The Whistler
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The Whistler was one of radio's most popular mystery dramas, with a 13-year run from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955.The Whistler was the most popular West-Coast originated program with its listeners for many years. It was sponsored by the Signal Oil Company: "Let that whistle be your signal for the Signal Oil program, The Whistler." The writing was first class for its genre, and it added a slightly macabre element of humor to its often-paranoid crime stories.
Writer-producer J. Donald Wilson established the tone of the show during its first two years, and he was followed in 1944 by producer-director George Allen. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. A total of 692 episodes were produced, yet despite the series' fame, over 200 episodes are lost today. In 1946, a local Chicago version of The Whistler with local actors aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer.
At night, glowing car radios illuminated dashboards, and drivers traveled dark highways while the Whistler began his 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. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak.
That opening was intoned along with the echo of footsteps and Wilbur Hatch's haunting 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, and upon whose death had his Mr. Wilson character replaced by his character's brother, played by Gale Gordon), Marvin Miller (soon the announcer for The Bickersons and, later, television's Michael Anthony on The Millionaire), Bill Johnstone (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.
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[edit] Satires
Spike Jones provided a musical satire: "I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night... I have to. I can't sleep." The Whistler was also the target of a parody on the 20 October 1946 edition of The Jack Benny Program. In this parody, Benny cast members Mary Livingstone and Dennis Day played an ostensibly happily married young couple, Phil Harris played the secret lover of the young wife, and Benny himself played The Fiddler – complete with scraping the theme on his infamous violin to punctuate his periodic ghostly observations and interventions ("I am the Fiddler... I play by night. I influence the lives of innocent people. And sometimes I even drive them to murder... mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"), as he manipulated the clandestine lovers into murdering the young husband. ("Mr. and Mrs. Parks are having breakfast. They're happy, but not for long... for I am the Fiddler!") Along with Fred Allen's equally hilarious parody of Queen for a Day the same year, these were two of the most successful parodies of contemporarily popular radio shows. The Whistler himself appeared just as the sketch was to begin, complete with the famous whistling theme and a short version of his usual opening remark.
[edit] Films
The Whistler was adapted into a film noir series from Columbia Pictures. The first seven featured actor Richard Dix.
- The Whistler (1944)
- The Mark of the Whistler (1944) (Directed by William Castle and based on Cornell Woolrich's story, "Dormant Account")
- The Power of the Whistler (1945)
- Voice of the Whistler (1945)
- The Secret of the Whistler (1946)
- Mysterious Intruder (1946)
- The Thirteenth Hour (1947)
- Return of the Whistler (1948)
