Suspese: The Kettler Method (and the Shadow)

One of the first purchases I ever made for my old-time radio collection was a four-cassette tape set of episodes of Suspense that I found in a Cole's bookstore. The set contains 8 episodes, mostly from the first year of the show's history. Among them was an episode titled "The Kettler Method" which had first aired on September 16, 1942.

The episode concerns a madman named Kettler, a former brain specialist who went insane after a patient died on the operating table. Kettler seizes control of the asylum where he'd been kept and imprisons the head doctor. When a married couple come to visit the doctor, Kettler poses as the head of the asylum. Hearing that the wife has a headache, Kettler decides this is his opportunity to prove the validity of the "Kettler method." To save his wife, the husband masquerades as Kettler's dead patient, wearing bandages to disguise himself.

From the first time I heard the program, it didn't seem quite like what I expected from Suspense. Certainly, the series was only a few months old at the time and hadn't really found its footing... but the plot felt like it belonged to an adventure program. It seemed most like an episode of the Shadow and the more I meditated on that, the more I wondered whether it were related to that program (perhaps a recycled script? or a script rejected by the Shadow?). I suspected that the scene where the husband donned bandages to impersonate the dead man had originally been a scene where Lamont Cranston assumed his ghostly guise as the Shadow. But at the time, I didn't even know who wrote "The Kettler Method" and none of the old-time radio fan sites of the 1990s knew anything about the episode's origins. As recently as 2020, I still couldn't pin this episode down.

I owe it to the terrific Suspense fan site the Suspense Collector's Companion for finally resolving my questions about "The Kettler Method." It turns out the author was Peter Barry, who was indeed a writer for the Shadow. In addition to the Suspense version, this script was used twice on the Shadow!

The first time was as "Nightmare at Gaelsbury" (February 2, 1941) a year before the Suspense broadcast. It's from the era where Lamont Cranston was portrayed by Bill Johnstone and Margo Lane was portrayed by Marjoie Anderson. The script is reasonably the same, with many passages reused in the Suspense version. This time the mad doctor believes he's a follower of Cagliostro and Lamont exploits that by claiming to be Cagliostro when he confronts the doctor as the Shadow. However, there are some interesting differences; in this version, there's a scene where Lamont buys a jacknife as souvenir; this later helps him escape the sanitarium. Further, when Lamont escapes the sanitarium, he climbs over the wall and is promptly arrested by some passing policemen who assume he's an escaped patient (if only Lamont had the power to cloud men's minds so they couldn't see him!).

Six years after the Suspense broadcast, the script was reworked considerably into the Shadow episode "Terror at Wolf's Head Knoll," broadcast February 15, 1948. This is from the era of Bret Morrison as Lamont Cranston and Grace Matthews as Margo Lane. In this version, the mad doctor (with pet bird) and an ally have already escaped imprisonment by the start of the drama; they take over a country house then set up a mirror to cause traffic accidents. Lamont and Margo's car crashes thanks to that stunt and the mad doctor threatens to use his procedures to "cure" Margo's injured foot. It's certainly a major departure from the two earlier versions and replaces one popular Shadow template (Lamont and Margo go to visit a friend) with another (Lamont and Margo's car breaks down, forcing them to visit a spooky mansion). Only a few lines of dialogue recur from the original script but if you follow closely, they are indeed kindred scripts.

Listen to them for yourself on YouTube! The Shadow: "Nightmare at Galesbury"; Suspense: "The Kettler Method"; The Shadow: Terror at Wolf's Head Knoll"

Inner Sanctum: Front Page Murder (lost episode)

Before I first got on the internet in 1998 I had already compiled a list of all the websites I wanted to visit - most of them fan pages, several of them related to old-time radio. I was amazed at all the information available for free online detailing so much data on old-time radio shows. At that time it seemed as though there were definitive authorities on old-time radio; it seemed as though everyone in the hobby agreed on what existed and that the logs provided by Jerry Haendiges were the best measurement of what programs were originally broadcast and what still existed.

Of course, much has changed in the following decades; the hobby is very decentralized now. Haendiges basically hasn't updated his logs since I first got online, meaning his logs are not an accurate representation of what currently exists, nor supplies updated data that researchers have uncovered in the last two decades. The Radio Goldindex is a pretty good authority on what is out there, but when a new program is discovered you have no way of knowing it. Even archives that attempt to be all-inclusive like the Old-Time Radio Researchers' Group don't have everything that's out there - you can find all kinds of programs on YouTube, the Internet Archive and elsewhere that are not in the OTRR vault.

It's a shame, because when a so-called "lost" episode of a popular show is discovered that should be celebrated - but fans like myself only figure out that a lost show has been found by digging around in back chatter. Such as my recent discovery that last month, a missing episode of Inner Sanctum Mysteries titled "Front Page Murder" was uploaded on the Internet Archive.

It's a great little episode with crisp audio and absolutely representative of what we fans of Inner Sanctum Mysteries expect from the program. It concerns a reporter who begins receiving mysterious psychic messages from a woman that lead him to the scenes of crimes committed by "the Claw Man."

If you're a fan of Inner Sanctum Mysteries, you should be aware this episode is available and it's very good! Take a listen and enjoy!

Update: CELTA credentials!

I've alluded before on this blog to the work I've done as an English language teacher while in Angola. Now I'm pleased to report that I'm a qualified graduate of the CELTA program, equipping me as a much finer teacher of English for the future.

RIP: Vernor Vinge

Science fiction author Vernor Vinge passed away yesterday, aged 79.

I'm far from being an expert on contemporary science fiction literature; heck, I'm not that well versed even in the classics of science fiction. Around 2002 or 2003, I was in a group of friends who met regularly to play board games, watch science fiction television shows and chat about comic books. It was from that group that I first learned about Vernor Vinge when they strongly promoted his books to me. It's the only time the group really converged to vouch for a particular author. My friends loaned me his Hugo Award-winning novels A Fire Upon the Deep (1992) and A Deepness in the Sky (1999).

I was hooked; I learned there was a reason why my friends liked to use "Vinge" as a verb (as a replacement for "binge"). His works were dense and highly literate, yet very approachable; not just plot-driven but also very character-driven; heady science fiction concepts (particularly in ideas of relativity).

Those two novels were part of what were called Vinge's "Zones of Thought" books - set in the same universe but with barely any recurring characters. After I enjoyed reading their copies, my friends hooked me up with his short fiction anthology (the Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge) but for some reason they didn't talk up the rest of his works. I did eventually pursue his earlier novels the Peace War (1984) and Marooned in Realtime (1986). I was also pleased to pick up his new novels as they were published - Rainbows End (2006) and Children of the Sky (2011).

I'm disappointed that there won't be any additional works from such a fine author. He's certainly left behind a short but fascinating bibliography. Hopefully he'll be remembered by science fiction fans at large; he'll certainly be remembered by me. Rest in peace, Mr. Vinge.

Radio Recap: Pat Novak, for Hire

Last month I posted a few Radio Recaps about Jack Webb's early efforts in radio, circa 1946. During his early days at ABC's San Francisco station he appeared in programs such as the editorial show One Out of Seven, the comedy program the Jack Webb Show and the dramatic anthology Spotlight Playhouse. But those programs were and are obscure; Webb's biggest pre-Dragnet hit was Pat Novak, for Hire, which began on ABC in August, 1946.

There were 3 phases to Pat Novak, for Hire's years on the radio; the 1st phase was the original run on ABC, from August, 1946 to March, 1947; in the 2nd phase, Ben Morris took over as Pat Novak from March-December, 1947; finally there was the 3rd phase in which Jack Webb returned to the series from February-July 1949. In total there were a little fewer than 100 episodes broadcast but we only have 24 currently; of the 24, just two are from the 1st phase, 4 from the 2nd phase and the other 18 from the 3rd phase.

The 1st phase of Pat Novak, for Hire was apparently very well-received; the fact that the show kept going after Jack Webb left and was popular enough to be revived in 1949 suggests that the 1st phase went down prety well, although it's hard for us to judge today with just the 2 episodes surviving.

Still, if you're familiar with Pat Novak, for Hire, you'll find the 1st phase very familiar, probably due to the presence of writer Richard L. Breen from the start. It features Webb as the titular Pat Novak (often nickname "Patsy" due to his unfortunte tendency to be framed for crimes), who rents boats at the San Francisco waterfront. His job renting boats is seldom important to the plots, although when it does factor in, it's the lead-in to Pat being involved in a crime. Inevitably, someone gets Pat entangled in a complicated criminal plot. The perpertually angry Inspector Helmann gets involved and threatens to throw Pat into prison unless he clears his name. Pat turns to his alcoholic buddy Jocko Madigan (usually played by Tudor Owen), who is more interesting in taunting Pat and making playful banter than solve his problem. By the end, Pat clears his name but nothing else to show for his troubles.

Webb is the anchor to the series in all its forms; Ben Morris did okay during the 2nd phase, but Webb had a unique ability to deliver both tough guy and wise guy dialogue. His monologues in particular had hilarious phrases, unequaled outside of Howard Duff's performance on the Adventures of Sam Spade. One favourite of mine is: "It was pretty dark, so when I bumped into her all I got was a vague outline... She had a good-looking vague outline."

After leaving San Francisco, Webb became a frequent voice on radio. Around 1947 you can hear him as a supporting player on anthology shows such as Suspens, the Whistler and Escape. He also had a recurring role as police officer Lt. LeFevre on the New Adventures of Michael Shayne, a syndicated program. Webb could probably have done well for himself as a radio regular, but he seems to have had higher goals than that - he wanted to write and produce. He reunited with Richard L. Breen to create Johnny Madero, Pier 23 for Mutual, which gave Webb a starring role - but since ABC was still airing Pat Novak, for Hire, that caused some friction between them and Webb (which I mentioned in the linked blog post).

Then in July, 1948, Webb took the lead role on the private eye series Jeff Regan, Investigator for CBS. That series isn't as highly-regarded as Webb's other detective shows but it tided him over for a few more months; Webb left the series at the end of 1948 to return to Pat Novak, for Hire, reunited with Richard L. Breen and Tudor Owen. Joining the cast was Raymond Burr as Inspector Helmann. There's also a recurring female player (possibly Betty Lou Gerson?) who tended to portray a different femme fatale each week (and usually died in Novak's arms by the climax).

Most the enduring reputation held by Pat Novak, for Hire is founded on the programs from the 3rd phase, and it's certainly well-earned. The addition of Burr (who would later join Webb on Dragnet) is extremely welcome. There are plenty of shows with wise guys detectives who frustrate the lead-footed policeman. Helmann is different; he and Novak bantered, but Helmann had limits; when Novak irritated him, he had no problem decking him. The aptly-named Helmann was vicious and brutal, not a clown like, say, Inspector Faraday of Boston Blackie. When Helmann would regularly threaten to use the powers of the police to arrest Novak for a crime he didn't commit, the listener is convinced that Helmann intends to make good on that threat. He's not a pleasant man.

The 1949 Pat Novak, for Hire revival was definitely noticed. At that time, there was no shortage of detective shows on radio so it's all the more remarkable that a small-time show like theirs had people talking. For example, the November 5, 1949 episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective featured a satire on Pat Novak, for Hire, with what might be the first instance of someone performing their Jack Webb impression for yucks; you can hear that episode on YouTube.

It was during the final months of Pat Novak, for Hire that Webb began appearing on a new NBC program: Dragnet. He'd also later re-team with his pal Richard L. Breen for the series Pete Kelly's Blues; one episode of that series was recycled from Pat Novak, for Hire with only a few changes to the script. Pete Kelly's Blues was certainly the most like Pat Novak, for Hire of all Webb's post-1949 work.

You can hear the Old Time Radio Researchers' collection of Pat Novak, for Hire at the Internet Archive. Again, there's not very much surviving, but what we have is a terrific example of radio drama.

Radio Recap: Island Venture

Here's an odd one.

Island Venture was a radio adventure program that aired over CBS from November 8, 1945 to June 20, 1946. It starred Jerry Walter and Hugh Rowlands as Gil Perry and Trigger Brett, two former US Navy pilots who had taken up post-war work as pilots in the South Seas ("typical of the men of the Navy who fought through victory and now are bringing their courage, their dauntless spirit and their sound Navy training with them into peacetime enterprises"). Each week would find the duo in some sort of light-hearted adventure.

Although the characters of Perry and Brett were peers, Trigger was characterized as being younger and more hot-headed than the level-headed Perry. Consequently, it sounds a lot like a juvenile adventure program, yet marketed to a grown-up audience - as if the people who made Jack Armstrong tried to break into prime time programming. The series was classed up a bit by narrator Ken Nordine, who would describe the tropical surroundings with flowery prose. The adventures themselves were straight out of the pulps, usually featuring superstitious South Seas natives. For instance, one episode concerned a voodoo cult that tried to eliminate Perry and Brett.

However, the oddest factor in Island Venture is the commercial sponsor. The series was sponsored by Wrigley's Spearmint Gum at a time in which Wrigley's was not selling chewing gum! The earliest episodes of Island Venture feature the commerical spokesman pitching a product that was, at that time, unavailable! In the earliest surviving episode, the pitchman starts his commercial by acknowledging that chewing gum is "probably one of the least important [things] to everyone, except the manufacturers of chewing gum." I have never heard a product pitchman talk like that in radio! He goes on to observe that although Wrigley's wasn't available at the time "there are many good chewing gums on the market" and suggests listeners try one of them until their product is back on the market! How often do salesman suggest you try the competitor's product? Unfortunately for Island Venture, it didn't survive long past the return of Wrigley's Spearmint. It sounds like the gum was back on the market by April, 1946 - and they were cancelled by June.

You can hear the 10 surviving episodes of Island Venture at the Old Time Radio Researchers Library.

Radio Recap: Strange

Strange was a 15-minute radio series that was broadcast on ABC in 1955. It dramatized stories of people's encounters with something unusual - something vaguley supernatural.

The series was written and hosted by pulp writer Walter B. Gibson (best-remembered as creator of the Shadow) and he would claim the stories dramatized on Strange were based on real stories. The ghostly events on Strange sound a lot like the type of stories one finds in those big Time-Life books on ghosts. Still, they're very restrained dramas that tried to sound a bit believeable and inexplicable.

It seems only 4 episodes of this program have turned up. You can hear the 4 surviving episodes of Strange at the Old Time Radio Researchers Library.

Radio Recap: I Deal in Crime

I Deal in Crime was a radio mystery program that aired on ABC from January 21, 1946 to October 18, 1947. The series starred William Gargan as private detective Ross Dolan. It was brought back on Mutual as Ross Dolan, Detective and ran from October 25, 1947 until September 4, 1948.

There are only 3 surviving episodes of I Deal in Crime and zero episodes of Ross Dolan, Detective. Based on the three episodes, I found it to be fairly typical of the genre. Dolan is a very typical tough-guy detective and he gets hit over the head about once per half hour.

The program's greatest strength and failing is, I think, Gargan himself. Gargan had a good voice that was appropriate for the genre; he made much of his career playing tough guys. And yet, he wasn't leading man material. I find his radio delivery to be too sleepy, too disinterested. He sounds bored while reading his lines, somehow detached from the drama surrounding him. He followed up this series with another program, Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator which I find to be about the most boring private eye program in radio. If you like your radio with a tall glass of warm milk, then you probably like Barrie Craig and if so, I Deal in Crime is also fit for your consumption.

You can hear the 3 surviving episodes of I Deal in Crime at the Internet Archive.

Radio Recap: Meet Miss Sherlock

Meet Miss Sherlock was a CBS mystery program that aired on two occasions as a replacement series, first from July-September, 1946 and the second time from September-October, 1947. The series was written by veteran writer E. Jack Neuman.

We have only 2 surviving episodes of Meet Miss Sherlock and they're both from the 1946 version (apparently the 1947 version had a completely different cast). The series starred Sondra Gair as the titular Jane Sherlock and Joe Petruzzi as Peter Blossom, Jane's boyfriend. William Conrad had a recurring part as the local police detective and there were supporting parts by familiar CBS voices like Paul Frees.

Meet Miss Sherlock is not in the same class as other female-led detective shows like Candy Matson. Jane Sherlock was simply an empty-headed blonde dumbbell in the tradition of Gracie Allen. She was an amateur sleuth who would constantly stumble into crimes that her boyfriend (an attorney) would have to solve. She frustrated Conrad's police detective mostly by always greeting with a cute nickname.

It isn't a great radio comedy-detective series; it's basically the same as Mr. and Mrs. North. The presence of talents like Conrad and Frees elevates the material a bit, but the ditzy persona of Miss Sherlock is the most noteworthy aspect of the program.

You can hear the 2 surviving episodes of Meet Miss Sherlock at the Old Time Radio Researchers Library.