Jack Packard, Doc Long and Reggie York
Created by Carlton E. Morse

Extremely popular radio show about three men who meet, while fighting with the Chinese against the Japanese in world War II, and upon their return to the States, set up the Los Angeles Triple A-1 Detective Agency, specializing in crime and adventure.

Although their office is "just off Hollywood Boulevard and one flight up," their "adventures" take them around the world, where they invariably stumble into long-lost civilizations, werewolves, ghosts, vampires, etc. Sort of an Indiana Jones/private eye combo, although the real villians always turned out to be humans. Adding to the suspense was the fact that, for most of its run, it was presented as fifteen minute episodes aired each weekday, with each show often ending in some sort of cliffhanger, and one story could continue, day after day, for weeks. The kids must have gone completely ga-ga banannas over this stuff!

JACK PACKARD's the tough, unsentimental type, with no use for women. DOC LONG's a tall, red-headed, woman-chasin' Texan, and REGGIE YORK's the cool, chivalric Brit. Holding down the homefront while the boys bounce around the globe are secretaries Jerri Brooker and Mary Kay Brown, "the cutest l'il ol' secretary to ever fill out a dress so nice," according to Doc.

The radio series, which featured multi-episode storylines, made its debut in 1939 on the NBC Blue Network, and remained there until it moved over to CBS in 1943 for aa few years. In 1949, Mutual brought back the series with a new cast, and re-did some of the old scripts. The series was so popular that it inspired three films, all B's, but nevertheless, supposedly quite good. 1945's I Love a Mystery, the first and, by most reports, the best of them, had Jack and Doc (Reggie was written out of the movies) involved in a strange Oriental cult and a bizarre prophecy. George Macready was evidently outstanding as a man plagued by his fear of decapitation, not that I'm all at ease with it myself. 1946 brought two more films to the screen, The Devil's Mask (shrunken heads and a murder or two, supposedly quite far-fetched, but quite entertaining)) and The Unknown (ghosts, an abandoned Southern mansion and, yes, murder). There were also a few novels, and even a 1967 made-for-television flick, an unfortunate attempt to "send up" the old radio show, heavily influenced, according to William DeAndrea, by "Avengers-style whimsy and Batman-style-camp." Evidently, even the producers thought it stank, because it sat in the can for six years, before it eventually was aired in 1973.

RADIO

• I LOVE A MYSTERY
  (1939-1942, NBC Blue; 1943-44, CBS)
  15-minute episodes, Monday to Friday, or
  30 minute episodes, aired twice weekly
  Created by Carlton E. Morse
  Written by Carlton E. Morse
  Directed by Mel Bailey
  Theme: Valse Triste by Silelius
  Starring Michael Raffretto as JACK PACKARD
  Barton Yarborough as DOC LONG
  and Walter Patterson as REGGIE YORK
  with Gloria Blondell (Joan's sis) as Jerri Booker

• 1st season (NBC)
• 15 minute episodes, five times weekly
• "The Case Of The Roxy Mob" (January 16-february 4, 1939; 14 episodes)
• "Trouble At Sea" (February 3-20, 1939, 12 episodes)
• "The Case Of The Nevada Man Killer" February 21-March 27,1939; 25 episodes)
• "Turn Of The Wheel" (March 29-April 25, 1939,; 20 episodes)
• "Whose Body Got Buried?" (April 26-may 16; 1939; 15 episodes)
• "Escapade Of The Desert Hog" (May 17-june 6; 1939; 15 episodes)
• "Blood On The Border" ( June 7-27, 1939; 15 episodes)
• "Flight To Death" (June 28-july 18, 1939; 15 episodes)
• "Murder Hollywood Style" (July 19- August 8, 1939; 15 episodes)
• "Incident Concerning Death" (August 9-29, 1939; 15 episodes)
• "Battle Of The Century" (August 30-September 22, 1939; 18 episodes)
• "Blue Phantom" (October 2-20, 1939; 15 episodes, first network show)
• "The Fear That Crept Like A Cat" (October 23-November 17, 1939; 20 episodes
• "The Thing That Cried In The Night" (November 20-December 8, 1939; 15 episodes
• "Bury Your Dead, Arizona" (December 11-December 29, 1939; 15 episodes)
• "San Diego Murders" (January 1-19, 1940; 15 episodes)
• "Temple Of Vampires" (January 22February 6, 1940; 20 episodes)
• "Brooks Kidnapping" (February 19-March 8, 1940; 15 episodes)
• "Murder In Turquoise Pass" (March 11-29, 1940; 15 episodes
• "The Snake With The Diamond Eyes" (April 1-May 6, 1940; 26 episodes)
  .
• Second season (NBC)
• Beginning 30 Minutes episodes, aired twice weekly
• "The Tropics Don'T Call It Murder" (September 30-December 26, 1940; 26 episodes)
• "The Case Of The Transplanted Castle" (January 6-March 6, 1941; 18 episodes)
• "Murder On February Island" (March 10-May 8, 1941; 18 episodes)
• "Eight Kinds Of Murder" (May 12-July 3, 1941; 16 episodes)
  .
• Third season (NBC)
• 30-minute episodes, twice weekly
• "The Monster In The Mansion" (October 6-November 27, 1941; 16 episodes)
• "Secret Passage To Death" (December 1-February 5, 1942; 20 episodes
• "Terror Of Frozen Corpse Lodge" (February 9-April 9, 1942; 18 episodes)
• "Pirate Loot of The Island of Skulls" (April 13-July 6, 1942; 26 episodes)
  .
• Fourth season (CBS)
• Returns to 15-minute, 5 times weekly format
• "The Girl In The Gilded Gage" (March 2-April 9, 1943; 15 episodes)
• "Blood Of The Cat" (April 12-May 7, 1943; 20 episodes)
• "The Killer Of Circle M" (May 10-June 4, 1943; 20 episodes
• "Stairway To The Sun" (June 7-july 16, 1943; 30 episodes)
• "The Graves Of Whamperjaw, Texas" (July 19-August 6, 1943; 15 episodes)
• "Murder Is The Word For It" (August 9-27, 1943; 15 episodes)
• "The Decapitation Of Jefferson (August 30-October 1, 1943; 25 episodes)
• "My Beloved Is A Vampire" (October 4-November 5, 1943; 25 episodes)
• "The Hermit Of San Felipe Atabapo" (November8-December 3, 1943; 20 episodes)
• "The Deadly Sin Of Richard Coyle" (December 6-24, 1943; 15 episodes)
• "The Twenty Traders Of Timbuktu" (December 27-February 24, 1944; 44 episodes)
• "The African Jungle Mystery" (February 28-March 24, 1944; 20 episodes)
• "The Widow With The Amputation" (March 27-April 21, 1944; 20 episodes)
• "I Am The Destroyer Of Women" (April 24-May 12, 1944; 15 episodes)
• "You Can't Pin A Murder On Navada" (May 15-June 2, 1944; 15 episodes)
• "The Corpse In Compartment C, Car 75 (June 5-9, 1944; 5 episodes)
• "The Thing That Wouldn't Die" June 12-July 7, 1944; 20 episodes)
• "The Case Of The Terrified Comedian" (July 10-August 7, 1944; 21 episodes)
• "The Man Who Hated To Shave" (August8-21, 1944; 10 episodes)
• "Temple Of Vampires" (August 22-August 18, 1944; 20 episodes)
• "The Bride Of The Werewolf" (August 19-September 9, 1944; 15 episodes)
• "The Monster In The Mansion" (September 10-November 9, 1944; 23 episodes)
• "Portrait Of A Murderess" (November 16-December 13, 1944; 20 episodes)
• "Find Elsa Holberg, Dead Or Alive" (December 14-29, 1944; 12 episodes; last show from Hollywood)

• I LOVE A MYSTERY
  (1949-52, Mutual)
  15 minute episodes, aired five times/week
  Created by Carlton E. Morse
  Written by Carlton E. Morse
  Directed by Mel Bailey
  Theme: Valse Triste by Silelius
  Starring Russell Thorson as JACK PACKARD
  Jim Boles as DOC LONG
  and Tony Randall as REGGIE YORK
  Also starring Mercedes Mccambridge

• "The Fear That Creeps Like A Cat" (September 3-28, 1949; 20 episodes, first show of New York run)
• "The Thing That Cries in the Night" (September 31-November 18, 1949; 15 episodes)
• "Bury Your Dead, Arizona" (November 21-December 9, 1949; 15 episodes)
• "The Million Dollar Curse" (December 12-30, 1949; 15 episodes)
• "Temple Of Vampires" (January 2-27, 1950; 20 episodes)
• "Battle Of The Century" (January 30-February 22, 1950; 18 episode)
• "The Tropics Don'T Call It Murder" (February 23-March 30, 1950; 26 episodes)
• "The Case Of The Nevada Man Killer" (March 31-May 4, 1950; 25 episodes)
• "The Turn Of The Wheel" (May 5-June 1, 1950; 20 episodes)
• "The Blue Phantom Murders" (June 2-22, 1950; 15 episodes)
• "The Snake With The Diamond Eyes" (June 23-July 28, 1950; 26 episodes)
• "Flight To Death" (July 31-August 18, 1950; 15 episodes)
• "Murder In Turquoise Pass" (August 21-September 8, 1950; 15 episodes)
• "Whose Body Got Buried?" (September 11-29, 1950; 15 episodes)
• "Escapade Of The Desert Hog" (October 2-20, 1950; 15 episodes)
• "Blood On The Border" (October 23-November 10, 1950; 15 episodes)
• "Trouble At Sea" (November 13-28, 1950; 12 episodes)
• "Incident Concerning Death" (November 29-December 19, 1950; 15 episodes)
• "The Case Of The Roxy Mob" (December 20, 1950-January 6, 1951; 14 episodes)
• "The Case Of The Transplanted Castle" (January 9-February 1, 1951; 18 episodes)
• "Murder Of February Island" (February 2-27, 1951; 18 episodes)
• "The Monster In The Mansion" (February 28-30, 1951; 23 episodes)
• "Eight Kinds Of Murder" (April 2-23, 1951; 16 episodes)
• "Secret Passage To Death" (April 24-May 21, 1951; 20 episodes)
• "Terror Of Frozen Corpse Lodge" (May 22-June 14, 1951; 18 episodes)
• "The Pirate Loot Of The Island of Skulls" (June 15-July 20, 1951; 26 episodes)
• "Brooks Kidnapping" (July 23-August 10, 1951; 15 episodes)
• "Murder Hollywood Style" (August 13-31, 1951; 15 episodes)
• "The Girl In The Gilded Cage" (August 3-21, 1951; 15 episodes)
• "Blood On The Cat" (August 24-October19, 1951; 20 episodes)
• "The Case Of The Terrified Comedian" (October 22-November 16, 1951; 20 episodes)
• "The Killer Of The Circle M" (November 19-December 14, 1951; 20 episodes)
• "Murder Is The Word For It" (December 17, 1951-January 4, 1952; 15 episodes)
• "Stairway To The Sun" (January 7-February 15, 1952; 30 episodes)
• "The Graves Of Whamperjaw, Texas" (February 18-March 5, 1952; 15 episodes)
• "The Decapitation Of Jefferson Monk" (March 10-April 11, 1952; 25 episodes)
• "My Beloved Is A Vampire (April 14-May 16, 1952; 25 episodes)
• "The Hermit Of San Felipe Atabaro" (May 19-June 13, 1952; 19 episodes)
• "The Deadly Sin Of Sir Richard Coyle" (June 16-July 4, 1952; 15 episodes)
• "The Man Who Hated To Shave" (July 7-July 18, 1952; 10 episodes)
• "The African Jungle Mystery" (July 21-August 15, 1952; 20 episodes)
• "The Cobra King Strikes Back" (September1-26, 1952; 20 episodes)
• "The Widow With The Amputation" (September 30-October 27, 1952; 20 episodes)
• "I Am The Destroyer Of Women" (October 28-November 19, 1952; 15 episodes)
• "The Bride Of The Werewolf" (November 20-December 10, 1952; 15 episodes)
• "Find Elsa Holberg, Dead Or Alive" (December 11-26, 1952; 12 episodes)

FILMS

• I LOVE A MYSTERY
  (1945, Columbia)
  Based on characters created by Carlton E. Morse
  and the radio episode "The Decapitation of Jonathan Monk"
  Screenplay by Charles O'Neal
  Directed by Henry Levin
  Starring Jim Bannon as JACK PACKARD
  and Barton Yarborough as DOC LONG
  with George Macready as Jefferson Monk
  Also starring Carole Matthews, Lester Matthews, Nina Foch
  .
• THE DEVIL'S MASK
  (1946, Columbia)
  Based on characters created by Carlton E. Morse
  Directed by Henry Levin
  Starring Jim Bannon as JACK PACKARD
  and Barton Yarborough as DOC LONG
  Also starring Anita Louise, Michael Duane, Mona Barrie, Ludwig Donath
  .
• THE UNKNOWN
  (1946, Columbia)
  Based on characters created by Carlton E. Morse
  Starring Jim Bannon as JACK PACKARD
  and Barton Yarborough as DOC LONG

TELEVISION

• I LOVE A MYSTERY
  (1967, Universal)
  First broadcast February 27, 1973
  Based on characters created by Carlton E. Morse
  Screenplay by Leslie Stevens
  Directed by Leslie Stevens
  Produced by Frank Price
  Starring Les Crane as JACK PACKARD
  David Hartman as DOC LONG
  and Hagan Biggs as REGGIE YORK
  Also starring Jack Weston, Don Knotts, Terry-Thomas, Melodie Johnson, Karen Jansen, Deanna Lund

COMICS

• I LOVE A MYSTERY
  (1984, Editors Press Service)
  Written by Carlton E. Morse
  Art by Don Sherwood

• "The Case of the Transplanted Castle"
• "The Fear that Crept like a Cat"

Evidently, there WAS a newspaper strip that ran briefly in the eighties of I Love a Mystery. Even more exciting is that Moonstone Comics has recently announced that they will be producing a comic trade paperback, a "re-mastered" collection of the ILAM strip, to be remastered by the strip's original artist Don Sherwood. Plans are for the first collection to be out sometime in the summer of 2004.

NOVELS

• Stuff the Lady's Hatbox (by Carlton E. Morse, himself)

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. Illustration is by Don Sherwood from the comic strip.