''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic
radio program
A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.
Radio netwo ...
heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936, and was broadcast over 21 years through November 27, 1957.
History
So-called "
true crime
True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events.
The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...
" magazines were highly popular in the 1930s and the movie ''
G Men'' starring
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...
, released in the spring of 1935, had proven to be a big hit. Producer-director
Phillips H. Lord
Phillips Haynes Lord (July 13, 1902 – October 19, 1975) was an American radio program writer, creator, producer and narrator as well as a motion picture actor, best known for the ''Gang Busters'' radio program that was broadcast from 1935 to ...
thought there was a place on radio for a show of the same type. To emphasize the authenticity of his dramatizations, Lord produced the initial radio show, ''G-Men'', in close association with FBI Director
J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover was not particularly favorable to the notion of such a program, but U. S. Attorney General
Homer Stille Cummings gave it his full support.
[Kathleen Battles, ''Calling All Cars: Radio Dragnets and the Technology of Policing'', University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis (2010).]
![Phillips Lord 1936](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Phillips_Lord_1936.jpg)
''G-Men'' dramatized FBI cases, but Hoover insisted that only closed cases would be used. Hoover also demanded that he or a top-level aide review and approve every script. Hoover preferred that scripts downplay gunfights and car chases, and spend more time on systematic investigation and legwork. Agents should be shown as intelligent, hard-working and essentially faceless cogs in his technically savvy crime-fighting organization.
Those restrictions hampered Lord, who saw his creation as a public service, but one that had to entertain as well as inform.
The first program dramatized the story of the notorious gangster
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...
,
[Grams, Martin, Jr., ''Gang Busters'', OTR Publishing, Churchville, Maryland (2004).] who was tracked down by FBI agents and shot to death outside the
Biograph Theater on July 24, 1934. The second covered Lester Joseph Gillis, aka
Baby Face Nelson. Although the shows were a hit with the general public, there were naysayers, some of whom deplored this sensational new style of radio show. Hyper-sensitive to any criticism, Hoover almost squelched the project and made life more and more difficult for Lord.
[Christopher H. Sterling (ed.), ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of American Radio'', Routledge, Taylor & Francis Books, New York (2011).]
''G-Men'', using only FBI cases, was subject to Hoover's whims and restrictions. ''Gang Busters'', however, featured interesting and dramatic crimes from the files of law enforcement organizations all over the country.
''G-Men'' was on
NBC Radio from July 20 to October 12, 1935, sponsored by
Chevrolet.
The "sequel," ''Gang Busters'', debuted in mid-January, 1936. If anything, the opening sound effects became even more elaborate and aggressive.
The show opened with a barrage of blaring sound effects – a shrill police whistle, convicts marching in formation, police siren wailing, machine guns firing, and tires squealing. Then, an authoritative voice would announce the title of that night's program: "Tonight, ''Gang Busters'' presents the Case of the —." Finally, the opening would end with more blasts from a police whistle. This intrusive introduction led to the popular
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recogni ...
"came on like Gangbusters."
![Joan Banks 1937](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Joan_Banks_1937.JPG)
To lend an extra air of authenticity to the presentation, Lord had
Norman Schwarzkopf Sr.
Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf (; August 28, 1895 – November 25, 1958) was the first superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. He is best known for his involvement in the Lindbergh kidnapping case. He was the father of General Norman Schw ...
, former head of the
New Jersey State Police
The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) is the official state police force of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with statewide jurisdiction, designated by troop sectors.
History
As with other state police organizati ...
give a short talk to lead into the actual dramatization.
(Schwarzkopf was the father of General
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., leader of the coalition forces in the 1990–1991
Persian Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
.) That authentic voice became even more important after Lord ended his connection with the FBI. After about 1945,
Lewis Joseph Valentine
Lewis Joseph Valentine (March 19, 1882 – December 16, 1946) was the New York City Police Commissioner from 1934 to 1945, under Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia during the Murder, Inc. era. He was the author of an autobiography ''Night stick: The aut ...
, crime-busting
New York City Police Commissioner
The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The commissioner is respons ...
replaced Schwarzkopf as the authoritative opening speaker.
''Gang Busters'' aired on
CBS from January 15, 1936 to June 15, 1940, sponsored by
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health ca ...
and
''Cue'' magazine. From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948, it was heard on the
Blue Network
The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945.
Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the National Broadcasting Com ...
, with various sponsors that included
Sloan's Liniment,
Waterman pens and
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
. Returning to CBS on January 8, 1949, it ran until June 25, 1955, sponsored by
Grape-Nuts and
Wrigley's chewing gum
Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/ plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its ...
. The final series was on the
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. rad ...
from October 5, 1955 to November 27, 1957.
''Gang Busters'' often featured prominent names in radio broadcasting, many of whom also starred in films and television. Two of the most famous were
Richard Widmark and
Art Carney. Widmark was typecast as a villain for many years, but finally managed to break that mold. Carney became especially famous for his role with
Jackie Gleason
John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...
on ''
The Honeymooners
''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It fo ...
'', but he had a much broader career than that.
Joan Banks
Joan Banks (October 30, 1918 – January 18, 1998) was an American film, television, stage, and radio actress (described as "a soapbox queen"), who often appeared in dramas with her husband, Frank Lovejoy.
Early life
Banks attended a school of ...
, who later played many TV roles, was a regular cast member. Her husband,
Frank Lovejoy
Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir ''The Hitch-Hiker'' and for starring in the radio drama '' Night Beat' ...
, also appeared often, and later went on to star in many films and an ABC crime drama.
Larry Haines was another regular on the show. He went on to an extensive career in TV soap operas. A lesser known actor on the show was
Leon Janney, who apparently played both juvenile roles and ones requiring an unusual accent.
Comics
The popularity of the radio show prompted a spin-off comic book published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
, which ran for 67 issues between 1947 and 1958.
Big Little Books based on the series were also produced.
Film and television versions
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
made a very popular ''
Gang Busters''
serial film
A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...
in 1942, starring
Kent Taylor,
Irene Hervey,
Ralph Morgan
Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan.
Early life
Morgan was born in New York City, the ei ...
, and
Robert Armstrong.
NBC aired a 30-minute television series version from March 20, 1952 to Oct. 23, 1952, hosted by
Chester Morris
John Chester Brooks Morris (February 16, 1901 – September 11, 1970) was an American stage, film, television, and radio actor. He had some prestigious film roles early in his career, and received an Academy Award nomination for ''Alibi'' ( ...
. The series did well in the
Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, finishing at #14 in the 1951–1952 season and at #8 in 1952–1953. It went off the air because it alternated weekly with ''
Dragnet'', and when that series could produce enough episodes weekly, NBC had no more use for ''Gang Busters'' as a stop-gap show.
Episodes of the show were later reedited into two feature films, ''Gang Busters'' (1955, with
Myron Healey as Public Enemy No. 4) and ''
Guns Don't Argue'' (1957, with Healey as
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...
).
In 1953, NBC Film Division syndicated the episodes, with the title changed to ''Captured''. An ad for the program indicated that nine episodes of the syndicated version were new;
those episodes had a copyright date of 1955.
Vivi Janiss
Vivi may refer to:
People
* Vivi Bach (1939–2013), Danish actress and singer
* Vivi Fernandez (born 1977), Brazilian model
* Vivi Flindt (born 1943), Danish ballerina
* Vivi Friedman (1967–2012), Finnish film director
* Vivi Gioi (1917–1975 ...
was cast in three television episodes: "The Blonde Tigress" (1952), "The Rocco Case" (1952), and The Rocco Trapani Case" (1955).
References
External links
"Gang Busters"Frank Lovejoy
"Gang Busters" in the Old Time Radio Archive (19 episodes)*
*
*{{comicbookdb, type=title, id=11191, title=''Gang Busters''
True Crime Radio and Listener Disenchantment with Network Broadcasting, 1935–1946
American radio dramas
1936 radio programme debuts
1957 radio programme endings
1930s American radio programs
1940s American radio programs
1950s American crime television series
1950s American radio programs
1952 American television series debuts
1955 American television series endings
American legal television series
Black-and-white American television shows
CBS Radio programs
Defunct American comics
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Mutual Broadcasting System programs
NBC Blue Network radio programs
NBC original programming
Radio programs adapted into comics
Radio programs adapted into films
Radio programs adapted into television shows
Television series based on radio series
United States National Recording Registry recordings