The Green Hornet (radio series)
Encyclopedia
The Green Hornet is an American radio adventure series that debuted in 1936 and introduced the character of the Green Hornet
, a masked
vigilante
.
and Challenge of the Yukon
. Beginning April 12, 1938, the station supplied the series to the Mutual Broadcasting System
radio network, and then to NBC Blue
and its successors, the Blue Network
and ABC Network, from November 16, 1939, through September 8, 1950. It returned from September 10 to December 5, 1952. It was sponsored by General Mills
from January to August 1948, and by Orange Crush
in its brief 1952 run.
Distinguished by its use of classical music
for themes and for bridges between scenes, The Green Hornet was "one of radio's best-known and most distinctive juvenile adventure shows". The series detailed the adventures of Britt Reid, debonair newspaper publisher by day, crime-fighting masked hero at night.
In 1935, George W. Trendle
, the WXYZ co-owner and managing partner who had spearheaded the development of The Lone Ranger, sought to bring on air a similar series. With writer Fran Striker
and director James Jewell
, Trendle sought to create a series that would "show that a political system could be riddled with corruption and that one man could successfully combat this white-collar lawlessness." Liking the acoustic
possibilities of a bee sound, Trendle directed it be incorporated into the show. The team experimented with names, with Trendle liking The Hornet, but that name had been used elsewhere and could have posed rights problems. Colors including blue and pink were considered before the creators settled on green.
The vigilante nature of her hero's operation quickly resulted in the Green Hornet being declared an outlaw himself, and Britt Reid played to it. The Green Hornet became thought of as one of his city's biggest criminals, allowing him to walk into suspected racketeers' offices and ply them for information, or even demand a cut of their profits. In doing so, the Green Hornet usually provoked them to attack him to remove this competitor, giving him license to defeat and leave them for the police without raising suspicion as to his true motives.
He would be accompanied by his similarly masked chauffeur
/bodyguard
/enforcer, who was also Reid's valet, Kato
, initially described as Japanese
, and by 1939 as Filipino
of Japanese descent. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, references to a Japanese heritage were dropped.
Specifically, in and up to 1939, in the series' opening narration, Kato was called Britt Reid's "Japanese valet" and from 1940 to '45 he was Reid's "faithful valet." However, by at least the June 1941 episode "Walkout for Profit", about 14 minutes into the episode, Reid specifically noted Kato having a Philippine origin and thus he became Reid's "Filipino
valet" as of that point. When the characters were used in the first of a pair of movie serials
, the producers had Kato's nationality given as Korean.
, the opening narration was changed to:
After the revving of the Black Beauty engine, the announcer would then say:
When the series began in 1936, this was originally:
and after the thrumming of the hornet sound, Britt Reid would then call out:
The opening sequence of the radio show originally began with the announcer proclaiming that the Green Hornet "hunts the biggest of all game! Public enemies that even the G-Men cannot reach!", referring to FBI
agents. Bureau chief J. Edgar Hoover
objected to the line's implication that some crime fighting was beyond the abilities of the FBI, and it was changed to "public enemies who try to destroy our America!"
's "Flight of the Bumblebee
" as its theme music, blended with a hornet buzz created on a theremin
, and "The Infernal Dance of King Koshchei" from Igor Stravinsky
's The Firebird
, usually used after this announced part:
Other famous classical works used as incidental music for the series included Hector Berlioz
's Symphonie fantastique
. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
's Pathetique Symphony
, Rimsky-Korsakov
's Scheherazade
, Ludwig van Beethoven
's Pastoral Symphony
, Paul Dukas
' The Sorcerer's Apprentice
, Antonín Dvořák
's "From the New World" Symphony
. Modest Mussorgsky
's Night on Bald Mountain
, Gustav Holst
's Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets
and the Overture to Richard Wagner
's The Flying Dutchman
.
In the November 11, 1947, radio show episode "Too Hot to Handle", Britt tells his father that he, Britt, is the Green Hornet. After Dan's initial shock and anger, Dan refers to a vigilante "pioneer ancestor" of theirs that Dan himself had ridden alongside in Texas. As he expressed pride in and love for his son, the Lone Ranger theme briefly played in the background.
The Lone Ranger property was sold to another company in the 1950s, which resulted in a legal complication that precluded The Lone Ranger being directly associated with the Green Hornet.
The role of Kato was originated by Tokutaro Hayashi, renamed Raymond Toyo by initial series director James Jewell
. He was later played by Rollon Parker, who also voiced "The Newsboy" at the conclusion of each episode who hawked the "Extra" edition of The Sentinel that carried the story of the weekly racket or spy ring being smashed, concluding with the likes of:
Michael Tolan
was the radio series' final Kato. Charles Livingstone succeeded Jewell as director. Announcers who served as narrator of The Green Hornet were Fielden Farrington, Charles Wood, future broadcast journalist Mike Wallace
, future ABC Radio president Hal Neal, and Bob Hite. Fred Foy
was the series' final announcer/narrator from November 7, 1951 until the series' end on December 5, 1952..
The next major villain was "Mr. X", who first appeared in "Walkout for Profit" (broadcast June 21, 1941) and battled the Hornet in:
The final major opponent for the Hornet was Oliver Perry (1944–49), a famous but unscrupulous private detective who repeatedly returned to try and unmask The Green Hornet. Perry suspected Britt Reid of being the Hornet but was never able to prove it, and episodes featuring him always ended with the Hornet either outwitting him or humiliating him, if not both, to the point where he was forced to leave town. He first appeared in the episode "The Great Detective" (December 26, 1944) and continued to plague the Hornet in:
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
, a masked
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
.
Production history
The series originated on January 31, 1936, on WXYZ, the same local Detroit station that originated its companion shows The Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
and Challenge of the Yukon
Challenge of the Yukon
Challenge of the Yukon was a radio series that began on Detroit's station WXYZ , and an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on February 3, 1938...
. Beginning April 12, 1938, the station supplied the series to the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
radio network, and then to NBC Blue
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and its successors, the Blue Network
Blue Network
The Blue Network, and its immediate predecessor, the NBC Blue Network, were the on-air names of an American radio production and distribution service from 1927 to 1945...
and ABC Network, from November 16, 1939, through September 8, 1950. It returned from September 10 to December 5, 1952. It was sponsored by General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
from January to August 1948, and by Orange Crush
Orange Crush
Crush is a carbonated soft drink brand, originally marketed as an orange soda, which was invented by California beverage and extract chemist Neil C. Ward. Most flavors of Crush are caffeine-free.-History:...
in its brief 1952 run.
Distinguished by its use of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
for themes and for bridges between scenes, The Green Hornet was "one of radio's best-known and most distinctive juvenile adventure shows". The series detailed the adventures of Britt Reid, debonair newspaper publisher by day, crime-fighting masked hero at night.
In 1935, George W. Trendle
George W. Trendle
George Washington Trendle was a Detroit lawyer and businessman, best known as the producer of the Lone Ranger radio and television programs along with The Green Hornet. He is entombed in Detroit's Woodlawn Cemetery.-Movie theaters:...
, the WXYZ co-owner and managing partner who had spearheaded the development of The Lone Ranger, sought to bring on air a similar series. With writer Fran Striker
Fran Striker
Fran Striker was an American writer for radio and comics, best known for creating The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, and Sgt...
and director James Jewell
James Jewell
James Jewell was an American radio actor, producer and director at radio station WXYZ, Detroit, Michigan.-WXYZ:In June 1932, George Trendle, the owner of radio station WXYZ, decided to drop network affiliation and produce his own radio programs. Jim Jewell was hired as the dramatic director for...
, Trendle sought to create a series that would "show that a political system could be riddled with corruption and that one man could successfully combat this white-collar lawlessness." Liking the acoustic
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
possibilities of a bee sound, Trendle directed it be incorporated into the show. The team experimented with names, with Trendle liking The Hornet, but that name had been used elsewhere and could have posed rights problems. Colors including blue and pink were considered before the creators settled on green.
The vigilante nature of her hero's operation quickly resulted in the Green Hornet being declared an outlaw himself, and Britt Reid played to it. The Green Hornet became thought of as one of his city's biggest criminals, allowing him to walk into suspected racketeers' offices and ply them for information, or even demand a cut of their profits. In doing so, the Green Hornet usually provoked them to attack him to remove this competitor, giving him license to defeat and leave them for the police without raising suspicion as to his true motives.
He would be accompanied by his similarly masked chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
/bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
/enforcer, who was also Reid's valet, Kato
Kato (The Green Hornet)
Kato is a fictional character from The Green Hornet series. This character has also appeared with the Green Hornet in film, television, book and comic book versions. Kato was the Hornet's assistant and has been played by a number of actors...
, initially described as Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, and by 1939 as Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
of Japanese descent. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, references to a Japanese heritage were dropped.
Specifically, in and up to 1939, in the series' opening narration, Kato was called Britt Reid's "Japanese valet" and from 1940 to '45 he was Reid's "faithful valet." However, by at least the June 1941 episode "Walkout for Profit", about 14 minutes into the episode, Reid specifically noted Kato having a Philippine origin and thus he became Reid's "Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
valet" as of that point. When the characters were used in the first of a pair of movie serials
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
, the producers had Kato's nationality given as Korean.
Narration
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the opening narration was changed to:
After the revving of the Black Beauty engine, the announcer would then say:
When the series began in 1936, this was originally:
and after the thrumming of the hornet sound, Britt Reid would then call out:
The opening sequence of the radio show originally began with the announcer proclaiming that the Green Hornet "hunts the biggest of all game! Public enemies that even the G-Men cannot reach!", referring to FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agents. Bureau chief J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
objected to the line's implication that some crime fighting was beyond the abilities of the FBI, and it was changed to "public enemies who try to destroy our America!"
Music
The radio show used Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
's "Flight of the Bumblebee
Flight of the Bumblebee
"Flight of the Bumblebee" is an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900. The piece closes Act III, Tableau 1, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich into an insect so that he can fly away to...
" as its theme music, blended with a hornet buzz created on a theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
, and "The Infernal Dance of King Koshchei" from Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's The Firebird
The Firebird
The Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
, usually used after this announced part:
Other famous classical works used as incidental music for the series included Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
's Symphonie fantastique
Symphonie Fantastique
Symphonie Fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties , Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period, and is still very popular with concert audiences...
. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
's Pathetique Symphony
Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)
The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final completed symphony, written between February and the end of August 1893. The composer led the first performance in Saint Petersburg on 16/28 October of that year, nine days before his death...
, Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
's Scheherazade
Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Sheherazade , Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. Based on One Thousand and One Nights, sometimes known as The Arabian Nights, this orchestral work combines two features common to Russian music and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular: dazzling, colourful...
, Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Pastoral Symphony
Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony , is a symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, and was completed in 1808...
, Paul Dukas
Paul Dukas
Paul Abraham Dukas was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man, of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, and he abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions...
' The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is the English name of a poem by Goethe, Der Zauberlehrling, written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in fourteen stanzas.-Story:...
, Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's "From the New World" Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Dvorák)
The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 , popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is by far his most popular symphony, and one of the most popular in the modern repertoire...
. Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
's Night on Bald Mountain
Night on Bald Mountain
Night on Bald Mountain is a composition by Modest Mussorgsky that exists in, at least, two versions—a seldom performed 1867 version or a later and very popular "fantasy for orchestra" arranged by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, A Night on the Bare Mountain , based on the vocal score of the "Dream Vision...
, Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
's Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...
and the Overture to Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
.
Relationship to the Lone Ranger
One relatively minor aspect of the character that tends to be given limited exposure in the actual productions is his blood relationship to the Lone Ranger, another character created by Striker. The Lone Ranger's nephew was Dan Reid. In the Green Hornet radio shows, the Hornet's father was likewise named Dan Reid, making Britt Reid the Lone Ranger's great-nephew.In the November 11, 1947, radio show episode "Too Hot to Handle", Britt tells his father that he, Britt, is the Green Hornet. After Dan's initial shock and anger, Dan refers to a vigilante "pioneer ancestor" of theirs that Dan himself had ridden alongside in Texas. As he expressed pride in and love for his son, the Lone Ranger theme briefly played in the background.
The Lone Ranger property was sold to another company in the 1950s, which resulted in a legal complication that precluded The Lone Ranger being directly associated with the Green Hornet.
Actors
The Green Hornet was played by:- Al HodgeAl HodgeFor "Big" Al Hodge, the Cornish rock musician, see Al Hodge Albert E. Hodge was an American actor best known for playing space adventurer Captain Video on the DuMont Television Network from December 15, 1950 to April 1, 1955...
(who went on to play television's Captain VideoCaptain VideoCaptain Video and His Video Rangers is an American science fiction television series. It was broadcast on the DuMont Television Network, and was the first series of its kind on American television...
) (1936–1943, 1945) - Donovan Faust (1943)
- Bob Hall (1945–1947)
- Jack McCarthyJohn Edward McCarthyJohn Edward McCarthy was a radio actor and announcer. Born on a farm near Parnell, Michigan, he attended St. Thomas High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan and attended the University of Michigan....
(1947–1952)
The role of Kato was originated by Tokutaro Hayashi, renamed Raymond Toyo by initial series director James Jewell
James Jewell
James Jewell was an American radio actor, producer and director at radio station WXYZ, Detroit, Michigan.-WXYZ:In June 1932, George Trendle, the owner of radio station WXYZ, decided to drop network affiliation and produce his own radio programs. Jim Jewell was hired as the dramatic director for...
. He was later played by Rollon Parker, who also voiced "The Newsboy" at the conclusion of each episode who hawked the "Extra" edition of The Sentinel that carried the story of the weekly racket or spy ring being smashed, concluding with the likes of:
Michael Tolan
Michael Tolan
-Life and career:Tolan was born Seymour Tuchow in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit and studied under Stella Adler and at Stanford University. He appeared primarily in stage roles in his early career, with only minor parts in films of the early 1950s...
was the radio series' final Kato. Charles Livingstone succeeded Jewell as director. Announcers who served as narrator of The Green Hornet were Fielden Farrington, Charles Wood, future broadcast journalist Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace (journalist)
Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist, former game show host, actor and media personality. During his 60+ year career, he has interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers....
, future ABC Radio president Hal Neal, and Bob Hite. Fred Foy
Fred Foy
Frederick William Foy was an American radio and television announcer, who used Fred Foy as his professional name. He is best known for his narration of The Lone Ranger...
was the series' final announcer/narrator from November 7, 1951 until the series' end on December 5, 1952..
Friends/Allies
- Britt Reid's secretary Lenore "Casey" Case, formerly secretary to Britt's father Dan Reid before Britt took over as publisher of The Daily Sentinel, was played by Leonore Jewell Allman, the only actress to play Lenore Case during the entire run of the series. Miss Case made no secret of her admiration of the Green Hornet, was loyal to Britt but sometimes exasperated by his "playboy" ways and was the only one who could verbally put down Mike Axford. Beginning December 9, 1947 with Britt Reid's approval, Miss Case herself sometimes joined either Lowery or Axford on assignments. She became aware of her boss' double life in the episode "Miss Case Keeps a Secret" (February 17, 1948).
- Mike Axford (originated by Jim Irwin until his death in 1938, then played by Gilly Shea), a bombastic former policeman who originally had been hired by Britt Reid's father as a bodyguard for Britt, but who drifted into becoming a reporter for The Daily Sentinel by virtue of his contacts at Police Headquarters (especially his best friend Sergeant Burke, known usually as "Sarge"). He was the most dedicated pursuer of the Green Hornet (while expressing his admiration for the Hornet's ability to both smash criminals and elude the authorities). He was known for his pet phrases "Holy Crow!" and "Sufferin' Snakes!" and his usual parting phrase "See ya later. So long!"
- When Irwin fell ill in mid-December 1936, Mike Axford was written out of the series for a few weeks by being shot and wounded in the line of duty until Irwin returned in mid-January 1937. Irwin suffered a stroke in January 1938 and was forced to leave the series, causing the Axford character to be written out with the explanation that Axford had been ordered by Dan Reid to return to the West Coast. Axford's brother Timothy was introduced in October 1938 but was dropped in April 1939 with no explanation, and Mike Axford returned, played by Shea, in the July 4, 1939 episode "Put It On Ice".
- Gunnigan, the irascible city editor of The Daily Sentinel (whose temper invariably got worse in the presence of Axford or even when Axford was talking to him on the phone).
- Ed Lowery (played by Jack Petruzzi), one of The Sentinels best reporters, who admired the Hornet.
- Marjorie "Clicker" Binney, a photographer for The Sentinel, who usually teamed up with Lowery on news assignments and filled in as Britt Reid's secretary on those occasions when Lenore Case was away (usually only known as and referred to as "Clicker", her first name was revealed in the June 29, 1939 episode "Pavement Condemned"). After "Clicker"'s character was written out of the series, a letter received from "Clicker" in the February 28, 1943 episode "The Corpse That Wasn't There" states that she has become a Second Officer in the WACSWomen's Army CorpsThe Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...
stationed in North Africa. In the episode "Keys to a Robbery" (October 10, 1952), "Clicker" and Miss Case are on vacation together in Cárdenas, Cuba when they stumble on a criminal plot.
- "Clicker"'s place on The Sentinel was filled on May 2, 1942 by Gale Manning, whose Southern drawl hid both her intelligence and her ability as a top-notch reporter.
- Linda Travis was formerly Dan Reid's secretary who dreamed of a newspaper career. She was introduced in the episode "High Pressure" (October 14, 1947) when Dan Reid sent her to apply for a job on The Daily Sentinel in order to keep an eye on how Britt Reid conducted himself as publisher. She arrived on the October 21, 1947 episode ("Marked Money") and was hired by Britt on merit. In the next week's episode, "Exposed!" , she discovered the Green Hornet's true identity, but chose to become an ally of the Hornet and was present on November 11, 1947 ("Too Hot to Handle") when Britt revealed his secret identity to his father. However, her feelings for Britt Reid became too strong and she returned to her home in the Western U.S. ("Girl in Peril", December 9, 1947). In the May 18, 1948 episode "The Travis Case", Travis was kidnapped by gunmen who suspected she had a connection with the Green Hornet. When she refused to reveal the Hornet's identity, her captors killed her in a hit-and-run when she attempted to escape.
- Another confidant, Police Commissioner James Higgins, did not come into existence until near the end of the series; he was introduced in the November 11, 1947 episode "Too Hot to Handle" as an old friend of Dan Reid's who was being blackmailed and who was rescued by the Green Hornet. The following week, Britt and Dan Reid confided the Hornet's secret identity to Higgins in the episode "The Man on Top" (November 18, 1947).
Enemies
Three major foes for The Green Hornet included the mysterious "Mr. Big", a criminal mastermind introduced in the episode "Death Takes Two For One" (broadcast August 19, 1940) who became part of a storyline pitting the Hornet against him in an ongoing battle.which took place in the following episodes:- "Add Up To Zero" (August 21, 1940)
- "Acid Makes The Test" (August 26, 1940)
- "Prescription Refilled" (August 28, 1940)
- "Murder and Mystery" (September 2, 1940) which concluded the arc with the unmasking of Mr. Big in a confrontation between himself and Britt Reid.
The next major villain was "Mr. X", who first appeared in "Walkout for Profit" (broadcast June 21, 1941) and battled the Hornet in:
- "Murder for Mr. X" (June 28, 1941)
- "Money for Mr. X" (July 5, 1941)
- "Murder Across The Boards" (July 12, 1941)
- "Mr. X Marks the Spot" (July 19, 1941)
The final major opponent for the Hornet was Oliver Perry (1944–49), a famous but unscrupulous private detective who repeatedly returned to try and unmask The Green Hornet. Perry suspected Britt Reid of being the Hornet but was never able to prove it, and episodes featuring him always ended with the Hornet either outwitting him or humiliating him, if not both, to the point where he was forced to leave town. He first appeared in the episode "The Great Detective" (December 26, 1944) and continued to plague the Hornet in:
- "The Return of Oliver Perry" (August 2, 1945)
- "Unexpected Meeting" (August 23, 1945)
- "The Last of Oliver Perry" (February 23, 1946), the first episode in which Perry resorts to illegal means to prove the identity of the Hornet
- "Grand Larcenty on Wheels" (April 20, 1946)
- "Oliver Perry Tries Again" (September 7, 1946)
- "The Woman and Oliver Perry" (January 12, 1947)
- "Tickets to the Rosebowl" (December 30, 1947); it is revealed that Perry has lost his license as a detective and turned to crime. The episode concludes with a vicious fist-fight between Perry and the Green Hornet ending in Reid's defeating Perry.
- "The Travis Case" (May 18, 1948); in this episode, Linda Travis is kidnapped on Perry's orders but escapes and is killed in a hit-and-run by a gangster working for Perry.
- "Oliver Perry - Escaped Convict" (November 1, 1949)