Martin Kane, Private Eye
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Martin Kane, Private Eye was a 1949-52 radio series, sponsored by U.S. Tobacco. William Gargan starred as the New York City private detective Martin Kane on the Mutual Broadcasting System series broadcast Sundays at 4:30pm from August 7, 1949, to June 24, 1951.
When the crime drama moved to NBC radio on July 1, 1951, Lloyd Nolan took over the title role until mid-1952. Lee Tracy portrayed Kane for the remainder of the radio series, ending December 21, 1952.
With the same actors in the lead role, Martin Kane, Private Eye was seen on live television. It ran on NBC-TV from September 1, 1949 until June 17, 1954. Mark Stevens had the title role in the 1953 filmed series, The New Adventures of Martin Kane.
Gargan returned to the role in 1958 with a syndicated series, The Return of Martin Kane, filmed in Europe for United Artists.
The radio-TV series had a 1950 tie-in comic book, Martin Kane, Private Eye, published by Fox and illustrated by Wally Wood, Joe Orlando and Martin Rosenthal. The series was satirized in Mad 5 (June-July 1953) as "Kane Keen, Private Eye," illustrated by Jack Davis.
