Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age [Hardcover]

Jim Cox (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786413905 | ISBN-13: 978-0786413904 | Publication Date: October 28, 2002

In the early days of radio, producers, directors and scriptwriters were well aware of the listening public’s fascination with subject matter that was tinged with almost any form of wrongdoing. Stories that compared right and wrong, portrayed crime and punishment, and showed the characters upholding law and order kept audiences of every age hooked on this type of program for more than thirty years.

This work covers over 300 syndicated radio mystery and adventure serials that aired in the early or middle twentieth century. To be included in the book, a series must have included one or more characters who regularly appeared in occupations or avocations that fought against espionage, theft, murder, and other criminal activities. Each entry includes the name of the series, air dates (stations and times are noted), the sponsor, extant episodes, cast information (such as the directors, writers, composers, announcers, lead actors and supporting actors), and a brief synopsis.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"recommended...indispensable...user friendly" --Midwest Book Review

"the wealth of information couched in a well-organized and easy-to-read volume makes [this book] another highly recommended entry in the growing list of OTR reference works" --Radio Recall

"consistently informative...invariably entertaining...another fine contribution...well-worth reading" --Air Check --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Jim Cox is also the author of Say Goodnight, Gracie: The Last Years of Network Radio (2002), The Great Radio Audience Participation Shows (2001) and The Great Radio Soap Operas (1999). A retired college professor, he lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 333 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (October 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786413905
• ISBN-13: 978-0786413904
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,268,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Major Gap Is Closed, November 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age (Hardcover)

"Radio Crime Fighters - Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age"

While audiences during the Golden Age of Radio enjoyed comedy, drama, and variety series, they were also great fans of series that dealt with crime and the exploits of heroes and heroines who fought evil and upheld law and order. Many fans' fondest memories of radio are of crime fighting series such as: The Adventures of Sam Spade, Dragnet, I Love a Mystery, Gunsmoke, Jack Armstrong - The All-American Boy, The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar.

I have always bemoaned the fact that there was no single, comprehensive source of information on crime fighter radio series. No longer! With the publication of "Radio Crime Fighters," author Jim Cox has now filled that void with a highly informative and entertaining book that identifies and discusses 309 series, famous and obscure, whose primary characters fought crime on a frequent basis.

To be included in Jim's book, a series must have included one or more characters who regularly appeared in occupations or avocations that fought against criminal activities such as espionage, theft, or murder. Each entry includes:
the series title (and alternate titles if any),
air dates and times,
network affiliations,
sponsors,
number of known available episodes,
crew and cast information (such as the directors, writers, composers, sound effects artists, announcers, lead actors and supporting actors), and
a brief series synopsis.
At least 40 favorite series receive multi-page coverage.

Throughout "Radio Crime Fighters," the reader is treated to much additional information that makes the memories flow and the series and their heroines and heroes come alive. Many entertaining anecdotes from cast and crew members are included. There are numerous biographical sketches of actors and crew members. Also, Jim has provided much information that connects various radio series to their antecedents and progenies in comics, pulp fiction, literature, motion pictures, television, and the theater. There is even an appendix in which the series are grouped by character and genre types.

The end result is that "Radio Crime Fighters" manages to not only be consistently informative, but also invariably entertaining. Jim Cox has written another fine contribution to the body of literature on the Golden Age of Radio. This is a book that is well-worth reading and will find its place as a frequently-consulted source in the libraries of Old-Time Radio fans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Recommend This Book, December 7, 2002

By 

Gene Stover (Potomac, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age (Hardcover)

I purchased this book via special order. More like an encyclopedia covering radio thrillers with details, trivia and cast information. Nice coverage, especially the Sherlock Holmes and Inner Sanctum chapters. If you do not have any encyclopedias of old-time radio on your bookshelf, buy this one. It is worth the money.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "user friendly" reference for radio drama enthusiasts, December 5, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age (Hardcover)

Skilled writer and editor Jim Cox covers over 300 syndicated radio mystery and adventure serials that aired through 1962. All featured series have the common thread of one or more main characters who regularly fights against criminal activities. The series are listed in alphabetical order, with useful information such as when it was on the air, the number of episodes known to exist, names of writers, sound effect artists, actors and more, a summary of the series and its history, and basically everything that can be said to summarize these classic shows in one or two pages. Recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library collections, Radio Crime Fighters is an indispensable, concise organized, and thoroughly "user friendly" reference for radio drama enthusiasts and collectors.