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The Whistler was one of American radio’s most popular mystery dramas, with a 13-year run from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955.The Whistler was the most popular West Coast-originated program with its listeners for many years. It was sponsored by the Signal Oil Company: “Let that whistle be your signal for the Signal Oil program, The Whistler.”

Writer-producer J. Donald Wilson established the tone of the show during its first two years, and he was followed in 1944 by producer-director George Allen. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. A total of 692 episodes were produced, of which over 200 no longer have copies in existence. In 1946, a local Chicago version of The Whistler with local actors aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer.

Episodes of The Whistler began with the ominous narration:

I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak.

Those opening words were spoken along with the echo of footsteps and Wilbur Hatch’s 13-note theme, whistled weekly by Dorothy Roberts for 13 years. Bill Forman had the title role of host and narrator. Others who portrayed the Whistler at various times were Gale Gordon (Lucille Ball’s future television nemesis), Joseph Kearns (played Mr. Wilson on TV series Dennis the Menace), Marvin Miller (soon the announcer for The Bickersons and, later, television’s Michael Anthony on The Millionaire), Bill Johnstone (who played The Shadow on radio 1938-1943) and Everett Clarke.

The stories followed an effective formula in which a person’s criminal acts were typically undone by their own stupidity. Ironic twist endings were common, as they had been on the show that most obviously influenced it[citation needed], The Shadow. The Whistler narrated, often commenting directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. The Whistler seldom featured any major Hollywood stars, but the quality of writing and performance made it a radio mainstay. (wikipedia)


Robert Dix, the radio star of The Whistler, also plays in the Whistler films.

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The Whistler 1953

HAVE NONE

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The Whistler 1954

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The Whistler 1955

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Welcome to FAB Radio: audio edutainment for the whole family

my name is Alto  (Alexis To)

My name is Alto, the admin. You will find more about FAB Radio history in "About/Mission".

For those who asked for below code - copy and paste into your web site (Ctrl+C to copy). It will look like this: I love FAB Radio

Last Message 3 days, 16 hours ago
1 guest is online.
  • Info : Please, resolve the addition below before post any new comment...
  • admin : i am working on the contact forms - they are presently not working
  • admin : beginning to put up sample audios of the FAB Weekly Subscription for you to try out.
  • admin : whistler all fixed now
  • admin : have to fix whistler 1942 1945 1952
  • admin : not quite ... o heck almost done
  • admin : manao brooadcast radio is back on track - you will see that in the Whats On" on front page
  • admin : last of the summer wine is now ready
  • admin : and Campell's Playhouse
  • admin : the black museum is now ready
  • admin : 5 minute mysteries also
  • admin : Beyond Our Ken is ready
  • admin : also Christmas OTR
  • admin : the clitheroe kid is now working
  • admin : not yet fixed am working on the vintage now
  • admin : my apologies - none of the vintage are working - did u regular maintenance yesterday - must have stopped working then - will fix them now ... i will keep you posted - you can send a message to me here anytime
  • admin : more money ready in listening library
  • admin : all fixed now
  • admin : it is taking a while to fix mavy lark and whistler ... i am working on it again now
  • admin : hey bill, thankyou ... ooo heck ... i will have a look now and fix them ...
  • Bill : Hello Alto, the navy Lark and the Whistler are not working. Could you fix it ? It just stopped all of a sudden yesterday. Thanks. Bill
  • admin : chandu from 1-13 are ready
  • admin : a couple of sherlock holmes are ready in listening library
  • admin : a few hancock half hour shows will be ready in a few hours
  • admin : what i mean by "the only reason to register" is that every audio is free to listen except for the "Especially for Children".
  • admin : there is a bit of confusion about registering. the only reason to register is if you are wanting to pay for a subscription. for the childrens stories "Especially for Children". Also, it seems that my contact form is not working. If you want to contact me, talk to me here..
  • admin : all the cowpies are ready now
  • admin : more audios in Poetry and Verse
  • admin : the goons shows are now being uploaded - one at a time - enjoy!
  • admin : series 9 and series 1 navy lark shows are ready to listen to
  • admin : listen to Manao Broadcast - you will love it!
  • admin : more spike milligan poems are uploaded
  • admin : some of the poetry library is now uploaded. a funny one - revolting rhymes by roald dahl
  • admin : hi all, just about to post some great song snippets in Musica
  • admin : hi guest 3798 yes, you can copy the url. you cannot download the video. to get the url, click on menu, then the "url and embed" code. then you paste this url in your page.
  • Guest_3798 : hi do you know if i can get a copy of danny kaye conducting ochestra


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