March 25, 1952)
- “Cry For Help” (April 1, 1952)
- “Top Secret” (April 8, 1952)
- “The Drowned Ghost” (April 15, 1952)
- “Hired Killer” (April 22, 1952)
- “Talent For Murder” (April 29, 1952)
- “A Night In Istanbul” (May 6, 1952)
- “Fingermanl” (May 13, 1952)
- “The Client Was A Corpse” (May 20, 1952)
- “Prize Captivel” (May 27, 1952)
- “Husband For Hire” (June 3, 1952)
- “The Case of the Corpse On A Carousel” (June 10, 1952)
- “Murder In Motion” (June 17, 1952)
- “The Big Kill” (June 24, 1952)
- “Shroud For A Fugitive” (July 1, 1952)
- “The Long Way Home” (July 8, 1952)
- “The Obituary Page Case” (July 15, 1952)
- “No Memory For Murder” (July 22, 1952)
- “Murder in Paradise” (July 29, 1952)
- “The Double Cross” (August 5, 1952)
- “Heat Wave” (August 12, 1952)
- “Happy Alibi” (August 19, 1952)
- “Murder Off-Stage” (August 26, 1952)
- “Blood on the Flowers” (September 2, 1952)
- “The Perfect Suspect” (September 9, 1952)
- “Death Trap” (September 17, 1952)
Pre-empted due to a speech by Senator Robert Taft, and possibly never aired. - “Night Alarm” (September 24, 1952)
- “Murder By Threes” (October 1, 1952)
- “Millionaire’s Widow” (October 8, 1952)
- “Dead Loss” (October 15, 1952)
- “Title Unknown” (October 18, 1952)
- “Hollow Homecoming” (October 25, 1952)
- “Three for the Kill” (November 2, 1952)
- “The Merry Corpse” (November 9, 1952)
- “The Unnecessary Blonde” (November 16, 1952)
- “Death’s Sweet Song” (November 23, 1952)
- “Cause For Murder” (November 30, 1952)
- “Marbles for A Murderer” (December 7, 1952)
- “Holday for Murder” (December 14, 1952)
- “The Case of the Polka-dotted Noose” (December 21, 1952)
- “A Coffin to Spare” (December 28, 1952)
- “The Crimson Queen” (January 4, 1953)
- “The Vanished Lady” (January 11, 1953; aka “Thr Case of the Vanished Lady”)
- “Money To Burn” (January 18, 1953)
- “The Lady is A Liar” (January 254, 1953)
- “The Corpse Wouldn’t Talk” (February 1, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (February 8, 1953)
- “The Girl On the Doorstep” (February 15, 1953)
- “Plotters Beware” (February 22, 1953)
- “Behold A Corpse” (March 1, 1953)
- “The Sinister Snowman” (March 8, 1953)
- “Death’s Small Brother” (March 15, 1953)
- “Jeweled Corpse” (March 22, 1953)
- “Confession Of Murder” (March 29, 1953)
- “The Case of the Loving Landlady” (April 5, 1953)
- “Corpse Out of the Past” (April 12, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (April 19, 1953)
- “Killing Pace” (April 26, 1953)
- “Beware the Walking Dog” (May 3, 1953)
- “The Sniper’s Bullet” (May 10, 1953)
- “Love’s Sweet Murder” (May 17, 1953)
- “Dead Beyond Recall” (May 24, 1953)
- “The Case of the Hollow Man” (June 5, 1953; aka “The Hollow Man”)
- “Zero Hour” (June 12, 1953)
- “The Lost Lady” (June 14, 1953)
- “The Jade Bracelet” (June 21, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (June 28, 1953)
- “Death Has A Number” (July 5, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (July 12, 1953)
- “Scream For Murder” (July 19, 1953)
- “Murder In Three Acts” (July 26, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (August 2, 1953)
- “Murder Masquerade” (August 9, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (August 16, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (August 23, 1953)
- “Murder To Music” (August 30, 1953)
- “Final Payment” (September 6, 1953)
- “Murder Ring” (September 15, 1953)
- “Kitchens Come With Knives” (September 22, 1953)
- “Pedigreed Corpse” (September 29, 1953)
- “The Double Man” (October 6, 1953)
- “Fog Over Murder” (October 13, 1953)
- “The Hunted Husband” (October 20, 1953)
- “Loot For A Lady” (October 27, 1953)
- “The Lonely Corner” (November 3, 1953)
- “The Killing Pace” (November 10, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (November 17, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (November 24, 1953)
- “Ghost Of A Chance” (December 1, 1953)
- “Table For Three Murders” (December 8, 1953)
- “A Mask for Justice” (December 15, 1953)
- “Two in A Mausoleum” (December 22, 1953)
- “Title Unknown” (December 29, 1953)
- “Out Of the Past” (January 5, 1954)
- “The Wife Who Wasn’t There” (January 12, 1954)
- “Strange Vision” (January 19, 1954)
- “Death Wins the Bet” (January 26, 1954)
- “Zero Hour” (February 2, 1954)
- “The Corpse Nobody Loved” (February 9, 1954)
- “Smoke Screen for Murder” (February 16, 1954)
- “No Flowers For The Corpse” (February 23, 1954)
- “The Million Dollar Nickel” (March 2, 1954)
- “The Tearless Widow” (March 9, 1954)
- “Act of Mercy” (March 16, 1954)
- “The Laughing Corpse” (March 23, 1954)
- “The Embezzler” (March 30, 1954)
- “The Schemers” (April 6, 1954)
- “The Man Who Wanted to be Guilty” (March 13, 1954)
- “Man Trap” (March 20, 1954)
- “Title Unknown” (March 27, 1954)
- “Title Unknown” (April 4, 1954)
- “Search For Mrs Peterson” (April 11, 1954)
- “Title Unknown” (April 18, 1954)
- “The Corpse Who Was Wrong” (April 25, 1954)
- “Too Dead To Care” (June 1, 1954)
- “A Fortune in Diamonds” (June 8, 1954)
- “Murder Is A Private Affair” (June 15, 1954)
- “The Lunatic Heir” (June 22, 1954)
- “Kiss and Kil” (June 29, 1954)
- “The Tough Guy” (July 6, 1954)
- ‘Murder By Error” (July 13, 1954)
- “Death’s Little Helper” (July 20, 1954)
- Death Buys A Bedroom” (July 27, 1954)
- ‘For Love of Murder” (August 3, 1954)
- “Death’s Bargain Basement” (August 10, 1954)
- “Mid-Summer Lunacy” (August 17, 1954)
- “Blood Money” (August 24, 1954)
- “Hay Is For Homicide” (August 31, 1954)
- “Ghosts Don’t Die in Bed” (September 7, 1954; announced as the final show)
- “The Corpse That Couldn’t Swim” (October 3, 1954)
- “The Murder Man” (October 10, 1954)
- “The Devil’s Jest” (October 17, 1954)
- “Murder In Greasepaint” (October 24, 1954)
- “Corpse On Delivery” (October 31, 1954)
- “Life Line” (November 7, 1954)
- “Complaint from A Corpse” (November 14, 1954)
- “The Sneak Assassin” (November 21, 1954)
- “Sweet Goddess of Murder” (November 28, 1954)
- “Prize-Winning Manuscript” (December 5, 1954)
- “The Fatal Punch” (December 12, 1954)
- “Dead Bull Fiddle In A China Shop” (December 19, 1954)
- “Death Hires A Hurricane” (December 26, 1954)
- “Angel of Death” (January 5, 1955)
- “The Man Who Died by Himself” (January 12, 1955)
- Diamonds Can Be Beautiful” (January 19, 1955)
- “The Money Man” (January 26, 1955)
- “Fool’s Choice” (February 2, 1955)
- “Nobody Lives There Anymore” (February 9, 1955)
- “The Moving Target” (February 16, 1955)
- “Hour of Reckoning” ” (February 23, 1955)
- “Sweet Larceny” (March 2, 1955)
- “Corpse On the Town” (March 9, 1955)
- “The Golden Touch” (March 16, 1955)
- “Patsy for A Pinball” (March 23, 1955)
- “Never Murder A Mummy” (March 30, 1955)
- “Butlers Can Be Innocent” (April 6, 1955)
- “Wizard of Death” (April 13, 1955)
- “The Corpse In A Cage” (April 20, 1955)
- “The Mark of Judas” (April 27, 1955)
- “Confession of Murder” (May 5, 1955)
- “Visitor At Midnight” (May 12, 1955)
“Terror in the Ballpark” (May 19, 1955) - “Crime Against the People” (May 26, 1955)
- “Trial Murder” (June 2, 1955)
- “Sucker Bait” (June 9, 1955)
- “Brainwashed” (June 16, 1955)
- “Two Dead Men” (June 23, 1955)
- “The Man Who Didn’t Get Them Wholesale” (June 30, 1955)
TELEVISION
- PEPSI-COLA PLAYHOUSE
(1953–1955, ABC)
Host: Polly Bergen
Anthology series- “Death, the Hard Way” (October 17, 1954)
Original story by Fenton Earnshaw
Written by Fenton Earnshaw
Directed by Blake Edwards
Starring William Gargan as BARRY CRAIG
Also starring Tol Avery, Matty Fain, Joe Gilbert, Eve Miller , Patrick O’Neal, Dan Tobin, Dale Van Sickel
Gargan starred in this unsuccessful 1952 TV pilot for a Barry Craig series, directed by Blake Edwards, which aired as an episode of Pepsi-Cola Playhouse. It aired a few weeks after the radio show announced its final episode, although it then aired another 39 episodes. Go figure…
- “Death, the Hard Way” (October 17, 1954)
Respectfully submitted by Jack French. Sidebar by Stewart Wright. Header art courtesy of The Digital Deli Too (these guys know their stuff).
