Adventure, Mystery (1948)
I Love Adventure is a continuation of the I
Love a Mystery concept, with the same characters
played by different actors. Writer/producer Carlton E.
Morse wanted to rekindle the spirit of freewheeling adventure
that the three pals created, and so reworked the characters,
although using only two of the three together at a time.
Jack Packard is the constant hero, strong and quick witted,
around whom the plots thicken. He's played by Michael
Raffetto. Reggie York (Tom Collins) is in the first eight
shows, and then leaves the series without a great deal
of fanfare. Doc comes in to take his place until the end
of the thirteen shows.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2007 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited. Morse gives us the continuing saga of Jack, Reggie and
Doc as having closed their A-1 Detective Agency and gone
their separate ways due to WWII.
Jack Packard, the superior brain of the trio, naturally
got into intelligence work, Reggie joined the RAF, and
Doc also saw winged service with the Flying Tigers.
A shadowy secret group with an Illuminati-like aura called
the "21 Old Men of 10 Gramercy Park" bring the
first pair, Packard and York, together to work on cases
such as the kidnapping of a very elite girl's school and
fight Nazi renegades or international gang terrorists.
These stories, as written by Morse, have the ring of contemporary
events - probably due to the depth and powerful moral
view of good vs. evil that underlies much of Morse's writing.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2007 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited. In the middle of the series, Jack and Reggie leave England
and get back to Hollywood, USA. It's a good change of
pace, but then Reggie is gone, and Doc Long (Barton Yarborough)
takes over for the rest of the shows. In some, such as
" Girl in the Street," the boys are just bookends
for a story that involve mystery and mayhem.
Some say they love the original I
Love a Mystery too much to make the leap. Most
think these half-hour stories don't do justice to the
rich and varied dialogue of I
Love a Mystery. Both points are well taken, but
I Love a Mystery
is still an excellent show with good acting and production
values, and Carlton E. Morse always delivers excellent
radio adventure.
Also on the mystery and adventure list would be Adventures
by Morse, Voyage
of the Scarlet Queen, Suspense,
Bold Venture, David
Harding, Counter Spy, Cloak
and Dagger, Frank Race,
the classic serial I Love
a Mystery, Jungle Jim,
Moon Over Africa,
and You Are There.
The recognized greatest of the high-adventure old time radio shows
is Escape, which told
classic tales of mystery and adventure in near-perfect
manner.
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