Box 13


Box 13 is a syndicated radio drama about the escapades of newspaperman-turned-mystery novelist Dan Holiday, played by film star Alan Ladd. Created by Ladd's company, Mayfair Productions, Box 13 aired in different cities over different dates and times. It first aired in several United States radio markets in October 1947.

Synopsis

To seek out new ideas for his fiction, Holiday ran a classified ad in the Star-Times newspaper where he formerly worked: "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything – write Box 13, Star-Times". The stories followed Holiday's adventures when he responded to the letters sent to him by such people as a psycho killer and various victims.

Cast and crew

Main cast

Guest cast members included Betty Lou Gerson, Frank Lovejoy, Lurene Tuttle, Alan Reed, Luis Van Rooten, and John Beal. Vern Carstensen, who directed Box 13 for producer Richard Sanville, was also the show's announcer. Raymond Burr appeared in some episodes.

Production

Richard Sanville was the producer. The series featured music by Rudy Schrager. Russell Hughes, who had previously hired Ladd as a radio actor in 1935 at a $19 weekly salary, wrote most of the scripts, sometimes in collaboration with Ladd. The partners in Mayfair Productions were Ladd and Bernie Joslin, who had previously run the chain of Mayfair Restaurants.

Adaptations

At least one attempt to convert the series for television was tried when Ladd appeared in an adaptation of "Daytime Nightmare" on CBS' General Electric Theater. Russell Hughes, who was then working at Columbia, reworked the script for the small screen. The show was produced by Jaguar, Ladd's own company.
The TV show did not result in a series. In 1956, Jaguar worked on another attempt to make a series, but Ladd was no longer cast as Holiday. Ladd's wife Sue Carol was reported as being involved in casting.
In 1958, Jaguar hired Charles Bennett to adapt the series into a television series.
In 1959, Ladd was working on scripts for TV series with Aaron Spelling. Bill Leslie was to play the lead, opposite Ann McRae.
Shortly before his death, Ladd announced plans to make a feature film version of the show. He said he would play the lead and the film would have featured 13 cameos from stars that Ladd had worked with in the past. Possible names included William Bendix, Veronica Lake, Brian Donlevy, and Macdonald Carey.
Box 13 was also re-imagined as a comic book series in 2010, by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis, and published by ComiXology. It is published digitally by ComiXology and published in print by Red 5 Comics.