The Affairs of Peter Salem

Last updated

The Affairs of Peter Salem is an American radio detective drama that was broadcast on Mutual from April 25, 1949, [1] or May 7, 1949, until April 18, 1953. [2]

Contents

Format

Peter Salem came from a small town [2] but lived in the East 80s in New York City. Some neighbors considered him disreputable, possibly because of the strange clients who came looking for his help. [3] He was a "suave and sophisticated private detective". [4] With his sidekick, Marty, Salem avoided violence by using reasoning [4] "to trip up sophisticated lawbreakers from the city." [2]

The show's producer, Himan Brown described Salem as "a rather portly, affable bachelor for whom the comforts of life are first thoughts", particularly enjoying good food and relaxing in his easy chair. [5] His clients provided enough funding for him to enjoy his gourmet tastes. [5] Salem had "a violent dislike for strenuous exercising" and described himself as fat. [6]

Santos Ortega portrayed Salem, and Jack Grimes played Marty. Other actors heard on the show included Ann Shepherd, Everett Sloane, and Luis Van Rooten. [2]

Production

In addition to Brown as the producer, Mende Brown was the director, and Louis Vittes was the writer. [2] The Affairs of Peter Salem was initially broadcast on Monday evenings. On April 30, 1950, it was moved to Sunday evenings as part of a block of adventure and mystery programs on Mutual. [1]

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Variety noted "the slick performance of Santos Ortega". [7] The supporting cast was described as "capable", and the reviewer added, "Script and direction were also okay." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mutual Broadcasting System</span> American radio broadcasting network (1934–1999)

The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, Mutual was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow. For many years, it was a national broadcaster for Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football. From the 1930s until the network's dissolution in 1999, Mutual ran a respected news service along with a variety of lauded news and commentary programs. In the 1970s, Mutual pioneered the nationwide late night call-in talk radio program, introducing the country to Larry King and later, Jim Bohannon.


Inner Sanctum Mystery, also known as Inner Sanctum, is a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941, to October 5, 1952. It was created by producer Himan Brown and was based on the imprint given to the mystery novels of Simon & Schuster. In all, 526 episodes were broadcast.

<i>CBS Radio Mystery Theater</i> American radio program, 1974–82

CBS Radio Mystery Theater is a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS Radio Network affiliates from 1974 to 1982, and later in the early 2000s was repeated by the NPR satellite feed. In New York City it was not aired by the then all-news WCBS but by its originating station, WOR, which produced and announced it as simply Radio Mystery Theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Spade</span> Fictional private detective

Sam Spade is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon. Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett.

<i>Richard Diamond, Private Detective</i> American radio and TV detective series

Richard Diamond, Private Detective is an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santos Ortega</span> American actor

Santos Edward Ortega was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for playing Will Hughes in As the World Turns, taking over from Will Lee, who had played the role from the first episode on April 2, 1956, to May 31, 1956. Ortega continued in the role until his death in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKNR</span> Sports radio station in Cleveland, Ohio

WKNR – branded as 850 ESPN Cleveland – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland. Owned by Good Karma Brands, WKNR is the Cleveland affiliate for ESPN Radio and the AM flagship station for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network; the Cleveland affiliate for the Ohio State Sports Network, and the radio home of Je'Rod Cherry and Tony Grossi. The WKNR studios are currently located in the East Bank of The Flats in Downtown Cleveland, while the station transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of North Royalton, And due to the 4-tower array at the site, WKNR’s daytime signal can be heard as far as Mansfield, and even as far as Newark and Zanesville. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKNR is available online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHKW</span> Christian radio station in Cleveland, Ohio

WHKW is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, featuring a Christian radio format. Owned by Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region. WHKW's studios are located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while its transmitter site is in neighboring Broadview Heights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reed Hadley</span> American actor (1911–1974)

Reed Hadley was an American film, television and radio actor.

The Adventures of Father Brown is an American radio crime drama that aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System, adapted from G. K. Chesterton's stories of Father Brown. It debuted on June 10, 1945, and ended on July 29, 1945.

<i>Nick Carter, Master Detective</i> Radio series

Nick Carter, Master Detective is a Mutual radio crime drama based on tales of the fictional private detective Nick Carter from Street & Smith's dime novels and pulp magazines. Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick Carter, a reference to the character's pulp origins, but the title was soon changed to Nick Carter, Master Detective. A veteran radio dramatist, Ferrin Fraser, wrote many of the scripts.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 4 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The fourth season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 27, 2002 and ended May 16, 2003 on NBC. This was the last season of the series to air on Friday nights at 10pm/9c.

The Adventures of Nero Wolfe is a 1943–44 American radio drama series produced by Himan Brown and featuring Rex Stout's fictional detective. Three actors portrayed Nero Wolfe over the course of the series. J. B. Williams starred in its first incarnation, beginning April 10, 1943, on the regional New England Network. Santos Ortega assumed the role when the suspense drama moved to ABC on July 5, 1943, and continued as Wolfe until sometime in 1944 when he was succeeded by Luis Van Rooten. Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's assistant and legman, was played by Joseph Julian. Based on Stout's principal characters but not his stories, the series ended with the broadcast July 14, 1944.

Dick Tracy was an American detective radio drama series based on the popularity of the newspaper comic strip Dick Tracy by Chester Gould.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himan Brown</span> American radio and television program producer (1910–2010)

Himan Brown, also known as Hi Brown, was an American producer of radio and television programs. Over seven decades, Brown produced and directed more than 30,000 radio shows, for all of the major radio networks and syndication. He worked with such actors as Helen Hayes, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra and Orson Welles.

Mende Brown (1920-2002) was an American writer, producer and director of radio, films and TV who lived and worked in Australia from 1970 to 1991.

For a broader look at the character on which this program was based, see Bulldog Drummond.

<i>The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe</i> American radio drama series (1950 to 1951)

The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe is a 1950–51 American radio drama series starring Sydney Greenstreet as Rex Stout's fictional armchair detective Nero Wolfe. Based on Stout's principal characters but not his stories, the series aired October 20, 1950 – April 27, 1951, on NBC. It is regarded as the series that is most responsible for popularizing Nero Wolfe on radio.

<i>The Amazing Nero Wolfe</i> US radio program

The Amazing Nero Wolfe is a 1945 American radio drama series starring Francis X. Bushman as Rex Stout's fictional armchair detective Nero Wolfe. Broadcast July 17–November 30, 1945, the series was created by the Don Lee Network, a California affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System, and may have been broadcast only in that region. The Amazing Nero Wolfe was based on Stout's principal characters but not his stories.

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

References

  1. 1 2 "MBS Adventure Series Changes Day and Time". The Shreveport Times. April 30, 1950. p. A-15. Retrieved December 6, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dunning, John (May 7, 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 16. ISBN   978-0-19-977078-6 . Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  3. "Peter Salem In Sunday Spot". Buffalo Courier-Express. April 30, 1950. p. 14-D. Retrieved December 6, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Terrace, Vincent (September 2, 2015). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland. p. 18. ISBN   978-1-4766-0528-9 . Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Brown, Himan (July 17, 1950). "'Peter Salem' Is Bashful, Comfort-Loving Bachelor". Tampa Bay Times. p. 10. Retrieved December 6, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "KRNR Dial-Log". The News-Review. Oregon, Roseburg. May 4, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved December 6, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "The Affairs of Peter Salem". Variety. May 11, 1949. p. 28. Retrieved December 8, 2023.