GREAT DETECTIVES & PEOPLE OF MYSTERY #43

MR. KEEN, TRACER OF LOST PERSONS

 Westrel Keen was created by Robert W. Chambers (1865-1933) an author who wrote over 70 novels in many genres, most notably fantasy and horror.  His first successful book was a collection of weird tales titled "The King in Yellow" (1895), which was purportedly a huge influence on H. P. Lovecraft.  But Chamber's biggest contribution to pop culture was a series of short stories about a private eye - Westrel Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons.  Keen and Company, the agency he managed, was a going concern occupying prime office space in NYC and employed a large staff.  Keen was a tall, grey man, faultlessly dressed in a grey suit and wearing white spats.  He was the lean, well-groomed type of gentleman that suggested a retired colonel of cavalry who was unmistakably well-bred, from his grey mustache to his immaculate spats.  As Chambers described his character, "he was 33, agreeable to look at, equipped with as much culture and intelligence as is tolerated east of Fifth Avenue and West of Madison."  The stories, from the the turn of the 20th Century, were typical detective fiction hokum of the era.  But somebody must have recalled the stories fondly because 30 years later the character emerged on radio and was one of the most successful shows in the medium.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1906 "The Tracer of Lost Persons", collection of the short stories about Mr. Keen.

The following short stories all appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, the date of each issue is included after the title.

"The Tracer of Lost Persons" (June 17, 1905)/  "The Seal of Solomon Cipher" (Mar 31, 1906)/  "Nolens Volens" (Apr 28, 1906)/  "Samaris" (May 5, 1906)/  "The Case of Mr. Carden" (May 12-19, 1906).

"The Wife Who Ran Away" which appeared in the January 1941 issue of Radio & Television Mirror, was based on a script from the radio series.

RADIO

One of network radio's longest running detective shows, Mr. Keen was still based in NYC but was now a kind, elderly, and rather boring sleuth.  With the aid of his assistant, Mike Clancy, Keen was on the air from 1937 - 1955.  Over the years it changed days, time slots, sponsors, and networks (though it was usually heard on CBS).  It was a half-hour drama until 1952 when it changed to a 15-minute daily serial.  Early in the series Keen solved murders but the familiar title and theme song "Someday I'll Find You" were too popular to change.  The series was developed for radio by Frank and Anne Hummert.  It started on NBC Blue in 1937, but was on CBS soon afterwards.  Over the years the show was sponsored by Anacin, Dentyne, Aerowax, RCA Victor, and Chesterfield cigarettes.  The popular show aired October 12, 1937 through April 19, 1955.  Of the 1690 episodes that were produced over 18 years, only 59 still exist today.