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Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons

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Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons Mr. Keen and His Legacy The “Kindly Old Tracer,” whose long-time theme song was MR. KEEN, “Someday I’ll Find You” (the hauntingly beautiful Noel Coward song heard in his play Private Lives), finally closed his Fifth TRACER OF LOST PERSONS Avenue office in the fall of 1955. He had made his mark on radio, and his influence would be felt on television with shows like The Program Guide by William Nadel Finder of Lost Loves and Barnaby Jones. In the 21st century, Mr. Keen has found quite a different version of himself being depicted In an America still reeling from the Great Depression and heading toward a world war, a reassuring in a series of graphic novels. So, the Tracer of Lost Persons has voice came over the airwaves. It was Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons. For nearly two decades, not left the scene Without a Trace! from 1937 to 1955, the kindly old tracer comforted those beset by anxiety, found persons who had disappeared, and solved the most difficult of murder cases. A Final Personal Note Yes, Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons was one of the best loved of all radio shows, and often one of More than twenty years ago, this author and the late Ray Stanich the fifteen most listened to programs on the airwaves. Bennett Kilpack, who portrayed Keen from (1927-1992) began to investigate Mr. Keen and his airwaves The cover of Moonstone Books’ Mr. Keen, 1937 to 1950, once discussed the popularity of his fatherly character. He explained, “In the scripts I Tracer of Lost Persons #1 graphic novel. persona. Ray was one of the greatest of all radio researchers, my try to find the missing person and restore him to an old-time position of love and affection. I deal in friend, co-author, inspiration, and mentor. Not only did he leave his mark in radio research, as emotions. Many of Mr. Keen’s stratagems, however, are pretty scientific....” Mr. Keen specialized a communications engineer, Ray helped install many pioneering internet devices in American in giving his clients and his listeners hope. embassies around the world, setting the stage for today’s modern media marvel. This set is dedicated to his memory. Ray’s last wish -- written hours before his untimely death, and applicable The Origins of Mr. Keen to today -- was “Happy Whatever!” A young man, looking for love, enters an office on Fifth Avenue in New York City. He picks up a business card which reads: Keen & CO. Tracer of Lost Persons Keen & Co. are prepared to locate the www.RadioSpirits.com whereabouts of anybody on earth. No charges PO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424 will be made unless the person searched for is found. © 2011 RSPT LLC. All rights reserved. For home use only. Unauthorized distribution prohibited. Blanks on application. Program Guide © 2011 William Nadel and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved. Bennett Kilpack WESTREL KEEN, Manager mrkeen_8pg_booklet.indd 1 8/2/11 3:04:15 PM So began the very first adventure of Mr. Keen in a two-part story Ed Latimer portrays Mike Clancy in this episode, which features featured in The Saturday Evening Post issues of June 17 and 24, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby (right) in a commercial. 1905. Written by the prolific artist/writer Robert W. Chambers, the tale was so successful that the editors requested more Mr. Keen CD 8B: “The Silver Candlestick Murder Case” by Jean adventures. Chambers, who had written the classic fantasy work Carroll - 03/13/52 The King in Yellow, obliged with four more stories: “Solomon’s The Tilden mansion holds many secrets. Can Mr. Keen discover Seal” (March 31, 1906), “Nolens Volens” (April 28, 1906), the whereabouts of the missing Neil Denning…and the scheme “Samaris” (May 5, 1906), and “The Case of Mr. Carden” (May he was to be a part of? 12 and 19, 1906). Shortly thereafter, these stories were cobbled together in to a novel titled Tracer of Lost Persons. This book, Ned Wever is Alan Paige in this tour of an upper Fifth Avenue which featured a female operative, was soon forgotten. mansion. Thirty years later, the radio daytime serial producers Frank and CD 9A: “The Rented Cottage Murder Case” by Frank Anne Hummert, looking for an idea for an evening program, Hummert - 04/03/52 chose Mr. Keen. The pair brought Mr. Keen to the NBC airwaves What is the mystery surrounding a cottage that rents for a very on October 12, 1937, and the series remained on the air (either at low price? Is it just a house of murder? Bob Hope and Bing Crosby NBC or CBS) for the next 18 years. During that time it evolved from a fifteen minute program to a half hour show. Mr. Keen, Veteran film actor Harold Huber stars as Burkett, Anne Seymour is Mrs. Lorraine, and Ed Jerome An illustration and caption from a Mr. himself transformed into a full-fledged detective, solving murders is Carter in this rental riddle. Keen story. along with finding missing persons cases. CD 9B: “The Mother’s Plea Murder Case” by Frank Hummert - 04/10/52 The public loved the fatherly, kind, caring sleuth who could resolve any problem and knew just Mrs. Gilbert Gray confronts her husband’s girlfriend in an attempt to save her marriage. Then, how to handle almost any situation. NBC liked to stress the fact that Mr. Keen was known for suddenly, the girlfriend is shot and killed. Did the estranged wife commit the crime? helping “the needy ... and those who are accused unjustly.” In studio press releases, Keen was further described as “a quiet, cultured man of about 65,” who “never uses strong-arm methods Ned Wever stars as Gilbert Gray with Robert Donley as Lt. Hale in this terrible triangle. in getting his criminal but relies on his remarkable powers of deduction, observation and shrewd knowledge of human nature.” Keen is the quintessential New York detective, but will travel a CD 10A: “The Shrieking Prisoner Murder Case” Parts 1 – 4 by Lawrence Klee - great distance whenever necessary. His assistant, and his partner in many of the cases heard in this 06/21/54, 6/23/54, 6/24/54, and 6/25/54 collection, is Mike Clancy. Superbly portrayed by James Kelly, the very Irish Clancy is a former Concerned about the welfare of his wife’s eccentric aunts, Donald Travers is greeted with murder New York policeman who not only assists the sleuth, but considers himself the old gentleman’s -- his own -- when he tries to investigate the strange house of the Carson sisters. bodyguard. The adventurous proceedings are announced by radio veteran Larry Elliott, while In 1954, CBS added a weekly five-part fifteen-minute serialized version of theMr. Keen, Tracer of Richard Leonard directs, edits, revises, and even writes some of the scripts…along with Frank Lost Persons to supplement its half hour version of the program. This, the first of those serials, is Hummert, of course. told in only four parts (there was no episode broadcast on the Tuesday of that week). This is the last preserved example of the show. Directed by Blair Walliser, Stuart Metz is the first announcer with After years of appearing on the American stage, where he developed a “down east” accent, Bennett George Bryan assisting. Frankie Thomas stars as the ill-fated Donald Travers. Kilpack slipped into the role of “The Kindly Old Tracer” with great ease. The seasoned actor had 2 7 mrkeen_8pg_booklet.indd 2 8/2/11 3:04:15 PM CD 6A: “The Photograph Album Murder Case” by Jean Carroll - 07/27/51 starred in one of the very first radio serials, The Wayside Inn in When June Reynolds is murdered, her fiancé Larry Benton asks the old investigator to find her 1927, and played Cephus Peters and Laith Pettingal in Phillips killer. H. Lord’s 1930’s radio program Seth Parker. Eventually, most of Mr. Keen’s investigations, especially after World War II, were Frankie Thomas is the bereaved Larry Benton in this tragic tale. of crimes and murders, pitting the elderly sleuth up against much younger radio gumshoes. Yet, Kilpack triumphed in longevity in CD 6B: “The Strange Murder of Carrie Ellis” - 08/03/51 life as well as on the airwaves. Helen Taylor confesses to Mr. Keen that she has shot Carrie Ellis. The experienced detective has doubts about the validity of Helen’s confession and investigates. Starring Bennett Kilpack Robert Donley is featured as Lt. Hale, and Ned Wever is Peter Taylor. Bing Crosby and Perry Como CD lA: “The Case of the Man Who Invented Death” by are heard in the “crooning commercials” accompanying this case. Lawrence Klee - 10/06/49 When George Rockwell finds his friend, an eccentric inventor, CD 7A: “The Abandoned Well Murder Case” by Jean Carroll - 08/10/51 mysteriously killed by an electric shock, he asks Mr. Keen for Poor Henry Kellogg! He’s been shot and dumped into an abandoned well. His loyal and devoted his help. Bennett Kilpack housekeeper implores Mr. Keen to help clear her of the murder. Is she innocent, or will the kindly old sleuth find her guilty of the horrible crime? This adventure, a most unique one, features Philip Clarke as Rockwell and Alexander Scourby as Decker. I like to refer to this case as “Mr. Keen meets Mr. Keen,” since Philip Clarke would assume Horace Braham is the unfortunate Henry Kellogg, with Ed Jerome as Jasper Gibbs. the role of “The Kindly Old Tracer” a little more than a year after this broadcast.
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