Les Crutchfield
Born on January 25, 1916, Les Crutchfield later went to college and studied chemistry, mathematics and engineering. He began his career as an explosives consultant and mining foreman, but found that he had a talent for writing. He soon became a prolific scriptwriter for Gunsmoke on both radio and television and also wrote for the radio shows, Romance and Fort Laramie, popular during the 40s and 50s.
Crutchfield wrote many scripts between 1946 and 1960 for network radio, including a stint adapting scripts for the series, Suspense, “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills” that turned out to be a feather in CBS’ hat. Suspense was the ultimate program for producers and directors, featuring fantastic scripts and cream-of-the-crop stars and was enormously popular with its listening audience and critics alike.
Known as the “sister show” to Suspense, the radio show Escape, which premiered July 7, 1947, was the antithesis of Suspense – with a low budget, very few famous stars and sporadic scheduling. But even with all those facts against it, Escape managed to overcome the negatives and wowed the audience with its top-notch entertainment. Brilliant and long-term producers and directors such as William N. Robson and Norman Macdonnell, chose Les Crutchfield, E. Jack Neumann, Kathleen Hite, John Dunkel and Gil Doud to write outstanding scripts for the show.
Crutchfield and the other scriptwriters wrote tales of war, western adventure, horror and science fiction for Escape, turning to notable authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, Joseph Conrad and Arthur Conan Doyle for material. Great writers such as Crutchfield and other esteemed scriptwriters made Escape stand on its own from the other dramas on the radio. It ran was from 1947 until September 25, 1954 and was lauded as an exceptional show.
Les was chosen to create the script for several shows featured on Escape, including one that featured the drama of the high seas. The Log of the Evening Star was a tale of madness and murder on a voyage across the high seas, staring Jack Webb, Gale Page, Pinto Colvig and Luis Van Rooten. Crutchfield also wrote another high sea adventure called, A Shipment of Mute Fate, where a deadly snake escapes its cage on a ship and terrorizes the passengers.
One of the most popular radio shows that Crutchfield wrote for was Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar during the 1955-56 season when Bob Bailey was the star. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a detective drama that premiered on December 8, 1948 and starred several men as Johnny Dollar – including Dick Powell, Charles Russell, Edmond O’Brian, John Lund and Bob Bailey. The show featured Johnny Dollar as “America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator.” The radio program was dubbed a “survivor” because it lasted for 14 years and was ultimately the final drama on the air.
Les Crutchfield wrote a multitude of radio and television scripts before he passed away on October 6, 1966 in Los Angeles, California.
Happy listening my friends,