The Midnight Sleuth (Audio Drama)
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
|---|---|
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| TV adaptations | The New Adventures of the Midnight Sleuth |
| Creator(s) |
Clarence Hadden Ernest Greene |
| Air dates | September 12, 1937 to October 31, 1947 |
| No. of series | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 120 (90 missing) |
| Sponsor(s) | Opul Brand Soap |
The Midnight Sleuth was a radio show that aired from 1937 until 1947, featuring an absent-minded detective solving mysteries with the aid of his newspaper reporter friend.
Contents
Origin of the Show
After the success of other detective radio shows in the 1930's, Clarence Hadden and Ernest Greene (both working in the mail room of a Los Angeles radio station) came up with a concept for a new show. During a pitch of their idea, a story about a mysterious detective solving crimes with the aid of his sidekick, the producers of the radio station called the show a copycat of the already popular "The Shadow" radio program. During the middle of their pitch, Hadden acted quickly and embellished on the story, changing the mysterious detective into a bumbling idiot who rarely solved the cases. With renewed interest in the pitch, Greene joined in and said the sidekick was the real brains behind the operation, stating that the idea was to give the helpless sidekick a chance to shine (an idea the opposite of what was common in most popular series of the time). The producers loved the new idea and hired the duo on the spot to create the show.
Main Characters
- The Midnight Sleuth ..... Samuel Perkins
- Linda Talbot ..... Dorothy Bell
- Detective Davis ..... Elmer Maynard
- The Daybreak Gumshoe ..... Ira Keller
- The Informant ..... Grace Hatfield
Reoccuring Supporting Characters
- Detective Howard ..... Lee Huffman
- Mysterio ..... Ernest Portman
- Mrs. Hildenberry ..... Sandra Bean
Episodes
| No. overall | Title | Release Date | Episode Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Formula is to Blame-ula" | September 12, 1937 | When Midnight and Linda are called in to investigate the apparent suicide of a Doctor, they soon realize his death might have been forced by a known gangster and his goons all in an attempt to acquire a mysterious formula. |
| 2 | "Mrs. Hildenberry and Her Place of Residence" | October 16, 1938 | When Midnight and Linda are called in to investigate a haunting of a senile old lady, they find an underhanded plot to rob her of her home. |
| 3 | "What's Black & White and is a Newspaper?" | November 13, 1938 | When the daughter of the local newspaper’s Editor-In-Chief is kidnapped by a mysterious person, the kidnapper demands only Midnight and Linda can help, or else risk the death of the girl. |
| 4 | "So Many Jewels, So Little Time-onds" | May 7, 1939 | When a rare gem is almost impossibly stolen from a local museum, Midnight and Linda must find out where it went and who stole it, all while competing against Midnight’s long time competition, The Daybreak Gumshoe. |
| 5 | "The Bottle Bottle Bottle Bottle Bottle Episode" | April 21, 1940 | Midnight, Linda, and the Daybreak Gumshoe all mysteriously wake up in self-contained tubes in a dark room, with no knowledge of how they got there. Trying to find a way out, the three discuss about their pasts. |
| 6 | "Dr. Terrible’s Listen-At-Home-Radio-Show" | July 28, 1940 | When Midnight’s favorite radio show is suddenly canceled, he and Linda travel to the radio station only to find one of the stars has been murdered. Can they solve who done it before the whole cast is killed? |
