Martin Kane, Private Eye
{{Short description|American radio and TV crime drama series (1949–1952)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
Martin Kane, Private Eye is an American crime drama radio and television series sponsored by United States Tobacco Company. It aired via radio from 1949 to 1952 and was simultaneously a television series on NBC from 1949 to 1954. It was the "earliest of successful cops-and-robbers series" on television.{{cite book|last1=Settel|first1=Irving|last2=Laas|first2=William|title=A Pictorial History of Television|date=1969|publisher=Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.|location=New York|page=62|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Bookshelf/IDX/ABC/A-Pictorial-History-of-Television-Settel-1969-OCR-Page-0076.pdf|accessdate=30 September 2017}}
Radio
{{Infobox radio show
| name = Martin Kane, Private Eye
| image = Wgargan.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
| caption = William Gargan as Martin Kane
| other_names = Martin Kane, Private Detective
| format = Radio crime drama
| runtime = 30 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| home_station =
| syndicates = Mutual (1949–1951)
NBC (1951–1952)
| television = Martin Kane, Private Eye
| presenter =
| starring = William Gargan
Lloyd Nolan
Lee Tracy
Walter Kinsella
Nicholas Saunders
Frank M. Thomas
| announcer = Fred Uttal
| creator =
| writer = Ted Hediger
| director = Ted Hediger
| senior_editor =
| editor =
| producer = Edward L. Kahan
| exec_producer =
| narrated =
| rec_location =
| rem_location =
| oth_location =
| first_aired =
| last_aired =
| num_series =
| num_episodes =
| audio_format =
| opentheme =
| othertheme =
| endtheme =
| sponsor = U.S. Tobacco Company
| website =
| podcast =
}}
Martin Kane, Private Eye began as a 1949–1952 radio series starring William Gargan in the title role as New York City private detective Martin Kane. It aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System Sundays at 4:30 pm from August 7, 1949, to June 24, 1951.
The program was developed by the Kudner Agency's Myron Kirk.{{cite news |title=Weekly Show Review |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele04ross/page/n174/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=March 16, 2023 |work=Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index |date=December 11, 1949 |page=8}}
When the crime drama moved to NBC Radio on July 1, 1951, Lloyd Nolan took over the title role until mid 1952. Lee Tracy portrayed Kane for the remainder of the radio series, ending December 21, 1952.
Other members of the cast were Walter Kinsella as Tucker "Hap" McMann, Nicholas Saunders as Sergeant Ross, and Frank M. Thomas as Captain Burke. Fred Uttal was the announcer.Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0786445134}}. p. 219. Edward L. Kahan was the producer; Ted Hediger was the director and writer.
The radio episodes aired between 1949 and 1952 were not merely audio rebroadcasts of the television show, but original episodes produced for the radio medium. Only 29 radio broadcasts are known to exist.{{cite book|last1=Cox|first1=Jim|title=Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age|date=2002|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0786443246|pages=172–173}}
The program was sponsored by Old Briar pipe tobacco and Encore and Sano cigarettes, all of which were products of U.S. Tobacco Company.
Television
{{Infobox television
| image = Lloyd Nolan Martin Kane Private Eye.jpg
| caption = Lloyd Nolan as Martin Kane
| genre = Television crime drama
| creator =
| based_on =
| developer =
| writer =
| director = Frank Burns
| creative_director =
| presenter =
| starring = William Gargan
Lloyd Nolan
Lee Tracy
Mark Stevens
Walter Kinsella
Frank M. Thomas
King Calder
Nicholas Saunders
Walter Greaza
| judges =
| voices =
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons =
| num_episodes =
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer =
| producer =
| editor =
| location =
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 30 minutes
60 minutes in final season, 1953–1954
| company =
| channel = NBC
| first_aired = {{start date|1949|9|1|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1954|6|17|df=y}}
| related =
}}
Gargan, Nolan, Tracy, and Mark Stevens played the title role in Martin Kane, Private Eye on live television, airing on NBC from September 1, 1949, until June 17, 1954. The television version, also sponsored by United States Tobacco Company, integrated commercials into the detective drama by having Martin Kane enter his favorite tobacco shop, where he discussed pipe tobaccos and cigarettes with the tobacconist Happy McMann (Walter Kinsella), before leaving to continue the mystery narrative.
Frank M. Thomas portrayed Captain Burke, King Calder was cast as Lieutenant Gray, Nicholas Saunders portrayed Sergeant Ross,Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0786464777}}. p. 660. Walter Greaza portrayed Captain Leonard, Loring Smith portrayed Captain Evans, and Sergeant Strong was portrayed by Michael Garrett. Frank Burns, the NBC pioneer and father of actor Michael Burns, produced and directed shows{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=Martin Kane, private eye. Volume 1 |url=https://catalog.lib.msu.edu/Record/folio.in00005362300/Details |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=catalog.lib.msu.edu |language=English}} written by Henry Kane{{cite magazine |date=March 13, 1957 |page=34 |title=Kane's Mysteriosos |magazine=Variety |url=https://archive.org/details/variety206-1957-03/page/n97/mode/1up?view=theater |accessdate=June 23, 2023}} and Lawrence Young. Charles Paul provided the music.{{Cite web |title=Charles Paul |url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/107335/Paul_Charles |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=Discography of American Historical Recordings}}
At the start and finish of the show, Kane was shown in shadow, lighting his pipe. Six episodes of this show have been released in the Best of TV Detectives DVD box set.
Edward Sutherland was the producer and director. Finis Farr and Frank Wilson wrote the scripts.{{r|ross|page1=9}}
Gargan returned to the role for 39 episodes of the syndicated series The New Adventures of Martin Kane,Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947–1987. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|0786411988}}. p. 37. premiering September 14, 1957, filmed in Europe for United Artists. In this version, Kane was based in London. After its original run, the series was resyndicated with the title Assignment Danger.{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=The Television Crime Fighters Factbook: Over 9,800 Details from 301 Programs, 1937–2003|date=2003|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0786415335|pages=93–94|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0unCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Martin+Kane%22&pg=PA93|accessdate=29 September 2017|language=en}}
Comic books
The radio-TV series had a 1950 tie-in comic book, Martin Kane, Private Eye, published by Fox and illustrated by Wally Wood, Joe Orlando and Martin Rosenthal.[https://thrillingdetective.com/2020/05/26/martin-kane/ Martin Kane] at Thrilling Detective.com
It was also combined with rival detective show Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons and satirized by Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis in Mad magazine's fifth issue (June–July 1953), as Kane Keen! Private Eye.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- Classic TV Channel [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTKmp3L0wn-XWBO6wyVV-UuEEkQmadSlY Martin Kane, Private Eye] TV Series, Seasons 2-5 YouTube
- {{Internet Archive film clip|id=MartinKanePrivateEye-TheDistrictAttorneyKiller|description=episode 20 of series 2, "The District Attorney Killer", 1 March 1951}}
- [https://thrillingdetective.com/2020/05/26/martin-kane/ Martin Kane] at Thrilling Detective.com
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041042 Martin Kane, Private Eye at IMDB]
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050044 The New Adventures of Martin Kane at IMDB]
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Category:American radio dramas
Category:Detective radio shows
Category:1949 radio programme debuts
Category:1952 radio programme endings
Category:1940s American crime drama television series
Category:1950s American crime drama television series
Category:American detective television series
Category:Mutual Broadcasting System programs
Category:Radio programs adapted into television shows
Category:Radio programs adapted into comics
Category:1949 American television series debuts
Category:1954 American television series endings
Category:1940s American radio programs
Category:1950s American radio programs
Category:American live television series
Category:Black-and-white American television shows
Category:NBC original programming