| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | WJZ |
| Syndicates | ABC |
| Starring | J. Scott Smart |
| Announcer | Charles Irving Gene Kirby Don Lowe |
| Created by | Dashiell Hammett |
| Written by | Richard Ellington Dashiell Hammett Lawrence Klee Daniel Shuffman Robert Sloane Harold Swanson |
| Directed by | Clark Andrews Charles Powers Robert Sloane |
| Produced by | Ed Rosenberg |
| Original release | January 21, 1946 – September 26, 1951 |
| Opening theme | "Fat Man Polka" |
| Sponsored by | Pepto-Bismol Unguentine ointment Camel cigarettes Dentyne and Chiclets chewing gum |
The Fat Man, a popular radio show during the 1940s and early 1950s, was a detective drama created by (or at least credited to) Dashiell Hammett, author of The Thin Man. It starred J. Scott Smart in the title role, as a detective who started out anonymous but rapidly acquired the name 'Brad Runyon'.[1]
Broadcast from the studios of WJZ in Newark, New Jersey, the series premiered on the ABC Radio Network on Monday, January 21, 1946, at 8:30 p.m.,[2] as part of a block of four new programs (I Deal in Crime, Forever Tops, and Jimmy Gleason's Diner) and ran until 1951. While the basic concept was credited to Hammett, The Fat Man was developed by producer, E.J. ("Mannie") Rosenberg. The program was directed by Clark Andrews, creator of Big Town, and Charles Powers. The main writer was Richard Ellington, with other scripts by Robert Sloane and Lawrence Klee.