Hawk Larabee

Last updated
Hawk Larabee
Other namesHawk Durango
Genre Western
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Syndicates CBS
Starring Elliott Lewis
Barton Yarborough
Barney Phillips
AnnouncerJames Matthews
Written byGomer Cool
E. Jack Neuman
Arthur E. Orlock
Dean Owen
Kenneth Perkins
Directed by William N. Robson
Richard Sanville
Produced byWilliam N. Robson
Original releaseJuly 5, 1946 (1946-07-05) –
February 7, 1948 (1948-02-07)

Hawk Larabee is an American old-time radio western. It was broadcast on CBS from July 5, 1946, until February 7, 1948. [1]

Contents

Format

In his book, On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, radio historian John Dunning described Hawk Larabee as "radio's first half-hearted attempt at an adult western drama, a concept that was not fully realized until the arrival of Gunsmoke five years later." [1] Although adults listened to earlier radio westerns, such as The Lone Ranger and Red Ryder , the main audience for those programs was children. [2] Another radio historian, Jim Cox, wrote in his book, Say Goodnight, Gracie: The Last Years of Network Radio, that Hawk Larabee "fell short in providing the stark realism of a grown-up narrative." [3]

A summer replacement for The Adventures of Maisie , [2] the program began as Hawk Durango, with the main character having that name. Those episodes focused on the adventures of Durango and his partner, Brazos John. After six weeks, the program ended. On October 3, 1946, Hawk Larabee debuted, [2] with the title character being the owner of Black Mesa Ranch. Larabee and his partner, Somber Jones, encountered adventures in and around the town of Sundown Wells. Larabee often found himself accused of crimes that he had not committed and thus had to solve the crimes to save himself from misfortune. [4]

Personnel

The changes in title and format were accompanied by a change in who had the title role. Elliott Lewis played Hawk Durango, with Barton Yarborough as Brazos John. In the Hawk Larabee program, Yarborough played the title role, while Barney Phillips portrayed Somber Jones. James Matthews was the announcer. William N. Robson was producer and director, and Richard Sanville was assistant director. Writers were Gomer Cool, E. Jack Neuman, Arthur E. Orlock, Dean Owen, and Kenneth Perkins. [4]

Music was by Wilbur Hatch, [4] and episodes incorporated singing by the Texas Rangers quartet. They sang the theme and provided bridges and background music for the broadcasts. Each episode also included three one-minute arrangements of songs in case some local stations wanted to insert commercials for the otherwise unsponsored program. [5] In later episodes, Andy Parker's Plainsmen replaced the Texas Rangers. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>I Love a Mystery</i> American radio drama series, 1939-1944

I Love a Mystery is an American radio drama series that aired 1939–44, about three friends who ran a detective agency and traveled the world in search of adventure. Written by Carlton E. Morse, the program was the polar opposite of Morse's other success, the long-running One Man's Family.

Cloak and Dagger is an NBC radio series, a foreign intrigue adventure adapted from the book Cloak and Dagger by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain. Ford also was host of the series. Cloak and Dagger was broadcast from May 7 to October 22, 1950, as part of "a mystery block with several other shows of far inferior quality". The program was sustaining for all 22 episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barton Yarborough</span> American actor (1900–1951)

William Barton Yarborough was an American actor who worked extensively in radio drama, primarily on the NBC Radio Network. He is famous for his roles in the Carlton E. Morse productions I Love a Mystery, in which he played Doc Long, and One Man's Family, spending 19 years portraying Clifford Barbour. In addition, Yarborough spent three years portraying Sgt. Ben Romero on Jack Webb's Dragnet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald Mohr</span> American actor (1914–1968)

Gerald Mohr was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows.

The year 1946 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.

Jim Cox, a retired college professor living in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading historian on the subject of radio programming in the 20th century. He has written extensively on the history of radio from the 1920s to the present.

John N. MacBryde (1883–1966) was an American stage and radio actor. He is best known as the original voice of the Old Ranger on the radio series Death Valley Days (1930-1940s).

The Crime Files of Flamond was a radio crime drama in the United States. From 1946 to 1948 it was broadcast on WGN and syndicated to other stations by transcriptions. From January 7, 1953, to July 1, 1953, it was carried on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Mutual revived the program On April 4, 1956, and ran it until February 27, 1957.

The Avenger is the name of two old-time radio crime dramas in the United States. The first one was broadcast weekly on WHN in New York City, New York, July 18, 1941 – November 3, 1942. The second was syndicated nationally October 25, 1945 – April 18, 1946. It was the first program distributed by WHN Transcription Service, which previously had distributed only commercials.

<i>Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders</i> Old-time radio juvenile Western adventure program

Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders is an old-time radio juvenile Western adventure program in the United States, one of the first juvenile radio programs. It was broadcast on CBS October 17, 1932 - December 11, 1936, and on Mutual June 21, 1949 - June 17, 1955.

Calling All Cars is an old-time radio police drama in the United States. It was broadcast on the CBS West Coast network and on the Mutual-Don Lee Network November 29, 1933 – September 8, 1939 and carried by transcription on stations in other areas. The program was notable for being one of the first police dramas on radio.

Confession is an American old-time radio crime drama anthology series. It was broadcast on NBC from July 5, 1953, to September 13, 1953, as a summer replacement for Dragnet.

The Count of Monte Cristo is an American old-time radio adventure program. It was broadcast on the Don Lee Network on the West Coast in the 1944-1945 season and on the Mutual Broadcasting System December 19, 1946 - January 1, 1952.

Crime and Peter Chambers is an American old-time radio detective program. It was broadcast on NBC from April 6, 1954, until September 7, 1954.

Danger, Dr. Danfield is an American old-time radio crime drama. It was broadcast on ABC from August 18, 1946, to April 13, 1947, and was syndicated for several years thereafter.

Hannibal Cobb is an American old-time radio detective drama. It was broadcast on ABC from January 9, 1950 until May 11, 1951.

Hashknife Hartley is an American old-time radio Western program. It was broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System from July 2, 1950, until December 30, 1951.

Hop Harrigan is an American old-time radio juvenile adventure program. It was broadcast on ABC from August 31, 1942, until August 2, 1946, and on Mutual from October 2, 1946, until February 6, 1948. General Foods began sponsoring the program on October 2, 1944; it had previously been unsponsored.

<i>Howie Wing</i> American old-time radio juvenile aviation adventure serial

Howie Wing is an American old-time radio juvenile aviation adventure serial. It was syndicated by the World Broadcasting System and distributed initially to stations in Canada, beginning on January 31, 1938. The Don Lee Network began carrying it in the western United States on February 12, 1938. The program was broadcast weekdays on CBS from October 3, 1938, until June 30, 1939.

<i>I Deal in Crime</i> American radio detective series (1946–1948)

I Deal in Crime was an American old-time radio detective drama. It was broadcast on ABC from January 21, 1946, until October 18, 1947, and on Mutual from October 25, 1947 until September 4, 1948. In 1947, the title was changed to Ross Dolan, Detective.

References

  1. 1 2 Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 312. ISBN   978-0-19-507678-3 . Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  2. 1 2 3 French, Jack; Siegel, David S. (2013). Radio Rides the Range: A Reference Guide to Western Drama on the Air, 1929–1967. McFarland. pp. 93–96. ISBN   9781476612546 . Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Cox, Jim (2002). Say Goodnight, Gracie: The Last Years of Network Radio. McFarland. p. 35. ISBN   9780786462391 . Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Cox, Jim (2002). Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. pp. 128–129. ISBN   978-0-7864-4324-6.
  5. ↑ Ellett, Ryan; Coffey, Kevin (2014). The Texas Rangers: Two Decades on Radio, Film, Television, and Stage. BearManor Media. pp. 197–198. ISBN   9781593935894 . Retrieved 2 April 2018.

Logs

Streaming

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.