''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 networ ...

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 ''G Men'' is a 1935 Warner Bros. crime film starring James Cagney, Ann Dvorak, Margaret Lindsay and Lloyd Nolan in his film debut. According to ''Variety,'' the movie was one of the top-grossing films of 1935. The supporting cast features Robe ...

'' 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 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 John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...

. Hoover was not particularly favorable to the notion of such a program, but U. S. Attorney General

Homer Stille Cummings Homer Stille Cummings (April 30, 1870 – September 10, 1956) was an American lawyer and politician who was the United States Attorney General from 1933 to 1939. He also was elected mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, three times before founding the ...

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

''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 The Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, was originally a movie theater but now presents live productions. It gained early notoriety as the location where bank robber John Dillinger was lea ...

on July 24, 1934. The second covered Lester Joseph Gillis, aka

Baby Face Nelson Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), also known as George Nelson and Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber who became a criminal partner of John Dillinger, when he helped Dillinger escape from prison, in Crown P ...

. 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 The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

Radio from July 20 to October 12, 1935, sponsored by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

. 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 and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

"came on like Gangbusters." Joan Banks 1937

To lend an extra air of authenticity to the presentation, Lord had Norman Schwarzkopf Sr., 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 organization ...

give a short talk to lead into the actual dramatization. (Schwarzkopf was the father of General

Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. (; August 22, 1934 – December 27, 2012) was a United States Army general. While serving as the commander of United States Central Command, he led all coalition forces in the Gulf War. Born in Trenton, Ne ...

, leader of the coalition forces in the 1990–1991

Persian Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

.) 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 auto ...

, 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 responsib ...

replaced Schwarzkopf as the authoritative opening speaker. ''Gang Busters'' aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

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 car ...

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 Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the N ...

, with various sponsors that included Sloan's Liniment,

Waterman pens The Waterman Pen Company is a major manufacturing company of luxury fountain pens and inks, based in Paris, France. The firm was established in 1884 in New York City by Lewis Waterman, being one of the few remaining first-generation fountain pen ...

and

Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, 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 t ...

. Returning to CBS on January 8, 1949, it ran until June 25, 1955, sponsored by

Grape-Nuts Grape-Nuts is a brand of breakfast cereal made from flour, salt and dried yeast, developed in 1897 by C. W. Post, a former patient and later competitor of the 19th-century breakfast food innovator Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Post's original product ...

and

Wrigley's The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, known as the Wrigley Company, is an American multinational chewing gum (Wrigley's gum) company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley's is wholly owned by Mars, In ...

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 te ...

. 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 Old-time radio, golden ...

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 Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, '' Kiss of Death'' (1947) ...

and

Art Carney Arthur William Matthew Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an American actor and comedian. A recipient of an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards, he was best known for his role as Ed ...

. 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 fol ...

'', 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 Larry Haines (born Larry Hecht; August 3, 1918 – July 17, 2008) was an American actor. Early years Haines was born on August 3, 1918 in Mount Vernon, New York. (Some sources say August 18, 1918, in the same city). He had been active in dramati ...

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 Leon Janney (April 1, 1917 – October 28, 1980) was an American actor and radio personality from 1920 to 1980. Career Leon Elbert Janney was born in Ogden, Utah, to Nathan Haines Janney and Bernice Rebecca Kohn. The names of his parents are co ...

, 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 thei ...

, which ran for 67 issues between 1947 and 1958.

Big Little Books The Big Little Books, first published during 1932 by the Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin, were small, compact books designed with a captioned illustration opposite each page of text. Other publishers, notably Saalfield, adopted t ...

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 Ameri ...

made a very popular ''

Gang Busters ''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic radio program 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. Histo ...

serial film A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a film, 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 ...

in 1942, starring

Kent Taylor Kent Taylor (born Louis William Weiss; May 11, 1907 – April 11, 1987) was an American actor of film and television. Taylor appeared in more than 110 films, the bulk of them B-movies in the 1930s and 1940s, although he also had roles in more p ...

Irene Hervey Irene Hervey (born Beulah Irene Herwick; July 11, 1909December 20, 1998) was an American film, stage, and television actress who appeared in over fifty films and numerous television series spanning her five-decade career. A native of Los Angeles ...

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 eig ...

, and Robert Armstrong.

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 Myron Daniel Healey (June 8, 1923 – December 21, 2005) was an American actor. He began his career in Hollywood, California during the early 1940s and eventually made hundreds of appearances in movies and on television during a career sp ...

as Public Enemy No. 4) and ''

Guns Don't Argue ''Guns Don't Argue'' is a 1957 low-budget feature film about the early achievements of the FBI in defeating the most notorious criminals of the 1930s. The film involves dramatizations of the crimes and eventual demise of various gangsters, along w ...

'' (1957, with Healey as

). 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 (1917–19 ...

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