The Radio Detective
by Arthur B. Reeve
This yet another Craig Kennedy potboiler adapted to film. Although it features Reeve's famous scientific detective, this one seemingly aims at a more juvenile audience (not that Reeve is ever heavy-duty reading!). It is full-time camp.
SPOILERS
The detective's nephew, Craig Kennedy "Ken" Adams idolizes his scoutmaster Easton Evans. Evans is also a star athlete at dear ol' Rockledge U. as well as an inventor under the tutelage of the older Kennedy.
After Evans saves the day in "the big game" against Sheffield (chapter 1), there is a "Super-Heterodyne Radio Dance" (Chapter 2) held to celebrate. As happened at many such dances of the time a Radio Robbery occurs (Chapter 3).
Let's see now. As the mystery unravels in subsequent chapters we encounter a wave-meter, a wireless dictograph, a radio compass or directional receiver, the Evansite tube, a wireless field set, a radio-hydro airplane, the wireless bomb, the wireless detonator, the radio shack at "The Eagles Nest", a radio air torpedo and the science of tel-auto-matics. This all must have been hot stuff back in the 20's but it is hard to take it seriously today.
Some of the dialogue is priceless:
Thug: "I would rather handle anything but a 'Boy Scout'"..."Those boys learn so much that it takes a good deal to fool them, even to hold them. I'm afraid of them - I really am!"
--------"Evans was perhaps one of the cleverest inventors of his age. He had that natural bent toward radio that seems born in some people. His perfection of the radio dictograph had been an evidence of it. Here, in the direction-finder as he had developed it, he had another invention almost as sensational as the cold tube of Evansite."
--------"John J. Crook, attorney and counselor at law, had arrived in Rockledge from the city in the forenoon. He was what the yeggs in their slang called a 'mouthpiece', which, after all is not a bad name for a lawyer of a certain brand."
--------Villianous Leader: "This is the wireless detonator, men," he explained. "When I press this key it will complete a radio circuit in the real detonator tuned to this wave combination. As soon as I can get the boy Hank, I'll have him tow the old duck boat with the wireless bomb and leave it under the radio shack where that Evans chap has his laboratory and his confounded radioplane. Then blooey!"
--------"I don't know what's the matter with the young people today. Now, when I was a boy--"
--------"You're clever - but it takes a radio detective to catch a radio crook!"
This is a lost 10 episode chapter-play made in 1926 by Universal. Apparently audiences, drawn in by the lure of another once-popular Craig Kennedy adventure, turned away from coming after the first few episodes. Some of the film characters have different names. Emphasis seems to have been more on Evan's invention "Evansite".
Anyway, I don't often purposely seek out "so bad, it's good" items. But this one managed to top my charts!!!
written: 7/3/2002