Al Hodge

Best known for his work in television as Captain Video for the DuMont Television Network, Hodge also played the popular part of Britt Reid on the Green Hornet radio show for seven years. Born on April 18, 1912, Hodge toured with the Casford Players just after college and was then signed on to Detroit’s WXYZ station.

Hodge was in the Navy during World War II and after that he appeared in several radio and television, finally landing the role of Captain Video in 1950 when Richard Coogan left radio to work in Broadway.

Another early radio role was that of Roger Allen, attorney at law, in the crime drama named, Attorney At Law. It was a short series for Hodge, lasting only a month. Jim Ameche and Henry Hunter played attorneys in earlier episodes.

The Green Hornet was a pivotal role for Hodge. It was a juvenile crime drama that began broadcasting in 1936. Hodge played the part of Britt Reid, a masked crime fighter better known as the Green Hornet.

One of the most popular radio shows during its era, The Green Hornet also cast James Jewell as Reid’s valet, Kato and Leonore Allman as Casey, Reid’s secretary. Classical music was used in the show to set the dramatic scenes and there was plenty of drama.

The Lone Ranger, another popular juvenile show was also connected with The Green Hornet in a strange way.  The former Texas Ranger on The Lone Ranger had the name of Reid also and both the Green Hornet and the Ranger were masked men. The same talents who created The Green Hornet also had worked and created the highly successful Lone Ranger and the more modern day version was a derivative of that show.

Another interesting fact about The Green Hornet radio show was that Reid’s valet, Kato was distinctively Japanese before the December 7th, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. After that, Kato was given a Filipino ancestry.

An orchestra played a howling rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee at the beginning of the show and brought in the ‘buzz’ of a hornet with a little instrument called a Theremin. The Green Hornet was infused with Oriental combat sessions, gas guns, smokescreens and car chases, but very short on romance.

The private life of Al Hodge is sketchy, but we do know that he was married three times. Many times he was photographed with three children, but he actually only had one daughter who was born during his first marriage. The other children were those of a previous marriage of his second wife.

Hodge’s third wife had been a showgirl and they were married until his death on March 19, 1979. He and his third wife are buried beside each other in Kensico Cemetary which is located in New York.

Happy listening my friends,