THE WHISTLER "The Killers"

 

A man is sentenced to an insane asylum after murdering an entire family with an ax. Escaping from custody, he finds himself alone with three women and $1000 on an isolated farm. The rain beats down in torrents, and during the brief flashes of lightning, a certain stone building stands out in the darkness of the night, the courthouse of a southwestern state. This episode aired on May 1, 1943 on CBS Radio, west.

WHISTLER "Seeing Eye"

 

BILL FORMAN

MARVIN MILLER

"The Whistler" was an American radio program running for a total of 13 years from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. It was one of the most popular mystery dramas of its' time. Signal Oil Company sponsored the program. The marketing catch phrase was: "Let that whistle be your signal for the Signal Oil program, The Whistler." During the first two years of the show J. Donald Wilson was the writer and producer. During 1944 producer and director George Allen took over. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. 692 total episodes were produced. Over 200 of those episodes cannot be found and are no longer in existence. Episodes of The Whistler began with the ominous narration: I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. Those opening words were spoken along with the echo of footsteps and Wilbur Hatch's 13-note theme, whistled weekly by Dorothy Roberts for 13 years. Bill Forman had the title role of host and narrator. Others who portrayed the Whistler at various times were Gale Gordon (Lucille Ball's future television nemesis), Joseph Kearns (played Mr. Wilson on TV series Dennis the Menace), Marvin Miller (soon the announcer for The Bickersons and, later, television's Michael Anthony on The Millionaire), Bill Johnstone (who played The Shadow on radio 1938-1943) and Everett Clarke. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone by their own stupidity. Ironic twist endings were common, as they had been on the show that most obviously influenced it, The Shadow. The Whistler narrated, often commenting directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. The Whistler seldom featured any major Hollywood stars, but the quality of writing and performance made it a radio mainstay.

THE WHISTLER "Harvest Of Death"

 

MARVIN MILLER

"The Whistler" was an American radio program running for a total of 13 years from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. It was one of the most popular mystery dramas of its' time. Signal Oil Company sponsored the program. The marketing catch phrase was: "Let that whistle be your signal for the Signal Oil program, The Whistler." During the first two years of the show J. Donald Wilson was the writer and producer. During 1944 producer and director George Allen took over. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. 692 total episodes were produced. Over 200 of those episodes cannot be found and are no longer in existence. Episodes of The Whistler began with the ominous narration: I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. Those opening words were spoken along with the echo of footsteps and Wilbur Hatch's 13-note theme, whistled weekly by Dorothy Roberts for 13 years. Bill Forman had the title role of host and narrator. Others who portrayed the Whistler at various times were Gale Gordon (Lucille Ball's future television nemesis), Joseph Kearns (played Mr. Wilson on TV series Dennis the Menace), Marvin Miller (soon the announcer for The Bickersons and, later, television's Michael Anthony on The Millionaire), Bill Johnstone (who played The Shadow on radio 1938-1943) and Everett Clarke. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone by their own stupidity. Ironic twist endings were common, as they had been on the show that most obviously influenced it, The Shadow. The Whistler narrated, often commenting directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. The Whistler seldom featured any major Hollywood stars, but the quality of writing and performance made it a radio mainstay.

 

The WHISTLER Creation

 

The Whistler is an American radio mystery drama which ran from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955, on the west-coast regional CBS radio network. The show was also broadcast in Chicago and over Armed Forces Radio. On the west coast, it was sponsored by the Signal Oil Company: "That whistle is your signal for the Signal Oil program, The Whistler." There were also two short-lived attempts to form east-coast broadcast spurs: July 3 to September 25, 1946, sponsored by the Campbell Soup Company; and March 26, 1947, to September 29, 1948, sponsored by Household Finance. The program was also adapted into a film noir series by Columbia Pictures in 1944.WIKIPEDIA

Bill Forman had the title role of the Whistler for the longest period of time. Others who portrayed the Whistler at various times were Gale Gordon (the banker on The Lucy Show), Joseph Kearns, Marvin Miller (announcer for The Whistler and The Bickersons and later the actor who portrayed Michael Anthony on TV's The Millionaire), Bill Johnstone (who had the title role on radio's The Shadow from 1938 to 1943) and Everett Clarke.