Gangbusters

Gangbusters

Gang Busters, one of the earliest crime shows on radio, was created by actor-producer Phillips Lord. Deemed as the only radio program that featured authentic police cases, it debuted on NBC Radio on July 27, 1935, under the title G-Men and Lord himself as the narrator. He was later replaced by Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf, the New Jersey Police superintendent during the investigation of the infamous Lindbergh case, along with Commissioner Lewis Valentine of the New York City Police.

Each episode began with loud sound effects like gun fires and tire screeches, which led to the catch phrase “come on like Gang Busters.” And then, at the end of each episode were the description of each criminal captured and some information on those who were still on the loose.

To be able to provide real crime stories, Lord sought the help of the police and law departments across the United States. During its entire run, hundreds of criminals were brought to justice, courtesy of the Gang Busters. The show’s last episode was aired on November 27, 1957. Just recently, in 2011, Gang Busters was included into the Radio Hall of Fame.