Johnny Fletcher is a fictional character created by Frank Gruber. Fletcher is a con-man and reluctant amateur detective. The character was the protagonist of several mystery novels published between 1940 and 1964.[1] Additionally, he was featured in a feature film adaptation scripted by Gruber, and a short lived radio series.
| Johnny Fletcher | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The French Key |
| Last appearance | Swing Low, Swing Dead |
| Created by | Frank Gruber |
| Portrayed by | Albert Dekker Bill Goodwin |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Detective |
| Nationality | American |
Overview
editFletcher and his sidekick Sam Cragg are small time scam artists. Fletcher is the brains, and the muscular Cragg the brawn. They often stumble upon crimes, and reluctantly end attempting to solve them. They often pose as private detectives.[2]
List of stories
editNovels
edit- The French Key aka Once Over Deadly (1940)
- The Laughing Fox (1940)
- The Hungry Dog aka Die Like a Dog (1941)
- The Navy Colt (1941)
- The Talking Clock (1941)
- The Gift Horse aka Heir to Homicide (1942)
- The Mighty Blockhead aka The Corpse Moved Upstairs (1942)
- The Silver Tombstone aka The Silver Tombstone Mystery (1945)
- The Honest Dealer aka Double Dealer (1947)
- The Whispering Master (1947)
- The Scarlet Feather aka The Gamecock Murder (1948)
- The Leather Duke aka A Job of Murder (1949)
- The Limping Goose (1954)
- The Corpse Moved Upstairs (1964)
- Swing Low Swing Dead (1964)[3][2]
Short stories
edit- The Sad Serbian (1939) (features Sam Cragg only)
- The Laughing Fox (1940)[2]
Adaptations
editFilm
editIn 1946, Gruber adapted The French Key into a feature film, starring Albert Dekker as Fletcher and Mike Mazurki as Cragg.[4][1]
Radio series
edit| Other names | A Johnny Fletcher Mystery |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | ABC |
| Starring | Bill Goodwin Sheldon Leonard |
| Announcer | Owen James John Storm |
| Created by | Frank Gruber |
| Written by | Frank Gruber |
| Produced by | Bill Rousseau Hal Finberg |
| Original release | May 30 – November 27, 1948 |
Johnny Fletcher is an American old-time radio comedy-detective drama. It was broadcast weekly on ABC from May 30, 1948, until November 27, 1948.[5] The program was also known as A Johnny Fletcher Mystery.[6]
Radio historian Jim Cox, in his book, Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age, describes Fletcher as "inept" and "frequently drunk".[7] The program's plots usually involved murder or other kinds of mayhem that Fletcher and his partner, Sam Cragg, tried to solve.[7] As an example, "The Whispering Master" episode (previewed in a contemporary newspaper) began with an "unidentified but beautiful young woman" kissing Fletcher and suddenly departing, leaving behind a popular recording.[8] As the plot unfolded, Fletcher had to solve the murder of the singer who recorded the song.[8]
Gruber originally sold the rights to his Fletcher novels to NBC in 1946.[9] An audition recording of Johnny Fletcher Mysteries featured Albert Dekker as Fletcher and Mike Mazurki as Sam, reprising their roles from the film version of The French Key. The pilot episode was an adaptation of the novel, The Navy Colt. Two years later, ABC bought the rights to the program from NBC and produced Johnny Fletcher.[1]
On the ABC version, Fletcher was portrayed by Bill Goodwin, while Sam was played by Sheldon Leonard. The announcers were Owen James and John Storm. Gruber wrote the scripts, and Buzz Adlam provided the music.[7] Producers were Bill Rousseau and Hal Finberg.[10]
The February 20, 1961, issue of the trade magazine Broadcasting included Johnny Fletcher in a list of pilots being prepared for the 1961-1962 season. Gruber was the producer of the episode, which starred Johnny Goddard and Read Morgan.[11]
Television
editGruber wrote an episode of the anthology series Suspense entitled 1000 To One. Paul Stewart appeared as the Sam Cragg character.[citation needed] Fletcher did not appear.
References
edit
- ^ a b c "Frank Gruber's The Adventures of Johnny Fletcher". The Digital Deli Too. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ a b c "Johnny Fletcher & Sam Cragg". The Thrilling Detective Website. June 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ "Johnny Fletcher, P.I." fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ "Princess Theater". The Tennessean. Tennessee, Nashville. September 15, 1946. p. 30. Retrieved September 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 373–374. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
- ^ a b c Cox, Jim (2002). Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. pp. 146–147. ISBN 978-0-7864-4324-6.
- ^ a b "Johnny Fletcher Gets Embroiled in Radio Play Murder". The Winona Republican-Herald. Minnesota, Winona. June 12, 1948. p. 4.
- ^ "Programs" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 25, 1946. p. 90. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Production" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 4, 1948. p. 85. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ "The Cowboys Are Being Put to Pasture" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 20, 1961. p. 130.
