Crime Doctor (radio program)

Crime Doctor
Other names Max Marcin's Crime Doctor
Genre Crime drama
Running time 25 minutes
Country United States
Language(s) English
Syndicates CBS
Starring Ray Collins
House Jameson
John McIntire
Hugh Marlowe
Brian Donlevy
Everett Sloane
Announcer Ken Roberts
Charles O'Connor
Nelson Case
Created by Max Marcin
Written by Max Marcin
Directed by Paul Monroe
Jack Johnstone
Produced by Max Marcin
Air dates August 4, 1940 to October 19, 1947
Sponsored by Philip Morris Cigarettes

Crime Doctor was a radio crime drama in the United States. Sponsored by Philip Morris cigarettes, it was broadcast on CBS August 4, 1940 – October 19, 1947.[1]

Premise

Crime Doctor featured two premises that were unusual—if not unique—in radio crime drama. The first was that the central figure, Dr. Benjamin Ordway, had survived amnesia. Radio historian John Dunning described the situation as follows:

Originally a criminal himself, he got zapped on the head and lost his memory. With the help of a kind doctor, he began to build a new life and identity, studying medicine and eventually going into psychiatry. ... He decided to specialize in criminal psychiatry because of his intense interest in, and understanding of, the criminal mind.[2]

A photographic story about the program in a 1946 issue of Radio Mirror magazine contained the following comment: "Dr. Ordway ... has become such a favorite with the Police Department of his city that he is constantly being called upon for his shrewd and eager opinions in baffling murder cases. Invariably, his keen medical mind fastens upon the one clue in a case which might otherwise be lost."[3]

The second unusual premise was that, as a 1943 advertisement for a radio station noted, stories dealt with the rehabilitation of criminals.[4] The background for this aspect of the program was that before suffering amnesia, Ordway had been a criminal mastermind. Thus, he went from heading a criminal gang to helping to rehabilitate criminals.[5]

In 1943, Crime Doctor was reported to be one of three then-current programs "credited with being based on actual case histories of criminals and trials." The others were Famous Jury Trials and Gang Busters.[6]

Format

The program underwent a change in format in 1942.[7] Although Ordway remained the central character, the stories were presented differently. Crime Doctor initially had Ordway as a member of the parole board. When a convict came before the board, Ordway heard the presentation and then asked a "jury" selected from the studio audience to decide the prisoner's fate. Each jury contained an equal number of men and women.[1]

After the 1942 revision, Ordway worked from home, no longer officially affiliated with government entities, "working with ex-convicts and helping them keep out of trouble, while at the same time aiding the local police in the unending fight against crime."[2] In this phase of the program, listeners knew the culprit's identity from the beginning of the episode; the mystery was how he would be caught. Near the end of each episode, the announcer said, "Ladies and gentlemen, in exactly 57 seconds, Dr. Ordway will be back to tell you the piece of evidence overlooked by the suspect."[1]

Creator's criminal connections

Max Marcin created Crime Doctor for radio.[8] He also produced the program [1] and wrote its scripts—260 of them as of December 1945.[9] Marcin had been a police reporter for the New York World newspaper. A contemporary newspaper story reported, "In those days he knew practically every underworld character in New York, some of them intimately." Thus, Marcin had much information from which he could draw for plots. The article noted that Marcin's characters "seem so true to life because they are from life," adding that he maintained his underworld contacts.[5] At one point, in 1945, Marcin even had his name featured in the program's title, when it was changed to Max Marcin's Crime Doctor.[1]

Characters and Cast

CharacterActor/Actress
Dr. Benjamin Ordway Ray Collins
House Jameson
John McIntire
Hugh Marlowe
Brian Donlevy
Everett Sloane
District Attorney Miller Edgar Stehli
Harold Sayers Walter Vaughan
Inspector Ross Walter Greaza
Frieda Edith Arnold

Sources: On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio,[1] The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950[10]

In 1942, McIntire left the program. Ed Jerome replaced him in the cast, portraying a new lead, Dr. Leroy Hart.[11]

Announcers were Ken Roberts,[1] Charles O'Connor[12] Nelson Case and Carl Frank.[13] Ray Bloch led the orchestra.[12]

Adaptation

In 1943, Columbia Pictures began making movies based on the Crime Doctor program, producing a total of 10 films about the character.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Pp. 185-186.
  2. 1 2 Dunning, John. (1976). Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925-1976. Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-932616-2. P. 149.
  3. ↑ "Crime Doctor". Radio Mirror. 26 (6): 46–50. November 1946. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "KFPY ad". Spokane Daily Chronicle. September 27, 1943. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Radio Drama Reaches the Screen with Real-Life Crime Background". The Montreal Gazette. September 28, 1943. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Radcliff, Marion (February 20, 1943). "Walk into My Parlor". The Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "'Crime Doctor' on Coast". Broadcasting. October 26, 1942. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 Wilt, David (1991). Hardboiled in Hollywood. Bowling Green State University Popular Press. ISBN 0-87972-525-7. P. 77.
  9. ↑ Banks, Dale (December 1945). "What's New from Coast to Coast". Radio Mirror. 25 (1): 11. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. Pp. 63-64.
  11. ↑ "Jerome Joins Crime Doctor Series as McIntire Retires". Harrisburg Telegraph. June 13, 1942. p. 24. Retrieved April 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 Terrace, Vincent (1981), Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930-1960. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-498-02393-1. P. 65.
  13. ↑ "Behind the Mike". Broadcasting. October 5, 1942. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
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