Nick Carter (literary character)
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Nick Carter is the name of a popular fictional detective, who first appeared in a dime novel entitled "The Old Detective's Pupil; or, The Mysterious Crime of Madison Square," on September 18, 1886. This novel was written by John R. Coryell from a story by Ormond G. Smith, the son of one of the founders of Street & Smith.
In 1915, Nick Carter Weekly became Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine. Novels featuring Carter continued to appear through the 1950s, by which time there was also a popular radio show, Nick Carter, Master Detective, which aired on Mutual from 1943 to 1955
Following the success of the James Bond series of books, the character was updated for a long-running series of novels featuring the adventures of secret agent Nick Carter, aka the Killmaster. The first book, Run Spy Run, appeared in 1964 and more than 260 Nick Carter-Killmaster adventures were published up until 1990. Two additional books have been erroneously listed as Killmaster novels by some sources: Meteor Eject!, a memoir by an RAF pilot named Nick Carter published in 2000, and a 2005 release entitled Brotherhood which is an autobiography written by singer Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys.
The 100th Killmaster novel (appropriately entitled Nick Carter 100) contained an essay on the 1890s version and included a short story featuring the character. It marked one of the few times the Killmaster series acknowledged its historical roots.
None of the Nick Carter series of books carried author credits, although it is known that several of the earliest volumes were written by Michael Avallone, while Valerie Moolman wrote many others, which would make this the first series of its genre to be written by a woman. The Nick Carter name was treated as a pseudonym, and many volumes were written in first person.
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[edit] Authors
- John R. Coryell (1848–1924)
- Frederick Van Rensselaer Dey (1861–1922), who took his own life.
- Thomas C. Harbaugh (1849–1924), who died penniless in the Miami County Home in Ohio.[1]
- Eugene T. Sawyer (1847–1924) [2]
[edit] Films
Actor Walter Pidgeon portrayed detective Nick Carter in a trilogy of films released by MGM.
- Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939)
- Sky Murder (1940)
- Phantom Raiders (1940)
- Chick Carter, Detective, a 1946 Columbia serial, was intended as a Nick Carter serial; due to legal problems, however, the character's first name was slightly changed.
American actor Eddie Constantine played the title roles in the French-made spy films Nick Carter va tout casser (1964) and Nick Carter et le trèfle rouge (1965). In one curiously circular and self-referential scene, Constantine as Carter enters a house where he finds a large collection of Nick Carter pulp magazines and other Nick Carter memorabilia. Both films are unconnected to the Killmaster book series.
The Czechoslovak film Dinner for Adele (1977) is a parody inspired by the Nick Carter pulp magazine adventures. It features "America's most famous detective" visiting Prague at the beginning of the 20th Century and solving a case involving a dangerous carnivorous plant (the Adele of the title). Slovak actor Michal Dočolomanský played Nick Carter.
[edit] Radio
Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick Carter. Then Nick Carter, Master Detective, with Lon Clark in the title role, began April 11, 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright.
Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Nick's contact at the police department was Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer). The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. The series ended on September 25, 1955.
Chick Carter, Boy Detective was a serial adventure that aired weekday afternoons on Mutual. Chick Carter, the adopted son of Nick Carter, was played by Bill Lipton (1943–44) and Leon Janney (1944–45). The series aired from July 5, 1943 to July 6, 1945.
[edit] Listen to
[edit] References
- ^ Time magazine; Thomas Harbaugh, 75, one of the authors of the Nick Carter Detective Stories and other dime novels; penniless in the Miami County Home, Ohio. He wrote from 300 to 600 thrillers, at the rate of one a week, with pen; later, in the days of the typewriter, he sometimes bettered his speed.
- ^ Time magazine; Eugene T. Sawyer, 77, one of the authors of the Diamond Dick, the Nick Carter Detective Stories; in San Jose, California.
- Tuska, Jon. The Detective in Hollywood, 1978. ISBN 0385120931.
