Frank Readick

Frank Readick
Born	Frank Marvin Readick Jr. (1896-11-06)November 6, 1896 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Died	December 27, 1965(1965-12-27) (aged 69) U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Children	Robert Readick

Frank Marvin Readick Jr. (November 6, 1896 — December 27, 1965)^[1] was an American radio and film actor.^{[citation needed]}

Life and career

Born in Seattle, Washington, Readick was well known for his evil laughter that followed the introduction from The Shadow radio drama: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!". Readick replaced James La Curto to be the narrator in the Detective Story Hour (the precursor of The Shadow) in 1930, four months after the launch of the series when La Curto went for a Broadway role.^[2] Readick continued to portray the Shadow on The Blue Coal Radio Revue (1931-1932) and The Love Story Hour (1931-1932) before The Shadow was used as the title of a series.^[3] This signature line remained intact in The Shadow even after Orson Welles succeeded Readick.^[4][5]

He later played the doomed CBS reporter Carl Phillips in the 1938 radio production of The War of the Worlds. Readick modeled his performance on WLS reporter Herbert Morrison's coverage of the Hindenburg disaster the previous year.^[6]

Readick starred in an episode of Cavalcade of America titled Thomas Paine on April 30, 1940.^[7] He later appeared in Journey into Fear (1943).

On old-time radio, Readick was a member of the casts of The FBI in Peace and War^[8]: 116 and The Campbell Playhouse.^[8] He had the title roles in The Adventures of Smilin' Jack^[8]: 307 and Meet Mr. Meek,^[8]: 224 and portrayed Knobby Walsh on Joe Palooka.^[8]: 177 He was also known for House of Mystery (1931) and A Burglar to the Rescue (1931).

Readick died in 1965 in the USA.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes	Ref.
1931	A Burglar to the Rescue	The Shadow	George Cochrane	Short film Voice role
	Trapped		Kurt Neumann	Short film Voice role
	Sealed Lips		Kurt Neumann	Short film Voice role
	House of Mystery		Kurt Neumann	Short film Voice role
	The Red Shadow		Kurt Neumann	Short film Voice role
	The Circus Show-Up		Lewis Seiler	Short film Voice role
1943	Journey into Fear	Matthews	Norman Foster	Spy film noir Based on the 1940 British novel of the same name by Eric Ambler	[9]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1938	The Mercury Theatre on the Air	Ernest Defarge	Episode: "A Tale of Two Cities" Voice role

References

1. Frank Readick Archived 2006-10-16 at the Wayback Machine at voicechasers.com^{[unreliable source?]}
2. The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio, Routledge, 2010, ISBN 1135176833, p. 257
3. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 606–607. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
4. "Stalking the Silverscreen Shadow!", by Anthony Tollin
5. Mott, Robert L. (2014). The Audio Theater Guide: Vocal Acting, Writing, Sound Effects and Directing for a Listening Audience. McFarland. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7864-5699-4. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
6. Jarrow, Gail (2018). Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America. Boyds Mills Press. ISBN 978-1-68437-143-3. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
7. Kaye 2024, p. 411.
8. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
9. Ambler, Eric (2002) [1940]. Journey into Fear (Paperback). New York City: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0375726729.

Sources

• Kaye, Harvey J. (2024). Thomas Paine and the Promise of America: A History & Biography (eBook). New York City: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 411. ISBN 978-0374707064.

External links

• Frank Readick at IMDb