Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons
from archive.org
Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons
When Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons first debuted over the Blue Network on October 12, 1937, the show's title accurately described Keen's stock-in-trade; the "kindly old investigator" tracked down individuals who had mysteriously vanished, leaving behind their families, homes, jobs and other day-to-day activities. Keen (he never had a first name, unless it was "Peachy") was assisted in these duties by an Irishman named Mike Clancy. Mike wasn't much of a brainiac (the quote that comprises the title of this post was a semi-catchphrase that he seemed to use on the show every week) but he could use the necessary brawn when the situation called for it. Bennett Kilpack played kindly ol' Keen throughout most of the program's run, as well as Philip Clarke and Arthur Hughes, while Jim Kelly took the role of Clancy. The series originally aired as a thrice-weekly fifteen-minute serial from 1937-43 (the show moved to CBS in 1942), providing more than ample time for Keen to solve even the most baffling of disappearances.
Beginning November 11, 1943, the program changed its format to that of a half-hour weekly offering--and though the title and theme song remained, Keen branched out into investigating murders.
If Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons sounds a little soap opera-ish, it's because it originated from the "radio fiction factory" of Frank and Anne Hummert. (Frank received on-air credit for the writing, but the scripts were actually churned out by scribes like Lawrence Klee, Bob Shaw, Barbara Bates and Stedman Coles.) Mr. Keen" employed all the stereotypes, heavy dialogue, and trite plotting of its daytime cousins" and "it appealed to a lowest common denominator." So why is the show so popular with old-time radio fans today? Simple...it's pretty doggone funny, in an unintentional sort of way.
Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons enjoyed a healthy eighteen-year stint over radio, ending its run not--as previously reported on this blog--on April 19, 1955 but on September 26 of that same year. Over the years, the series had a variety of sponsors: Bisodol, Kolynos toothpaste, Chesterfield cigarettes, American Chicle, etc., and there are nearly sixty broadcasts extant today for modern-day listeners to revel in. It's ample evidence that not every show during the Golden Age of Radio was "golden"--but I gotta admit, it sure is fun.
NOTE: Updated from Version 4.1 MP3s (25-Feb-2011).
From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. See "Note" Section below for more information on the OTRR.
- Old Time Radio Researchers Introduction (2.8Mb)
- Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons Introduction (2.8Mb)
- Frank & Anne Hummert Producers (1.5Mb)
- Arthur Hughes Biography (2.2Mb)
- Bennet Kilpatrick Biography (3.5Mb)
- The Case of the Missing Doll (Pt. 4) (12.2Mb)
- The Case of the Woman Who Wasn't Needed (Pt. 1) (11.7Mb)
- The Case of the Woman Who Wasn't Needed (Pt. 3) (11.8Mb)
- The Case of the Young Husband Who Thought His Wife Failed Him (Pt. 1) (14.5Mb)
- The Case of the Moonless Night (26.2Mb)
- The Case of the Missing Witness (27.7Mb)
- The Case of the Girl Who Sang Too Well (27.8Mb)
- The Case of the Girl Who Flirted (27.3Mb)
- The Case of the Boy Who Used Big Words (27.5Mb)
- The Case of Mr. Trevor's Secret (28.1Mb)
- The Case of Murder in the Air (26.9Mb)
- The Case of the Strange Display (27.1Mb)
- The Case of the Leaping Dog (27.2Mb)
- The Case of the Woman in Blue (27.7Mb)
- The Case of the Frightened Child (27.2Mb)
- The Nightmare Murder Case (27.8Mb)
- The Case of the Absent Minded Professor (27.6Mb)
- The Strange Case of Charley Lorimer (25.6Mb)
- The Case of the Glamorous Widow (27Mb)
- The Identical Twins Murder Case (Partial) (3.9Mb)
- The Case of Murder and the Star of Death (27Mb)
- The Case of Murder and the Bloodstained Necklace (19.4Mb)
- The Yellow Talon Murder Case (27.5Mb)
- The Case of Murder with a Thousand Witnesses (26.4Mb)
- The Case of the Man Who Invented Death (26.6Mb)
- The Silver Dagger Murder Case (27.5Mb)
- The Case of the Ruthless Murderers (19.7Mb)
- The Forgotten Cave Murder Case (27.4Mb)
- The Engaged Girl Murder Case (27.4Mb)
- The Case of the Rushville Murder (27.5Mb)
- The Bride and Groom Murder Case (AFRS) (23.7Mb)
- The Telephone Book Murder Case (27.3Mb)
- The Case of Murder and the Jewel Thief (27.5Mb)
- The Case of the Two-Faced Murderer (27.4Mb)
- The Tea Leaf Murder Case (2nd half only) (13.7Mb)
- The Case of the Melody of Murder (26.6Mb)
- The Innocent Flirtation Murder Case (26.9Mb)
- The Case of the Murdered Detective (27.3Mb)
- The Eccentric Millionaire Murder Case (22.8Mb)
- The Country Club Murder Case (27.6Mb)
- The Case of the Woman Who Married a Murderer (22.9Mb)
- The King Cobra Murder Case (27.3Mb)
- The Case of Murder and the Missing Car (27.4Mb)
- The Broken Window Murder Case (27.7Mb)
- The Quicksand Murder Case (27.3Mb)
- The Skull and Crossbones Murder Case (27.4Mb)
- The Airport Murder Case (AFRS) (22.9Mb)
- The Case of Murder and the Strange Woman (20.3Mb)
- The Photograph Album Murder Case (27.7Mb)
- The Strange Murder of Carrie Ellis (27.4Mb)
- The Abandoned Well Murder Case (27.2Mb)
- The Poisoned Sandwich Murder Case (27.4Mb)
- The Case of Murder at a Mile a Minute (27.3Mb)
- The Silver Candlestick Murder Case (27.6Mb)
- The Rented Cottage Murder Case (26.9Mb)
- The Mother's Plea Murder Case (27.5Mb)
- The Gossip Column Murder Case (27.4Mb)
- The Case of Murder and the Prize-Winning Bull (28Mb)
- The Shrieking Prisoner Murder Case (Pt. 1) (13.1Mb)
- The Shrieking Prisoner Murder Case (Pt. 2) (13.7Mb)
- The Shrieking Prisoner Murder Case (Pt. 3) (13.1Mb)
- The Shrieking Prisoner Murder Case (Pt. 4) (13.8Mb)
- The Case of Murder and the Revengeful Ghost (27.1Mb)
MP3 files hosted by archive.org.