Difference between revisions of "The Midnight Sleuth (radio)"
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| starring = | | starring = | ||
| announcer = | | announcer = | ||
− | | creator = | + | | creator = [[Clarence Hadden]]<br>[[Ernest Greene]] |
| writer = | | writer = | ||
| director = | | director = | ||
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| rem_location = | | rem_location = | ||
| oth_location = | | oth_location = | ||
− | | first_aired = <!-- {{Start date| | + | | first_aired = <!-- {{Start date|1937|9|12}} --> |
− | | last_aired = <!-- {{End date| | + | | last_aired = <!-- {{End date|1947|10|31}} --> |
| num_series = 10 | | num_series = 10 | ||
| num_episodes = 120 (90 missing) | | num_episodes = 120 (90 missing) | ||
Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | '''''The Midnight Sleuth''''' was a radio show that aired from | + | '''''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. |
==Origin of the Show== | ==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== | ==Main Characters== | ||
Line 71: | Line 72: | ||
| 1 | | 1 | ||
| 1 | | 1 | ||
− | | The Formula is to Blame-ula | + | | ''"The Formula is to Blame-ula"'' |
| {{Start date|1937|9|12}} | | {{Start date|1937|9|12}} | ||
| 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. | | 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. | ||
Line 165: | Line 166: | ||
| 15 | | 15 | ||
| 3 | | 3 | ||
− | | | + | | ''"Mrs. Hildenberry and Her Place of Residence"'' |
| {{Start date|1938|10|16}} | | {{Start date|1938|10|16}} | ||
− | | | + | | 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. |
|- | |- | ||
| 16 | | 16 | ||
| 4 | | 4 | ||
− | | | + | | ''"What's Black & White and is a Newspaper?"'' |
| {{Start date|1938|11|13}} | | {{Start date|1938|11|13}} | ||
− | | | + | | 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. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | | 17 |
| 5 | | 5 | ||
| Unknown | | Unknown | ||
Line 181: | Line 182: | ||
| N/A | | N/A | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | | 18 |
| 6 | | 6 | ||
| Unknown | | Unknown | ||
Line 187: | Line 188: | ||
| N/A | | N/A | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | | 19 |
| 7 | | 7 | ||
| Unknown | | Unknown | ||
Line 201: | Line 202: | ||
| 21 | | 21 | ||
| 9 | | 9 | ||
− | | | + | | ''"So Many Jewels, So Little Time-onds" |
| {{Start date|1939|5|7}} | | {{Start date|1939|5|7}} | ||
− | | | + | | 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. |
|- | |- | ||
| 22 | | 22 | ||
Line 222: | Line 223: | ||
| {{Start date|1939|7|30}} | | {{Start date|1939|7|30}} | ||
| N/A | | N/A | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Season 3=== | ||
+ | {| class="wikitable" border="1" | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! No. overall | ||
+ | ! No. in season | ||
+ | ! Title | ||
+ | ! Release Date | ||
+ | ! Episode Summary | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 25 | ||
+ | | 1 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1939|8|27}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 26 | ||
+ | | 2 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1939|9|24}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 27 | ||
+ | | 3 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1939|10|22}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 28 | ||
+ | | 4 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1939|11|19}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 29 | ||
+ | | 5 | ||
+ | | ''"The Midnight Sleuth Christmas Special"'' (Unconfirmed Episode) | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1939|12|17}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 30 | ||
+ | | 6 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1940|3|17}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 31 | ||
+ | | 7 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1940|4|21}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 32 | ||
+ | | 8 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1940|5|19}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 33 | ||
+ | | 9 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1940|6|2}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 34 | ||
+ | | 10 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1940|6|16}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 35 | ||
+ | | 11 | ||
+ | | Unknown | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1940|7|14}} | ||
+ | | N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 36 | ||
+ | | 12 | ||
+ | | ''"Dr. Terrible’s Listen-At-Home-Radio-Show"'' | ||
+ | | {{Start date|1940|7|28}} | ||
+ | | 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. C.an they solve who done it before the whole cast is killed? | ||
|} | |} | ||
===Lost Episodes=== | ===Lost Episodes=== | ||
− | During the 1960's a fire destroyed the original masters of close to 90 episodes, leaving only 30 of the original show still available for the public. Slowly collectors of the program and network across the country are finding badly damaged copies of the missing episodes. | + | During the 1960's a fire destroyed the original masters of close to 90 episodes, leaving only 30 of the original show still available for the public. The episodes that were lost spanned all over the show's run, with most of the loss being during the first, second, eighth and ninth seasons. Slowly collectors of the program and network across the country are finding badly damaged copies of the missing episodes. |
Revision as of 23:12, 6 July 2016
Genre | Comedy-drama |
---|---|
Running time | 28 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
TV adaptations | The New Adventures of The Midnight Sleuth (TV Show) |
Creator(s) |
Clarence Hadden Ernest Greene |
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
Season 1
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Release Date | Episode Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 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 | 2 | Unknown | October 10, 1937 | N/A |
3 | 3 | Unknown | November 7, 1937 | N/A |
4 | 4 | Unknown | December 5, 1937 | N/A |
5 | 5 | Unknown | January 9, 1938 | N/A |
6 | 6 | Unknown | February 6, 1938 | N/A |
7 | 7 | Unknown | March 6, 1938 | N/A |
8 | 8 | Unknown | April 3, 1938 | N/A |
9 | 9 | Unknown | May 1, 1938 | N/A |
10 | 10 | Unknown | May 29, 1938 | N/A |
11 | 11 | Unknown | June 26, 1938 | N/A |
12 | 12 | Unknown | July 24, 1938 | N/A |
Season 2
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Release Date | Episode Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|
13 | 1 | Unknown | August 21, 1938 | N/A |
14 | 2 | Unknown | September 18, 1938 | N/A |
15 | 3 | "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. |
16 | 4 | "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. |
17 | 5 | Unknown | December 11, 1938 | N/A |
18 | 6 | Unknown | February 12, 1939 | N/A |
19 | 7 | Unknown | March 12, 1939 | N/A |
20 | 8 | Unknown | April 9, 1939 | N/A |
21 | 9 | "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. |
22 | 10 | Unknown | June 4, 1939 | N/A |
23 | 11 | Unknown | July 2, 1939 | N/A |
24 | 12 | Unknown | July 30, 1939 | N/A |
Season 3
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Release Date | Episode Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|
25 | 1 | Unknown | August 27, 1939 | N/A |
26 | 2 | Unknown | September 24, 1939 | N/A |
27 | 3 | Unknown | October 22, 1939 | N/A |
28 | 4 | Unknown | November 19, 1939 | N/A |
29 | 5 | "The Midnight Sleuth Christmas Special" (Unconfirmed Episode) | December 17, 1939 | N/A |
30 | 6 | Unknown | March 17, 1940 | N/A |
31 | 7 | Unknown | April 21, 1940 | N/A |
32 | 8 | Unknown | May 19, 1940 | N/A |
33 | 9 | Unknown | June 2, 1940 | N/A |
34 | 10 | Unknown | June 16, 1940 | N/A |
35 | 11 | Unknown | July 14, 1940 | N/A |
36 | 12 | "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. C.an they solve who done it before the whole cast is killed? |
Lost Episodes
During the 1960's a fire destroyed the original masters of close to 90 episodes, leaving only 30 of the original show still available for the public. The episodes that were lost spanned all over the show's run, with most of the loss being during the first, second, eighth and ninth seasons. Slowly collectors of the program and network across the country are finding badly damaged copies of the missing episodes.