Casey, Crime Photographer

Casey, Crime Photographer
Issue in which Pinch-Hitters was published (v17-#7)
Creator	George Harmon Coxe
Original work	Return Engagement, March 1934, Black Mask (magazine)
Print publications
Books	Books Cox, J. Randolph [2005], Flashgun Casey, Crime Photographer: From the Pulps to Radio And Beyond, David S. Siegel, William F Nolan, Yorktown Heights, NY: Book Hunter Press. ISBN 1891379054 Coxe, George Harmon [1946], Flash Casey, Detective, J. Meyers : E.B. Williams :Avon Book Co.[1]
Novels	Novels Silent Are the Dead (1942) Murder For Two (1943) Error of Judgement (1961) The Man Who Died Too Soon (1962) Deadly Image (1964)
Comics	Casey: Crime Photographer, Aug 1949, Marvel Comics Radio Tie in
Magazines	Black Mask
Films and television
Films	Women Are Trouble (1936) Here's Flash Casey (1938)
Television series	Crime Photographer (1951 - 1952)
Theatrical presentations
Plays	Bristol, Stephen Crime Photographer[2]
Audio
Radio programs	Casey, Crime Photographer 07/07/43 - 11/16/50 and 01/13/54 - 04/22/55.

Casey, Crime Photographer (aka Crime photographer; Flashgun Casey; Casey, Press Photographer; Stephen Bristol, Crime Photographer) was a media franchise, in the 1930s through the 1960s. Created by George Harmon Coxe, the photographer Casey was featured in radio, film, theater, novels, magazines and comic books.^[3] Launched in a 1934 issue of the pulp magazine Black Mask, the character Jack "Flashgun" Casey, was a crime photographer for the newspaper The Morning Express. With the help of reporter Ann Williams (portrayed on radio and TV by Jan Miner), he solved crimes and recounted his stories to friends at The Blue Note, their favorite tavern.^[4]

George Harmon Coxe

Casey's creator, George Harmon Coxe, was the 1964 recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's prestigious Grand Master Award representing the pinnacle of achievement in the mystery field. This award represents significant output of quality in mystery writing.

Black Mask

Main article: Black Mask (magazine)

See also: List of Casey, Crime Photographer stories in Black Mask

"Flashgun" Casey began in the March, 1934 issue of Black Mask, in the story Return Engagement. This story was later used in the film "Here's Flash Casey". Twenty more stories appeared in the magazine over the next decades, and collections of these stories were published in anthology form as well. Two of the subsequent novels were serialized in the magazine, in addition to the 21 short stories.^[5]

In 1941, three parts of the early novels; Silent are the Dead were published in Black Mask in September, October and November as Killers Are Camera Shy; and in 1943, Murder for Two was serialized in January, February and March as Blood on the Lens.

Novels

Coxe wrote five novels featuring Casey.

• Deadly Image (1964)^[6]
• Error of Judgement (1961)^[7]
• The Man Who Died Too Soon (1962)^[8]
• Murder For Two (1943)^[9]

serialized in Black Mask over three issues.

• Silent Are the Dead (1942)^[10]

serialized in Black Mask over three issues.

Paul Ayres (Pseudonym of Edward S. Aaron) wrote a novel starring Casey, based on the works of Coxe

• Dead Heat (1950)^[11]

Films

Here's Flash Casey

• Women Are Trouble (1936)
• Here's Flash Casey (1938)

Radio

Main article: Casey, Crime Photographer (radio)

Begun as stories in Black Mask, the stories were brought to radio under multiple names. The series aired on CBS for its entirety. 07/07/43 - 11/16/50 and 01/13/54 - 04/22/55.

Selected cast

• Matt Crowley, Casey
• Staats Cotsworth, Casey
• Jan Miner, Ann Williams
• John Gibson,

Titles of show

• Flashgun Casey
• Casey, Press Photographer
• Crime Photographer

The radio show was sustained by the network, sponsored by Anchor Hocking, Toni home permanents, Toni Shampoo and Philip Morris. The Blue Note was a jazz club; the Archie Bleyer Orchestra and The Teddy Wilson Trio were featured.

Comic books

A four-part Marvel Comics tie-in to the radio show began August 1949.^[12]

Television

In 1951 the popular series moved to television

• First Telecast: April 19, 1951
• Last Telecast: June 5, 1952

Cast

• Casey (June 1951-April 1952): Darren McGavin
• Ann Williams: Jan Miner (reprising her role on radio)

On Darrin McGavin's website, he is quoted as saying "The cast of Crime Photographer didn’t go down fighting. "They took off for the hills. It was so bad that it was never re-run, and that’s saying something when you recall the caliber of television programs in those days."^[13]

References

1. ^ Coxe, George Harmon. Flash Casey, Detective. J. Meyers : E.B. Williams. Avon Book Co.. 
2. ^ West, Dorothy Herbert. "Item notes: 1949/1952". Play index. Dorothy Margaret Peake, Estelle A. Fidell. H. W. Wilson Co. p. p16. 
3. ^ Cox, J. Randolph. Flashgun Casey, Crime Photographer: From the Pulps to Radio And Beyond. David S. Siegel, William F Nolan. Yorktown Heights, NY: Book Hunter Press. ISBN 1891379054. 
4. ^ Lackmann, Ronald W.. "Casey, Crime Photographer". The Encyclopedia of American Radio: An A-Z Guide to Radio from Jack Benny to Howard Stern. Facts on File. p. p60. ISBN 0816041377. 
5. ^ Hagemann, Edward R.. "cite= George Harmon Coxe". A Comprehensive Index to Black Mask, 1920-1951: With Brief Annotations, Preface, and Editorial Apparatus. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. ISBN 0879722029. 
6. ^ Coxe, George Harmon. Deadly Image. A.A. Knopf. 
7. ^ Coxe. Error of Judgement. Hammond. 
8. ^ Coxe. The Man Who Died Too Soon. A.A. Knopf. 
9. ^ Coxe. Murder For Two. Dell. p. Mapback # 276. 
10. ^ Coxe. Silent are the Dead. A.A. Knopf. 
11. ^ Ayres. Dead Heat. Drexel Hill, PA Bell Publishing Co.. 
12. ^ Hollifield, Scott (Retrieved Oct 22, 2008). "Timely-Atlas-Marvel Chronology". http://www.samcci.comics.org/chronology.htm. 
13. ^ "Casey, Crime Photographer". Retrieved October 22, 2008. http://www.darrenmcgavin.net/casey,_crime_photographer.htm.  DarrenMcGavin.net