Chick Carter, Boy Detective

Chickering "Chick" Carter was the adopted son of (and assistant to) Nick Carter{{cite book|last1=Mayer|first1=Geoff|title=Encyclopedia of American Film Serials|date=2017|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476627199|page=73|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mCgSDgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Chick+Carter%22+radio&pg=PA73|accessdate=15 February 2017|language=en}} of Nick Carter, Master Detective fame, making this program a spinoff of the elder Carter's show.Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-4513-4}}. p. 74. Episodes of Chick Carter typically ended with a cliffhanger, enticing young listeners to tune in again for the next installment of the program.{{cite book|last1=Hart|first1=Melissa|title=Media Literacy: Grade 6|date=2008|publisher=Teacher Created Resources|isbn=9781420627794|page=51|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_81wwqPuCrIC&dq=%22Chick+Carter%22+radio&pg=PA52|accessdate=16 February 2017|language=en}} Although Chick Carter ostensibly had a young audience, both it and the older Carter program "kept fans of varying ages engrossed in their crime-stopping pursuits."{{cite book|last1=Cox|first1=Jim|title=American Radio Networks: A History|date=2009|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786454242|page=82|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tpxGeViyuPwC&dq=%22Chick+Carter%22+radio&pg=PA82|accessdate=16 February 2017|language=en}} Officials at WOR (AM), Mutual's flagship station in New York City, believed the duo to be "the first related pair of adult and juvenile series in radio."{{cite news|title=Nick and Chick Carter|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-Tune-In-IDX/IDX/Tune-In-1944-05-OCR-Page-0026.pdf|accessdate=16 February 2017|work=Tune-In|date=May 1944|page=26}}

Both programs were products of the Street & Smith publishing company, which 11 years earlier put The Shadow on radio to promote the company's Detective Story Magazine. The trade publication Billboard reported that the broadcasts combined "the public yen for escape with [Street & Smith's] need for protection against further cuts in paper" during World War II.{{cite magazine|title=Pulpies Sell Mags, Sponsors For Publishers and Stations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uwwEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Chick+Carter%22+radio&pg=PA169|accessdate=16 February 2017|magazine=Billboard|date=June 19, 1943|page=10}} {{Open access}} Street & Smith's writers provided scripts for the programs at no charge if the shows were not sponsored.

Followers of either or both of the Carter programs could join the Inner Circle club, which provided a membership card and a folder that contained background information on the casts of the two shows. Initially, membership was available only to listeners of WOR.{{cite news|title=For Carter Fans|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/43-OCR/1943-10-11-BC-OCR-Page-0050.pdf|accessdate=16 February 2017|work=Broadcasting|date=October 11, 1943|page=50}}

Bill Lipton initially had the title role, with Leon Janney taking his place beginning July 3, 1944. Janney had been honorably discharged from the Army two weeks earlier, and Lipton was entering the Navy.{{cite news |last1=Gould |first1=Jack |title=Radio Row: One Thing and Another: Mr. Carlin Has an Idea -- Other News of the Summer Airwaves |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/07/02/archives/radio-row-one-thing-and-another-mr-carlin-has-an-idea-other-news-of.html?searchResultPosition=3 |access-date=August 14, 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=July 2, 1944 |page=X 5|url-access=subscription}} Sisters Jean and Joanne McCoy played Sue, and Gilbert Mack played Tex. In supporting roles, (Neither Sue nor Tex had a last name on the program.) Bill Griffis played Rufus Lash, and Stefan Schnabel played the Rattler. Ken Powell was the announcer. Fritz Block directed and was one of the writers. Walter B. Gibson, Ed Gruskin, and Nancy Webb also wrote for the program. Charles Michelson was the producer.{{cite news|title=(photo caption)|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/44-OCR/1944-07-24-BC-OCR-Page-0065.pdf|accessdate=16 February 2017|work=Broadcasting|date=July 24, 1944|page=65}}

In 1971, Charles Michelson, president of Charles Michelson Inc. (a program distributing company in New York) threatened to launch legal action against radio stations that were airing unauthorized broadcasts of Chick Carter or any of seven other old-time radio shows for which his company held the copyrights. He said that about 300 radio stations were broadcasting at least some of the series after having bought the rights to use them. In some cases, those stations had notified Michelson of other stations in their markets that were broadcasting the programs illegally.{{cite news|title=Michelson warns on pirated programs|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/71-OCR/1971-07-26-BC-OCR-Page-0039.pdf|accessdate=16 February 2017|work=Broadcasting|date=July 26, 1971|page=41}}

{{Portal|Radio}}

• The film serial Chick Carter, Detective (1946) was based on the Chick Carter, Boy Detective program.{{cite book | last = Harmon | first = Jim |author2=Donald F. Glut |author2-link=Donald F. Glut | author-link = Jim Harmon | title = The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury | year = 1973 | publisher = Routledge | isbn = 978-0-7130-0097-9 | pages = 182 & 184 | chapter = 8. The Detectives "Gangbusters!" }}
• Chick Carter, Boy Detective was the basis for a comic strip that ran in Shadow Comics Magazine.{{cite news|title=Comic Strip Basis|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/43-OCR/1943-11-29-BC-OCR-Page-0024.pdf|accessdate=16 February 2017|work=Broadcasting|date=November 29, 1943|page=24}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.otrsite.com/otrsite/logs/logc1021.htm Log of episodes of Chick Carter, Boy Detective from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs]
• [http://www.otrr.org/FILES/Logs_txt/Chick%20Carter,%20Boy%20Detective.txt Log of episodes of Chick Carter, Boy Detective from Old Time Radio Researchers Group]

• [https://archive.org/details/Chick_Carter_Boy_Detective/1943-07-13_0008_-_Chick_Carter_Boy_Detective_-_Bubbling_Pool_the.mp3 Episodes of Chick Carter, Boy Detective from the Internet Archive]
• [http://otrrlibrary.org/OTRRLib/Library%20Files/C%20Series/Chick%20Carter,%20Boy%20Detective/ Episodes of Chick Carter, Boy Detective from the Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library]

Category:1943 radio programme debuts

Category:1945 radio programme endings

Category:1940s American radio programs

Category:Detective radio shows

Category:Mutual Broadcasting System programs

Category:American radio dramas

Category:Nick Carter (character)