Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
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Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a radio drama about a freelance insurance investigator that aired from February 11, 1949 to September 30, 1962 on CBS. There were 811 episodes in the 12-year run, and over 720 still exist today.
Following a 1948 audition show with Dick Powell, Charles Russell was cast as Johnny Dollar, the smart and tough detective who tossed silver dollar tips to bellhops. With the first three actors to play Johnny Dollar there was little to distinguish it from other detective series at the time (Richard Diamond, Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade). While always a friend of the police, Johnny wasn't necessarily a stickler for the strictest interpretation of the law. He was willing to let some things slide to satisfy his own sense of justice, as long as the interests of his employer were protected.
After a year-long break (August 1954 to August 1955), the show changed from a 30-minute, one-episode-per-week affair to a 15-minute, five-nights-a-week series that introduced the most successful Johnny Dollar, Bob Bailey, who had just come off another large detective series, Let George Do It. With a new lead and 75 minutes of air time (minus commercials), it became possible to develop more complex storylines with interesting characters. It was during these episodes that Johnny's fondness for fishing became known. It was not uncommon for Johnny's clients to exploit this favorite pasttime in convincing him to take on a job.
The episodes usually started with a phone call from an insurance agent, calling on Johnny to investigate an unusual claim. Each episode required Johnny to travel to some distant locale. The weekly story ws recounted as Johnny listed each line item from his "action-packed expense account." The episodes generally finished with Johnny tallying up his account and travelling back to Hartford, Connecticut, where he was based.
The final episodes of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and Suspense, airing on CBS, are often used to mark the end of the Golden Age of Radio. The last episode of Johnny Dollar ended at 6:40pm Eastern Time on September 30, 1962. That was the last new regularly broadcast network radio drama until CBS Radio Mystery Theater went on the air January 6, 1974.
In recent years, Moonstone Books has adapted the radio program into a graphic novel series illustrated by Eric Theriault and written by David Gallaher
[edit] Actors who portrayed Johnny Dollar
- Dick Powell (Audition show in 1948)
- Charles Russell (February 1949 - January 1950)
- Edmond O'Brien (February 1950 - September 1952)
- John Lund (November 1952 - September 1954)
- Gerald Mohr (Audition show in 1955)
- Bob Bailey (October 1955 - November 1960)
- Bob Readick (December 1960 - June 1961)
- Mandel Kramer (June 1961 - September 1962)
