"You've got a job for me - George Valentine."

Not all of the radio detectives were two-fisted tough guys, delivering purple dialogue through gritted teeth. There were a number of sleuths who took a lighter approach to solving crimes, often aided by a girl Friday to allow for some flirtation along the way. One of the best examples of the lighter school of radio detectives is the long running Let George Do It , a series that evolved from a comedy with a hint of mystery to a whodunit with a lighthearted touch. In his first outing as a radio detective, Bob Bailey (later the star of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar ) played George Valentine, an ex-GI who seized upon an unusual method of finding post-war employment. He placed an ad in the newspaper where he offered to take a job - any job - that would prove too risky for anyone else. When the show premiered in 1946, George was backed up by a cast better suited for comedy than crime solving. Joseph Kearns (later Mr. Wilson on TV's Dennis the Menace ) played Caleb, the elevator operator in George's building; Eddie Firestone played George's office boy, Sonny Brooks; and Frances Robinson as Sonny's sister Claire, aka "Brooksie," who became George's girl Friday. The earliest episodes found George in more comedic assignments than dangerous jobs, but as the show evolved the mystery element played a more prominent role. Sonny left the team and the shows became driven more by the George/Brooksie duo. The shows played like episodes of Richard Diamond, Private Detective if Diamond's Park Avenue girlfriend Helen Asher accompanied him on his cases (this would really be the case when Virginia Gregg and Frances Robinson swapped roles later in the run; Gregg played Brooksie and Robinson played Helen!). Often assisting the pair in their investigations was Lt. Riley of the police department. Like other long-suffering foils of radio private eyes, Riley would initially roll his eyes when George arrived on the scene but would quickly embrace his help in closing a case. Riley was played by the talented Wally Maher - a radio veteran who played Michael Shayne and supported Bill Johnstone on The Line-Up . Sadly, he passed away at age 43 in 1951, leaving a hole in the Let George Do It team. Actor Ken Christy joined the cast as Lt. Johnson, who while not outright hostile certainly saw Valentine as a hindrance rather than a help to an investigation. And the usual stable of great Hollywood radio actors rounded out the guest casts every week, including Alan Reed, Jeff Chandler, Lurene Tuttle, Betty Lou Gerson, and Parley Baer. The 1950s saw not only a new police cohort but also a new tone for Let George Do It . The tide had turned and audiences were demanding a grittier sound to their mysteries as police procedurals and hard-boiled private eyes littered the airwaves. Even as scripts grew tougher, the cast continued to deliver strong performances, backed up by sharp scripts written by Herb Little, Jr., David Victor, and veteran mystery scripter Jackson Gillis, who would later pen thirty-two episodes of Perry Mason and eleven Columbo TV movies. Bailey would remain in the role until 1954 when production moved from Hollywood to New York. Actor Olan Soule (later the voice of Batman in Filmation cartoons from the 1960s) played George for the final year of the series. But Bob Bailey wouldn't stay off the beat for long; in 1955, he kicked off a long run and cemented his place in radio history with his definitive portrayal of Johnny Dollar. Before he starred in that series, however, he proved his chops as a radio leading man in a series that called for comedy, action, romance, and drama. Just like George Valentine, Bob Bailey was the man for the job - no matter what it entailed.