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6:06 a.m. - 2021-11-18
I LOVE A MYSTERY
"I Love A Mystery" was a popular radio program heard from 1939 to 1944. Written by Carlton E Morse, it dealt with the A-1 Detective Agency ("specialists in adventure and mystery" and its three members Jack Packard, Doc Long, and Reggie York. Standalone stories aired from Monday to Friday and might contain as few as 8 or as many as 25 episodes of 15 to 30 minutes each. When the actor who played Reggie York committed suicide, Morse could not bring himself to replace him, and the character no longer appeared in the stories. The role of Jerry Booker, the agency's secretary, was expanded in his absence. In the episodes I've heard, Jack is the brains of the outfit, Reggie is physically powerful, and Doc provides comic relief. In one episode the taciturn Jack asks him, "Doc, don't you realize how serious this is?" Doc is also the only member of the team who displays an avid interest in the opposite sex. "If it wasn't for women, you'd be a top notch sidekick," Jack tells him. All three characters seem to enjoy the dangers they face and have a more or less carefree attitude. At the beginning of "The Thing that Cries in the Night," they are determined to spend the reward money they earned in the previous adventure as quickly as possible. The stories are an entertaining combination of mystery and adventure, with hints of the supernatural, told with humor and occasional outlandishness, and a healthy dose of exotic locales.

Only two complete stories are still available in their original form: "The Thing that Cries in the Night" and "Bury Your Dead, Arizona." There is abundant speculation on social media as to the whereabouts of the other stories, but no actual facts seem to be offered in support of the many theories. In 1989 Bud Carey's Old Radio Theater re-created missing episodes of "Temple of Vampires," filling in the gaps of an otherwise incomplete record; and in 1996 Jim Harmon Productions did a remake of "The Fear that Creeps Like a Cat" with Les Tremayne as Jack, Tony Clay as Doc, and Frank Bresee as Reggie. Reggie's British accent is almost non-existent; his nationality is to be inferred by his use of the phrase, "Oh, I say . . ." Strangely, Clay, who plays the Texan Doc, is British, born in Kent.

A black and white film version appeared in 1945, starring Jim Bannon as Jack and Barton Yarborough as Doc, both men repeating their radio roles. Two more movies were added to the series: "The Devil's Mask" and "The Unknown." I've seen the first two, and they are entertaining but lacking the sense of humor and camaraderie that was central to the radio series. Jack is definitely in charge, with Doc as his occasionally comic sidekick. The stories are entertaining, with nourish atmosphere, but lack the sense of fun that radio listeners might have come to expect.

The latest and perhaps final installment in the series was a TV movie made in 1967 but not released until 1973. The producers decided to make a campy, farcical comedy, unfortunately so, in my opinion. In the 1960s there were many TV series that took a spoofing approach: "Batman," "Get Smart," "The Man from UNCLE," "The Wild, Wild West," and "The Avengers," and the ILAM movie seems to hope to emulate these. The plot is primarily based on "The Thing that Cries in the Night," with some elements taken from "The Fear that Creeps Like A Cat." Jack, Doc, and Reggie are well-meaning goofballs, seemingly having more in common with the Ritz Brothers than their own radio prototypes. Jack, an earnest Boy Scout type, provides most of the comedy, while Doc and Reggie are ill-defined and not particularly entertaining as characters. The A-1 boys wear identical, monogrammed, double-breasted blazers in an adventure set in a creepy old mansion with dungeons, secret passages, and abundant taxidermy. People who grew up reading the dark and atmospheric Batman comics and then found themselves watching the Adam West TV version will probably be able to empathize with ILAM fans seeing the TV movie for the first time.

Classic radio programs have a mixed record when moving to other media. "The Shadow" never produced a satisfying movie adaptation, while programs like "Dragnet" and "Gunsmoke" were highly successful in their TV versions. ILAM, which probably had most of its appeal to adolescent boys, is most entertaining as a radio program, though the 1940s movies aren't all that bad. ILAM has been credited as an inspiration for "The Adventures of Scooby-Doo," and I think it's influence can also be seen in the Warner Brothers detective series such as "77 Sunset Strip." It can be appreciated from the standpoint of nostalgia, but seems to have run its course as a vehicle for entertainment.

 

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