Created by J. Walter Thompson & Co., on behalf of The U.S. Tobacco Company MARTIN KANE was television's first private eye, so there! And just to rub it in, his show was called Private Eye. No muss, no fuss--just the straight goods. Talk about putting your mark on something. Featuring an easy-going but determined Big … Continue reading Martin Kane (Private Eye)
Tag: Radio
They Also Served: William Gargan
ACTOR, and TELEVISION'S FIRST PRIVATE EYE If WILLIAM GARGAN (1905-79) brought a certain air of authenticity--if not grit--to his numerous roles as a detective, there was a good reason--he'd actually worked as a one at one point in his life. In fact, much of his pre-acting life may have been a contributing factor to whatever verisimilitude … Continue reading They Also Served: William Gargan
Raguel (Murder Mysteries)
Created by Neil Gaiman “And what do you do in the dark, Lucifer?” -- Raguel poses a question I tell ya, eventually everyone shows up here on this site. Sooner or later, everybody dips his toe into the P.I. Pool. In the case of comics whiz and storyteller extraordinaire Neil Gaiman, it was in a … Continue reading Raguel (Murder Mysteries)
Nick Carter
Created by Nicholas Carter Pseudonym of John R. Coryell (1848-1924) Sound of someone knocking on the door... Woman: "What's the matter? What is it?" Man: "It's another case for Nick Carter... Master Detective!." Announcer: "Yes, it's another case for that most famous of all manhunters, the detective whose ability at solving crime is unequalled in … Continue reading Nick Carter
Lemmy Caution
Created by Peter Cheyney Pseudonym of Reginald Evelyn Peter Southouse Cheyney (1896-1951) "It's hot as hell. Away down the dirt road some guy's playin' one of them wailin' Mexican fandangles which give me that twilight feelin'... maybe it'd be a relief to start dyin'." -- Don't Get Me Wrong Arguably his most popular creation, Australian writer … Continue reading Lemmy Caution
Mike Barnett (Man Against Crime)
Created by Lawrence Klee Featured on both radio and television, MIKE BARNETT was a New York private eye so tough he didn't need a gun. Take that, Hammer! Along with Martin Kane, which made its debut only a few weeks earlier, Man Against Crime (1949-54) was part of a one-two punch that set the scene for … Continue reading Mike Barnett (Man Against Crime)
Harry Nile
Created by Jim French (1928-2017) Not all radio detectives are available only in re-runs from sometimes dubious old-time radio outlets. Here's one radio detective still very much on the case. HARRY NILE, a fictional private detective in Los Angeles and Seattle during the 1940's and 50's, is the title character of a long-running and much … Continue reading Harry Nile
Talkin’ with Jim French & Phil Harper
Stewart Wright Interviews the Men Behind The Adventures of Harry Nile (June 1998) Decades after the Golden Age of Radio, the radio detective still lived on in The Adventures of Harry Nile, the longest running private detective audio series in the history of American broadcasting, running from 1976 to 2019, an incredible 35-year run. It … Continue reading Talkin’ with Jim French & Phil Harper
Barrie Craig
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 … Continue reading Barrie Craig
Candy Matson
Created by Monty Masters CANDY MATSON was the private eye star of Candy Matson, YUKON 2-8208, an NBC West Coast radio show which first aired in March 1949 and was created by Monty Masters. He cast his wife, Natalie Parks, in the title role of this sassy, sexy former model turned private eye. Her understated … Continue reading Candy Matson