The Green Hornet (radio series) facts for kids

The Green Hornet was a popular American radio adventure series. It started in 1936 and introduced the exciting character of the Green Hornet. He was a masked hero who fought crime.

The Green Hornet's Story: Opening Narration

When the show first started in 1936, the announcer would say the Green Hornet "hunts the biggest of all game! Public enemies that even the G-Men cannot reach!" "G-Men" was a nickname for FBI agents.

However, the head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, didn't like this. He felt it made the FBI seem unable to catch all criminals. So, the line was changed to "public enemies who try to destroy our America!"

During World War II, the opening changed again. It said the Green Hornet:

... matches wits with racketeers and saboteurs, risking his life so that criminals and enemy spies will feel the weight of the law by the sting of the Green Hornet!

After the sound of the Black Beauty car engine, the announcer would add:

Ride with Britt Reid as he races toward another thrilling adventure! The Green Hornet strikes again!

Then, after a hornet buzzing sound, Britt Reid would call out:

Hurry, Kato! Here's where we smash a [type of criminal operation featured in the episode inserted] racket!

Later, this was made simpler:

Ride with Britt Reid in the thrilling adventure [title of episode inserted]! The Green Hornet strikes again!

Music That Made the Show Buzz

The radio show used "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov as its main theme song. They mixed it with a hornet buzz sound. This buzz was made using a special instrument called a theremin.

Other famous classical songs were used in the show too. These songs helped set the mood for the adventures. Some of them included:

• Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz
• Pathetique Symphony and Francesca di Rimini by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
• Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
• Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas
• "From the New World" Symphony by Antonín Dvořák
• Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky
• Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets by Gustav Holst
• The Overture to The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner
• "The Infernal Dance of King Koshchei" from The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky

This last song was often played after a special narration. This narration described how Britt Reid and Kato would get into their super-fast car, the "Black Beauty":

Stepping through a secret panel in the rear of the closet in his bedroom, Britt Reid and Kato went along a narrow passageway built within the walls of the apartment house itself. This passage led to an adjoining building which fronted on a dark side street. Though supposedly abandoned, this building served as the hiding place for the sleek, super-powered "Black Beauty," streamlined car of The Green Hornet. [Sound of Reid and Kato getting into car] Britt Reid pressed a button. [Sound of car starting] The great car roared into life. [Sound of revving engine] A section of the wall in front raised automatically, then closed as the gleaming "Black Beauty" sped into the darkness. [Sound of engine roaring and car driving away]

An earlier version of this description was used in 1936:

When Britt Reid left his bedroom, he went through a secret passage between the walls of the apartment building into an old ramshackle structure front on another street. The fact that the rear of this place touched the fashionable apartment building, made the passage from one to the other possible to Britt Reid. On the first floor of this supposedly abandoned building was the motor car which Kato kept in perfect condition. The car with a motor of such power that it was that it was an easy matter to avoid pursuit. When the car was taken from its hiding place, photo-electric cells opened and closed cunningly disguised doors in the building. When Britt slipped beneath the steering wheel, he was no longer the happy-go-lucky young millionaire. He became grim and purposeful, willing to risk all in combat with criminals the law couldn't reach. He became the Green Hornet.

The Green Hornet's Family Tree: Link to The Lone Ranger

Did you know the Green Hornet is related to another famous hero, the Lone Ranger? Both characters were created by Fran Striker.

The Lone Ranger had a nephew named Dan Reid. In the Green Hornet radio shows, the Green Hornet's father was also named Dan Reid. This means Britt Reid, the Green Hornet, was the Lone Ranger's grandnephew!

In a 1947 radio episode called "Too Hot to Handle," Britt tells his father, Dan, that he is the Green Hornet. After the initial surprise, Dan talks about a hero ancestor of theirs. This ancestor was a "vigilante pioneer" whom Dan had ridden with in Texas. As Dan showed pride in his son, the Lone Ranger's theme music played softly in the background.

Later, the Lone Ranger's rights were sold to a different company. This caused some legal issues that stopped the two heroes from being directly linked for a while. However, these issues were later fixed in a comic book story published by Dynamite Entertainment.

The Green Hornet in Other Shows

Some movies in The Pink Panther film series made fun of the Green Hornet. They included an Asian helper for the hero, sometimes called "Kato" or "Cato." One movie even had a special car called "The Silver Hornet."

Who Played the Heroes?

Many talented actors played the Green Hornet and his loyal partner, Kato.

The Green Hornet was played by:

• Al Hodge (1936–1943, 1945) – He later played Captain Video on TV.
• Donovan Faust (1943)
• Bob Hall (1945–1947)
• Jack McCarthy (1947–1952)

The role of Kato was first played by Tokutaro Hayashi. He was given the name Raymond Toyo by the show's first director, James Jewell. Later, Rollon Parker played Kato. Rollon Parker also voiced "The Newsboy" at the end of each episode. The Newsboy would shout about the latest news, like:

Special extry! Paper! Police smash smuggling racket! Foreign diplomat involved! Read all about it! Green Hornet still at large!

Michael Tolan and Paul Carnegie also played Kato in the radio series. Charles Livingstone took over as director after James Jewell. The announcers who narrated The Green Hornet included Fielden Farrington, Charles Wood, and famous journalist Mike Wallace. Hal Neal, who later became president of ABC Radio, was also an announcer. Bob Hite and Fred Foy were also narrators. Fred Foy was the last announcer from 1951 until the show ended in 1952.

Other Important Characters

Many other characters helped or challenged the Green Hornet in the radio series.

Friends and Allies

• Lenore "Casey" Case: She was Britt Reid's secretary. She had worked for Britt's father before. Leonore Jewell Allman played her for the entire show. In 1948, she found out the Green Hornet's secret identity. After that, she became a trusted friend and helper.
• Michael Aloysius "Mike" Axford: Mike was a former policeman. He was first hired to be Britt's bodyguard. He then became a reporter for The Daily Sentinel newspaper. He knew a lot of people at the police station. Mike was always trying to catch the Green Hornet, even though he admired him. He was played by Jim Irwin until 1938, then by Gil Shea.
• Bill Gunnigan: He was the City Editor at The Daily Sentinel. He was known for always shouting commands. Fred Reto played him in 1938.
• Ed Lowry:' Ed was one of The Sentinels best reporters. He also admired the Green Hornet. Jack Petruzzi played him. Ed left the show for a while but returned in 1946 after serving in the armed forces.
• Police Commissioner James Higgins: He was introduced later in the series, in 1947. Higgins was an old friend of Britt's father, Dan Reid. The Green Hornet saved him from a problem. Soon after, Britt and Dan told Higgins the Green Hornet's secret identity.

Enemies

• Oliver Perry, "The Great Detective": Oliver Perry was a famous private investigator. He became one of the Green Hornet's toughest enemies. He first appeared in 1944. He suspected a link between The Daily Sentinel and the Green Hornet. He even thought Britt Reid might be the Hornet. Britt always managed to trick him. Perry kept trying to expose Britt as the Hornet. He even tried to impersonate the Hornet. Because he kept failing, Perry eventually turned bad. He ended up in prison after a fight with the Green Hornet. Even from prison, he tried to cause trouble for the Hornet. He eventually escaped but was caught and sent back to prison for good.

How the Show Was Kept Alive

Like many radio shows back then, The Green Hornet was broadcast live. This means it was performed as it happened, without being recorded. Before May 1938, episodes were not recorded.

However, starting in April 1939, recordings of the live shows began. These recordings were made so that other radio stations could play the episodes later. Every episode after that date was recorded.