Frank Marvin Readick Jr. (November 6, 1896 — December 27, 1965)[1] was an American radio and film actor.[citation needed]
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 later appeared alongside his War of the Worlds co-star and Mercury Theatre director Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941) and Journey into Fear (1943).
On old-time radio, Readick was a member of the casts of The FBI in Peace and War[7]: 116 and The Campbell Playhouse.[7] He had the title roles in The Adventures of Smilin' Jack[7]: 307 and Meet Mr. Meek,[7]: 224 and portrayed Knobby Walsh on Joe Palooka.[7]: 177 He was also known for House of Mystery (1931) and A Burglar to the Rescue (1931).
He died in 1965 in the USA.[citation needed]
^Frank Readick Archived 2006-10-16 at the Wayback Machine at voicechasers.com[unreliable source?]
^The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio, Routledge, 2010, ISBN 1135176833, p. 257
^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.
^"Stalking the Silverscreen Shadow!", by Anthony Tollin
^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.
^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.
^ abcdeTerrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
Frank Marvin Readick Jr. (November 6, 1896 — December 27, 1965) was an American radio and film actor.[citation needed] Born in Seattle, Washington, Readick...
Readick is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: Bob Readick (1925–1985), American actor FrankReadick (1896–1965), American actor Reddick...
the early 1960s. The son of actor FrankReadick, as a child voice actor Bob Readick made his debut as "Bobby Readick" at the age of eight on the CBS children's...
non-villain character using an evil laugh, and it was voiced by actor FrankReadick. His laugh was used even after Orson Welles took over the lead role...
evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" – spoken by actor FrankReadick, has earned a place in the American idiom. These words were accompanied...
1938–1946. Indiana University Bloomington. Retrieved 2018-03-17. Brady, Frank, Citizen Welles. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989, ISBN 0-684-18982-8...
Johnstone, Joseph Julian, Jan Miner, Santos Ortega, Bryna Raeburn, FrankReadick, Luis van Rooten, Ann Shepherd, Lawson Zerbe and Bill Zuckert. Sound...
Karl Swenson, Ted Jewett, Jack Smart, Paul Stewart, Bill Johnstone, FrankReadick, Raymond Edward Johnson, Ted de Corsia, Everett Sloane, Luis Van Rooten...
New York: Benjamin Blom, reprint edition [1940]. OCLC 855945294. Brady, Frank, Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles. New York: Charles Scribner's...
and Mary Jane Higby played Ann Howe. Knobby Walsh was portrayed by FrankReadick and Hal Lansing. Others in the cast: Karl Swenson and Norman Gottschalk...
McIntire Agnes Moorehead Dennis Morgan Jeanette Nolan Tyrone Power FrankReadick Ronald Reagan Stafford Repp Mickey Rooney Luis van Rooten Everett Sloane...
Americans. New York: Viking Penguin 2006 ISBN 0-670-87256-3 page 159 Brady, Frank, Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles. New York: Charles Scribner's...
name by Marc Olden, and stars Jim Kelly. The script is credited to B. Readick, with additional story ideas from Marco Joachim. Bare Knuckles stars Robert...
then discovered his true identity. Penny Baker and Greg Williams (Robert Readick) made plans for a date. Meg Blaine, who had gone to Oakdale to tell Penny...
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