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The Green Hornet

Usage: CC0 1.0 Universal

Topics: old-time radio, The Green Hornet, crime drama, juvenile adventure

Classified as a juvenile crime drama but written and acted with more adult style than most of the breed, "The Green Hornet"---whose protagonist fought crime by infiltrating or even partnering (initially) with known criminal operations, which deceive police into believing him a wanted criminal himself---was the creation of George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, the brains and head writer behind "The Lone Ranger" (whose protagonist, according to storyline, was the great-uncle of Britt Reid, the heir who assumed control of the Daily Sentinel newspaper publisher and takes the crimefighting guise of the Green Hornet).

The show originated from Detroit WXZY in 1936 and was picked up for network broadcast by Mutual in 1938; NBC Blue Network (later ABC) picked up the show in 1939. "The Green Hornet" left radio as an actively-produced series in 1952, though reruns of several shows were known to have aired as late as 1954.

Britt Reid/The Green Hornet: Al Hodge (1936-1943); Donovan Faust (1943); Bob Hall (1944-51); Jack McCarthy (1951-1952).
Kato: Tokutaro Hayashi (a.k.a. Raymond Toyo); Rollon Parker; Michael Tolan.
Lenore Case, Reid's secretary and occasional Sentinel photographer: Leonore Allman.
Michael Axford, a Sentinel reporter: Jim Irwin (1936-1938); Gil Shea (1938-1952).
Ed Lowry, another Sentinel reporter: Jac Petruzzi.
Newsboy (who closed each episode, almost invariably, by shouting the headlines after the crime is solved, ending habitually with "Green Hornet Still at Large!!"): Rollon Parker.

Addeddate: 2010-11-29 19:24:06

Boxid: OL100020611

External_metadata_update: 2019-04-17T06:44:41Z

Identifier: TheGreenHornet

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Reviews

Reviewer: llee611838 - - April 22, 2023
Subject: Miss Case

Thank you for preserving and sharing these old radio dramas. I notice that Leonore Allman (Miss Case) does not have her dates as some of the other actors do in the description. She lived from 1908-1989.

Reviewer: GPAltaBob - - November 23, 2017
Subject: Memories

Wow, these bring back memories! I used to listen to The Green Hornet on radio with my Dad back in the late 1940s and very early 50s! Dad passed away nearly 30 years ago but listening to some of these shows is almost like being back in time with him!

Reviewer: EasyAceMCMLV - - August 8, 2017
Subject: Note to Aquilla

Aquilla---Kato never addressed the Hornet as "Mr. Britt" or "Mr. Reid" publicly, only when they were alone together. It sounds as though he did it in public because of some of the sonic ambience of the show, but he only ever did so when they were alone.

Reviewer: Aquilla - - August 8, 2017
Subject: Good but strange

I've liked the Green Hornet since the TV show in the Sixties. It really peaked my interest when I learned he was related to the Lone Ranger.
As I listened to these shows I wondered if his identity was a secret, why did kato so often call the Hornet "mr. Britt" in public? Didn't the writers notice that?

Reviewer: jax1col - - February 18, 2017
Subject: Green Hornet Rocks!

Great half hour shows, excellent pastime listening!

Reviewer: Charlie Heinz - - July 30, 2013
Subject: Mike Wallace was once announcer for "The Green Hornet"

Famed "60 Minutes" TV news show correspondent was for a while previously the announcer for "The Green Hornet" radio program.

These shows are in pretty good shape. They do need some mid range boost and low frequency cut at times from the few shows I'm hearing now. Like "The Lone Ranger," the shows used classical music passages for production music cues. However TGH tried to use different cues. Music from Stravinsky's "The Firebird" is often used.

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