Blair of the Mounties explained

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]

Writer and main actor

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]

Series premise

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]

Distribution

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]

Episodes

No. TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=gLzwCQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Blair+of+the+Mounties%22&pg=PA53 Jim Cox, Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age, page 53, McFarland, Inc., 2015
  2. Shows By Producers, Radio Showbook, October 1942, page 305
  3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/458148310/?terms=%22Blair%20of%20the%20Mounties%22&match=1 Blair of the Mounties, San Francisco Examiner, July 28, 1934, page 8 (near bottom of page)
  4. Broadcasting Transcriptions, Broadcasting, October 15, 1957, page 63
  5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/259043966/?terms=%22Blair%20of%20the%20Mounties%22&match=1 Writer of Blair Famous Author, The Honolulu Advertiser, September 1, 1935, page 9
  6. Releasing Mountie Serial, Radio Daily, May 26, 1937, page 3
  7. Bernard A. Drew, Lawmen in Scarlet: An Annotated Guide to Royal Canadian Mounted, page 224, Scarecrow Press, 1990
  8. Blair of the Mounties, Radio Daily, volume 44, page 123, 1948
  9. Los Angeles, Radio Daily, October 6, 1937, page 4
  10. Syndicate Transcription Available, Sponsor, July 4, 1949, page 56