The Jeff Regan, Investigator Radio Program

Background and Introduction

Jeff Regan, Investigator first debuted as 'Joe Canto, Private Eye' on July 10, 1948. The subsequent week it debuted, yet again, as "Jeff Regan, Private Eye." By the time that CBS radio station KNX and the local newspapers ended up on the same page, the series was finally listed as Jeff Regan, Investigator. Over the years the newspaper listings often listed the program as simply Jeff Regan, Jeff Regan Det., or Jeff Regan Detective. Two titles that they never--ever--employed were the Lyon's Eye or Lion's Eye titles bantied about for the past thirty-seven years of the commercialization of vintage radio recordings as 'otr' or 'old time radio.' Those of you who've believed that malarkey for the past forty years can finally stop looking for anything named either Lyon's Eye or Lion's Eye. Those two program names never--ever--existed, nor were they ever employed to either list or describe the program.

'Joe Canto,' referred to in the first listed debut of the program, was a fellow International Detective Bureau operative who worked directly with operative Jeff Regan in at least two scripts and by reference in at least two other scripts. The actor who portrayed Joe Canto was Radio legend Barton Yarborough, famous for his various Radio associations with Carlton E. Morse, in One Man's Family, I Love A Mystery, and Adventures By Morse. Yarborough was also Jack Webb's sidekick, 'Sgt. Ben Romero,' for the first 133 episodes of Webb's legendary Dragnet program over Radio. Yarborough was tapped to be Webb's first sidekick in the Television version of Dragnet, but tragically suffered a massive heart-attack the night after the proposed second film production of the Television series was in the can.

Joe Canto, Private Eye might have been a quite similar rendition of Jeff Regan, Investigator. Yarborough certainly had the talent for it. But thankfully, Jeff Regan, Investigator began as another Jack Webb vehicle of the era--this time for CBS.

Jack Webb was riding a wave of predominantly West Coast buzz from his previous radio noir vehicles, Pat Novak . . . for Hire (1946) and Johnny Madero, Pier 23 (1947). With Jeff Regan, Investigator, Jack Webb's terse, innovative, staccato dialogue would finally reach an audience beyond the Rockies. It would also unite Jack Webb and Barton Yarborough for the first time in a regularly scheduled detective drama--a precursor to their extraordinary success together in Webb's later Dragnet program over Radio.

Jeff Regan and Joe Canto (Webb and Yarborough) were 'operatives' for the International Detective Bureau, a small private investigations firm in downtown Los Angeles, with often oversized ambitions. The oversized ambitions existed, for the most part, in the mind of Anthony J. Lyon, Esq. (Wilms Herbert). Lyon, a defrocked ambulance-chasing lawyer, assumed the lofty title of President of the International Detective Bureau in an effort to attract more upscale clients. The International in the title of the firm was simply more pretentious window-dressing. As far as we're aware, no operative of the firm ever left the U.S., with the possible exception of a brief excursion across the Mexico border to Tijuana. Indeed, we're aware of only a handful of 'operatives' ever mentioned during the run of the series.

At this point we need to separate the background and production details of Jeff Regan, Investigator into what amounted to two very different productions--the orignal 1948 run of twenty-four programs, and the subsequent 1949 to 1950 run of Jeff Regan, Investigator, which consisted of an initial order of fifty-two installments, but tragically ended at only forty-seven.

The original Jeff Regan, Investigator (1948)

Jack Webb and roommate Richard L. Breen had escaped the San Francisco Bay area, KGO, and ABC when professional differences obliged Breen to exit from Webb, Breen, and William P. Rousseau's highly successful production of Pat Novak . . . for Hire after only twenty-four programs. The details of the kerfuffle remain obscure, but they were apparently significant enough for Breen to split for Tinseltown almost overnight. Webb reportedly followed him the following day, driving down to stay with his Mom in Santa Monica until the details of any futher professional collaborations in Hollywood could be hashed out.

Webb and Breen's fortunes took an upswing when Don-Lee Mutual offered to produce a Pat Novak . . . for Hire clone, Johnny Madero, Pier 23, from the Don-Lee studios. The Hollywood gig reportedly enabled Jack Webb to marry Julie London, a Jazz songstress and actress with her own rising star. Breen and Webb cranked out the concept for Johnny Madero, Pier 23, quite intentionally in the mold of Pat Novak . . . for Hire, but the writing credit for most of the programs went to the talented writing team of Herb Margolis and Lou Morheim.

Johnny Madero was Webb's first genuinely national exposure with the genre--and his first leading role before a national audience. But Johnny Madero, Pier 23 had been ordered as a summer run only. Once the series ended, Jack Webb ended up freelancing around the studios in an effort to either break into Film or hook up with another Radio vehicle. The irony was that while demand for more of Pat Novak . . . for Hire remained unabated, Webb couldn't find another gig in Hollywood after completing Johnny Madero, Pier 23.

Jack Webb eventually impressed CBS enough that they offered him another national audience with their production of Jeff Regan, Investigator. Jeff Regan, Investigator would come with all the bells and whistles of any CBS Hollywood-originating series. Webb was given the talents of E. Jack Neuman to help write the series and Webb sought, and obtained the talents of Barton Yarborough and Wilms Herbert, two of Radio's most versatile--and underrated--character actors to co-star in the vehicle.

With the launch of the 1948 run of Jeff Regan, Webb settled in to yet another opportunity to showcase his snappy, compelling--and by then, oft-imitated--delivery to another, much larger national audience. As briefly described above, the ensemble cast consisted of Jack Webb as Jeff Regan, Wilms Herbert as his money-grubbing boss, Anthony J. Lyon, and Barton Yarborough as fellow operative and comrade in arms, Joe Canto, at the International Detective Bureau. Laurette Fillbrandt makes an occasional repeat appearance as Lyon's beleagured private secretary, Melody.

With the CBS Hollywood connection, came some of the finest West Coast Radio talent then available for supporting casts, among them: Betty Lou Gerson, Harry Lang, Lou Krugman, Ken Christy, Hans Conried, Jeff Chandler, William Conrad, Berry Kroeger, Marvin Miller, Paul Frees, Wally Maher, Lureen Tuttle, Herb Butterfield, Gloria Blondell, John Hoyt, Larry Dobkin, Paul Dubov and Herb Vigran.

Del Castillo and his electric organ provided the initial underscore for the series and it was announced by Bob Stevenson and Bob Lemond. Gordon T. Hughes and Sterling Tracy produced and directed the 1948 run. Dick Aurandt later assumed the musical scoring for the 1948 run.

Fans of the Jack Webb gumshoe vehicles that preceded Jeff Regan, Investigator may have noticed the abscence of 'father confessor' or foil in the Jeff Regan canon. Tudor Owen had portrayed Jocko Madigan in Pat Novak . . . for Hire and Gale Gordon portrayed Father Leahy in Johnny Madero, Pier 23. For Jeff Regan, Investigator, Barton Yarborough's character, Joe Canto, served in that role on rare occasions, but it in Jeff Regan, Investigator, Jack Webb was allowed to pretty much go his own way for the 1948 run--but not for lack of a fascinating array of interesting clients, in any case. Nor were fans of Webb's signature metaphors, aphorisms and euphemisms disappointed in the least.

Upon completion of the 1948 run of Jeff Regan, Investigator, Jack Webb began production of the Pat Novak . . . for Hire revival run of 1949 for ABC in Hollywood, while simultaneously undertaking preparations for his most ambitious project, Dragnet.

The Jeff Regan, Investigator run of 1949-1950

After Jack Webb's departure from Jeff Regan, Investigator the demand for the series remained high, but it wasn't until October 1949 that CBS regrouped for another season of Jeff Regan, Investigator, with a new cast and lead--talented young actor and voice talent, Frank Graham. Frank Graham was only a few years older than Jack Webb at the time, had tremendous range and versatility, and had been making an increasing name for himself as a CBS announcer and actor and with increasing voice work in Animation features of the era. He was also one of the handful of voice talents of the era referred to as a 'Man of a Thousand Voices.'

Supporting Frank Graham in the revival of Jeff Regan, Investigator were Radio legend, Frank Nelson in the role of Anthony J. Lyon, and Jim Backus in various roles. On the production side, the revival was produced by Sterling Tracy, with writing support from E. Jack Neuman and Adrian Gendot, initially. Dick Aurandt continued with his original music, and Bob Stevenson continued as announcer. Writing chores were later turned over to William Fifield, William Froug and Gilbert Thomas.

The scripts for the revival series were as entertaining and compelling as in the original run, but Frank Graham, though certainly talented enough in the role of Jeff Regan, wasn't Jack Webb. The backchat and byplay between Graham and Frank Nelson as Anthony J. Lyon was the better for Frank Nelson's contributions. Indeed, had the original series never aired with Jack Webb and Wilms Herbert in the leading roles, there's every expectation that Frank Graham and Frank Nelson would have gone down in Radio history as the definitive starring duo of the series.

Jack Webb had left big shoes to fill in the Jeff Regan role. Young Frank Graham, for his part, had begun producing his own promising series with the unlikely title, Satan's Waitin'--a prophetic title, given the events of 1950--with partner Van Des Autels. And although Jeff Regan, Investigator continued to do well, listening audiences had just experienced the revival of Pat Novak . . . for Hire during the Spring and Summer of 1949. Thus, Jack Webb's continuing presence in a similar role left an even more noticeable contrast between Frank Graham's portrayal of Jeff Regan and Webb's very similar roles as the previous Jeff Regan, as Johnny Madero, and as Pat Novak the second time around.

There's every expectation that, once Frank Graham had become Jeff Regan in the role that the series might well have continued for at least one more season beyond 1950. The Hooper numbers for the series were strong, the ensemble cast was growing into their respective starring and recurring roles, and the writing was as crisp, clever and ironic as ever. But as the series neared the end of its run for 1950, tragedy struck the production.

Frank Graham, by all contemporary accounts, was on the fast track to a highly successful career in Radio, Television and Animation. His voice talent was in great demand in Animation, his success with CBS as an announcer, narrator, actor and producer was being noticed, and he was already being cited as an up and comer throughout the entertainment industry. But the morning newspapers of September 3, 1950 brought news totally at odds with everyone's expectations of Frank Graham's rising star. He was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning, apparently at his own hand, in the garage of his Hollywood Hills home. He was found clutching a photo of his current lady friend, Mildred Rossi, a talented young animator for the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Graham had apparently taken his own life in response to disappointment over the progress of his relationship with Ms. Rossi.

It is as yet unknown if the September 3 episode aired that evening. One would hope that it didn't, in any case. News paper accounts of Graham's suicide stated that CBS wouldn't be airing the night's episode of September 3rd 1950. The same accounts stated that CBS--and Graham--had completed "several more"--probably five--episodes, but didn't state if the network would be airning them.

In any case, that was the end of Jeff Regan, Investigator--literally and figuratively. A sad and utterly unnecessary end to an engaging series, to be sure, but also a simple reminder that the lives and adventures portrayed over Radio were performed by quite fallible human beings. CBS, for it's part, made no further effort to revive the series from that point forward.

In spite of the unexpected--and tragic--end of the series, the entire surviving Jeff Regan, Investigator canon remains one of Radio's most prized exemplars of the radio noir genre. With the possible exception of the Pete Kelly's Blues Summer run of 1951, Radio would never again hear the unique brand of satiric radio noir upon which Jack Webb and Richard Breen had left their indelible stamp.

Series Derivatives:

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were newspaper listings.

OTRisms:

During this effort we uncovered several new titles for the canon that actually aired. Most important among them was the title of the first episode, Doctor, Lawyer and Indian Chief. This puts to rest the notion that The Prodigal Daughter was the premiere episode.

As noted in the Dee-Scription, there was never--ever--any series titled either Lion's Eye, Lyon's Eye, or Jeff Regan, Lion's Eye. Don't waste another moment of time looking for them in Golden Age Radio history. They only ever existed in the minds of the commercial 'otr' community that invented the title to sell something that never existed in the first place. Nor should you believe any rubbish that states that Jeff Regan, Investigaor was 'reorganized' as "The Lion's Eye"--also a lie.

Frank Graham was a Radio producer himself. Therefore it's likely that the 1949-1950 run of Jeff Regan, Investigator would have been ordered as a 52-installment run. We have yet to determine if the September 3, 1950 performance of Jeff Regan, Investigator ever took place. We'll update the log appropriately whenever we can deterimine the facts one way or the other. If it had aired, it would have been the 47th installment, leaving only five more of the original commitment. Obviously, Frank Graham's premature demise foreclosed any possibility of completeing a 52-installment order.

In that same vein, there may yet be two more of the original Jack Webb run of Jeff Regan, Investigator that never aired--Episodes 25 and 26. We're still attempting to track them down.

We invite you to compare our fully provenanced research with the log from the '1,500 expert researchers' at the OTRR and their Jeff Regan, Investigator log, which the OTRR claims to be correct according to their 'OTTER log' they represent as the "most authoritative and accurate vintage Radio database in the world":

OTRRpedia

We've provided a screen shot of their current log for comparison, HERE to protect our own further due diligence, content and intellectual property.

The title for the first episode of "Joe Canto, Private Eye" was "Doctor, Lawyer and Indian Chief."

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[Date, title, and episode column annotations in red refer to either details we have yet to fully provenance or other unverifiable information as of this writing. Red highlights in the text of the 'Notes' columns refer to information upon which we relied in citing dates, date or time changes, or titles.]