Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons: A Complete History and Episode Log of Radio's Most Durable Detective

by Jim Cox

Overview

That "kindly old investigator," Mr. Keen, sought missing persons and unraveled crimes longer than any other fictional detective ever heard or seen on the air. For 18 years (1937-1955) and 1690 nationwide broadcasts, Keen and his faithful assistant Mike Clancy kept listeners coming back for more. The nearest competitor, Nick Carter, Master Detective, ran for 726 broadcasts.

This definitive history recounts the actors and creators behind the series, the changes the show underwent, and the development of the Mr. Keen character. A complete episode guide details all of the program's 1,690 broadcasts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786444946
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/30/2011
Series:	Genre/Detective & Mystery
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	374
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jim Cox, a leading radio historian, is an award-winning author of numerous books on the subject. A retired college professor, he lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Preface     
Chronology: A Mr. Keen Radio Almanac     

1. The Aural Sleuth: Murder and Mayhem on the Air     
2. Origins of a Supersleuth     
3. Lost and Found     
4. The Tracer as Chaser     
5. Funny Business     
6. Hired Guns     
7. Sold on Radio     
Radio Episode Guide     

Notes     
Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

Great job of research...writing is excellent...one of the most enduring shows of the classic period of radio”—Radio Recall; “comprehensive...what any book about old-time radio should be…definitely belongs in every OTR library”—SPERDVAC Radiogram; “exhaustively researched...superlative”—RadioGrams; “intensively and thoroughly researched...uncovered much new information...highly entertaining and enlightening”—Old-Time.com; “extensive amount of information...Cox has produced another great book...very thorough and well researched”—Illustrated Press; “many entertaining anecdotes...collectors will be intrigued”—Radio Historical Association of Colorado; “presenting a clear image of the characters, Jim Cox goes to extraordinary care and research to bring the reader as much as he can about Mr. Keen”—Penguin Comics Unlimited.

From the Publisher

...intensively and thoroughly researched...uncovered much new information...highly entertaining and enlightening...

Old-Time.com

...exhaustively researched...superlative...

RadioGrams

...Cox has done a great job of research...writing is excellent...a fine profile of one of the most enduring shows of the classic period of radio...

Radio Recall

comprehensive...what any book about old-time radio should be...definitely belongs in every OTR library

SPERDVAC Radiogram