Abbott Mysteries

Abbott Mysteries was a comedy-mystery radio program adapted from the novels of Frances Crane [1] (1896-1981). Initially a summer replacement for Quick As a Flash, the series was heard on Mutual and NBC between the years 1945 and 1955.[2]

Abbott Mysteries
Other namesThe Abbott Mysteries
The Adventures of the Abbotts
GenreComedy-mystery
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
SyndicatesMutual
NBC
StarringCharles Webster
Les Tremayne
Les Damon
Julie Stevens
Alice Reinheart
Claudia Morgan
AnnouncerFrank Gallup
Cy Harris
Created byFrances Crane
Written byEd Adamson
Howard Merrill
Directed byRoger Bower
Carlo De Angelo
Original releaseJune 10, 1945 – June 12, 1955
Sponsored byHelbros Watch Company

The Mutual series, sponsored by Helbros Watches, debuted June 10, 1945, airing Sundays at 6 p.m. The scripts by Howard Merrill and Ed Adamson were in the lighthearted tradition of Mr. and Mrs. North. Julie Stevens and Charles Webster starred as Jean and Pat Abbott, a San Francisco married couple "who were habitually involved in various sorts of mayhem and in solving murders."[3] In the supporting cast were Jean Ellyn, Sydney Slon and Luis van Rooten.

Moving to 5:30 p.m.in 1946, Les Tremayne and Alice Reinheart took over the roles until the end of the series on August 31, 1947.

Seven years later, the characters returned October 3, 1954, on NBC in The Adventures of the Abbotts, broadcast on NBC Sunday evenings at 8:30 p.m. In this series, the Abbotts were portrayed by Claudia Morgan and Les Damon. The NBC series ran until June 12, 1955.

Announcers were Frank Gallop and Cy Harrice.[4] Albert Burhman's orchestra provided music.[5]

"The series was resurrected by NBC in 1955 under the new title of The Adventures of the Abbotts and this nudged Mutual into producing a copycat show under the title It's A Crime, Mr. Collins."[6] "Many programs in the Golden Age of Radio were flattered by their competitors. ... The Abbotts on NBC were copied exactly in Mutual's It's A Crime, Mr. Collins, including paraphrasing (the original author's) words."[7] "Mutual even used ... the habit of putting a color in the title of every story."[6]

References

French, Jack. Private Eyelashes: Radio's Lady Detectives. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media, 2004.

  1. Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 4.
  2. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-19-507678-8. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  3. Cox, Jim (2002). Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. p. 7. ISBN 9781476612270. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  4. 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. 1.
  5. Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 10.
  6. "The Copycat Shows of Old Time Radio", by Jack French, The Old Radio Times, official publication of the Old-Time Radio Researchers, #26, January, 2008, accessed March 18, 2010
  7. "Radio's Clumsy Counterfeits", by Jack French, from Radio Recall magazine, February, 2004, a publication of the Metropolitan Washington Old Time Radio Club, accessed March 18, 2010

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