''Hashknife Hartley'' is an American
old-time radio Western program. It was broadcast on the
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
from July 2, 1950, until December 30, 1951.
Schedule
''Hashknife Hartley'' began as a summer replacement series, filling the time slot of ''
Juvenile Jury
''Juvenile Jury'' was an American children's game show that originally ran on NBC from April 3, 1947, to August 1, 1954. It was hosted by Jack Barry and featured a panel of children aged ten or less giving advice to solve the problems of other ch ...
''. Paired with ''
Hopalong Cassidy'' in the following half-hour, the substitution gave Mutual a one-hour Western block on Sunday afternoons. 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''.
Format
The program featured the adventures of Hashknife Hartley and Sleepy Stevens, characters created by
W.C. Tuttle, who served as narrator.
Hartley was a western detective, and Stevens was his sidekick; the pair traveled around the old West, solving crimes in various towns.
''Hashknife''
The 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.
[
]
Personnel
Frank Martin in the title role and Barton Yarborough
William Barton Yarborough (October 2, 1900 – December 19, 1951) was an American actor who worked extensively in radio drama, primarily on the NBC Radio Network. He is famous for his roles in the Carlton E. Morse productions '' I Love a M ...
as Stevens had the only two regular roles in the series. Don McCall was the announcer. Tom Hargis was the producer and director.[
]
Critical response
A review in the trade publication ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said that the program was "well-produced and well-acted" but that it had little to differentiate it from other radio Westerns.[
]
References
External links
Streaming
''Hashknife Hartley'' episodes from Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
1950 radio programme debuts
1951 radio programme endings
1950s American radio programs
Mutual Broadcasting System programs
Western (genre) radio series
Period radio series
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