LEGENDARY HEROES #25

GANG BUSTERS


This classic radio drama opened each episode with a barrage of blaring sound effects - a shrill police whistle, the sound of marching feet, a wailing police siren, a loud burst of machine gun fire and squealing car tires - then an authoritative voice would announce "Gang Busters!" and the title of that evening's police case, followed by more blasts of a police whistle.  It was this loud, intrusive introduction that led to the catchphrase "coming on like Gangbusters".

In addition to the pulps, true crime magazines were very popular in the 1930s as were the thrilling real-life exploits of Depression desperadoes like John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Bonnie & Clyde.  Producer-Director Phillips H. Lord felt that there should be a place on radio for true crime dramas and produced a show called "G-Men" that dramatized actual FBI cases with the official sanctioning of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.  But along with Hoover's consent came a list of demands.  Only closed cases could be used, no ongoing investigations, Hoover would have script approval of each episode, and he requested that the radio series downplay gunfights and car chases in order to focus upon the scientific procedural aspects of the investigations.  Lord viewed these demands as a hindrance to his show which had to entertain as well as as inform radio listeners.  It was difficult at best to keep a rapt audience with descriptions of plaster molds of tire tracks and fingerprint gathering.  Hoover was largely concerned with the portrayal of FBI agents as thorough, relentless, and scientific minded guardians of the public trust.  In later years when movie studios would do films inspired by the FBI, Hoover demanded background checks of everyone involved in the film project to make certain that no Communists were part of the productions.  "G-Men" appeared on radio from July 20 to October 12, 1935 on NBC and was sponsored by Chevrolet.  Tired of Hoover's whims and restrictions Lord decided upon another true crime drama that would rely upon police jurisdictions from all across the country.

"Gang Busters" debuted on CBS on January 15, 1936 with Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., the former head of the New Jersey State Police, who was instrumental in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping case, and father of General Norman Schwarzkopf of the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s, would introduce each episode.  The show was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and Cue magazine and the 30-minute program aired on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m.  At the end of each episode the announcer would urge listeners to call their local police if they had information about wanted criminals still on the loose.  The show ran on CBS until June 15, 1940.  From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948 it was heard on the NBC Blue Network with various sponsors including Waterman Pens and Tide.  In 1945 Col. Schwarzkopf was replaced by NYC Police Commissioner Lewis Valentine.  The show returned to CBS on January 8, 1949 where it ran until June 25, 1955 sponsored by Grape-Nuts and Wrigley's chewing gum.  The final years of the series were on the Mutual Broadcasting System from October 5, 1955 to November 27, 1957.  All total "Gang Busters" ran for over 21 years and produced 1008 half-hour dramatic episodes.  The radio drama launched the careers of many actors who went onto films and TV like Art Carney, Richard Widmark and Frank Lovejoy.

Big Little Books based on the radio series were produced throughout the 1930s and DC Comics created a long-running comic book of the same name that ran from 1947-1958 and produced 67 issues.  In 1942 Universal produced a 13-chapter movie serial that starred Kent Taylor and Robert Armstrong as detectives.  Unlike the radio show the serial was not based upon true crime stories and ventured into the realm of horror with the League of Murdered Men, dead criminals resurrected by a mad scientist.  In 1952 NBC aired a TV series based on the radio drama that debuted on March 20 and was hosted by Chester Morris.  The show was a hit and finished #14 in it's first season, moving up to #8 in the second season.  It alternated weekly with "Dragnet" however, and when "Dragnet" was able to produce enough content to sustain a weekly series the network dropped "Gang Busters".  In 1953 NBC syndicated the series with the title changed to "Captured" and filmed 9 new episodes to go along with the reruns.  Episodes of the TV series were edited together for theatrical release resulting in the 1955 movie "Gang Busters" and the 1957 film "Guns Don't Argue".  The radio show was incredibly popular with listeners and not only spawned comic books, movies and a TV show, but could also be credited with inspiring contemporary shows like "America's Most Wanted".



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