
From the Scoop Archive - 6/19/2004
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Renfrew of the Mounted Police
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Did you know that one of the most popular American children's radio shows
during the 1930s was set in Canada?
Renfrew of the Mounted Police began
as a fifteen-minute CBS serial about one Inspector Douglas Renfrew (House
Jameson) and his close friend, Carol Girard (Joan Baker). In its first season
(1936-1937), the program, which tracked Renfrew's exploits through the northern
provinces of Canada, aired only on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 6:45 pm.
But as listeners began to warm to the exciting tales of deadly criminals at
large and defenseless children lost in the forests and mountainous regions, the
show was picked up in its 1937-'38 season as a daily program. The time slot
remained the same, even if the network changed. NBC Blue was the new
provider.
Between 1938 and 1940, the show's popularity increased and it
became a half-hour program. Even so, the show was canceled after only four
seasons. Renfrew of the Mounted Police spawned a total of eight films:
Renfrew of the Royal Mounted (1937), Renfrew on the Great White Trail
(1938), Fighting Mad (1939), Crashing Thru (1939), Danger
Ahead (1940), Murder on the Yukon (1940) and Sky Bandits
(1940).
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