Boston Blackie

(1944-1950)

Detective

Cast: Chester Morris, Richard Lane, Lesley Woods, Richard Kollmar, Maurice Tarplin, Jan Minor and Tony Barrett

Boston Blackie, as created by author Jack Boyle, is a jewel thief and criminal who spent time in a prison in California.  The character was changed to being a private detective, a character that was extremely popular in movies from the 1920’s to the 1940’s.  Based on that popularity, the character was brought to radio for a five-year series of over two hundred 30-minute episodes, airing from June 23, 1944 to October 25, 1950.  (There was also a short-lived television program from 1951-1952, starring Kent Taylor as Boston Blackie.)

In the radio series Blackie (Chester Morris, Richard Kollmar) and his girlfriend, Mary Wesley (Lesley Woods, Jan Minor), investigated and solved crimes, sometimes with the reluctant assistance of police Inspector Faraday (Richard Lane, Maurice Tarplin).  Blackie’s best friend, Shorty (Tony Barrett), was also usually on hand to help.