Listen to “The Great Detectives Present Broadway’s My Beat” on Spreaker.
Broadway’s my beat, from Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.
These iconic words of Lieutenant Danny Clover painted a picture of the part of New York City where he solved murders and interacted with killers and suspects alike. The series originally began production in New York City in the spring of 1949, but it was in the summer when production moved to Hollywood that the series took its most recognizable shape. Writers David Friedkin and Morton Fine gave their take on Broadway, with characters who spoke with a stylized dialogue that makes the series stand out from its contemporaries. Together with Director Elliott Lewis, they captured the rich ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the Great White Way. Larry Thor, who was more often than not cast in character roles or as an announcer pitching companies like Del Monte Foods, embodied the world-weariness of a cop whose heart was continually broken by the violence and ugliness that so often characterized Broadway. Charles Calvert brings lighter touches as Clover’s assistant, Sergeant Gino Tartaglia, a good-humored family man.
About the Stars:
Anthony Ross (1906-55): Anthony Ross began his Broadway career in 1932. In 1945, he originated the role of The Gentleman Caller in the Broadway production of the Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie. In addition to his stage work, Ross also had an active film career, and in 1954 starred as Captain Richard Hale in the 1954 CBS Television summer replacement crime program, The Telltale Clue.
Larry Thor (1916-76): The Canadian-born Thor broke into radio in Manitoba in 1937 as an anonymous singer He spent 9 years in Canadian radio as a writer, announcer, and newscaster before moving to Los Angeles. In Hollywood, Thor worked as an announcer on many programs including Rocky Jordan, Suspense, and the Clyde Beatty Show. In addition to many guest-acting roles, Thor starred in the Hollywood version of Broadway is My Beat from 1949-53 and in the Summer of 1954. Thor also began to write for radio with an episode of Suspense that aired in 1953. He continued to appear in films throughout the early 1950s. He played the voice of the radio announcer on Gilligan’s Island. He released a children’s album, “Galloping on My DInosuar” In 1964. In 1969, he began to teach an advanced writing course at UCLA, which he continued to do until his death.
Episode Log:
Anthony Ross episodes:
- The Andrew Jenkins Case (Original Air Date: March 6, 1949)
- A Fixed Prize Fight (Original Air Date: March 27, 1949)
- The Rita Rondell Murder Case (Original Air Date: May 1, 1949)
- Ruth Jennings (Original Air Date: May 22, 1949)
Larry Thor Episodes:
- The Jimmy Dorn Murder (Original Air Date: July 7, 1949)
- The Otto Prokosh Murder Case (Original Air Date: July 21, 1949)
- The Paul Thomas Murder Case (Original Air Date: July 28, 1949)
- The Dr. Robbie McClure Murder Case (Original Air Date: August 4, 1949)
- The Jane Darwell Murder Case (Original Air Date: August 11, 1949)
- The Silks Bergen Murder (Original Air Date: August 18, 1949)
- The Val Dane Murder Case (Original Air Date: August 25, 1949)
- The Mei Ling Murder Case (Original Air Date: November 5, 1949)
- The Sgt. Gordon Ellis Murder Case (Original Air Date: November 12, 1949)
- The Eugene Bullock Murder Case (Original Air Date: November 19, 1949)
- The Mary Gilbert Murder Case (Original Air Date: November 26, 1949)
- The Sherman Gates Murder Case (Original Air Date: December 3, 1949)
- The Tori Jones Murder Case (Original Air Date: December 3, 1949)
- The Henry Baker Murder Case (Original Air Date: December 17, 1949)
- The John Lomax Murder Case (Original Air Date: December 31, 1949)
- The Joan Gale Murder Case (Original Air Date: January 21, 1950)
- The Roberto Segura Murder Case (Original Air Date: January 31, 1950)
- The Lt. Jimmy Hunt Murder Case (Original Air Date: February 3, 1950)
- The Julie Dixon Murder Case (Original Air Date: February 10, 1950)
- The Dion Hartley Murder Case (Original Air Date: February 17, 1950)
- The Ben Elliot Murder Case (Original Air Date: February 24, 1950)
- The Joe Quito Murder Case (Original Air Date: March 3, 1950)
- The Dr. Robert Stafford Murder Case (Original Air Date: March 10, 1950)
- The Charles and James Kimball Murder Case (Original Air Date: March 17, 1950)
- The France Green Murder Case (Original Air Date: March 24, 1950)
- The Hope Anderson Murder Case (Original Air Date: March 31, 1950)
- The Ernie Cauldwell Murder Case (Original Air Date: April 7, 1950)
- The Tommy Stafford Murder Case (Original Air Date: April 14, 1950)
- The Elaine Hill Murder Case (Original Air Date: April 21, 1950)
- The Max Wendell Murder Case (Original Air Date: April 28, 1950)
- The Thelma Harper Murder Case (Original Air Date: May 5, 1950)
- The Marcia Dean Murder Case (Original Air Date: May 12, 1950)
- The Jane Arnold Murder Case (Original Air Date: May 19, 1950)
- The Ann Cornell Murder Case (Original Air Date: May 26, 1950)
- The Mario la Vecchia Murder Case (Original Air Date: June 2, 1950)
- The Ted Forster and Ruth Ballard Murder Case (Original Air Date: June 9, 1950)
- The Morris Bernstein Murder Case (Original Air Date: June 16, 1950)
- The Steve Courtney Murder Case (Original Air Date: June 23, 1950)
- The Frank Conway Murder Case (Original Air Date: July 3, 1950)
- The Frank Briscoe Murder Case (Original Air Date: July 10, 1950)
- The Emilio Ramirez Murder Case (Original Air Date: July 17, 1950)
- The Seliah Jordan Murder Case (Original Air Date: July 24, 1950)
- The Harry Brett Murder Case (Original Air Date: July 31, 1950)
- The Jack Jorno Murder Case (Original Air Date: August 7, 1950)
- The Mary Deming Murder Case (Original Air Date: August 14, 1950)
- The Tom and Alice Corey Murder Case (Original Air Date: August 21, 1950)
- The Helen Carrol Murder Case (Original Air Date: October 13, 1950)
- The John Webster Murder Case (Original Air Date: October 20, 1950)
- The Harold Clark Murder Case (Original Air Date: October 27, 1950)
- The Laura Burton Murder Case (Original Air Date: November 3, 1950)
- The Johnny Hill Murder Case (Original Air Date: November 10, 1950)
- The Joan Fuller Murder Case (Original Air Date: November 17,1950)
- The Shorty Dunn Murder Case (Original Air Date: November 24, 1950)
- The Kenneth Mitchell Murder Case (Original Air Date: December 1, 1950)
- The Ben Justin Murder Case (Original Air Date: December 8, 1950)
- The Thomas Hart Murder Case (Original Air Date: April 15, 1951)
- The Philip Hunt Murder Case (Original Air Date: April 21, 1951)
Christmas Episodes Played Out of Order:
- Nick Norman, Santa Claus (Original Air Date: December 24, 1949)
New episodes are posted every Wednesday