This Is Your FBI

This Is Your FBI is a radio crime drama broadcast in the United States on ABC from April 6, 1945, to January 30, 1953,[1] for a total of 409 shows. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover gave it his endorsement, calling it "the finest dramatic program on the air". Dramatizations of FBI cases were narrated by Frank Lovejoy, Dean Carleton and William Woodson.[2] Lawrence MacArthur wrote the episodes.[3] This Is Your FBI was sponsored during its entire run by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States.[1]

Premise

Promoting the program's debut, a newspaper announcement noted that the United States was then at war and said, "This Is Your FBI will show graphically exactly how enemies of the United States have, and are, operating , and how FBI agents and American citizens are cooperating to circumvent their activities."[4] It added that crime was not glamorous but "a dirty stab at every citizen and his country".[4]

Personnel

Jerry Devine produced the series. Van Cleave was the initial musical director, leading an 18-man orchestra.[5]

Critical response

Jay Gould, writing in the The New York Times, commented, ". . . characterizations are credible and often embellished with subtle twists that heighten the dramatic effect."[3] He complimented the show's depiction of the importance of small details in apprehending a suspect. He also said that the program's "rather effusive praise for Mr. Hoover and the FBI" was a bit overdone.[3]

References
  1. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air : The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. pp. 667–668. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  2. "A Byte Out of History: Retired FBI Special Agent Jack French Talks About FBI Cases...On the Radio Dial". The FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  3. Gould, Jack (April 29, 1945). "Programs and People". The New York Times. p. X 7. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  4. ""This Is Your FBI" To Dramatize Cases From Official Files". The Jackson Sun. April 6, 1945. p. 10. Retrieved May 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Van Cleave Directs Music On "This Is Your FBI" Program". The Jackson Sun. April 13, 1945. p. 12. Retrieved May 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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