Show Name: | Blair of the Mounties |
Runtime: | 15 minutes |
Country: | United States |
Language: | English |
Syndicates: | Syndicated |
Starring: | Colonel Rhys Davies Jack Abbott |
Director: | G. Donald Gray[1] |
Producer: | Walter Biddick Co. |
First Aired: | 1934 |
Last Aired: | 1957 (last known date) |
Num Episodes: | 39 |
Blair of the Mounties is a syndicated 15-minute radio series about the adventures of Sergeant James Blair of the North-West Mounted Police. A total of 39 episodes of this Northern genre series were produced.[2] The show was heard on radio stations for more than twenty years. An Oakland, California radio station broadcast it in July 1934[3] and a 1957 issue of Broadcasting magazine listed Blair of the Mounties as still being available for release to radio stations.[4]
Colonel Rhys Davies was the series writer, as well as the actor who portrayed Blair.[1] He had served in the North-West Mounted Police during the Yukon gold rush and then transferred to the British military intelligence service during the First War War.[5] Davies based the series on his own experiences as a Canadian Mountie, and as a member of the British Intelligence Corps.[6]
In addition to his law enforcement and military service Davies wrote both radio scripts and novels.[5]
Sergeant (later Inspector) James Blair, played by Colonel Rhys Davies, served in various Canadian locations, including Dawson City and near Hudson's Bay Company fur trading posts.[7] He was often assisted by Corporal Marshal, played by Jack Abbott. Blair also spent time in Great Britain, where he helped solve crimes.[1]
The radio series had few sound effects, and one reviewer stated that the writing was amateurish, and "the actor playing Blair comes off as a trifle stuffy",[1] though another source describes it as a "fascinating series" based on Colonel Davies' lifetime of exciting adventures.[8]
Blair of the Mounties was broadcast in the United States, Canada and Australia.[1] It was originally distributed by Walter Biddick Co. of Los Angeles, California, but in 1937 the series was sold to United Broadcasting Sales Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta.[9]
In 1949 the series was available to individual stations as a 15-minute, three times a week show. The broadcasting price per episode was $5, amounting to $15 a week.[10] In 1957 United Broadcasting Sales Ltd. was offering Blair of the Mounties to four western providences in Canada.[4]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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