The Adventures of Christopher Wells
 Vicki Vola portrayed Stacy McGill, assistant to Christopher Wells. | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | CBS |
| Original release | September 28, 1947 – June 22, 1948 |
The Adventures of Christopher Wells is a 30-minute radio crime drama broadcast on CBS from September 28, 1947, to June 22, 1948.[1] It was heard at 10 p.m. on Sunday during 1947, and in 1948 it aired on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. The shift to Tuesday was fatal, as it placed the drama opposite Fibber McGee and Molly on NBC.
Sponsored by DeSoto-Plymouth, the program was created and directed by Ed Byron, who also created the more successful Mr. District Attorney.[2]
Myron McCormick had the title role of globe-trotting journalist Wells, and Charlotte Lawrence portrayed Stacy McGill, Wells' assistant. Les Damon and Vicki Vola took over those lead roles in February 1948. Edward A. Byron was producer-director. Peter Van Streeden furnished the background music.[3]
Robert Shaw's scripts usually placed Wells in a different country each week. For Newsweek, Byron offered a back story on Wells, noting that he was born September 28, 1912, sold newspapers and worked as a $16-a-week cub reported on a New York daily newspaper before becoming a featured columnist with traits of Nellie Bly, Richard Harding Davis and Walter Winchell.[4]
In its original time slot, the show's competition included Take It or Leave It.[2]
Critical response
[edit]A review in the trade publication Variety said that the premiere episode had "an unbelievable situation" in which "All the old cliches and pat quips were yanked out and strung together."[2] The review found fault with McCormick's acting as well as with the scripts and said that Byron's direction did not match the quality of his work on Mr. District Attorney.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 9.
- ^ a b c d "Christopher Wells". Variety. October 1, 1947. p. 24. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ "Wells Cast". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg Telegraph. January 10, 1948. p. 19. Retrieved August 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
