Boston Blackie
Looking back on all the Detective film series I’ve covered, it’s been interesting to note the similarities. Some were the result of mimicry, a shameless effort to replicate the commercial success of another detective series, while others were genuine originals. Those originals still had many elements that were comparable with their alternates from film noir, only in a much lighter and at times in a more comic way.
Two of the earliest screen detectives that sustained a series were The Lone Wolf and Boston Blackie, and interestingly both had begun their ‘working life’ as jewel thieves before making a move to the right side of the law and embarking on detective work. I’m particularly interested in Boston Blackie for two reasons: one because I’d never heard of him before researching these film series, and secondly because of the story behind his creation.
His creator, Jack Boyle, grew up in Chicago before finding work as a newspaper reporter in San Francisco and subsequently becoming an opium addict. He fell into crime and despite his ability as a writer was busted for writing bad checks, and later for robbery. He initially served time at San Quentin but following his release was convicted for robbery in Denver and was serving time at the Colorado State Penitentiary when he created Boston Blackie.
The stories were published in The American Magazine in 1914 under the pen name “No. 6066.” with the first four stories appearing in consecutive issues. They described Blackie as young, handsome and educated but a hardened criminal serving time in a hellish California prison and looking forward to his release. His transition to Private Investigator came after he appeared on the big screen.
While the early 20th century saw the emergence of these kind of darker, more realistic stories, Boston Blackie was not trying to tap into a popular trend. Given the author’s history, it’s no surprise that he would create a hero who despite being a jewel thief and a safe-cracker, he finds redemption through detective work. Given that Blackie didn’t also dabble in forgery suggests that his creator may have learned something during his incarceration.
As I mentioned, these stories do feel like pre-cursors to film noir and others have described the stories as examples of a ‘hard boiled’ style that emerged before it was considered a style. The difference being, the grittiness of the stories are undercut by sentimental endings which were also typical of the period.
Blackie made his first screen appearance in Boston Blackie’s Little Pal (1918), kicking off a string of silent films that were produced by various studios. Bert Lytell debuted in the role having already played The Lone Wolf, a similar character, with a similar criminal history. Blackie was played in subsequent films by a range of actors, the best known of who was Lionel Barrymore. In these films, Blackie was a professional thief with a heart of gold.
When Boston Blackie found onscreen success, Boyle revised and rearranged his stories into a book, the only such appearance for Boston Blackie, though he continued to appear in magazines. The purpose of these efforts was to create a more cohesive narrative.
Columbia revived the series in 1941 with Meet Boston Blackie, casting faded movie star Chester Morris, while providing good production values which were supported by the imaginative direction of Robert Florey. The film was successful, it reinvigorated Morris’ box office appeal and a series followed.
Blackie too had made big changes, giving up a life of crime to become a freelance detective working for the good guys, though still avoiding the police. Across fourteen films Morris brought energy and a sense of humour that made the films feel fresh even when the scripts had simply been reheated.
The hook for these films was that Blackie, as a reformed jewel thief, was always the main suspect when a crime is committed. In order to clear himself he investigates and brings the actual culprit to justice, with the stories benefiting from an undercurrent of comedy. During this series the character's real name is revealed to be Horatio Black. While some suggest that the character’s nickname sprang from his surname, author Jack Boyle reveals that it was due to his "piercing black eyes and New England birthplace”.
The films are were typical of Columbia's B movies of the period, employing an assortment of veteran character actors, new faces on the way up and other actors audiences were familiar with from Columbia's features, serials, and short subjects. The series was a training ground for people Edward Dmytryk (The Caine Mutiny), Western director Budd Boetticher, and Producer William Castle (Rosemary’s Baby).
In 1944 the films were supported by a radio summer series, with Morris also in the central role. Each program began with:
Boston Blackie—enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend.
The following year a new incarnation of the series launched starring Richard Kollmar and eventally ran for 200 half-hour episodes until late 1950. You can listen in to some of those episodes below.
Then in 1951, a syndicated television series starring Kent Taylor premiered and ran until 1953 over 58 half hour episodes, with re-runs keeping it on air until the 1960s. Chages included its Los Angeles setting, the addition of Blackie’s dog Whitie (of course), and a softening of its dark edge with comedy overshadowing the crime.
The picture quality is not good, but you can check out the TV series here.
A Boston Blackie graphic novel was produced in 2002. A jewel heist at a costume ball goes horribly wrong, and the five-year-old son of the wealthy Greene family disappears and is presumed dead; the body is never found. The main suspect is Boston Blackie, who is still haunted seven years later by what happened that night. Drawn back into the case, he finds that the truth of what happened is awash in a watery grave. A sequel to the graphic novel was published years later.
While he had great longevity across several platforms, we’ve likely seen the last of Boston Blackie, but not the last of his kind of character… the gritty detective with a dark past.