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Mr. Chameleon is a detective fiction radio drama created by Frank Hummert and produced by Frank and Anne Hummert.^[1] It ran on CBS Radio from July 14, 1948,^[2] to 1951^[3] or 1953.^[1] The series starred Karl Swenson as a New York police detective who is a master of disguise, and who assumes a new identity in each episode in order to catch a criminal.^[1] The listening audience is always aware of who Mr. Chameleon is, no matter in which disguise he appears.^[1] According to the series' opening voice-over, "Chameleon" is not a nickname or pseudonym but the character's actual surname, one which he has tried to live up to since childhood.^[4] His motto is, "The innocent must be protected and the guilty must be punished."^[5] The theme song is John Jacob Loeb and Paul Francis Webster's "Masquerade".^[1]

In addition to Swenson, Frank Butler was heard in the role of Dave Arnold^[6] (a sergeant who was Mr. Chameleon's assistant^[7]), and Richard Keith portrayed the police commissioner. The announcers were George Bryan, Howard Claney, and Roger Knapp. The program was directed by Richard Leonard and written by Marie Baumer.^[1] Victor Arden's orchestra provided music.^[6]

Broadcast initially on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Mr. Chameleon replaced The American Melody Hour. Sponsors of the program included Sterling Drug^[2] and Bayer aspirin.^[1]

Critical response

A review of the premiere episode in the trade publication Variety said that the cast "turns in graphic characterizations" and rated the quality of production as "Grade A throughout".^[8] The review said that the show had the ingredients to make it successful.^[8]

A review in the trade publication Billboard during the fourth year of Mr. Chameleon described it as "actually nothing but a night time soap opera in the camouflage of a weekly mystery series."^[9] It said that in the specific episode being reviewed, "Script, performance and production were all ridiculously melodramatic and devoid of any real character or animation."^[9] The reviewer also wrote that the title character used too many cliches, had too much self confidence, and was a "stuffy individual".^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 463–464. ISBN 9780195076783. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
^ ^a ^b "News of Radio". The New York Times. June 23, 1948. p. 54. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^ "Anne and Frank Hummert". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^ "New Show". The Akron Beacon Journal. 14 July 1948. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "The Sudden Death..." The Roanoke Times. 17 July 1948. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Cox, Jim (June 14, 2015). Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-4766-1227-0. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^ "'Mr. Chameleon' Solves Mystery". The Tampa Times. September 5, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Mr. Chameleon". Variety. July 28, 1948. p. 84. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bundy, June (September 15, 1951). "Mr. Chameleon". Billboard. p. 13. Retrieved November 27, 2023.