''The Falcon'' radio series premiered on the Blue Network on April 10, 1943, continuing on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

and Mutual until November 27, 1954. Some 70 episodes were produced.

Background

"Drexel Drake" (a pseudonym of Charles H. Huff) created Michael Waring, alias the Falcon, a free-lance investigator and troubleshooter, in his 1936 novel, ''The Falcon's Prey''. It was followed by two more novels (''The Falcon Cuts In'', 1937 and ''The Falcon Meets a Lady'', 1938) and a 1938 short story. In 1941,

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

launched a ''Falcon'' movie series, but that was based on a different character (Gay Lawrence) by a different author (

Michael Arlen Michael Arlen (16 November 1895 – 23 June 1956), born Dikran Kouyoumdjian ( hy, Տիգրան Գոյումճեան), was a British essayist, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and scriptwriter of Armenian origin, who had his greatest s ...

). Only the popularity of the film series prompted the radio series; the film and radio series were otherwise unrelated. The radio series was based on the Drexel Drake character. No explanation for the nickname was ever mentioned in any of the dramatizations. The Michael Waring Falcon was also the hero in three late 1940s movies starring John Calvert, and a television series starring

Charles McGraw Charles McGraw (born Charles Crisp Butters; May 10, 1914 – July 29, 1980) was an American stage, film and television actor whose career spanned more than three decades. Early life McGraw was born to Beatrice (née Crisp) and Francis P. B ...

.Smith, Kevin Burton; "The Falcon (Michael Waring, Gay Stanhope Falcon, Gay Lawrence, Tom Lawrence)"
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Characters and story

Like the ''Falcon'' film series, the radio plots mixed danger, romance and comedy in equal parts. Each show began with a telephone ringing and Michael Waring, the Falcon, answering the phone. Speaking with a woman whose voice was never heard, Waring would explain that he had an urgent situation in which he had to deal with criminals. This led into the standard opening, followed by the week's tale of adventure. Often, incompetent police were unable to solve the mysteries without his help.

Actors

The program's characters and the actors who played them are indicated in the table below. Source (except for years): ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 112-113 Those heard in supporting roles included

Robert Dryden Robert Dryden (February 8, 1917 – December 16, 2003) was an American actor and voice-over performer "whose acting career spanned over four decades of radio, television, theater, and film appearances." Radio Dryden played Sergeant Maggio in ...

, Ethel Everett and Everett Sloane. Russ Dunbar and

Ed Herlihy Edward Joseph Herlihy (August 14, 1909 – January 30, 1999)Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . was an Ameri ...

were the announcers. The organist was Bob Hamilton, with

Emerson Buckley Emerson Buckley (14 April 1916 – 17 November 1989) was an American orchestra conductor. Biography Buckley was born in New York City. After high school, he attended Columbia University, graduating in 1936. He began his conducting career that sam ...

and Harry Sosnik as orchestra leaders. Bernarld L. Schubert was the producer.

References

External links

Internet Archive: ''The Falcon'' (all available episodes, certified by OTRR)Zoot Radio, free old time radio show downloads of 'The Falcon.'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falcon (radio), The 1943 radio programme debuts 1954 radio programme endings 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs Mutual Broadcasting System programs NBC Blue Network radio programs NBC radio programs Detective radio shows