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Following her graduation and return to Akron, two of Krisher's original radio dramas aired locally, both of which she directed.[20][21] She also wrote a holiday-themed drama, which aired Christmas Eve on WLW.[22] Krisher also continued to perform onstage, joining Akron's Little Theater group, the Weathervane Players, in September 1941.[23][24][25] Subsequently, she worked as a copywriter and continuity writer at WFMJ in Youngstown, Ohio.[1] It was there, in the fall of 1942, that Krisher met her soon-to-be husband, James Speed, a fellow WFMJ employee.[13]
In 1946, following the birth of her first child and completion of her husband's military service, Speed relocated to New York City. On June 6, her radio drama "My Dear Aunt Caroline" aired on Elaine Sterne Carrington's anthology series showcasing new writers, The Carrington Playhouse,[1][26][27] performed live at New York's Longacre Theatre under Perry Lafferty's direction and broadcast nationally on the Mutual Broadcasting System.[28] Recounting "the near tragedy brought about by the dominance by an older woman over a young girl,"[17] Speed's narrative clearly anticipates the oppressive family relationships that would characterize her most popular mystery stories roughly 20 years later.[29][30]
"Farewell to Birdie McKeesler," Speed's tale of a severely typing-challenged office employee whose dismissal proves considerably easier said than done,[42] was produced three times in five years, first in 1948 on Family Theater with June Haver,[43][44] then in 1950—with "McKeesler" changed to "McKeever"—on Skippy Hollywood Theatre, with Gloria Grahame,[45] and, finally, adapted for television in 1953 on Your Jeweler's Showcase, starring Marilyn Erskine.[46] The latter production was frequently re-aired over the next decade;[47] it was shown on KCOP-TV in Los Angeles as late as August 1966,[48] and, more than three years later, on ATV in Great Britain.[49] Moreover, the film was subsequently re-released by producer Stuart Reynolds and screened as a teaching tool addressing both workplace interaction and interpersonal communication in general.[50][51] The remainder of Speed's produced output during this period includes four episodes of Armstrong's Theatre of Today[52] and her adaptation of Richard Hughes' novel A High Wind in Jamaica, which aired on NBC University Theater.[53]
Hollywood interlude
On June 16, 1947, roughly five months prior to her second nationally broadcast radio drama (and the first one produced in Hollywood), Speed, as well as veteran character actorsHarry Davenport and Kathryn Card, were named by The Hollywood Reporter as late additions to the cast of Warner Brothers' Mary Hagen (ultimately released as That Hagen Girl, starring Shirley Temple and Ronald Reagan).[54][55] Although whatever dialogue the film's shooting script may have assigned her character did not make it into the finished film, Speed's uncredited 14-second walk-on at the very beginning of a nightclub scene late in the film—as a cigarette girl emerging from a crowd of anonymous dancers and wending her way past seated diners towards the club's bar (tended by an uncredited Gino Corrado)—is clearly the focal point of a carefully designed traveling crane shot.[56][57][d]
Crime fiction: a new beginning
In the wake of radio drama's demise in the early 1950s, Speed's roughly 25-year transition from stage to page concluded in March 1963 with the publication of "According to Plan," her professional mystery-writing debut,[52] which thus became—by editor Frederic Dannay's reckoning—"the 247th 'first story' to be published by Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine."[61] Almost without exception Speed's crime fiction, all of which debuted between 1963 and 1980, did so in EQMM, the sole outlier being "Poor Eva", which first appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 1977.[5][62] Her first two stories were included in Anthony Boucher's honor roll for detective fiction of 1963,[63][64] as were her next three, in the 1964, '65 and '66 editions, respectively.[65] Her 1969 story, "The Unhappening", was likewise honored by Boucher's successor Allen J. Hubin;[66] in addition, it appeared the following year in Ellery Queen's Grand Slam (25th anniversary annual): 25 stories from 'Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'.[67]
"The Freya of Fire Island", Speed's third published story, appeared in the September 1964 issue and shortly thereafter in Ellery Queen's 20th Anniversary Annual.[68] In his introduction, editor Fred Dannay—aka Ellery Queen—observed: "Her style gets firmer with each story, her insight deeper, her observation sharper."[69] Regarding her 1966 novelette "Sounds in the Night", Dannay's introduction—entitled "Sui Generis"—notes that Speed's latest work "is not of the fast, grating, or slam-bang school. It chooses its own inherent speed, growing, growing... warmly human, sympathetically understanding, probing with the gentle touch of a highly skilled surgeon."[70] Six years later, Speed spelled out in verse her personal mystery preferences, chief among them being "to read not of dolls pulled about by plots, but of humans tied up in their self-made knots."[71]
"End of the Day" (EQMM, March 1965), described by Dannay as "a superb character study [of] a nervous, harassed mother of two [and] wife of a demanding, sarcastic, belittling husband,"[29] appears to have created an immediate buzz; barely had the March issue hit the newsstands when Speed was contacted by noted mystery/suspense editor Joan Kahn in hopes of giving her employer Harper & Row the inside track on any upcoming novel.[72] Although the novel never materialized, more than two decades later, Kahn did include another popular Speed story, "Fair's Fair",[73] in Ready or Not, Here Come Fourteen Frightening Stories, the last in Kahn's series of wide-ranging short fiction anthologies. Speed's entry was singled out by both School Library Journal[74] and McAllen Monitor critic Wanda Koeller, who writes, "'Fair's Fair' is my favorite. [...] The author does an excellent job of doing what a frightening story should do — keep you on the edge of your seat. [...] It is written very plainly by Jane Speed, but offers a complex and sinister message."[30] More recently, Mystery.com's 2021 review of the February 1967 issue of EQMM awarded "Fair's Fair" 4 of 5 stars (as contrasted with another seven of the issue's 12 stories, which received 3 or fewer, and with the issue's overall score of 3.5).[75]
Kahn and Dannay were not alone in their regard for Speed's work. For the 1977 edition of Best Detective Stories of the Year, Edward D. Hoch selected her story "View From the Inside".[76] Five years later, two of her stories and three by Hoch appeared in Martin H. Greenberg's anthology Miniature Mysteries: 100 Malicious Little Mystery Stories. Reviewing that collection, the San Francisco Examiner Magazine singled out Speed, Hoch, and fellow contributors Kay Nolte Smith, Jack Ritchie, Francis M. Nevins and Helen McCloy as "some of the most respected names in the profession."[2] Reviewing the same book, Kiplinger's Changing Times selected an almost entirely different group to represent the best of the best, yet likewise included Speed:
Included are works by some of the best writers in the field, such as Edward Wellen, Michael Gilbert, Lawrence Treat and Jane Speed.[3]
In retrospect, "End of the Day" may be Speed's most enduring work; aside from numerous subsequent printings,[77][78][79] it almost singlehandedly resurrected the author's previous career in the form of radio dramatizations and readings in South Africa, Italy, and, in Germany, by RAI Bozen, Radio Bremen and Sender Freies Berlin.[80] One production, starring Elisabeth Wiedemann and Henning Schlüter, debuted on July 3, 1976.[81] In addition, a reading of Speed's "Poor Eva" was aired by SFB in 1979 and again in 1981.[82][83] In 2018, more than half a century after its publication, "End of the Day" was performed live for the benefit of Seattle Central Library patrons[84][4] (part of that library's longstanding program, "Thrilling Tales! A Story Time for Grownups"[85]).
Personal life and death
From April 1943 until her death in 1991, she was married to musician/computer programmer James Edward Speed, with whom she had three children.[86][13][87] Following the appearance of her last published story in 1980, much of Speed's time was taken up in managing the affairs of her aging father in Akron and, following his death in 1988, successfully contesting a fraudulent will which, ironically, would have left her a considerably larger sum than did the actual document drawn up by her charitably inclined father almost a decade earlier.[88]
On March 5, 1991, Speed died of natural causes, survived by her husband and children,[86] as well as her son-in-law, poet John Curl, and her granddaughter, Grammy-winning film and video producer Rachel Curl.[87]
Works
Radio
"Blitzkrieg at McDougall's" aired September 19, 1941 on WJW-AM[20]
"Story Conference" aired October 3, 1941 on WAKR-AM[21]
"The Freya of Fire Island" in EQMM (September 1964), reprinted in Ellery Queen's 20th Anniversary Annual (New York, Random House, 1965), edited by Ellery Queen[68]
"End of the Day" in EQMM (March 1965), reprinted in With Malice Towards All (New York, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1968), edited by Robert Fish[77]
"Sounds in the Night" in EQMM (September 1966), reprinted in Ellery Queen's Mystery Anthology (Spring-Summer 1972, Volume 23), edited by Ellery Queen[76]
"Recipe for Revenge" in EQMM (October 1974), reprinted in Miniature Mysteries: 100 Malicious Little Mystery Stories (New York, Taplinger, 1981, 1992), edited by Martin Greenberg[76]
"A Shock of Recognition" in EQMM (April 1976), reprinted in Kvinner og Klær in 1978[101]
^This was almost certainly the then already widely performed three-act, religious play penned by the Ohio-born and educated Fred Eastman, longtime Professor of religious drama and literature at Chicago Theological Seminary.[10]
^Although the initial November 1947 "Hard Bargain" purchase had been made by CBS for use on Suspense,[31] Mrs. Speed had the misfortune of making that sale at precisely the moment the network's long-running series was in newly un-sponsored crisis mode, facing what seemed imminent cancellation.[32] The CBS solution to this dilemma unfortunately entailed what would ultimately prove a relatively short-lived expansion of the program's running time to sixty minutes (implemented January 1948, abandoned just over six months later);[33] hence, the network's "HB" Plan B, shifting Speed's script to its long-running, otherwise comparable, but still half-hour-sized crime series, The Whistler.[34][35]
^The Whistler's production of Speed's "A Hard Bargain" aired on its 'east of the Rockies'—i.e. Household Finance Corp.—edition only,[36] while the rest of the country heard "What Makes a Murderer," a new production of the show's like-named 8/13/45 episode[37]
^The party responsible for Speed's presence here is most likely the film's dialogue director, Herschel Daugherty, who, as of June 23, 1941, had been a longtime faculty member at the Pasadena Playhouse.[58] It was approximately one week later that Jane Krisher—who, as evidenced by her Northwestern résumé, was at that time at least as much focused on acting as on writing or directing[15][59]—embarked with three fellow Northwestern graduates on a three-part California road trip, the first stop being Pasadena.[60]
^ abLachtman, Howard (August 21, 1983). "Lachtman on Mysteries". The San Francisco Examiner Magazine. p. 5. "'Miniature Mysteries' is a collection of abbreviated crime fictions which showcases the seldom-collected short short genre. It features both unknown authors and some of the most respected names in the profession (Edward D. Hoch, Kay Nolte Smith, Jack Ritchie, Jane Speed, Francis M. Nevins, Helen McCloy).'
^ ab"The Bookshelf: Fiction". Kiplinger's Changing Times. August 1983. p. 74. "Miniature Mysteries, selected by Isaac Asimov, Martin Harry Greenberg & Joseph D. Olander [...] Included are works by some of the best writers in the field, such as Edward Wellen, Michael Gilbert, Lawrence Treat and Jane Speed."
^ abConstant, Paul (August 13, 2018). "Your Week in Readings: The best literary events from August 13th - August 19th". The Seattle Review of Books. "Monday, August 13: Thrilling Tales After Dark. The Seattle Public Library’s story time event for grownups continues with a special reading of the short story 'End of the Day,' by Jane Speed. The quote supplied by the library from this story is as follows: 'I swear, I’d lose my head if it wasn’t connected to my shoulders! Now where on earth did I put my husband?'"
^"Here's Who's Who in Weathervane Group". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 24, 1941. p. 13. "Here's a Who's Who in the Weathervane theater, currently staging the play, 'Here Today.' Left, above, Fred McKinley, who his first lead in this vehicle, and center, Jane Krisher, who was active in the theater at Northwestern university, beginning first year with the Weathervane."
^"Old 'Tear Jerker' Being Revived: Jane – Dunlevy – Kay". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 23, 1941. p. 39. "The stern father who is ordering his daughter out into the cold, cold night is James Dunlevy. The grief-stricken daughter is Jane Krisher while her sister, Kay Stevens, tries to intercede for her."
^Gloss, Edward E. (October 25, 1941). "Virtue Again is Rewarded in Third Act". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. 11. "What happens to Jane Krisher, the Little Nell of this piece, shouldn't happen to the worst girl alive, and probably wouldn't. She is deceived, misunderstood, cast aside and cast off and darned near dies of starvation and overwork before the villain is given his just deserts [...] Krisher, Vernon and Miss Halldin 'double in brass' by leading community singing and also offering solos from the stage."
^Carrington, Elaine (January 8, 1947). ""Queen of Soapers Asks: Does Radio Want New Writers?". Variety. p. 110. ProQuest1285902690. I am inordinately proud of many of our productions and of the roster of new writers who have been launched on their careers as a result of Playhouse productions under the direction of Perry Lafferty. There is Kenneth Greeberg, who wrote 'The Sparrow;' Winifred Wolfe, who wrote 'Portrait of a Girl'; Howard Rodman, who wrote 'Ride a Cock Horse'; Carolyn Darling, who wrote 'Enter Youth'; Jane Speed, who wrote 'My Dear Aunt Caroline'; and from a radio station in Hartford, Ralph Klein with his unusual and clever mystery stories. See also:;
"MBS to Try Scripts by Unknowns; New Dramatic 'Playhouse' Will Be Produced by Soap Serial Writer, Mrs. Carrington". Broadcasting, Telecasting. February 4, 1946. p. 9. ProQuest1014888227. The show, to be called The Carrington Playhouse, will be broadcast Thursdays from 8 to 8:30 p.m., beginning Feb. 21. Mrs. Carrington will select the scripts and produce the shows. Perry Lafferty will be the director.
"Inside Stuff––Radio". Variety. February 27, 1946. p. 44. ProQuest1285871269. "Carrington Playhouse," preeming over MBS last Thursday (21) brought to the Longacre theatre, N. Y., Mutual studio, something of a legit first-night atmosphere, what with prominent guests, et al.
^ abDannay, Frederic, ed. (March 1965). Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. p. 84. "'End of the Day' [...] Jane Speed keeps improving with each new story [...] And now her fourth story: about a nervous, harassed mother of two small children, the wife of a demanding, sarcastic, belittling husband—a woman who desperately tries to cope with the tensions and pressures of everyday family problems ... a superb character study."
^ abcKoeller, Wanda (May 15, 1988). "Scare Me Just a Little". The McAllen Monitor. p. 57. "'Fair's Fair' was my favorite. It is written very plainly by Jane Speed, but offers a complex and sinister message. [...] The Bellmans do not get along. As a way to pass time during his constant absence, Mrs. Bellman takes up feeding and tending the neighborhood cats. He hates having the cats around his house. One night, as she steps outside, Amy sees him kick one of the cats so hard it dies. [...] Mrs. Bellman's revenge is how the story got its name."
^Offiner, Bee (November 3, 1947). "Around the Dial: Air Town Meeting from Germany; All-Star Cast Subs for Bob Hope On NBC; Bee's Bits". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. 10. "A former Akronite was the author of the 'Family Theater' script, aired on Saturday over WHKK. Jane Speed, the former Jane Krisher, wrote 'The Perfect Wife,' performed by Spring Byington and Ralph Morgan. Mrs. Speed has had another script accepted, this time by 'Suspense.' It is titled 'The Hard Bargain' and has not been scheduled for broadcast yet."
^"Last Vino Rites". Variety. October 22, 1947. p. 29. ProQuest1285909139. The suspense is about over for 'Suspense,' Roma Wine's psychological chiller on CBS. Show finally fades on Nov. 20. Schenley and its wine subsids favor a divorce. [...] The makes two Biow whodunits on the cancellation block.
^Grams Jr., Martin L. (2000). Radio Drama: A Comprehensice Chronicle of American Network Programs, 1932 – 1962. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 456. ISBN978-0-7864-3871-6. "Roma Wines became the first sponsor of the series, beginning in December of 1943. On November 20, 1947, the series went sustatining again, and on January 3, 1948, Suspense went to an hour-long format. On July 8, 1948, the series returned to the thirty-minute format, and under a new sponsorship, Auto-Lite."
^ abc"KGLO – CBS". Globe-Gazette. April 7, 1948. p. 2. "The Whistler (9 p.m.) A small doubt, fed by continuing uncertainty, grows into suspicion as lethal as poison in the mind of a criminal who is unmasked in 'Hard Bargain."
^Palmer, Zuma (November 13, 1947). "Many Fingers in Comedy Mixing Bowl". Hollywood Citizen-News. p. 32. "Lizabeth Scott will be the hostess, Spring Byington and Ralph Morgan the stars for The Perfect Wife,' KHJ at 7. Jane Speed of New 'York wrote this 'Family Theater' script."
^"Up-to-the-Minute Casting News". The Hollywood Reporter. June 16, 1947. p. 9. ProQuest2322717854. Soledad Jiminez, Anne O'Neal, Nina Compana, 'Adventures of Black Bart,' U-I; Harry Davenport, Kathryn Card, Jane Speed, 'Mary Hagen,' Warners
^ abcdefgContento, William G.; Greenberg, Martin H. (1991). Index to Crime and Mystery Anthologies. Boston, MA: G.K. Hall & Company. pp. 562, 611, 616, 625, 660, 673, 679, 686. ISBN0-8161-8629-4.
^"Programs on the Air: Afternoon". The New York Times. March 4, 1950. p. 28. ProQuest111495408. 12:00-WNBC–News, Charles F. McCarthy; WOR–Man on the Farm; WJZ–Home Gardener–Phil Alampi; WCBS–Theatre of Today: Second Best, With Teri Keane, Bill Quinn
^"On the Radio: Afternoon". The New York Times. May 6, 1950. p. 30. ProQuest111374099. 12:00-WNBC–News, Charles F. McCarthy; WOR–Man on the Farm; WJZ–Home Gardener–Phil Alampi; WCBS–Theatre of Today: Good Old Annie, with Grace Matthews
^"Radio and Television: Radio Program Notes". New York Herald Tribune. October 23, 1950. p. 27. ProQuest1327426254. Crime Fighters: 'Headquarters Homicide,' WOR, 8:30 Murder by Experts: 'A Hard Bargain,' WOR, 9 Jussi Bjoerling, tenor, sings with Don Voorhees' orchestra, WNBC, 9
^"On the Radio: Afternoon". The New York Times. May 6, 1950. p. 15. ProQuest112031238. 12:00-WNBC–News Reports; WOR–Man on the Farm; WJZ–101 Ranch Boys–Western Variety; WCBS–Theatre of Today: A Wonderful Guy, with Vinton Hayworth and Joan Alexander
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