Mr. Chameleon

Mr. Chameleon is a detective fiction radio drama created by Frank Hummert and produced by Frank and Anne Hummert.[1] It ran on CBS Radio from July 14, 1948,[2] to 1951[3] or 1953.[1] The series starred Karl Swenson as a New York police detective who is a master of disguise, and who assumes a new identity in each episode in order to catch a criminal.[1] The listening audience is always aware of who Mr. Chameleon is, no matter in which disguise he appears.[1] According to the series' opening voice-over, "Chameleon" is not a nickname or pseudonym but the character's actual surname, one which he has tried to live up to since childhood.[4] His motto is, "The innocent must be protected and the guilty must be punished."[5] The theme song is John Jacob Loeb and Paul Francis Webster's "Masquerade".[1]

In addition to Swenson, Frank Butler was heard in the role of Dave Arnold[6] (a sergeant who was Mr. Chameleon's assistant[7]), and Richard Keith portrayed the police commissioner. The announcers were George Bryan, Howard Claney, and Roger Knapp. The program was directed by Richard Leonard and written by Marie Baumer.[1] Victor Arden's orchestra provided music.[6]

Broadcast initially on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Mr. Chameleon replaced The American Melody Hour. Sponsors of the program included Sterling Drug[2] and Bayer aspirin.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 463–464. ISBN 9780195076783. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  2. ^ a b "News of Radio". The New York Times. June 23, 1948. p. 54. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "Anne and Frank Hummert". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  4. ^ "New Show". The Akron Beacon Journal. 14 July 1948. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "The Sudden Death..." The Roanoke Times. 17 July 1948. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Cox, Jim (June 14, 2015). Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-4766-1227-0. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "'Mr. Chameleon' Solves Mystery". The Tampa Times. September 5, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.