Boston Blackie

The TV series had the misfortune of coming along at a time when the trend in cop shows was being set by the more reality-based Dragnet. The concept of amateur detectives, comical helpers, and inept police really belonged to an earlier period before the onset of the Cold War and the Soviet menace. Thus it's a tribute to the excellent casting and great location photography that the show lasted as long as it did. Taylor is terrific as Blackie, handsome, debonaire, and with a panache that I think is missing in the movie version. Whatever they paid him, he earned it-- watch all the running and stunts he has to do, and without apparent doubles. Lois Collier too is charming and very fetching as Mary. Their chemistry together is perfect, neither too silly nor too serious-- just the right amount of "tongue-in-cheek". Meanwhile, Whitey, the dog, manages for the most part to act like a dog without being too cutesy or obnoxious, while poor Frank Orth gets the thankless job of Farraday even though he neither looks like nor acts like an acceptable bone-headed cop. The stories themselves have occasional twists, but are unexceptional for the most part. Nonetheless, they're nicely paced without getting bogged down in too much budget-saving talk. The show's real star, however, is a burgeoning post-war Los Angeles, just then moving into hyper-speed growth. Some producer had the good sense to load the series with location filming. Thus we get an unrehearsed view of rapidly changing neighborhoods and skyline. My lasting image of the show is of Tayor running across a roof-top as cranes across the way busy themselves with a new era. Unfortunately, it was an era that a show like Blackie would not survive.

I must confess to a weakness for all things detective. I remember fondly the old movies starring Chester Morris, but this series starring Kent Taylor has a particularly warm spot in my heart.

The few episodes I've seen since the show's syndicated run (I saw them years after the original run on television in the late '50s) were of dubious quality. In fact, the very first videotapes I got when I had my first VCR were duplications of other VHS tapes of old TV series.

I still get a kick out of the announcer appearing at a little newsstand when Boston Blackie walks by not even noticing this booming voice character narrating about our intrepid hero. "Yes that's Boston Blackie, and he's quite a guy." Well, he really was.

There was the usual shtick of the detective being a wiseguy to the frustrated police inspector (played with exasperated skill by Frank Orth) and his little dog Whitey who replaced his sidekick in the books and movies.

There was inevitably a great chase scene at the end of every half hour (Yes, kiddies. They actually made half hour adventure series back then.) And the most exciting was a top a roller coaster.

They just do make detective shows like that anymore, and that's a shame.

ACTION! DANGER! EXCITEMENT! BOSTON BLACKIE. FRIEND TO THOSE WHO HAVE NO FRIENDS. ENEMY TO THOSE WHO MAKE HIM AN ENEMY.

The old shows still give me chills with their great introductions.

Do you suppose the originals still exist somewhere?

Maybe someday - in my lifetime - good quality copies will be available. I would love to watch those stories again.

Did they show outside of Los Angeles where we lived?

Though seeing my hometown as it was at that time would be a lot of the pleasure, everything about the show was great: the girl, the car, Blackie, etc.

At the beginning or end of every program there was a brief, dark, night scene of Blackie, the car, and an alleyway. At least that's the way I remember it.

Create a successful character in the detective stories line, the pulp magazines or the comics strips or comic books and chances are you'll see it adapted into film or television programming. In some cases, it may happen several times; lasting a long time and possibly even out-living its creator, you. The communications/entertainment media are always looking for ideas to develop into Television, Films and in the old days, Radio.

Over the years, we have had how many different guys in the role of Lord John Greystoke, aka "Tarzan of the Apes." Can you guess? Remember, we're talking 'all' media, not just the movies.

Successful detective, western, adventure or "masked mystery men"characters invite a continuing series, and hence more stories of the adventures of so and so. And the success of characters need not be limited to the 'good guys. For years author Sax Rohmer's pen brought us the tales of the Evil Oriental Mastermind, Dr. Fu Manchu.

So what about this Boston Blackie guy? Who wrote him? Where he come from? The multi-media successful character was created by a former newspaper man, Jack Boyle while he was serving time in the State Pen for embezzlement. The character first got published in a short story in magazine in 1914. Many other stories followed as did the Producers from Hollywood; where, between 1918 and 1927, various studios accounted for 9 films featuring the adventures of "Horatio Black" (Blackie's real name). Various actors essayed the role of Blackie; even Lionel Barrymore did it once.

After a 14 year hiatus, Columbia Pictures initiated a string of 'B' Pictures featuring the adventures of Blackie and his pal/sidekick, 'the Runt. Always around and having Boston Blackie under suspicion, was his foil, Inspector Faraday. The team was Chester Morris as Blackie, George E. Stone as 'the Runt' and Richard Lane as Faraday. They did 14 Blackie films between 1941 and 1949. All of this interest led to 2 Radio series.

And that brings us down to the Television Age. Ziv Television Productions, the king of the syndicators, produced a TV series of BOSTON BLACKIE (1951-53). It starred athletic, likable 'B' Leading Man, Kent Taylor as Blackie; with Lois Collier as girlfriend Mary and Frank Orth as Inspector Faraday. They had a little dog, 'Whitey', I think. (He looked a little like 'Benji').

The half-hour episodes opened with some titles and some opening Ziv Productions-special music, while the Announcer, a dark haired fat guy, said those immortal words, "Boston Blackie; friend of those who have no friends, enemy of those who make him make him their enemy!" The announcer was dressed as a News Vender at his paper stand, and he finishes with: "Yeah, he's Boston Blackie and he's quite a guy!" At shows conclusion, we would be at that same street scene, only this time we'd see Blackie walking back the other way, perhaps symbolic of his being through with that case and being ready for the next case.

One thing that I personally recall is that just about every episode would climax with a foot chase of Blackie pursuing the bad guy. It seemed to always wind up the bad guy climbing up some tower or grain elevator or something, with Blackie in hot pursuit.

And that special Ziv Productions' incidental chase music was always used. And it seems as vivid in my head as it did in the early 1950's. And that's over a half-century, Schultz!

And Ziv Productions did something here with their Blackie TV show that they also did when they brought "THE CISCO KID" (1950-56) to 'The Tube'. Remember, the announcer would say at the openings of a Cisco show: "…..here's O. Henry's famous Robin Hood of the Old West……The Cisco Kid!" You see, Cisco was a bandit, an outlaw on wanted posters and all! And Blackie in the stories is a reformed jewel thief, but always under suspicion.

So there is no mention of that in either series. Cisco always acts with the law and Blackie seems to be some kind of Detective. Instead of being at odds with Faraday, the 3 (Mary, Faraday and Mr. Horatio Black, seem to be an inseparable threesome! (Not that kind, Schultz!)

The transformation of Boston Blackie the jewel thief in the story by Jack Boyle in 1919 and in the early silent films to Boston Blackie the right hand of the law represented by Inspector Farraday in the TV series evolved over a thirty-year period, including fourteen top notch B films starring venerable actor Chester Morris as Blackie. On radio Morris reprised his movie role until it was taken over by Richard Kollmar. Ultimately, the fine actor, Kent Taylor, slipped comfortably into the part for television.

All presentations of Boston Blackie, movies, radio, and TV, were well done by all concerned. The Television version was a popular early entry in detective oriented programs that held sway until demoted by the shoot-em-ups of the mid to late 50's.

There were a few minor character changes: No Runt as in the Chester Morris flicks nor millionaire pal. A steady girlfriend, Mary, now played second lead; plus a pooch, in the manner of Asta, named Whitey was added, leading to a Thin Man persona for the series.

Inspector Faraday came to be portrayed by Frank Orth, a buddy to Blackie, whereas Richard Lane's Faraday of the Morris movies tended to be at best a friendly enemy to him, always suspecting Blackie of being up to no good. Blackie's lifestyle was upgraded somewhat for television with Blackie driving around town in a snazzy convertible.

The stories were tidy, fitting their half hour time slot gracefully with plenty of action. I watched the early episodes as a child and recall them to be as exciting as any on the tube at the time. A colleague of mine told me that she had a tremendous crush on Kent Taylor when she was a little girl. After watching a few of the restored shows, her bubble popped. Kent Taylor seemed to be a bit older than she remembered him and a lot less chivalrous. Nonetheless, Kent Taylor fit the part almost as well as Chester Morris, who remains the definitive Boston Blackie.