Box 13 (1948-1949) aired “The Better Man” on January 2, 1949 as the 20th of its 52 episodes. This is the 11th episode of Box 13 we have showcased, and the fourth since November of 2020 (the last episode being in January of 2024). It has proved a popular program so we happily present another episode this week, along with a reprise of the introductory material from previous shows for newcomers, or those wishing to refresh their memories.
Box 13 was a production of Mayfair Productions, a company begun by Alan Ladd and Richard Sandville, and was named after a restaurant of the same name owned by the pair. The shows were syndicated to various networks and radio stations who ran them on different days of the week and at different time slots to fit their individual programming needs. Thus, some shows have differing original air dates and are hard to pin down, especially since a limited block of shows (13 or 26 or more episodes of the 52 total run) might have been picked up years later. So we have the show appearing in a few scattered markets in late 1947, and then on its historically recognized nationwide run in 1948-49, cropping up again around 1954, and even into the early 1970s. It was well produced, written, and acted, with quite a few Big Name radio actors appearing in various episodes. It is also one of those shows veering away from the single-track, hard-boiled, noirish detective or P.I. radio shows so popular throughout the 1940s in film and on radio, in that while it kept the noirish element (usually at least one corpse a trademark feature) it also emphasized a strong element of adventure, so that Box 13 is probably best categorized as a noir-adventure series.
The premise of the show has film star Alan Ladd (1913-1964, most recognizable as the hero in the classic 1953 film Shane) as writer/adventurer Dan Holiday. Holiday has retired from his days of writing for a newspaper to write his own fiction, and now to gain ideas for his books has placed an ad in the paper that reads: “Adventure wanted – will go anywhere, do anything – Box 13.” Holiday’s personal secretary, Suzy (played by Sylvia Picker [1909-1981], photo at right with Ladd), is in charge of his mail drop, which she checks regularly. While Suzy’s character is somewhat ditzy (a not uncommon character in film and radio of the time), she plays it to the hilt and adds a nice touch to the show.
“The Better Man” is a psychological study brought about by a wealthy old man who tempts a small group of men with an awful lot of money, our Dan Holiday among them. The game is afoot when the men are offered a prize of $100,000 to the first man to correctly follow a set of clues to the money, but of course there are obstacles to overcome along the way. Perhaps the foremost obstacle is that of staying alive, for the fewer treasure hunters there are the better chances of those remaining to be the first to solve the clues and win the reward. And if only one is left standing… But if that seems too simple and straightforward, there is yet another incentive for Dan to unravel the clues first, which of course leads to solving the enigmatic riddle of just who is “The Better Man.” A relatively low-key presentation belying a solid and effective tale, it is definitely worthy of Dan’s mettle.
(The linked CD at top includes this episode and 15 others.)
Play Time: 27:00
{“The Better Man” aired on a Sunday evening on a cold winter January night in 1949, and the neighborhood gang couldn’t wait to get to the corner newsstand the next afternoon after school. Crack Detective (1938-57) was one of 8 titles given this pulp during its almost 20-year run, and was probably its most noted feature. It was a bi-monthly in 1949. Dime Detective (1931-53) was the most popular of Popular Publications stable of detective pulps and ran for an amazing 274 issues, all but the last three years as a monthly. Ten Detective Aces (1928-49) went through a few name changes itself before settling on its current title in 1933, a title that would not change for the remainder of its final 16 years. Though a bimonthly, it would produce only 5 issues in 1949 before calling it a day, and the end of a fine run indeed.}
[Left: Crack Detective, 1/49 – Center: Dime Detective, 1/49 – Right: Ten Detective Aces. 1/49]
To view the entire list of weekly Old Time Radio episodes at Tangent Online, click here.