When Phillips H. Lord created GANG
BUSTERS in January of 1936, crime was so
rampant that it was almost tolerated.
Obedience to the laws and respect for law-
enforcement agencies was at a low ebb.
Criminals and their methods were highly
publicized in glamourous episodes. Lord
had just finished his G-MEN series that
dramatized FBI case files and wanted
something with more action and appeal to
radio listeners. He created GANG BUSTERS.
At first lord appeared on the program and
interviewed guest police officials. Later, as
his other radio programs demanded more
attention, he turned the hosting chores over
to West point graduate Colonel H. Norman
Schwarzkopf. Years later, when the Colonel
was recall to active duty, Lewis J. Valentine,
former Commissioner of Police for New York
City took over.
Before any case was presented to the radio audience, facts were checked and double-checked. The Chief from each bureau had to approve every fact in the report that originated from their office, before it was dramatized. Sound effects were checked, law enforcement endorsed the series, and each week radio listeners were treated to the true-life thrills and glamour that made front page headlines.
One of the most important things to come from GANG BUSTERS was the clues. Following every thrilling GANG BUSTERS drama was a nation-wide clue, which consisted of last-minute reports of wanted criminals and suspects, received from the police and the FBI. One hundred requests weekly was the average number of police bulletins received by GANG BUSTERS. They were boiled down to two clues, selected for their importance, color and ease in remembering the descriptions. Criminals such as Lawrence Devol, Edward (Wilhelm) Bentz, Hoffman and Penning, Howard Hayes, Charles Jones, Willie Sutton, Claude Beaver and Percy Geary were a few apprehended as a result of those clues. By may of 1942, more than 277 other criminals had been apprehended as a result of the GANG BUSTERS clues. This same format has since been applied on television including more recently, UNSOLVED MYSTERIES and AMERICA'S MOST WANTED.
This 700 page book documents the entire history of GANG BUSTERS. And when we say the entire history, we mean EVERYTHING!
Included in the book:
- The origin of GANG BUSTERS, including a biography of Phillips H. Lord.
- The story behind the apprehension of Lawrence Devol, and many other
criminals.
- An overview of the cast and crew responsible for the radio productions.
- Details and broadcast logs for Lord's other radio programs including
PHILIP MORRIS THRILLS (1935-36) and SKY BLAZERS (1939-40).
- The case of Martin Durkin, and his attempts to prevent his crimes from
being dramatized over the radio.
- Documentary about the 1942 Saturday Matinee Serial of the same name.
- Fan mail from radio listeners reprinted.
- Biography of Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf and his involvement with
the GANG BUSTERS program.
- Biography of Lewis J. valentine and his involvement with the GANG
BUSTERS program.
- Sponsorhip disputes regarding TIDE, COLGATE and other sponsors.
- The Campaign of Frank X. Reller and his attempts to have GANG
BUSTERS removed from the airwaves.
- The case of the Charles Albert Boyer lawsuit.
- The case of Mr. Frederick King and his lawsuit with GANG BUSTERS.
- The lawsuit involving Philip H. Lord and the Crown Toy Manufacturing
Corporation.
- The case of John Harvey Bugg and the successful apprehension.
- The popularity of crime shows and the 1948 boycott against GANG
BUSTERS.
- Documentary about the 1950s TV series of the same name.
- Documentary about the 1955 movie and the 1957 feature film GUNS DON'T
ARGUE.
- Radio and television proposals that never made it into feasible scripts for
the series.
- Rejected proposals for GANG BUSTERS from faithful listeners.
- GANG BUSTERS collectibles are also documented.
- A complete episode guide featuring all 1,008 GANG BUSTERS radio
broadcasts including episode numbers, titles, broadcast dates, plot
descriptions, broadcast day and time, and much, much more.
- Same for the television series.
The GANG BUSTERS book documents the entire history of the radio program, a complete episode guide with plots, casts, etc. for every radio and television broadcast. Background production to the performances, various trivia about the shows, the true-life crime representations, and a superb history of the program itself is featured within the pages. Reprints of contract negotiations, interoffice memos, correspondence - heck, you get the idea. At 700 pages thick, you can already assume that this book is jam-packed with EVERYTHING you would ever want to know
about GANG BUSTERS.
ORDERING INFORMATION
The GANG BUSTERS book retails $34.95.
Postage is $5.00 for the first book and $2.00 per additional book.
(Remember, it's a heavy book!)
Check or Money Order can be made payable to:
Martin Grams, Jr., Po Box 189, Delta, PA 17314
To pay on the web, simply click on the Paypal icon to add this to your Paypal shopping cart and when you're done shopping, simply click the checkout button. If you have an existing account with Paypal, simply use Mr. Grams' e-mail address as the
Paypal ID when asked who to pay.
mmargrajr@hotmail.com
