The Saint Radio Program

Background

The first half of the twentieth century saw an explosion of several major detective and crime genre franchises, among them:

• 1887 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes
• 1915 Street & Smith's Nick Carter
• 1917 Louis Joseph Vance's The Lone Wolf
• 1919 Jack Boyle's Boston Blackie
• 1920 Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple
• 1925 Earl Derr Biggers' Charlie Chan
• 1928 Leslie Charteris' The Saint
• 1929 Frederic Mannay and Manfred Lee's Ellery Queen
• 1930 Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade, The Thin Man and The Fat Man
• 1934 Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe
• 1935 John P. Marquand's Mr. Moto
• 1939 Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe
• 1940 Michael Arlen's The Falcon

Of the above Leslie Charteris' character, Simon Templar, or 'The Saint' almost immediately captured the imagination of Great Depression America. Along with Boston Blackie, The Falcon and The Lone Wolf, Simon Templar as The Saint was cast in the Robin Hood mold of escapist adventure characters. The four great characters shared a murky, adventurous past, while eventually discarding their criminal ways and devoting the remainder of their 'careers' to looking out for the little guy, defending the downtrodden, and making their own brand of justice throughout their various fictional spheres.

Charteris proved to be one of the more prolific authors of the genre, eventually spawning at least 90 The Saint stories and novels. Charteris began writing for Paramount Studios in the 1930s and began writing for Radio in 1940, penning the 1941 series of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes over Radio.

The Saint began to appear in Film with 1938's The Saint in New York. The Film franchise eventually developed into eight highly successful features:

• 1938 The Saint in New York
• 1939 The Saint Strikes Back
• 1939 The Saint in London
• 1940 The Saint's Double Trouble
• 1940 The Saint Takes Over
• 1941 The Saint in Palm Springs
• 1941 The Saint's Vacation
• 1943 The Saint Meets the Tiger

1953's The Saint's Return starred Louis Hayward, Film's first Simon Templar, but was a somewhat lackluster attempt to revive the Film franchise. It was also an attempt to capitalize on a resurgence of interest in the character following six years of The Saint over Radio.

The Saint first appeared in Radio in 1940 over Radio Athlone in Ireland. Radio Athlone's powerful transmitters broadcast The Saint throught the United Kingdom, often being picked up in The Netherlands and France. British Stage actor Terence De Marney was Radio's first Simon Templar. It wasn't until 1945 that The Saint aired over American Radio. Two of the scripts from the Radio Athlone run were adapted for the Leslie Charteris-penned Brian Aherne run over CBS in the Summer of 1945.

The Saint owed it's debut over Radio to the extraordinary success of the Ellery Queen franchise. Ellery Queen had become so popular over Radio that it priced itself out of a sponsor. Emerson Drug, the maker of Bromo-Seltzer, decided that it would be more economical for them to abandon their Ellery Queen sponsorship over NBC and innaugurate a new series at a much lower cost. And so it was that Emerson Drug, Leslie Charteris, and producer/agent James Saphier brought the package to air over NBC for a three-month run between January and April 1945.

The Saint premieres over American Radio

Brilliant Stage, Screen and Radio actor Edgar Barrier got the nod to star in The Saint's debut over NBC. One of Radio's most prolific actors, Edgar Barrier was an interesting choice for the role. The role also allowed him to remain in New York as he began preparations for 1946's The Magnificent Yankee at the Royale Theatre. Barrier was aided by John Brown as Inspector Fernack and Ken Christy as Templar's sidekick, Hoppy. Crime genre veteran William P. Rousseau produced the short-lived series with Leslie Charteris supervising the scripting. The Edgar Barrier series was abruptly discontinued after its first order of thirteen episodes, replaced by Robert Q. Lewis's comedy and talk show.

Interest in The Saint remained high enough that when it came time for Campbells Soup to consider a Summer replacement for their The Jack Carson Show, they struck a deal with the James Saphier Agency and Charteris to air The Saint during the Summer of 1945. Tall, handsome, urbane Film star Brian Aherne was tapped for the Summer Replacement run of The Saint. The move to CBS brought far better promotion for the series and Aherne was supported by Louise Arthur as erstwhile love interest Patricia Holm, Ken Christy as 'Hoppy' Uniatz, Templar's sidekick, and Ted von Eltz as Inspector Fernack. To add to the luster of the series, no less than William N. Robson was selected to produce and direct the series and Leith Stevens scored the music. Leslie Charteris was given the writing credit for much of the Summer series.

Though it was hinted that The Jack Carson Show might not return, by September, Campbells, CBS and Carson had apparently renewed their interest in each other and The Saint over Radio languished for another two years.

Local CBS flagship station KNX was the next regional outlet to air The Saint over Radio. Beginning in July of 1947, KNX inaugurated the most widely collected and successful franchise of The Saint, this time starring Vincent Price as Simon Templar. The selection of Vincent Price was an interesting choice. Price's popularity in Film was undisputed. Throughout World War II he'd donated a great deal of his time and talent to promoting entertainment features for American and U.N. Forces overseas. By then having expanded his resume to light comedy, adventure, film noir and straight dramatic roles, Simon Templar might have appeared to have been an unlikely characterization for the multi-talented Price.

Several of the crime and detective genre Radio programs had already popularized comedy - adventure - detective genre programs. Among them, The Thin Man, Let George Do It, Sam Spade Detective and Mr. And Mrs. North had proven to be the most entertaining of the genre. Tempering the murder and mayhem with clever throwaway lines and comedic or romantic interplay between the characters proved to be a popular, if not critical, success factor in many of these programs.

The scripts for Vincent Price's The Saint were a mixutre of light comedy, mystery, and crime drama. Price's light hearted approach to the portrayal, combined with his comparative soft-spoken delivery of his characterization met with mixed reviews. Given that the Vincent Price canon of The Saint didn't reach a national audience until 1950, reviews of his portrayal of Simon Templar didn't really appear until late-1950 and early 1951, when the series had almost run its course over The Golden Age of Radio era.

With little to compare them with, comparisons and contrasts between the various interpretations of The Saint remain impractical. One can reasonably imagine that Edgar Barrier's portrayal of Simon Templar would have been delivered in a somewhat more stentorian, sinister tone than those of his American successors to the Radio franchise. Brian Aherne might well have been the ideal candidate to portray Simon Templar, but there are presently no exemplars of his portrayal in wide circulation.

Indeed the only comparisons currently available are between the fifty Vincent Price exemplars, the two Barry Sullivan fill-in appearances, and the five Tom Conway exemplars in circulation. Those who favored the portrayals of The Saint in Film would have an understandable preference for Tom Conway, George Sanders' brother, in the role. Unfortunately, the Tom Conway portrayals of The Saint came during a time when Conway was battling an addiction to alcohol. It's been reported that at least one of the episodes of the Tom Conway run required ensemble cast member Larry Dobkin to fill in for Conway at the last minute due to Conway's unscheduled absence.

The author of this article candidly preferred the Tom Conway portrayals of Simon Templar to those of Vincent Price, while at the same time admitting that Price's portrayals were the far more polished of and light-hearted of the two actors for the period.

Production details, observations and comparisons

The format of the Vincent Price run of The Saint also bears a bit of exposition. The signature theme of The Saint over Radio opened all of the Vincent Price canon and beyond. Any sponsor messages usually prefaced the signature whistle and opening theme. The Trim Hair Tonic-sponsored regional run of The Saint from CBS' KNX studios provided three sponsor messages: one at the open, one in the middle and one near the close. From that run forward, Vincent Price would customarily close the program with a personal message directed at one of several pet causes. Though it's not currently known if this was at Price's request or the producers', one can well imagine Vincent Price requesting the closing appeal. The formula continued through the Mutual rebroadcasts and the move to NBC in June of 1950.

Vincent Price goes over a The Saint script During the 1948 Fall Season

Vincent Price's closing comments were generally directed toward social issues of the era: race, ethnic and religious discrimination, tolerance and worthy causes of the era. Price at first tied his closing message to the theme of the preceding script. By the later scripts, Vincent Price simply closed with whatever social comment he felt most compelled to address. The comments were clearly heartfelt and sincere. Vincent Price's entire career was a tribute to any number of deeply felt causes and efforts to promote tolerance and unity throughout the world. In that light, Price's portrayals of The Saint must be taken at face value. Perhaps not widely perceived as the rock'em sock'em type of actor, Price could certainly portray the most sinister of characters to the glee of any Vincent Price fan of the era. Indeed, it was Price's wide appeal that brought him to the role in the first place.

Leslie Charteris himself clearly approved of the choice of Price and it's clear that as the Price canon progressed, the scripts were tailored as much to Price's off-screen persona and interests as to his on-screen and over-Radio performances. The plots involved stolen art works, society murders, actresses and actors, corrupt politicians at the highest levels, and the creme de la creme of the era's culture--all fitting manifestations of Price's unique characterization of Simon Templar.

On the production side of the Vincent Price run, the series was directed by Thomas McAvity and Helen Mack, for the most part. McAvity married Helen Mack in 1940 and the couple enjoyed a highly successful career producing, writing and directing for Radio. As such, McAvity directed most of the earlier Vincent Price episodes and Helen Mack most of the later scripts.

With the exception of the Brian Aherne Summer run over CBS James Saphier produced the entire canon of The Saint aired over American airwaves. The Brian Aherne run was produced and directed by William N. Robson with Saphier acting as the agent for the franchise, or executive producer. The entire canon therefore bears Saphier's stamp. Leslie Charteris was, himself, involved to one degree or another in the entire collective canon of The Saint over Radio, including it's earliest airing over Radio Athlone. Charteris, by the mid-1940s had become an accomplished screen and radio writer in addition to his other multiple talents. The combination of Charteris' script supervision or direct involvement and Saphier's production of the entire canon to one degree or another continued to maintain the highest production standards through every incarnation of The Saint over Radio.

In addition to Charteris, the writing for the series remained of a high standard throughout the Radio canon. Both Louis Vittes and Michael Cramoy went on to successful Television writing careers after The Saint. Helen Mack also reportedly wrote for the series as well as Sidney Marshall, Larry Roman and even Dick Powell.

As must be apparent from the credits below, whether produced on the East Coast or the West Coast, The Saint attracted some of Radio's finest voice and acting talents. Among the various ensemble members of the cast over the years were Tony Barrett, William Conrad, Betty Lou Gerson, Peter Leeds, Ken Christy, Ted Von Eltz, Larry Dobkin, Sheldon Leonard, Ted Osborne and Louise Arthur. Ken Christy transitioned to each rendition of The Saint over American airwaves in one capacity or another.

The Saint made the transition to Television in 1962 with Roger Moore in the starring role. Somewhat more campy than the Radio and Film renditions of The Saint, Moore nevertheless owned the characterization after a couple of seasons. The Television series ran for seven years. The Television incarnation of The Saint employed a great deal of expostion from Roger Moore's Simon Templar, much in the mold of the better film noir and radio noir depictions of sleuths of the 1940s and 1950s. The technique worked and for two generations, most Saint fans identified Roger Moore most closely with the role.

1962 wasn't the end of the line for The Saint and its, by then, 35-year franchise. The Saint returned as 'The Son of The Saint' in a short-lived 1979 attempt to revive the character over Television. Starring Ian Ogilvy, the series ran in the U.K. as an ITC Television feature for twenty-four episodes. The Saint surfaced yet again ten years later in a poorly received series of six 1-hour or 2-hour revivals over Canadian Television. Starring Simon Dutton, the series was criticized as over-produced and under-written.

The BBC revived The Saint in a short, 1995 series of three The Saint programs in a 60-minute format. The BBC series starred Paul Rhys as Simon Templar and Kim Thompson as Templar's love interest, Patricia Holm. The series was dramatized by Neville Teller and Roger Danes. The BBC run was very well produced and adapted from three of Leslie Charteris' most popular novellas and stories. The BBC also included The Saint in its three-season retrospective of 'The Radio Detectives' produced and narrated by Professor Jeffrey Richards. The Saint retrospective was titled "Enter The Saint."

The last rendition of The Saint over an audiovisual medium was Val Kilmer's 1997 depiction of The Saint. By far the most over-reaching of any previous incarnation of the character, it was glitzy, full of CGI and bore, for the most part, no resemblance whatsoever to the underlying character of the previous sixty years.

Given the longevity and popularity of Simon Templar and his adventures, there's no reason to believe we've heard, read or seen the last of The Saint. All the elements are there: adventure, the Robin Hood ethos, the classy digs, and the insouciance, humor and the versatility of the main character. We haven't heard the last of Simon Templar by any measure. Leslie Charteris' fascinating character lives on in the imagination of millions of fans.

Series Derivatives:

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were the log of the radioGOLDINdex and newspaper listings.

Our advice remains the same as always: there is no rational, justifiable reason to rely on the commercially motivated interests of a commercial vintage recording reseller for accurate dates, episode numbers or titles.

The radioGOLDINdex as well cites a couple of alleged transcriptions that are misdated or misidentified, which we'll address futher below. Most of the work on the The Saint canon has been done and re-done by The Saint Club and its various online incarnations. While we acknowledge the amount of scholarship The Saint Club has put into its research, there remain a few anomalies in its findings. We would also preface the following with the fact that, although The Saint Club cites their 'official' titles as having been sourced from studio scripts, nowhere do they publish those results for peer scrutiny. While we applaud their scholarship and have no verifiable means to doubt their assertions, a few anomalies beg the question of the validity of those 'official' titles:

• The Saint Club previously cited two episodes, one after the other, from the 1950 NBC run . . .
  • 50-08-20 Dossier On A Damsel In Distress
  • 50-08-22 The Case of The Lonesome Slab
• Both titles refer to the underlying plot of the circulating 50-08-20 episiode. That episode can be dated three different ways from the closing announcements:
  • Don Stanley announces Sam Spade to follow. An episode of Sam Spade did, indeed follow The Saint in the NBC lineup for 50-08-20
  • Don Stanley announces NBC's Summer Symphony to follow Sam Spade, featuring Helen Traubel and Vladimir Golschmann: both artists were scheduled to appear on the NBC Summer Symphony on 50-08-20
  • Don Stanley announces the network's recognition of Radio station WWJ, Detroit, on its 30th Anniversary in broadcasting: according to The Detroit News' own 1922 publication, WWJ turned on its transmitters for the first time on August 20, 1920, making August 20, 1950 the exact 30th Anniversary of the station
• But The Saint Club previously cited yet another episode of The Saint dated 50-08-22 and titled The Case of The Lonesome Slab immediately following their chronological entry for 50-08-20, Dossier On A Damsel In Distress: there is no record of an NBC affiliate airing an episode of The Saint on 50-08-22.
• There was, however an episode dated January 22, 1950, titled The Case of The Lonesome Slab. It's quite possible that the two entries became corrupted on that page.

Both titles--Dossier On A Damsel In Distress and The Case of The Lonesome Slab--can be plausible titles for the plot of the circulating Dossier On A Damsel In Distress. To further complicate matters, the radioGOLDINdex cites a transcription dated 50-01-22, which Goldin cites as NBC Net origination. NBC didn't begin airing The Saint until June 11, 1950. That dated transcription, if accurately annotated, would have to have been from the Mutual Net canon. And if indeed the recording from that transcription contained the same announcement cited above it couldn't possibly have been dated correctly.

Another point of confusion revolves around the episode The Saint is No Santa Clause anecdotally referred as The Nineteen Santa Clauses. The overwhelming majority of circulating exemplars dated 49-12-25 contain an announcement at the close for the Christmas Program of The Big Show and an annoucement that Vincent Price is 'soon to be seen' in His Kind of Woman (1951). Therefore that 49-12-25 date could not possibly be accurate.

We don't pronounce our Golden Age Radio research as 'certified' anything. By the very definition, research is imperfect. We simply tell the truth. As is our continuing practice, we provide our fully provenanced research results--to the extent possible--right here on the page, for any of our peers to review--or refute--as the case may be. If you take issue with any of our findings, you're welcome to cite any better verifiable source(s) and we'll immediately review them and update our findings accordingly. As more verifiable provenances surface, we'll continue to update the following series log, as appropriate.

All rights reserved by their respective sources. Article and log copyright 2010 The Digital Deli Online--all rights reserved. Any failure to attribute the results of this copywritten work will be rigorously pursued.

[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.]