Glenn Ford was a busy man. Along with his extensive list of films, he appeared in numerous TV shows in his career, and, it seems, quite a bit of radio. To illustrate the point, in 1950 alone he was in three films, The White Tower, Convicted, and The Flying Missile. On top of that, if that weren't impressive enough, he recorded at least twenty episodes of NBC radio's private eye drama, Christopher London.
The character of London was crafted "especially for radio" by Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of the legendary Perry Mason, and, as it's intro informs us, the show itself was "transcribed, produced, and directed by William N. Robson", the titan behind such radio epics as Escape, Suspense, and the short-lived cowboy classic, Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. London is a smart and funny character, but also quite tough as well; he's a man that will "go anywhere and do anything...for a price."
The scripts are amazingly sophisticated, and the stories are both fun and quite serious, which is what one would expect from someone with Robson's serious chops. They suit Glenn Ford's casually sober style perfectly; Christopher London is a fully-realised person due to Ford's relaxed way with a phrase and complete control of every scene.
Normally when I like a newly discovered radio show, I tend to ration them, especially if there are few existing episodes. Not so with Christopher London; I gobbled them up greedily in one sitting. They're so different in style and tone from other private eye dramas, and such a pleasant listen. It pains me that there are only three installments known to exist. I have one of them below for download; I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Download Christopher London - The Terrible Price of Sugar HERE
Download NIGHT BEAT - Christopher London Promo HERE
The character of London was crafted "especially for radio" by Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of the legendary Perry Mason, and, as it's intro informs us, the show itself was "transcribed, produced, and directed by William N. Robson", the titan behind such radio epics as Escape, Suspense, and the short-lived cowboy classic, Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. London is a smart and funny character, but also quite tough as well; he's a man that will "go anywhere and do anything...for a price."
The scripts are amazingly sophisticated, and the stories are both fun and quite serious, which is what one would expect from someone with Robson's serious chops. They suit Glenn Ford's casually sober style perfectly; Christopher London is a fully-realised person due to Ford's relaxed way with a phrase and complete control of every scene.
Normally when I like a newly discovered radio show, I tend to ration them, especially if there are few existing episodes. Not so with Christopher London; I gobbled them up greedily in one sitting. They're so different in style and tone from other private eye dramas, and such a pleasant listen. It pains me that there are only three installments known to exist. I have one of them below for download; I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Download Christopher London - The Terrible Price of Sugar HERE
Download NIGHT BEAT - Christopher London Promo HERE
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