''The Whistler'' is an American radio mystery drama which ran from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955, on the west-coast regional

CBS radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...

network. The show was also broadcast in Chicago and over

Armed Forces Radio The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which i ...

. On the west coast, it was sponsored by the Signal Oil Company: "That whistle is your signal for the Signal Oil program, ''The Whistler''." There were also two short-lived attempts to form east-coast broadcast spurs: July 3 to September 25, 1946, sponsored by the

Campbell Soup Company Campbell Soup Company, trade name, doing business as Campbell's, is an American processed food and snack company. The company is most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however, through mergers and acquisitions, it has gro ...

; and March 26, 1947, to September 29, 1948, sponsored by

Household Finance HSBC Finance Corporation is a financial services company and a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings. It is the sixth-largest issuer of MasterCard and Visa credit cards in the United States. HSBC Finance Corporation was formed from the legal entity tha ...

. The program was also adapted into a

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

series by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

in 1944.

Characters and story

Each episode of ''The Whistler'' began with the sound of footsteps and a person whistling. (''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' radio series with

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

used a similar opening.) The haunting signature theme tune was composed by

Wilbur Hatch Wilbur Hatch (May 24, 1902 – December 22, 1969), was an American music composer who worked primarily in radio and television. He was born in Mokena, Illinois, and died in Studio City, California.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An I ...

and featured Dorothy Roberts whistling with an orchestra. A character known only as the Whistler was the host and narrator of the tales, which focused on crime and fate. He often commented directly upon the action in the manner of a

Greek chorus A Greek chorus, or simply chorus ( grc-gre, χορός, chorós), in the context of ancient Greek tragedy, comedy, satyr plays, and modern works inspired by them, is a homogeneous, non-individualised group of performers, who comment with a collect ...

, taunting the characters, guilty or innocent, from an omniscient perspective. The stories followed a formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically revealed either by an overlooked but important detail or by the criminal's own stupidity. An ironic ending, often grim, was a key feature of each episode. But on rare occasions, such as "Christmas Bonus" broadcast on Christmas Day 1944, the plot's twist of fate caused the story to end happily for the protagonist. Bill Forman, a veteran radio announcer, had the title role of the Whistler for the longest period of time. Others who portrayed the Whistler at various times were

Gale Gordon Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfiste ...

Joseph Kearns Joseph Sherrard Kearns
TV Guide. July 15–21, 1961, Savetheorgan.org; retrieved September 28, 2011.

Marvin Miller Marvin Julian Miller (April 14, 1917 – November 27, 2012) was an American baseball executive who served as the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 to 1982. Under Miller's direction, the players ...

(announcer for the show, who occasionally filled in for Forman and played supporting roles), and Bill Johnstone (who had the title role on radio's ''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

'' from 1938 to 1943). Cast members included

Betty Lou Gerson Betty Lou Gerson (April 20, 1914 – January 12, 1999) was an American actress, predominantly active in radio but also in film and television and as a voice actress. She is best known as the original voice of Cruella de Vil from the Disney anima ...

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's ''Dudle ...

Joseph Kearns Joseph Sherrard Kearns
TV Guide. July 15–21, 1961, Savetheorgan.org; retrieved September 28, 2011.

Cathy Lewis Catherine Lee Lewis (December 27, 1916 – November 20, 1968) was an American actress on radio, film, and television. She is remembered best for numerous radio appearances but also noted for making a number of film and television appearances in ...

, Elliott Lewis,Dunning (1998), 719–720.
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Gerald Mohr Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows. Early years Mohr wa ...

Lurene Tuttle Lurene Tuttle (August 29, 1907 – May 28, 1986) was an American actress and acting coach, who made the transition from vaudeville to radio, and later films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's more versatile a ...

and

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Joe Friday, Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise) ...

. Writer-producer J. Donald Wilson established the tone of the show during its first two years, and he was followed in 1944 by producer-director George Allen. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. Of the 692 episodes, over 200 no longer exist. In 1946, a local

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

version of ''The Whistler'' with local actors (including Everett Clarke as the Whistler) aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer.

Films and television

Films

''The Whistler'' was adapted into a

series of eight films by

. The "Voice of the Whistler" was provided by an uncredited Otto Forrest. In the first seven films, veteran actor

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

played the main character in the story—a different character in each film. In the eighth film, made after Dix's retirement, Michael Duane played the main character. * ''

The Whistler ''The Whistler'' is an American radio mystery drama which ran from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955, on the west-coast regional CBS radio network. The show was also broadcast in Chicago and over Armed Forces Radio. On the west coast, it w ...

'' – 1944, directed by

William Castle William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Orphaned at 11, Castle dropped out of high school at 15 to work in the theater. He came to the attenti ...

* ''

The Mark of the Whistler ''The Mark of the Whistler'', (aka ''The Marked Man'') is a 1944 American mystery film noir based on the radio drama ''The Whistler''. Directed by William Castle, the production features Richard Dix, Porter Hall and Janis Carter. It is the second ...

'' – 1944, directed by William Castle * ''

The Power of the Whistler ''The Power of the Whistler'' is a 1945 film noir thriller film based on the radio drama ''The Whistler''. Directed by Lew Landers, the production features Richard Dix. It is the third of Columbia Pictures' eight " Whistler" films produced in ...

'' – 1945, directed by

Lew Landers Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director. Biography Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, ...

* ''

Voice of the Whistler ''Voice of the Whistler'' is a 1945 American mystery film noir directed by William Castle and starring Richard Dix, Lynn Merrick, and Rhys Williams. It was the fourth of Columbia Pictures' eight " Whistler" films produced in the 1940s, all based ...

'' – 1945, directed by William Castle * ''

Mysterious Intruder ''Mysterious Intruder'' is a 1946 American mystery film noir based on the radio drama ''The Whistler''. Directed by William Castle, the production features Richard Dix, Barton MacLane and Nina Vale. It is the fifth of Columbia Pictures' eight " ...

'' – 1946, directed by William Castle * ''

The Secret of the Whistler ''The Secret of the Whistler'' is a 1946 American mystery film noir based on the radio drama '' The Whistler''. Directed by George Sherman, the production features Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks and Michael Duane. It is the sixth of Columbia Picture ...

'' – 1946, directed by

George Sherman George Sherman (July 14, 1908 – March 15, 1991) was an American film director and producer of low-budget Western films. One obituary said his "credits rival in number those of anyone in the entertainment industry." Biography George Sherma ...

* '' The Thirteenth Hour'' – 1947, directed by William Clemens * '' The Return of the Whistler'' – 1948, directed by D. Ross Lederman

Television

A syndicated TV version of ''

'' was produced and aired for a brief period in 1954. The Whistler was voiced by William Forman.

Cultural references

The Whistler was parodied in a 1964 episode of ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

'' titled "I Am the Fiddler" (season 14, episode 28). In the 1990 film ''

The Two Jakes ''The Two Jakes'' is a 1990 American neo-noir mystery crime drama film and the sequel to the 1974 film ''Chinatown''. Directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, it also features Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, Richard Farnsworth, Fre ...

'', set in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, the opening narrative of ''The Whistler'' can be heard on the car radio as private detective J.J. Gittes (played by Jack Nicholson) cruises the streets.

References

Bibliography

* Dunning, John. ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio''. Oxford University Press, 1998. . * Nachman, Gerald. ''Raised on Radio''. University of California Press, 2000. . * Pitts, Michael R. ''Famous Movie Detectives II''. Rowman & Littlefield, 1991. . * Renzi, Thomas C. ''Cornell Woolrich: From Pulp Noir to Film Noir''. McFarland Publishing, 2006. . * Van Neste, Dan. " The Whistler: Stepping Into the Shadows – A Columbia Film Series". BearManor Media, 2011. . * Wilt, David E. ''Hardboiled in Hollywood''. Popular Press, 1991. .

External links

''The Whistler''
at the OTR Network Library (79 radio episodes)
''The Whistler''
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

(450 radio episodes) {{DEFAULTSORT:Whistler, The 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs American radio dramas Film noir Films directed by William Castle Film series introduced in 1944 1954 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings 1950s American animated television series CBS Radio programs