| Pat Novak, for Hire | |
| Available Episodes: | 24 |
| Latest Episode: | Pat Novak for Hire 19 - The Only Way to Make Friends Is to Die | Uploaded: Dec 30, 2021 |
| Categories: | Crime | Detective |
| Airing History: | Dates: - |
| Pat Novak, for Hire is a radio detective drama series which aired from 1946 to 1947 as a West Coast regional (produced at KGO in San Francisco) program and in 1949 as a nationwide program for ABC. The regional version originally starred Jack Webb in the title role, with scripts by his roommate Richard L. Breen. When Webb and Breen moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles to work on an extremely similar nationwide series, Johnny Madero, Pier 23, for the Mutual network, Webb was replaced by Ben Morris and Breen by other writers. In the later 1949 network version, Jack Webb resumed the Novak role, and Breen his duties as scriptwriter. The series is popular among fans for its fast-paced, hard-boiled dialogue and action and witty one-liners. Pat Novak, for Hire is set on the San Francisco waterfront and depicts the city as a dark, rough place where the main goal is survival. Novak is not a detective by trade, but he owns a boat shop on Pier 19 where he rents out boats and does odd jobs to make money. Each episode of the program, particularly the Jack Webb episodes, follows the same basic formula; a foghorn sounds and Novak's footsteps are heard approaching. He then pauses and begins by wearily saying "Sure, I'm Pat Novak . . . for hire". The foghorn repeats and leads to the intro theme, during which Novak gives a monologue about the waterfront and his job renting boats. Jack Webb narrates the story and plays the titular character. A downtrodden cynic, Novak throws off lines such as "...around here a set of morals won't cause any more stir than Mother's Day in an orphanage". He then relates a story about the trouble in which he found himself the past week. The dialogue is rife with similes found in pulp fiction. Example: 'The neighborhood was run down - the kind of place where the For Rent signs look like ransom notes.' John Galbraith played the inspector, and Phyllis Skelton was frequently heard in female roles on the program. George Fenneman was the announcer, and Basil Adlam led the orchestra. (source: wikipedia) | |
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