This Is Your FBI

Last updated

This Is Your FBI is a radio crime drama broadcast in the United States on ABC from April 6, 1945, to January 30, 1953, [1] for a total of 409 shows. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover gave it his endorsement, calling it "the finest dramatic program on the air".[ citation needed ] Dramatizations of FBI cases were narrated by Frank Lovejoy, Dean Carleton and William Woodson. [2] Lawrence MacArthur wrote the episodes. [3] This Is Your FBI was sponsored during its entire run by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. [1]

Contents

Premise

Promoting the program's debut, a newspaper announcement noted that the United States was then at war and said, "This Is Your FBI will show graphically exactly how enemies of the United States have, and are, operating , and how FBI agents and American citizens are cooperating to circumvent their activities." [4] It added that crime was not glamorous but "a dirty stab at every citizen and his country". [4]

Personnel

Jerry Devine produced the series. Van Cleave was the initial musical director, leading an 18-man orchestra. [5]

Critical response

Jay Gould, writing in the The New York Times , commented, ". . . characterizations are credible and often embellished with subtle twists that heighten the dramatic effect." [3] He complimented the show's depiction of the importance of small details in apprehending a suspect. He also said that the program's "rather effusive praise for Mr. Hoover and the FBI" was a bit overdone. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COINTELPRO</span> Series of covert and illegal projects by the FBI

COINTELPRO was a series of covert and illegal projects conducted between 1956 and 1971 by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting American political organizations that the FBI perceived as subversive. Groups and individuals targeted by the FBI included feminist organizations, the Communist Party USA, anti–Vietnam War organizers, activists in the civil rights and Black power movements, environmentalist and animal rights organizations, the American Indian Movement (AIM), Chicano and Mexican-American groups like the Brown Berets and the United Farm Workers, independence movements, a variety of organizations that were part of the broader New Left, and white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the National States' Rights Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Bureau of Investigation</span> U.S. federal law enforcement agency

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. An agency of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U.S. counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Edgar Hoover</span> American law-enforcement administrator (1895–1972)

John Edgar Hoover was an American law-enforcement administrator who served as the final Director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). President Calvin Coolidge first appointed Hoover as director of the BOI, the predecessor to the FBI, in 1924. After 11 years in the post, Hoover became instrumental in founding the FBI in June 1935, where he remained as director for an additional 37 years until his death in May 1972 – serving a total of 48 years leading both the BOI and the FBI and under eight Presidents.

<i>Armstrong Circle Theatre</i> American anthology drama television series

Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour. It finished in the Nielsen ratings at number 19 for the 1950–1951 season and number 24 for 1951–1952. The principal sponsor was Armstrong World Industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melvin Purvis</span> FBI agent (1903–1960)

Melvin Horace Purvis II was an FBI agent instrumental in capturing bank robbers John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd in 1934. All of this would later overshadow his military career which saw him directly involved with General George Patton, Hermann Göring, and the Nuremberg Trials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morton Gould</span> American composer and pianist (1913–1996)

Morton Gould was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist.

<i>The United States Steel Hour</i> Television series

The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Anderson (columnist)</span> American newspaper columnist (1922–2005)

Jack Northman Anderson was an American newspaper columnist, syndicated by United Features Syndicate, considered one of the founders of modern investigative journalism. Anderson won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his investigation on secret U.S. policy decision-making between the United States and Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. In addition to his newspaper career, Anderson also had a national radio show on the Mutual Broadcasting System, acted as Washington bureau chief of Parade magazine, and was a commentator on ABC-TV's Good Morning America for nine years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Felt</span> Watergate scandal whistleblower (1913–2008)

William Mark Felt Sr. was an American law enforcement officer who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1942 to 1973 and was known for his role in the Watergate scandal. Felt was an FBI special agent who eventually rose to the position of Deputy Director, the Bureau's second-highest-ranking post. Felt worked in several FBI field offices prior to his promotion to the Bureau's headquarters. In 1980, he was convicted of having violated the civil rights of people thought to be associated with members of the Weather Underground, by ordering FBI agents to break into their homes and search the premises as part of an attempt to prevent bombings. He was ordered to pay a fine, but was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan during his appeal.

<i>Crime Classics</i> American radio docudrama series (1953–1954)

Crime Classics is a United States radio docudrama which aired as a sustaining series over CBS Radio from June 15, 1953, to June 30, 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollow Nickel Case</span> FBI investigation concerning Russian espionage

The Hollow Nickel Case was the FBI investigation that grew out of the discovery of a container disguised as a U.S. coin and containing a coded message, eventually found to concern espionage activities of William August Fisher on behalf of the Soviet Union.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been a staple of American popular culture since its christening in 1935. That year also marked the beginning of the popular "G-Man" phenomenon that helped establish the Bureau's image, beginning with the aptly titled James Cagney movie, G Men. Although the detective novel and other police-related entertainment had long enthralled audiences, the FBI itself can take some of the credit for its media prominence. J. Edgar Hoover, the Bureau's "patriarch", took an active interest to ensure that it was not only well represented in the media, but also that the FBI was depicted in a heroic, positive light and that the message, "crime doesn't pay", was blatantly conveyed to audiences. The context, naturally, has changed profoundly since the 1930s "war on crime", and especially so since Hoover's death in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Childs</span> Ukrainian-American activist

Morris H. Childs was a Ukrainian-American political activist and American Communist Party functionary who became a Soviet espionage agent (1929) and then a double agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1952) until leaving both services by 1982. Beginning in 1958, Childs acted as a secret courier on behalf of the American party, briefing Soviet officials on political affairs in the American party and carrying funds to support the American Communist movement from Moscow to New York City, reporting details all the while to his FBI handlers. Over the course of two decades of activity in this role, Childs played a major part in the transfer of more than $28 million in Soviet subsidies to the American movement. For his activity as a courier on behalf of the Soviet government, Childs was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1975. His work as a spy for the American intelligence community was recognized in 1987 when Childs was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtney Ryley Cooper</span> American screenwriter

Courtney Ryley Cooper was an American circus performer, publicist and writer. During his career he published over 30 books, many focusing on crime; J. Edgar Hoover considered him at one time "the best informed man on crime in the U. S." He was also an expert on circuses, and was the chief publicist for Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus at the time of his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacy Harris</span> Actor (1918–1973)

Stacy Harris was an American actor with hundreds of film and television appearances. His name is sometimes found misspelled Stacey Harris.

Gang Busters is an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936, and was broadcast over 21 years through November 27, 1957.

NCIS is a media franchise of American television programs originally created by Donald P. Bellisario and currently broadcast on CBS, all of which deal with military related criminal investigations based on the Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the United States Department of the Navy, which includes the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

Crime Syndicated is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from September 18, 1951, to June 23, 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Whitfield</span> American actress (1938–2024)

Anne Langham Whitfield was an American actress on old-time radio, television, stage, and film. Her first name is sometimes seen spelled Ann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Doll</span> American gangster (1902–1967)

Edward Doll was an American gangster from Chicago, Illinois, active during the Prohibition era. Although he is remembered as a lesser figure in Prohibition crime, Doll was featured by name in two 1930s radio dramatizations, was mentioned in books and articles by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and played a leading role in several historic crimes, including the kidnapping of Howard Woolverton and the Lincoln National Bank robbery.

References

  1. 1 2 Dunning, John (1998). On the Air : The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. pp. 667–668. ISBN   978-0-19-507678-3 . Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  2. "A Byte Out of History: Retired FBI Special Agent Jack French Talks About FBI Cases...On the Radio Dial". The FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Gould, Jack (April 29, 1945). "Programs and People" . The New York Times. p. X 7. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  4. 1 2 ""This Is Your FBI" To Dramatize Cases From Official Files". The Jackson Sun. April 6, 1945. p. 10. Retrieved May 21, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Van Cleave Directs Music On "This Is Your FBI" Program". The Jackson Sun. April 13, 1945. p. 12. Retrieved May 21, 2023 via Newspapers.com.