Other names | Max Marcin's Crime Doctor |
---|---|
Genre | Crime drama |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Syndicates | CBS |
Starring | Ray Collins House Jameson John McIntire Hugh Marlowe Brian Donlevy Everett Sloane |
Announcer | Ken Roberts Charles O'Connor Nelson Case |
Created by | Max Marcin |
Written by | Max Marcin |
Directed by | Paul Monroe Jack Johnstone |
Produced by | Max Marcin |
Original release | August 4, 1940 – October 19, 1947 |
Sponsored by | Philip Morris Cigarettes |
Crime Doctor is a radio crime drama in the United States. Sponsored by Philip Morris cigarettes, it was broadcast on CBS August 4, 1940 – October 19, 1947. [1]
Crime Doctor featured two premises that were unusual—if not unique—in radio crime drama. The first was that the central figure, Dr. Benjamin Ordway, had survived amnesia. Radio historian John Dunning described the situation as follows:
Originally a criminal himself, he got zapped on the head and lost his memory. With the help of a kind doctor, he began to build a new life and identity, studying medicine and eventually going into psychiatry. ... He decided to specialize in criminal psychiatry because of his intense interest in, and understanding of, the criminal mind. [2]
A photographic story about the program in a 1946 issue of Radio Mirror magazine contained the following comment: "Dr. Ordway ... has become such a favorite with the Police Department of his city that he is constantly being called upon for his shrewd and eager opinions in baffling murder cases. Invariably, his keen medical mind fastens upon the one clue in a case which might otherwise be lost." [3]
The second unusual premise was that, as a 1943 advertisement for a radio station noted, stories dealt with the rehabilitation of criminals. [4] The background for this aspect of the program was that before suffering amnesia, Ordway had been a criminal mastermind. Thus, he went from heading a criminal gang to helping to rehabilitate criminals. [5]
In 1943, Crime Doctor was reported to be one of three then-current programs "credited with being based on actual case histories of criminals and trials." The others were Famous Jury Trials and Gang Busters . [6]
The program underwent a change in format in 1942. [7] Although Ordway remained the central character, the stories were presented differently. Crime Doctor initially had Ordway as a member of the parole board. When a convict came before the board, Ordway heard the presentation and then asked a "jury" selected from the studio audience to decide the prisoner's fate. Each jury contained an equal number of men and women. [1]
After the 1942 revision, Ordway worked from home, no longer officially affiliated with government entities, "working with ex-convicts and helping them keep out of trouble, while at the same time aiding the local police in the unending fight against crime." [2] In this phase of the program, listeners knew the culprit's identity from the beginning of the episode; the mystery was how he would be caught. Near the end of each episode, the announcer said, "Ladies and gentlemen, in exactly 57 seconds, Dr. Ordway will be back to tell you the piece of evidence overlooked by the suspect." [1]
Max Marcin created Crime Doctor for radio. [8] He also produced the program [1] and wrote its scripts—260 of them as of December 1945. [9] Marcin had been a police reporter for the New York World newspaper. A contemporary newspaper story reported, "In those days he knew practically every underworld character in New York, some of them intimately." Thus, Marcin had much information from which he could draw for plots. The article noted that Marcin's characters "seem so true to life because they are from life," adding that he maintained his underworld contacts. [5] At one point, in 1945, Marcin even had his name featured in the program's title, when it was changed to Max Marcin's Crime Doctor. [1]
Character | Actor/Actress |
---|---|
Dr. Benjamin Ordway | Ray Collins House Jameson John McIntire Hugh Marlowe Brian Donlevy Everett Sloane |
District Attorney Miller | Edgar Stehli |
Harold Sayers | Walter Vaughan |
Inspector Ross | Walter Greaza |
Frieda | Edith Arnold |
Sources: On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, [1] The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950 [10]
In 1942, McIntire left the program. Ed Jerome replaced him in the cast, portraying a new lead, Dr. Leroy Hart. [11]
Announcers were Ken Roberts, [1] Charles O'Connor [12] Nelson Case and Carl Frank. [13] Ray Bloch led the orchestra. [12]
In 1943, Columbia Pictures began making movies based on the Crime Doctor program, producing a total of 10 films about the character. [8]
Edgar Montilion "Monty" Woolley was an American film and theater actor. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his role in the 1939 stage play The Man Who Came to Dinner and its 1942 film adaptation. His distinctive white beard was his trademark and he was affectionately known as "The Beard."
The Whistler is an American radio mystery drama which ran from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955, on the west-coast regional CBS radio network. The show was also broadcast in Chicago and over Armed Forces Radio. On the west coast, it was sponsored by the Signal Oil Company: "That whistle is your signal for the Signal Oil program, The Whistler." There were also two short-lived attempts to form east-coast broadcast spurs: July 3 to September 25, 1946, sponsored by the Campbell Soup Company; and March 26, 1947, to September 29, 1948, sponsored by Household Finance. The program was also adapted into a film noir series by Columbia Pictures in 1944.
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The Crime Doctor is a fictional character created by Max Marcin. Criminal Phil Morgan suffers amnesia and becomes criminal psychologist Dr. Ordway. He uses his expertise to solve crimes as well as to help patients.
Big Sister was a daytime radio drama series created by Lillian Lauferty and broadcast on CBS from September 14, 1936, to December 26, 1952. It was sponsored by Lever Brothers for Rinso until 1946 when Procter & Gamble became the sponsor.
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Philip Morris Playhouse is a 30-minute old-time radio dramatic anthology series.
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Famous Jury Trials is a radio court show/dramatic anthology series in the United States. It began on January 5, 1936, and ended June 25, 1949. It is considered one of the first programs that initiated the court show genre, which later was broadcast on television as Famous Jury Trials.
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