Gang Busters

[1] So-called "true crime" magazines were highly popular in the 1930s and the movie G Men starring James Cagney, released in the spring of 1935, had proven to be a big hit.

To emphasize the authenticity of his dramatizations, Lord produced the initial radio show, G-Men, in close association with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

Hoover was not particularly favorable to the notion of such a program, but U. S. Attorney General Homer Stille Cummings gave it his full support.

Hoover preferred that scripts downplay gunfights and car chases, and spend more time on systematic investigation and legwork.

The first program dramatized the story of the notorious gangster John Dillinger,[3] who was tracked down by FBI agents and shot to death outside the Biograph Theater on July 24, 1934.

To lend an extra air of authenticity to the presentation, Lord had Norman Schwarzkopf Sr., former head of the New Jersey State Police give a short talk to lead into the actual dramatization.

After about 1945, Lewis Joseph Valentine, crime-busting New York City Police Commissioner replaced Schwarzkopf as the authoritative opening speaker.

From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948, it was heard on the Blue Network, with various sponsors that included Sloan's Liniment, Waterman pens and Tide.

A lesser known actor on the show was Leon Janney, who apparently played both juvenile roles and ones requiring an unusual accent.

Universal Pictures made a very popular Gang Busters serial film in 1942, starring Kent Taylor, Irene Hervey, Ralph Morgan, and Robert Armstrong.