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Wally Maher and Bill Johnstone (far left) of The Line-Up join a summit of CBS radio detectives. Also present (from left) is Edmond O’Brien (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar), Charles Calvert and Larry Thor (Broadway is My Beat), and Ben Wright and Raymond Lawrence (Pursuit).
Old Time Radio Mystery of the Day
As Detective Danny Clover, Larry Thor walks Broadway - “the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.” In this Broadway is My Beat episode that originally aired sixty-seven years ago today, Clover is on the case when a man is found drowned in a public pool. The case grows more complicated when an autopsy reveals the man was murdered.
On February 27, 1949, Broadway is My Beat premiered on CBS. Rising above the din of radio mysteries Broadway is My Beat was a New York-set police procedural that followed Detective Danny Clover as he solved crimes along the Great White Way. Thanks to the expert direction, the sharp writing, and an impressive lead performance, Broadway is My Beat broke the mold of a police drama and holds up today as one of the best shows from the era.
The combination of rich performances (particularly Larry Thor as Clover), poetic, complex scripts, and a vivid soundscape created one of radio’s most poignant and memorable police dramas. For much of the run, the show was sustained by CBS and was used to fill gaps on the network’s lineup. it moved consistently, which is never the right way to build an audience. The series left the air in 1953, but one listen to Broadway is My Beat today reveals a show that succeeded in spite of its scheduling woes; it wasn’t just another radio cop show, and it may be a program that plays better to a 21st century audience more accustomed to realism and morally complex plots than some of the white-hat derring do of the Golden Age of Radio.
Tomorrow on the podcast: Head back to the Big Apple with Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover in Broadway is My Beat!
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Happy Birthday, Larry Thor (August 27, 1916 - March 15, 1976)
After breaking into radio in his native Canada, Thor made his way to CBS and Hollywood. He announced The Green Lama, Rocky Jordan, Suspense and other CBS programs, but he’s best remembered today for his breakout performance as Detective Danny Clover in the powerhouse police drama Broadway is My Beat.
Thor took over the role from actor Anthony Ross when production of the series moved to the west coast, and he gave radio one of its most memorable and unusual crime-solvers. Clover wore his heart on his sleeve, and the day-in, day-out vice and crime of his job led him to ruefully call his Broadway “the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.”
Elliott Lewis, the producer and director of Broadway is My Beat, tapped Thor to be the announcer of Suspense during Lewis’ tenure as director of “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills.” Thor held the job from 1951 until 1956.
Today’s Old Time Radio Detective Drama...
Larry Thor solves a locked room mystery as Detective Danny Clover in “The Val Dane Starvation Murder Case” from Broadway is My Beat, originally aired on August 25, 1949.
Happy Birthday, Larry Thor (August 27, 1916 - March 15, 1976)
After breaking into radio in his native Canada, Thor made his way to CBS and Hollywood. He announced The Green Lama, Rocky Jordan, Suspense and other CBS programs, but he’s best remembered today for his breakout performance as Lt. Danny Clover in the powerhouse police drama Broadway is My Beat.
“Broadway is my beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle - the gaudiest, the most violent…the lonesomest mile in the world.”
Happy Birthday, Larry Thor (August 27, 1916 - March 15, 1976)
After breaking into radio in his native Canada, Thor made his way to CBS and Hollywood. He announced The Green Lama, Rocky Jordan, Suspense and other CBS programs, but he’s best remembered today for his breakout performance as Lt. Danny Clover in the powerhouse police drama Broadway is My Beat.
“Broadway is my beat. From Times Square to Columbus Circle - the gaudiest, the most violent...the lonesomest mile in the world.”
