''Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons'' was one of radio's longest running shows, airing October 12, 1937 to April 19, 1955, continuing well into the television era. It was produced by Frank and

Anne Hummert Anne Hummert (née Schumacher) (January 19, 1905 – July 5, 1996) was the leading co-creator of daytime radio serials or soap opera dramas during the 1930s and 1940s, responsible for more than three dozen series. Biography She was born in Balt ...

, who based it upon Robert W. Chambers' 1906 novel ''The Tracer of Lost Persons''. The sponsors included Whitehall Pharmacal (as in

Anacin Anacin is an American brand of analgesic that is manufactured by Prestige Consumer Healthcare. Anacin's active ingredients are aspirin and caffeine. History Anacin was invented by William Milton Knight and was first to be used as stated in the ...

, Kolynos Toothpaste, BiSoDol antacid mints, Hill's cold tablets and Heet liniment), Dentyne, Aerowax,

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

and

Chesterfield cigarettes Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette, named after Chesterfield County, Virginia. The brand is owned by conglomerate Altria and produced by its subsidiary Philip Morris USA. History Chesterfields, originally a blend of Turkish tobacco, Turkish an ...

. It aired on the NBC Blue network until 1947, when it switched to

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

Characters and story

Bennett Kilpack began as Mr. Keen in 1937 with Arthur Hughes and then Phil Clarke stepping into the role later in the series. The kindly Keen and his faithful assistant, Mike Clancy (Jim Kelly), entertained listeners for 18 years. With 1690 nationwide broadcasts, ''Mr. Keen'' was the most resilient private detective in a namesake role. The nearest competitors were '' Nick Carter, Master Detective'' (726 broadcasts), ''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, which h ...

'' (657) and '' The Adventures of the Falcon'' (473). Only 59 of the 1690 ''Mr. Keen'' programs are known to survive.Hickerson, Jay (1996). ''The New, Revised Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide to All Circulating Shows'', third edition. Richard Leonard directed scripts by Barbara Bates, Stedman Coles, Frank Hummert, Lawrence Klee and Bob Shaw. James Fleming and Larry Elliott were the announcers. Al Rickey's band provided the background music, including the program's theme, "

Someday I'll Find You "Someday I'll Find You" (sometimes printed as "Some Day I'll Find You") is a song with words and music by Noël Coward. It was introduced by Gertrude Lawrence and Coward in his 1930 play ''Private Lives''. The song has been recorded by various sing ...

", written by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

Satires

The cliches, stereotypes and simplistic dialogue provided much fodder for

Bob and Ray Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) *Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II *Bob the ...

's parody, ''Mr. Trace, Keener Than Most Persons'', broadcast in numerous variations. It was also combined with rival detective show ''

Martin Kane, Private Eye ''Martin Kane, Private Eye'' is an American crime drama radio programming, 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 ...

'' and satirized by

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ...

and Jack Davis in '' Mad'' magazine's fifth issue (June–July 1953), as ''Kane Keen! Private Eye''. The character of Mr. Keen was referenced by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

in one of his television shows, according to ''The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion'' by Patrik Wikstrom and Martin Grams, Jr. Mr. Keen is also mentioned in the stage version of ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The play's book was influenced by El ...

'' by the character Mr. Harry MacAfee, who was played by

Paul Lynde Paul Edward Lynde (; June 13, 1926January 10, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and game-show panelist. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his closeted homosexuality, Lynde was well know ...

. In the "Honeymooners" sketch, "Razor Blades", appearing on the October 12, 1951 episode of

Cavalcade of Stars ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMont Televisio ...

Ralph Kramden ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that 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 ...

cannot find his razor blades. When he questions

Alice Kramden ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that 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 ...

about it, she responds, "What am I? Mrs. Keen, Tracer of Lost Razor Blades?".

References

Listen to

Archive.org: ''Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons'' (all extant episodes)

External links

* ttp://030726d.netsolhost.com/WordPress/?p=49 Original novel (1906) – "Tracer of Lost Persons" cover and excerpts
"The Wife Who Ran Away," a short story based on ''Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons'', Radio and Television Mirror January 1941, beginning on page 6
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons 1937 radio programme debuts 1955 radio programme endings 1930s American radio programs 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs American radio dramas NBC Blue Network radio programs CBS Radio programs NBC radio programs Detective radio shows Radio programmes based on novels