Boston Blackie

Boston Blackie was a tough, wisecracking private detective working in New York, billed as “enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend.”

His specialty was making fools of the police, a simple task with Inspector Farraday heading the official investigations. 

The series debuted on NBC on 23rd June 1944, and Blackie soon became a popular character in pulp fiction and film noir in the 1940s. Two different radio series were produced, one starring Chester Morris and the other starring Richard Kollmar.

The first Boston Blackie radio series aired on NBC from 1944 to 1945. Chester Morris starred as Blackie, and the supporting cast included Lesley Woods as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley, Richard Lane as Inspector Farraday, and Harlow Wilcox as the announcer. The series was a summer replacement for Amos 'n' Andy, and it was sponsored by Rinso.

The second Boston Blackie radio series aired from 1945 to 1950. Richard Kollmar starred as Blackie, and the supporting cast included Maurice Tarplin as Inspector Farraday, Jan Miner as Mary Wesley, and Harlow Wilcox as the announcer. This series was syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv, and it was sponsored by Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer.

The Boston Blackie radio series has always been well-loved on RUSC, and was well-received by listeners, and by old time radio fans the world over. In the RUSC charts page, you'll see that the series consistently appears in the top five most popular detective shows. The shows are full of suspense and intrigue, and Blackie was a likable and resourceful lead character. And as is often the case with old time radio, the opening theme was a catchy one too! (More on that later this week!)

You can listen to two hundred Boston Blackie episodes on RUSC, with several 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 ones just recently added!

Happy listening my friends,