THE GREEN HORNETA Matter of Time

Program Guide by Terry Salomonson and Martin Grams, Jr.

Most fans of old-time radio are fully aware of the family ties between The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet, both on and off the pages of the scripts. To begin with, both series originated from Detroit station WXYZ. The Ranger rode a white stallion, and the Hornet’s speedster was a black automobile. While John Reid loaded his revolver with silver bullets, Britt Reid’s gun was filled with gas. Both heroes trusted skilled and loyal companions that were members of a racial minority. The formula had worked for the masked rider of the plains when he hit the airwaves in 1933, and there was no doubt that it would work for the daring young publisher in 1936.

The first broadcast of the new series was presented as a Friday evening offering on January 31, 1936, and aired over all seven stations of the Michigan Radio Network. The name of the program, The Adventures of the Hornet, was changed to The Green Hornet beginning with the fourth broadcast. Like its cowboy counterpart, the series evolved over time to become the program that we know today.

Those reading the first radio script of the series may be dis-appointed that no origin story is provided for this hero. We are first introduced to the se-ries' foremost figure through an unsavory character named John Fenwick, a ruthless fac-tory owner. We learn that Fen-wick doubled wages and im-proved working conditions at his factory after a masked man known as “The Hornet” threat-ened to expose his past if these changes were not made.

trying to prove that Reid is The Green Hornet — he is simply going to kill him. This episode is the second-to-last appearance of Oliver Perry on the series. He would appear only once more, in “Oliver Perry – Escaped Convict,” November 1, 1949.

CD 8B: “Axford, The Receiver” - 05/19/1949

CD 9A: “The Howard Island Gang” - 05/24/1949

CD 9B: “Gems In The Paper” - 06/02/1949Observant fans of The Green Hornet radio program might have noticed that the name of the circulation boss at The Daily Sentinel was revealed in only one episode of the series – this one! Keep an ear out for it as you listen to this show.

CD 10A: “Tony Farno’s Farm” - 06/07/1949

CD 10B: “The Worthington Papers” - 06/09/1949

Terry Salomonson and Martin Grams, Jr. have written and co-written numerous books about old-time radio and are co-authors of The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion-Pictures, Comics and Television. They are presently writing another book, The Lone Ranger: The Early Years, 1933 – 1937. The authors would like to thank Steve Thompson and Jo Bagwell for their assistance with this project.

www.RadioSpirits.comPO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424

THE GREEN HORNET is © 2021 The Green Hornet, Inc. Licensed for home use only. All rights reserved. The Green Hornet, Black Beauty,

Kato and the hornet logos are trademarks of The Green Hornet, Inc. www.thegreenhornet.com. Manufactured under exclusive license by Radio Spirits.

Program Guide © 2021 Terry Salomonson, Martin Grams, Jr., and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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During the final broadcast of a radio series called Warner Lester, Manhunter, the title character’s sidekick agreed to become a bodyguard for a young playboy named Britt Reid. The sidekick’s name was Mike Axford, and he took the job as a favor to Dan Reid, the owner of The Daily Sentinel. Dan had recently retired from his position and passed down the newspaper business to his son. This crossover character encouraged listeners of Warner Lester, Manhunter to tune in to the new program.

In the premiere episode of The Green Hornet, Mike has quite a lot going on. First, he pays a visit to old friends at the police department where he learns of a masked man prowling the streets. Then, Axford’s detective skills bring to light previously unknown crimes committed by Fenwick, the aforementioned factory owner. When Britt learns of Fenwick’s theft of $100,000 from his ex-partner…and his framing of Jimmy Carleton for the crime…Reid decides that he’s been too easy on the crook. Using his gas gun and speedy getaway car, The Hornet reveals Carleton’s innocence – and at the same time, establishes himself as the vigilante that the police have been seeking.

The debut episode of the program also introduced the radio audience to the gadgets of The Green Hornet. The gas gun revealed that Britt Reid was not above using firearms. However, like The Lone Ranger, he would not resort to murder…or even inflicting pain. The gas gun, which had the advantage of being silent, gave an instant (but quite harmless) nap to the person on the receiving end. The weapon emitted a liquid that was described in an early episode as “sweet smelling.” This water pistol style mechanism was eventually replaced with glass capsules that exploded upon impact, releasing an otherwise harmless gas that

rendered victims unconscious. (This latter form can be seen in The Green Hornet Strikes Again! movie from 1940). In addition, a number of later episodes include mention of a small cloud of gas created by the gun (which was also depicted on the television series).

The second episode of the series established Britt Reid’s penchant for targeting racketeers. The script for that program focuses on a lawyer named Stubbs who wrangles acquittals for his clients (through fair means or foul). In the story, Stubbs defends a thug called Oelheim who murdered John Quincy, a man running for office on the People’s Ticket. Quincy’s

CD 2B: “Kato Acts As Decoy” - 04/07/1949By 1949, Kato began playing a larger role in the adventures. In this episode, Axford stumbles on a stolen merchandise racket at the Caliph Trading Company. Suspecting that the merchandise is being stolen directly from the harbor front, both Britt Reid and Kato don the mask of The Green Hornet. Kato acts as a decoy so the real Hornet can investigate.

CD 3A: “City In Bondage” - 04/12/1949

CD 3B: “Madison Carr Returns” - 04/14/1949

CD 4A: “A Matter Of Time” - 04/19/1949

CD 4B: “The Girls Do It” - 04/21/1949

CD 5A: “Double Exposure” - 04/26/1949

CD 5B: “Hot Car Center” - 04/28/1949

CD 6A: “Hail Caesar” - 05/03/1949

CD 6B: “The Great Reformer” - 05/05/1949

CD 7A: “Axford Wins A Loss” - 05/10/1949In this script, a character was given the name of “Spanker Todd.” This was a tip-of-the-hat to actor John Todd, who played Tonto on The Lone Ranger and Dan Reid on The Green Hornet. To avoid potential lawsuits for such in-jokes as this, WXYZ had many members of the cast and crew sign waivers to allow their names to be used on the radio broadcasts.

CD 7B: “Storm Over Picnic” - 05/12/1949

CD 8A: “Oliver Perry Closes In” - 05/17/1949Oliver Perry is out on parole and soon Britt Reid finds himself kidnapped. Axford, who witnessed the abduction, races to Commissioner Higgins with the car’s license number — which belongs to Higgins! Reid is taken to a waterfront hideout, headquarters of the numbers racket targeted in his editorials. Perry is no longer Movie poster for 1940's The Green

Hornet Strikes Again The radio cast of The Green Hornet

secretary, Pauline Stark, can identify Oelheim as the killer...but she vanishes without a trace. So Reid sets out as The Green Hornet to rescue Pauline – ensuring that Oelheim will be convicted and Stubbs will be exposed for the unscrupulous attorney that he is.

George W. Trendle was the owner of WXYZ, the home of The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet and, later, Challenge of the Yukon (a.k.a. Sgt. Preston). Trendle was the creative force behind these super series as well – dictating everything from the broad strokes of the programs to the small details. According Dick Osgood, the author of Wyxie Wonderland: An Unauthorized 50-Year Diary of WXYZ Detroit, Trendle was determined to make sure that the door to Britt Reid’s office sounded exactly like the one in his own office. Osgood claims that Trendle drove the sound effects crew crazy, until they eventually built a full-scale door (using the same kind of wood as the office door). The sound of that one finally passed muster. It may also be worth noting that the door was not the only workplace item that the character and the WXYZ boss had in common. On the radio show, Britt Reid had a glass desktop in his office and, yes, George Trendle had one as well.

That’s not to say that the small things were all that mattered. There was, in fact, a big idea behind The Green Hornet. In Wyxie Wonderland, Trendle is quoted as saying, “The Lone Ranger appeals to the kids. Now I want to put something on the air to interest young people who are about to vote. I want to do something to show young men how crooked office holders can be, and what they have to do to stop it…that they have to get out and vote and see what’s going on in the world, watch things so we can elect candidates to office who will be something.”

In addition to encouraging Americans to educate themselves about politicians, the heroes of the Detroit station exemplified a number of social virtues. Both The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet exercised their freedom of speech - one by dispensing advice atop of a horse, the other by running articles in a newspaper. Both masked men fought hard, yet showed mercy and compassion…and always chose the side of the oppressed, the underdog, the little guy in need of help.

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Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet. (Fred Flowerday, Livingstone’s assistant, ordinarily would have taken over, but he had not yet returned from the Army.) By 1950, Beattie was handling directing assignments on a semi-regular basis for The Green Hornet.

Beattie’s Oliver Perry character appears in a total of twelve radio adventures - the only recurring villain not featured in a consecutive story arc. This makes him The Green Hornet’s arch nemesis. Perry first appeared in “The Great Detective” (December 26, 1944), which introduced him as one of the smartest investigators in the country. Perry’s name was well known to the staff of The Daily Sentinel even before his arrival in their great city. And why was he in town? To capture The Green Hornet. After weeks of research, Perry concluded that there was a definite connection between The Daily Sentinel staff and the Hornet. He narrowed down the suspects to one man: Britt Reid, a wealthy bachelor who was rarely seen in social circles after dark. To throw the detective off the scent, Reid and Kato pull off a complicated rouse. Perry admits that his initial reasoning may have been flawed. Reid could not be in two places at the same time and yet… it was possible that he’d had an accomplice. With urgent business calling him out of town, Perry makes a swift exit…but warns that he may return one day and pick up where he left off. Indeed, Perry would return every few months, with new and clever attempts at exposing Britt’s secret. He would eventually turn to criminal enterprise, and be sent to prison.

Episodes

CD 1A: “The Company They Keep” - 03/29/1949Clicker Binney poses as a cigarette girl at the Beau Riviera nightclub to capture photos of political boss Tom Grannick and Assistant D.A. Grant Corday as they meet with racketeer Pete Franklin. Unfortunately, she is promptly kidnapped and Britt Reid must investigate.

Note: Clicker Binney was an occassionally recurring character on The Green Hornet, and was first heard on the episode “Imposters in Blue Uniforms” (March 9, 1939).

CD 1B: “Champion In Pawn” - 03/31/1949

CD 2A: “The Invaders” - 04/05/1949

Book cover for Dick Osgood's Wyxie Wonderland

George W. Trendle

who sought to demoralize American ideals. One of the earliest broadcasts to deal with communist infiltration was “The Mysterious Mr. Jones,” which aired on February 10, 1948. Other stories of this kind were heard from time to time over the next couple of years. Two episodes included in this collection are early examples of adventures that featured enemy agents working for a foreign power: “Storm Over Picnic” (May 12, 1949) and “The Worthington Papers” (June 9, 1949). By 1950, spies and saboteurs were popping up on the program much more frequently,

Perhaps the highlight of this box set is “Oliver Perry Closes In” (May 17, 1949), the lone entry by Dan Beattie. Not only was Oliver Perry a creation of Beattie, but the writer was the only person authorized to script adventures involving this detective-turned-master-criminal. In 1943, Daniel Currie Beattie was writing and producing a series called Government Girl over Mutual from Washington. Fran Striker reached out to him at that time to see if he would like to work in Detroit. Beattie was not interested at first, but when Mutual decided to replace Government Girl (and other soap operas) with newscasts, his wife urged him to reconsider. On a trip to New York, Beattie detoured to Michigan to meet with Striker…only to discover that Striker had been (temporarily) fired. (The WXYZ brass felt that Fran had been asking for too much in the way of financial remuneration.)

The extra money was important to Striker who was supporting his wife and three sons, his mother and father, an aunt and an uncle, and his mother-in-law. The IRS audited Striker, suspecting that no person could truthfully report that many dependents on his tax forms. When the IRS agent discovered that he actually was supporting all those listed, he found legal deductions that Striker never even knew existed. Soon enough, Trendle would lure him back to work with a raise in salary. Felix Holt had attempted to take over Striker’s job but had found it too difficult to manage, given his other tasks at the station. It was under the guidance of Holt, however, that Beattie was groomed for the Green Hornet scriptwriting gig. Striker provided the newcomer with further training upon his return.

Beattie’s first contribution to the series was “A Touch of Powder” (November 7, 1943), but it would be another three months until he signed an employment contract with WXYZ (January 24, 1944). Like Steve McCarthy, Beattie also wrote a total of 165 scripts for The Green Hornet. While Striker used narration to describe action, Beattie preferred to incorporate a large number of sound effects. When director Charles Livingstone went on vacation for two weeks in the mid-’40s, Beattie temporarily took over the directing duties for both The

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“The Lone Ranger was produced for kids,” Trendle once said. “The point was to teach the youngsters respect for the law. It was sensible enough to be popular with oldsters as well. Then I put on Sergeant Preston for the teenagers to teach them love for country and love for animals. The third one, The Green Hornet, was to appeal to a little older group; the young people about to become voters. I wanted to show them that racketeers and crooked politicians could succeed unless they were stopped.”

Fran Striker is known to have written the first 546 radio scripts of The Green Hornet. By 1949, two other men were also responsible for creating stories on the series: Dan Beattie and Steve McCarthy. (The latter wrote a total of 165 adventures for the program.) McCarthy’s first radio script was broadcast in May of 1947, and he continued to write for the show on a freelance basis until he was contracted for employment on April 22, 1948. By the summer of 1948, Fran Striker had unofficially relinquished the responsibility of story supervisor for the show, believing that McCarthy was capable of maintaining the continuity for the series. (Striker would write a script for the program on occasion for the extra cash.) However, Trendle insisted that Striker continue to oversee the adventures for The Lone Ranger, due to the exceptional financial success of the hugely popular show. Nineteen of the twenty episodes in this collection were written by Steve McCarthy. (The other was scripted by Dan Beattie.)

By 1949, the folks producing The Green Hornet had the art of storytelling down to a science. The sound effects and music cues had slowly been refined to perfection over the more than a decade of broadcasts. Britt Reid’s secret identity had become known to a small handful of individuals, including Miss Case, Commissioner Higgins, his father Dan Reid, and Dan’s secretary, Linda Travis. The Hornet was no longer wanted by the law for suspected crimes, and his close

associates often helped to shield him from both the curious cops and vengeful racketeers.

The radio adventures of The Green Hornet were crafted for the times. In the later episodes of the series, in addition to combating racketeers, our hero found himself campaigning against communism. Americans felt uneasy as wartime alliances dissolved and the Cold War began. The masked avenger was soon thwarting international spies who stole secret formulas, exposing prominent members of society as Communist sympathizers, and defunding the men Fran Striker

who sought to demoralize American ideals. One of the earliest broadcasts to deal with communist infiltration was “The Mysterious Mr. Jones,” which aired on February 10, 1948. Other stories of this kind were heard from time to time over the next couple of years. Two episodes included in this collection are early examples of adventures that featured enemy agents working for a foreign power: “Storm Over Picnic” (May 12, 1949) and “The Worthington Papers” (June 9, 1949). By 1950, spies and saboteurs were popping up on the program much more frequently,

Perhaps the highlight of this box set is “Oliver Perry Closes In” (May 17, 1949), the lone entry by Dan Beattie. Not only was Oliver Perry a creation of Beattie, but the writer was the only person authorized to script adventures involving this detective-turned-master-criminal. In 1943, Daniel Currie Beattie was writing and producing a series called Government Girl over Mutual from Washington. Fran Striker reached out to him at that time to see if he would like to work in Detroit. Beattie was not interested at first, but when Mutual decided to replace Government Girl (and other soap operas) with newscasts, his wife urged him to reconsider. On a trip to New York, Beattie detoured to Michigan to meet with Striker…only to discover that Striker had been (temporarily) fired. (The WXYZ brass felt that Fran had been asking for too much in the way of financial remuneration.)

The extra money was important to Striker who was supporting his wife and three sons, his mother and father, an aunt and an uncle, and his mother-in-law. The IRS audited Striker, suspecting that no person could truthfully report that many dependents on his tax forms. When the IRS agent discovered that he actually was supporting all those listed, he found legal deductions that Striker never even knew existed. Soon enough, Trendle would lure him back to work with a raise in salary. Felix Holt had attempted to take over Striker’s job but had found it too difficult to manage, given his other tasks at the station. It was under the guidance of Holt, however, that Beattie was groomed for the Green Hornet scriptwriting gig. Striker provided the newcomer with further training upon his return.

Beattie’s first contribution to the series was “A Touch of Powder” (November 7, 1943), but it would be another three months until he signed an employment contract with WXYZ (January 24, 1944). Like Steve McCarthy, Beattie also wrote a total of 165 scripts for The Green Hornet. While Striker used narration to describe action, Beattie preferred to incorporate a large number of sound effects. When director Charles Livingstone went on vacation for two weeks in the mid-’40s, Beattie temporarily took over the directing duties for both The

4 5

“The Lone Ranger was produced for kids,” Trendle once said. “The point was to teach the youngsters respect for the law. It was sensible enough to be popular with oldsters as well. Then I put on Sergeant Preston for the teenagers to teach them love for country and love for animals. The third one, The Green Hornet, was to appeal to a little older group; the young people about to become voters. I wanted to show them that racketeers and crooked politicians could succeed unless they were stopped.”

Fran Striker is known to have written the first 546 radio scripts of The Green Hornet. By 1949, two other men were also responsible for creating stories on the series: Dan Beattie and Steve McCarthy. (The latter wrote a total of 165 adventures for the program.) McCarthy’s first radio script was broadcast in May of 1947, and he continued to write for the show on a freelance basis until he was contracted for employment on April 22, 1948. By the summer of 1948, Fran Striker had unofficially relinquished the responsibility of story supervisor for the show, believing that McCarthy was capable of maintaining the continuity for the series. (Striker would write a script for the program on occasion for the extra cash.) However, Trendle insisted that Striker continue to oversee the adventures for The Lone Ranger, due to the exceptional financial success of the hugely popular show. Nineteen of the twenty episodes in this collection were written by Steve McCarthy. (The other was scripted by Dan Beattie.)

By 1949, the folks producing The Green Hornet had the art of storytelling down to a science. The sound effects and music cues had slowly been refined to perfection over the more than a decade of broadcasts. Britt Reid’s secret identity had become known to a small handful of individuals, including Miss Case, Commissioner Higgins, his father Dan Reid, and Dan’s secretary, Linda Travis. The Hornet was no longer wanted by the law for suspected crimes, and his close

associates often helped to shield him from both the curious cops and vengeful racketeers.

The radio adventures of The Green Hornet were crafted for the times. In the later episodes of the series, in addition to combating racketeers, our hero found himself campaigning against communism. Americans felt uneasy as wartime alliances dissolved and the Cold War began. The masked avenger was soon thwarting international spies who stole secret formulas, exposing prominent members of society as Communist sympathizers, and defunding the men Fran Striker

secretary, Pauline Stark, can identify Oelheim as the killer...but she vanishes without a trace. So Reid sets out as The Green Hornet to rescue Pauline – ensuring that Oelheim will be convicted and Stubbs will be exposed for the unscrupulous attorney that he is.

George W. Trendle was the owner of WXYZ, the home of The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet and, later, Challenge of the Yukon (a.k.a. Sgt. Preston). Trendle was the creative force behind these super series as well – dictating everything from the broad strokes of the programs to the small details. According Dick Osgood, the author of Wyxie Wonderland: An Unauthorized 50-Year Diary of WXYZ Detroit, Trendle was determined to make sure that the door to Britt Reid’s office sounded exactly like the one in his own office. Osgood claims that Trendle drove the sound effects crew crazy, until they eventually built a full-scale door (using the same kind of wood as the office door). The sound of that one finally passed muster. It may also be worth noting that the door was not the only workplace item that the character and the WXYZ boss had in common. On the radio show, Britt Reid had a glass desktop in his office and, yes, George Trendle had one as well.

That’s not to say that the small things were all that mattered. There was, in fact, a big idea behind The Green Hornet. In Wyxie Wonderland, Trendle is quoted as saying, “The Lone Ranger appeals to the kids. Now I want to put something on the air to interest young people who are about to vote. I want to do something to show young men how crooked office holders can be, and what they have to do to stop it…that they have to get out and vote and see what’s going on in the world, watch things so we can elect candidates to office who will be something.”

In addition to encouraging Americans to educate themselves about politicians, the heroes of the Detroit station exemplified a number of social virtues. Both The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet exercised their freedom of speech - one by dispensing advice atop of a horse, the other by running articles in a newspaper. Both masked men fought hard, yet showed mercy and compassion…and always chose the side of the oppressed, the underdog, the little guy in need of help.

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Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet. (Fred Flowerday, Livingstone’s assistant, ordinarily would have taken over, but he had not yet returned from the Army.) By 1950, Beattie was handling directing assignments on a semi-regular basis for The Green Hornet.

Beattie’s Oliver Perry character appears in a total of twelve radio adventures - the only recurring villain not featured in a consecutive story arc. This makes him The Green Hornet’s arch nemesis. Perry first appeared in “The Great Detective” (December 26, 1944), which introduced him as one of the smartest investigators in the country. Perry’s name was well known to the staff of The Daily Sentinel even before his arrival in their great city. And why was he in town? To capture The Green Hornet. After weeks of research, Perry concluded that there was a definite connection between The Daily Sentinel staff and the Hornet. He narrowed down the suspects to one man: Britt Reid, a wealthy bachelor who was rarely seen in social circles after dark. To throw the detective off the scent, Reid and Kato pull off a complicated rouse. Perry admits that his initial reasoning may have been flawed. Reid could not be in two places at the same time and yet… it was possible that he’d had an accomplice. With urgent business calling him out of town, Perry makes a swift exit…but warns that he may return one day and pick up where he left off. Indeed, Perry would return every few months, with new and clever attempts at exposing Britt’s secret. He would eventually turn to criminal enterprise, and be sent to prison.

Episodes

CD 1A: “The Company They Keep” - 03/29/1949Clicker Binney poses as a cigarette girl at the Beau Riviera nightclub to capture photos of political boss Tom Grannick and Assistant D.A. Grant Corday as they meet with racketeer Pete Franklin. Unfortunately, she is promptly kidnapped and Britt Reid must investigate.

Note: Clicker Binney was an occassionally recurring character on The Green Hornet, and was first heard on the episode “Imposters in Blue Uniforms” (March 9, 1939).

CD 1B: “Champion In Pawn” - 03/31/1949

CD 2A: “The Invaders” - 04/05/1949

Book cover for Dick Osgood's Wyxie Wonderland

George W. Trendle

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During the final broadcast of a radio series called Warner Lester, Manhunter, the title character’s sidekick agreed to become a bodyguard for a young playboy named Britt Reid. The sidekick’s name was Mike Axford, and he took the job as a favor to Dan Reid, the owner of The Daily Sentinel. Dan had recently retired from his position and passed down the newspaper business to his son. This crossover character encouraged listeners of Warner Lester, Manhunter to tune in to the new program.

In the premiere episode of The Green Hornet, Mike has quite a lot going on. First, he pays a visit to old friends at the police department where he learns of a masked man prowling the streets. Then, Axford’s detective skills bring to light previously unknown crimes committed by Fenwick, the aforementioned factory owner. When Britt learns of Fenwick’s theft of $100,000 from his ex-partner…and his framing of Jimmy Carleton for the crime…Reid decides that he’s been too easy on the crook. Using his gas gun and speedy getaway car, The Hornet reveals Carleton’s innocence – and at the same time, establishes himself as the vigilante that the police have been seeking.

The debut episode of the program also introduced the radio audience to the gadgets of The Green Hornet. The gas gun revealed that Britt Reid was not above using firearms. However, like The Lone Ranger, he would not resort to murder…or even inflicting pain. The gas gun, which had the advantage of being silent, gave an instant (but quite harmless) nap to the person on the receiving end. The weapon emitted a liquid that was described in an early episode as “sweet smelling.” This water pistol style mechanism was eventually replaced with glass capsules that exploded upon impact, releasing an otherwise harmless gas that

rendered victims unconscious. (This latter form can be seen in The Green Hornet Strikes Again! movie from 1940). In addition, a number of later episodes include mention of a small cloud of gas created by the gun (which was also depicted on the television series).

The second episode of the series established Britt Reid’s penchant for targeting racketeers. The script for that program focuses on a lawyer named Stubbs who wrangles acquittals for his clients (through fair means or foul). In the story, Stubbs defends a thug called Oelheim who murdered John Quincy, a man running for office on the People’s Ticket. Quincy’s

CD 2B: “Kato Acts As Decoy” - 04/07/1949By 1949, Kato began playing a larger role in the adventures. In this episode, Axford stumbles on a stolen merchandise racket at the Caliph Trading Company. Suspecting that the merchandise is being stolen directly from the harbor front, both Britt Reid and Kato don the mask of The Green Hornet. Kato acts as a decoy so the real Hornet can investigate.

CD 3A: “City In Bondage” - 04/12/1949

CD 3B: “Madison Carr Returns” - 04/14/1949

CD 4A: “A Matter Of Time” - 04/19/1949

CD 4B: “The Girls Do It” - 04/21/1949

CD 5A: “Double Exposure” - 04/26/1949

CD 5B: “Hot Car Center” - 04/28/1949

CD 6A: “Hail Caesar” - 05/03/1949

CD 6B: “The Great Reformer” - 05/05/1949

CD 7A: “Axford Wins A Loss” - 05/10/1949In this script, a character was given the name of “Spanker Todd.” This was a tip-of-the-hat to actor John Todd, who played Tonto on The Lone Ranger and Dan Reid on The Green Hornet. To avoid potential lawsuits for such in-jokes as this, WXYZ had many members of the cast and crew sign waivers to allow their names to be used on the radio broadcasts.

CD 7B: “Storm Over Picnic” - 05/12/1949

CD 8A: “Oliver Perry Closes In” - 05/17/1949Oliver Perry is out on parole and soon Britt Reid finds himself kidnapped. Axford, who witnessed the abduction, races to Commissioner Higgins with the car’s license number — which belongs to Higgins! Reid is taken to a waterfront hideout, headquarters of the numbers racket targeted in his editorials. Perry is no longer Movie poster for 1940's The Green

Hornet Strikes Again The radio cast of The Green Hornet

THE GREEN HORNETA Matter of Time

Program Guide by Terry Salomonson and Martin Grams, Jr.

Most fans of old-time radio are fully aware of the family ties between The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet, both on and off the pages of the scripts. To begin with, both series originated from Detroit station WXYZ. The Ranger rode a white stallion, and the Hornet’s speedster was a black automobile. While John Reid loaded his revolver with silver bullets, Britt Reid’s gun was filled with gas. Both heroes trusted skilled and loyal companions that were members of a racial minority. The formula had worked for the masked rider of the plains when he hit the airwaves in 1933, and there was no doubt that it would work for the daring young publisher in 1936.

The first broadcast of the new series was presented as a Friday evening offering on January 31, 1936, and aired over all seven stations of the Michigan Radio Network. The name of the program, The Adventures of the Hornet, was changed to The Green Hornet beginning with the fourth broadcast. Like its cowboy counterpart, the series evolved over time to become the program that we know today.

Those reading the first radio script of the series may be dis-appointed that no origin story is provided for this hero. We are first introduced to the se-ries' foremost figure through an unsavory character named John Fenwick, a ruthless fac-tory owner. We learn that Fen-wick doubled wages and im-proved working conditions at his factory after a masked man known as “The Hornet” threat-ened to expose his past if these changes were not made.

trying to prove that Reid is The Green Hornet — he is simply going to kill him. This episode is the second-to-last appearance of Oliver Perry on the series. He would appear only once more, in “Oliver Perry – Escaped Convict,” November 1, 1949.

CD 8B: “Axford, The Receiver” - 05/19/1949

CD 9A: “The Howard Island Gang” - 05/24/1949

CD 9B: “Gems In The Paper” - 06/02/1949Observant fans of The Green Hornet radio program might have noticed that the name of the circulation boss at The Daily Sentinel was revealed in only one episode of the series – this one! Keep an ear out for it as you listen to this show.

CD 10A: “Tony Farno’s Farm” - 06/07/1949

CD 10B: “The Worthington Papers” - 06/09/1949

Terry Salomonson and Martin Grams, Jr. have written and co-written numerous books about old-time radio and are co-authors of The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion-Pictures, Comics and Television. They are presently writing another book, The Lone Ranger: The Early Years, 1933 – 1937. The authors would like to thank Steve Thompson and Jo Bagwell for their assistance with this project.

www.RadioSpirits.comPO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424

THE GREEN HORNET is © 2021 The Green Hornet, Inc. Licensed for home use only. All rights reserved. The Green Hornet, Black Beauty,

Kato and the hornet logos are trademarks of The Green Hornet, Inc. www.thegreenhornet.com. Manufactured under exclusive license by Radio Spirits.

Program Guide © 2021 Terry Salomonson, Martin Grams, Jr., and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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