Johnny Fletcher

Last updated
Johnny Fletcher
First appearanceThe French Key
Last appearanceSwing Low, Swing Dead
Created by Frank Gruber
Portrayed by Albert Dekker
Bill Goodwin
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationDetective
NationalityAmerican

Johnny Fletcher is a fictional character created by Frank Gruber. Fletcher is a con-man and reluctant amateur detective. The character was the protagonist of several mystery novels published between 1940 and 1964. [1] Additionally, he was featured in a feature film adaptation scripted by Gruber, and a short lived radio series.

Contents

Overview

Fletcher and his sidekick Sam Cragg are small time scam artists. Fletcher is the brains, and the muscular Cragg the brawn. They often stumble upon crimes, and reluctantly end attempting to solve them. They often pose as private detectives. [2]

List of stories

Novels

Short stories

Adaptations

Film

In 1946, Gruber adapted The French Key into a feature film, starring Albert Dekker as Fletcher and Mike Mazurki as Cragg. [4] [1]

Radio series

Johnny Fletcher
Other namesA Johnny Fletcher Mystery
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Syndicates ABC
Starring Bill Goodwin
Sheldon Leonard
AnnouncerOwen James
John Storm
Created by Frank Gruber
Written byFrank Gruber
Produced byBill Rousseau
Hal Finberg
Original releaseMay 30, 1948 (1948-05-30) – November 27, 1948 (1948-11-27)

Johnny Fletcher is an American old-time radio comedy-detective drama. It was broadcast weekly on ABC from May 30, 1948, until November 27, 1948. [5] The program was also known as A Johnny Fletcher Mystery. [6]

Radio historian Jim Cox, in his book, Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age, describes Fletcher as "inept" and "frequently drunk". [7] The program's plots usually involved murder or other kinds of mayhem that Fletcher and his partner, Sam Cragg, tried to solve. [7] As an example, "The Whispering Master" episode (previewed in a contemporary newspaper) began with an "unidentified but beautiful young woman" kissing Fletcher and suddenly departing, leaving behind a popular recording. [8] As the plot unfolded, Fletcher had to solve the murder of the singer who recorded the song. [8]

Gruber originally sold the rights to his Fletcher novels to NBC in 1946. [9] An audition recording of Johnny Fletcher Mysteries featured Albert Dekker as Fletcher and Mike Mazurki as Sam, reprising their roles from the film version of The French Key. The pilot episode was an adaptation of the novel, The Navy Colt. Two years later, ABC bought the rights to the program from NBC and produced Johnny Fletcher. [1]

On the ABC version, Fletcher was portrayed by Bill Goodwin, while Sam was played by Sheldon Leonard. The announcers were Owen James and John Storm. Gruber wrote the scripts, and Buzz Adlam provided the music. [7] Producers were Bill Rousseau and Hal Finberg. [10]

The February 20, 1961, issue of the trade magazine Broadcasting included Johnny Fletcher in a list of pilots being prepared for the 1961-1962 season. Gruber was the producer of the episode, which starred Johnny Goddard and Read Morgan. [11]

Television

Gruber wrote an episode of the anthology series Suspense entitled 1000 To One. Paul Stewart appeared as the Sam Cragg character.[ citation needed ] Fletcher did not appear.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Frank Gruber's The Adventures of Johnny Fletcher". The Digital Deli Too. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Johnny Fletcher & Sam Cragg". The Thrilling Detective Website. June 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "Johnny Fletcher, P.I." fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  4. ↑ "Princess Theater". The Tennessean. Tennessee, Nashville. September 15, 1946. p. 30. Retrieved September 1, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. ↑ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 373–374. ISBN   978-0-19-507678-3 . Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  6. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 178. ISBN   978-0-7864-4513-4.
  7. 1 2 3 Cox, Jim (2002). Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. pp. 146–147. ISBN   978-0-7864-4324-6.
  8. 1 2 "Johnny Fletcher Gets Embroiled in Radio Play Murder". The Winona Republican-Herald. Minnesota, Winona. June 12, 1948. p. 4.
  9. ↑ "Programs" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 25, 1946. p. 90. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  10. ↑ "Production" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 4, 1948. p. 85. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "The Cowboys Are Being Put to Pasture" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 20, 1961. p. 130.
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