Hashknife Hartley is an American old-time radio Western program. It was broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System from July 2, 1950, until December 30, 1951.[1]
| Genre | Western |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | Mutual |
| Hosted by | W.C. Tuttle |
| Announcer | Don McCall |
| Created by | W.C. Tuttle |
| Written by | Fred Luke Burt Kennedy |
| Directed by | Tom Hargis |
| Produced by | Tom Hargis |
| Original release | July 2, 1950 – December 30, 1951 |
Schedule
editHashknife Hartley began as a summer replacement series,[2] filling the time slot of Juvenile Jury. Paired with Hopalong Cassidy in the following half-hour, the substitution gave Mutual a one-hour Western block on Sunday afternoons.[3] In September 1950, the block was extended to 90 minutes when Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders was added in the half-hour before Hashknife Hartley.[4]
Format
editThe program featured the adventures of Hashknife Hartley and Sleepy Stevens, characters created by W.C. Tuttle, who served as narrator.[5] Hartley was a western detective, and Stevens was his sidekick; the pair traveled around the old West, solving crimes in various towns.[6]
Hashknife
editThe word "hashknife" has two meanings in the context of western adventures.
A hashknife was a tool that camp cooks used to slice beef cubes in preparation for making corned beef hash. That implement also was the basis for a cattle brand that was designed to foil rustlers by making it difficult to superimpose a new brand over the existing brand. The Vandevert family, which developed the brand, became known as "the Hashknife Outfit", and in turn that group inspired the printed stories and the radio program.[7]
Personnel
editFrank Martin in the title role and Barton Yarborough as Stevens had the only two regular roles in the series. Don McCall was the announcer. Tom Hargis was the producer and director.[8] Writers Fred Luke and Burt Kennedy adapted Tuttle's stories into scripts.[7] Harry Zimmerman conducted the orchestra.[9]
Critical response
editA review in the trade publication Variety said that the program was "well-produced and well-acted" but that it had little to differentiate it from other radio Westerns.[9] The review suggested that the show might gain more listeners in a different time slot.[9]
References
edit- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- ^ Butterfield, C.E. (June 21, 1950). "Radio Day By Day". Mt. Vernon Register-News. Illinois, Mt. Vernon. p. 12. Retrieved March 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "MBS Schedules New Series of Western Adventure Stories". The Times. Louisiana, Shreveport. June 25, 1950. p. 12-A. Retrieved March 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wild-West fever; will it sell for you?" (PDF). Sponsor. 4 (19): 23. September 11, 1950. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
- ^ Server, Lee (2014). Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers. Infobase Publishing. p. 259. ISBN 9781438109121. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ a b French, Jack; Siegel, David S. (2013). Radio Rides the Range: A Reference Guide to Western Drama on the Air, 1929-1967. McFarland. pp. 86–88. ISBN 9780786471461. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ Cox, Jim (2010). Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. pp. 126–127. ISBN 9781476612270. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ a b c "Hashknife Hartley". Variety. July 5, 1950. p. 29. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
External links
editStreaming
edit- Hashknife Hartley episodes from Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library Archived 2019-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
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