The Saint

The Saint  -  Listen to Episodes, Below

Simon Templar, aka The Saint, is a fictional private detective first introduced in a series of novels and short stories written by Leslie Charteris that were published between 1928 and 1963.

Templar wasn't just any private detective. He sometimes thought of himself as a Robin Hood, a force for justice who targeted corrupt politicians, con artists and low lifes in general -- especially those who had power and wealth.

The Saint as a radio program had a checkered history. It began on radio in January, 1945 with Edgar Barrier starring and Bromo-Seltzer as sponsor. It only lasted until the end of March.

The second appearance was as a summer replacement show during the summer of 1945. This time Brian Aherne starred as Templar and Campbell Soups acted as sponsor.

The longest-running actor in the role was Vincent Price, who played the character in the series between 1947 and 1951 over three different networks: CBS, Mutual and NBC. Price left in May, 1951 and Tom Conway (and then Barry Sanders) took over the role.

Price was very good as Templar, a character who has been described as: "A hero who can go into a brawl and come out with his hair combed.

The radio show opened each week with the sound whistling over footsteps. What followed often were tongue-in-cheek stories about the suave Simon Templar, gentleman detective, hero to the downtrodden and nemesis to the dishonest rich and elite. Give a listen and you will agree that The Saint is great fun.