Radio Recap: Secret Agent K-7 Returns

Secret Agent K-7 Returns!

...Wait, returns? Uh... where has he been? Where did he come from?

That's the first questions you're bound to ask if you seek out the syndicated radio program Secret Agent K-7 Returns (1939-1940). According to radio historians, there was an earlier program called Secret Agent K-7 that appeared on the radio in 1932 but we don't appear to have any examples of the program left. Supposedly that radio program inspired the 1937 movie Special Agent K-7.

Secret Agent K-7 Returns was a 15-minute broadcast and a great deal of those 15 minutes are spent on organ music (particularly the lengthy intro and outro), to the point that you begin to think you're in church rather than enjoying an adventure program. The titular K-7 would provide opening and closing narration to each adventure but he only seldom participated within the episode's drama. For some reason the adventures themselves featured a rotating cast of secret agents who reported to K-7; there was Agent Z and his assistant Patricia; Agent B-9 and his assistant Rita; and Agent M with his assistant Yvonne. But the different agents didn't have different personalities, methods or locales. Maybe the show used different agents because they had a rotating cast of performers.

There is some continuity in the series as allies and adversaries occasionally reappear but the series was very murky as to where and when it was based; with World War II already in play but the USA a non-active observer, the series stopped short from identifying the European and Asian nations who K-7's agents were operating against, but you don't have to strain your imagination to assume the villains were stand-ins for Italy, Germany and Japan.

Not much is known about the performers in this series; I'm sure I heard Bill Johnstone in one episode. Unfortunately, the actor who portrayed K-7 was extremely stiff; his delivery was always lifeless and wasn't helped by being the one to deliver textbook-style exposition about how spies operate. The performers in the main body of each episode did a decent job, although sound effects were sometimes lacking (the organ did most of the heavy lifting). It's not as polished as post-war shows I've covered such as Cloak and Dagger or Top Secret. Maybe the most refreshing thing about the series is that although each of the agents had a female accomplice, the female spies were seldom employed to romance information out of their enemies.

The Old-Time Radio Researchers' Group has a YouTube playlist of this program!