''The Saint'' was a

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...

adventure program in the United States that featured a character ("a swashbuckling, devil-may-care ikt

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

type who, in his attempt to help people, remained just one step ahead of the police and crooks—both of whom he combatted") created by author Leslie Charteris. As the program's introduction said, The Saint (the alias of Simon Templar), was "known to millions from books, magazines, and motion pictures."Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . Pp. 230–231. Several versions of the program appeared on different networks.

Broadcast history

''The Saint'' began its life on radio in January 1945. Most old time radio reference books list the initial broadcast date as January 6, 1945, probably because that was when the program aired in the Eastern United States. In an initial story about ''The Saint'', however, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' reported, "Series tees-off over

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

January 4 on 7 Western stations, with a repeat skedded for Saturday to hit 15 Midwestern and Eastern stations at 7:30 p.m. EWT." That Saturday was January 6. The article noted the involvement of the character's creator, saying: "All scripting will be under the supervision of Charteris, who will oversee the adaptations of his published works. If any originals are to be done, he'll do them." Edgar Barrier starred, and Bromo-Seltzer was the sponsor. This version ended March 31, 1945. The second iteration of ''The Saint'' on radio was a summer replacement for '' The Jack Carson Show'' on CBS. It began June 20, 1945, with Billboard reporting in a preview article, "There's nothing definite now, but it's expected here that if ''The Saint'' pulls an acceptable Hooperating for its 13-week spin, starting June 20, it may stay on the air permanently with Carson out ..." Despite that prediction, the program went off when its summer run ended September 12, 1945.

Brian Aherne William Brian de Lacy Aherne (2 May 190210 February 1986) was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States. His first Broadway appearance in '' The Barretts of ...

starred, and Campbell Soups was the sponsor. The show's third version, which began July 9, 1947, was limited to CBS' West Coast network. It ended June 30, 1948. The sponsor was

Lever Brothers Lever Brothers was a British manufacturing company founded in 1885 by two brothers: William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), and James Darcy Lever (1854–1916). They invested in and successfully promoted a new soap-making p ...

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

starred in this version and in most of the show's episodes in the two versions that followed. After a year's hiatus, ''The Saint'' returned to radio July 10, 1949—this time on Mutual. An announcement in Billboard noted that the program would be sustaining (without a sponsor), but that Mutual "will use trial summer run to showcase show for fall bankrolling." The bankrolling eventually came from

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

, and the show lasted through May 28, 1950. The program's final run began June 11, 1950, as a summer replacement for '' The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show''. ''The Saint'' was back on its original network, NBC, for this version, which ended October 14, 1951. The show lasted longer in this version than in any other, despite a negative review of the first episode in ''Billboard'' which said much of the script was "confusing and slow-paced" and called star

"frightfully dull." The title role was also played briefly by Tom Conway (whose brother, George Sanders, had played Simon Templar in several films), and

Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to: *Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor *Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia *Barry Sullivan (lawyer) Barry Sullivan is ...

.Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920–1950''. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 206. Louise Arthur played Patricia Holm, Templar's assistant. Lawrence Dobkin played Louie, the cab driver. John Brown played Inspector Fernack, and

Ken Christy Robert Kenneth Christy (November 23, 1894 – July 23, 1962) was an American television, film, and radio character actor. Early life Born Robert Kenneth Christy, he was the second of three children of Alice Christy and Olivier B. Christy. ...

played Hoppy, Templar's sidekick.

Other versions

Besides the versions broadcast in the United States, a six-episode version was broadcast in Ireland in 1940, and a three-episode version was broadcast by the BBC in 1995.

References

External links

91 episodes of ''The Saint'' available by streaming from Archive.org

Scripts for two episodes of ''The Saint'' from Old Time Radio Researchers Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint, The 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs American radio dramas CBS Radio programs Mutual Broadcasting System programs The Saint (Simon Templar) NBC radio programs Detective radio shows 1945 radio programme debuts 1951 radio programme endings Radio programmes based on novels