Boston Blackie

Do you suppose the originals still exist somewhere?

Maybe someday - in my lifetime - good quality copies will be available. I would love to watch those stories again.

Did they show outside of Los Angeles where we lived?

Though seeing my hometown as it was at that time would be a lot of the pleasure, everything about the show was great: the girl, the car, Blackie, etc.

At the beginning or end of every program there was a brief, dark, night scene of Blackie, the car, and an alleyway. At least that's the way I remember it.

I must confess to a weakness for all things detective. I remember fondly the old movies starring Chester Morris, but this series starring Kent Taylor has a particularly warm spot in my heart.

The few episodes I've seen since the show's syndicated run (I saw them years after the original run on television in the late '50s) were of dubious quality. In fact, the very first videotapes I got when I had my first VCR were duplications of other VHS tapes of old TV series.

I still get a kick out of the announcer appearing at a little newsstand when Boston Blackie walks by not even noticing this booming voice character narrating about our intrepid hero. "Yes that's Boston Blackie, and he's quite a guy." Well, he really was.

There was the usual shtick of the detective being a wiseguy to the frustrated police inspector (played with exasperated skill by Frank Orth) and his little dog Whitey who replaced his sidekick in the books and movies.

There was inevitably a great chase scene at the end of every half hour (Yes, kiddies. They actually made half hour adventure series back then.) And the most exciting was a top a roller coaster.

They just do make detective shows like that anymore, and that's a shame.

ACTION! DANGER! EXCITEMENT! BOSTON BLACKIE. FRIEND TO THOSE WHO HAVE NO FRIENDS. ENEMY TO THOSE WHO MAKE HIM AN ENEMY.

The old shows still give me chills with their great introductions.

"Boston Blackie" was the first and the best TV show I have ever seen and I have seen a lot. I was about 7 years old and will never forget "Boston Blackie". I could not take my eyes off him. He was so cool and sure of himself. I would love to see the show put on video. Its been 43 years since I've seen my Hero in action.

When I was a child of 9 in 1951, Boston Blackie came on TV in my area each Sat. at 7PM. The show was on for 2 seasons and about 2 more years of repeats. It was always at 7PM on Sat. I never saw it again ever anywhere. I did buy some tapes about 5 years ago from a collector but unfortunately the copies are not very good. I would love to see these come on some cable channel such as Nick. Even Columbia House would be OK, at least the prints would be OK. The few episodes that I do have I always watch at 7PM Sat. to bring me back to that time. I loved the chemistry between Blackie, Mary and Faraday. Unfortunately most people never heard of such a show and now watch stupid sitcoms.

The transformation of Boston Blackie the jewel thief in the story by Jack Boyle in 1919 and in the early silent films to Boston Blackie the right hand of the law represented by Inspector Farraday in the TV series evolved over a thirty-year period, including fourteen top notch B films starring venerable actor Chester Morris as Blackie. On radio Morris reprised his movie role until it was taken over by Richard Kollmar. Ultimately, the fine actor, Kent Taylor, slipped comfortably into the part for television.

All presentations of Boston Blackie, movies, radio, and TV, were well done by all concerned. The Television version was a popular early entry in detective oriented programs that held sway until demoted by the shoot-em-ups of the mid to late 50's.

There were a few minor character changes: No Runt as in the Chester Morris flicks nor millionaire pal. A steady girlfriend, Mary, now played second lead; plus a pooch, in the manner of Asta, named Whitey was added, leading to a Thin Man persona for the series.

Inspector Faraday came to be portrayed by Frank Orth, a buddy to Blackie, whereas Richard Lane's Faraday of the Morris movies tended to be at best a friendly enemy to him, always suspecting Blackie of being up to no good. Blackie's lifestyle was upgraded somewhat for television with Blackie driving around town in a snazzy convertible.

The stories were tidy, fitting their half hour time slot gracefully with plenty of action. I watched the early episodes as a child and recall them to be as exciting as any on the tube at the time. A colleague of mine told me that she had a tremendous crush on Kent Taylor when she was a little girl. After watching a few of the restored shows, her bubble popped. Kent Taylor seemed to be a bit older than she remembered him and a lot less chivalrous. Nonetheless, Kent Taylor fit the part almost as well as Chester Morris, who remains the definitive Boston Blackie.