Gang Busters

Real-life law enforcement on the radio sends a message: Crime does not pay!

Carl Amari

In the fight against the mob during the 1930s and 1940s, radio listeners proved they could make a difference, and the Gang Busters audience helped put real criminals behind bars! In 1935, when Philips H. Lord created Gang Busters, the crime rate was high and law enforcement was low. Crimes were highly publicized and their perpetrators were sometimes glamorized in Hollywood movies. With most radio crime programs dramatizing pulp fiction stories, Lord decided to portray the procedure and practices of real-life law enforcement officers, basing his dramas on court records and police files. And because it glorified the FBI, Gang Busters had the full support of J. Edgar Hoover, the bureau chief. Official guest speakers, including Lewis J. Valentine, former commissioner of police of New York City, further enhanced the…

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Good Old Days (Digital) - 1 Issue, November/December 2024

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