Six of a Kind

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 922, 12 April 1957, Page 25

Six of a Kind

"THE launching this month of. six different crime serials from the Commercial Stations illustrates both the popularity of the species and its variety. The Mickey Spillane breed of hard-boiled private dick is typified by Richard Diamond, played by Dick Powell, the American film star, in the dead-pan, wise-cracking style lampooned by Stan Freberg. In Greg Collins, the American has been crossed with the English strain of Paul Temple and Steve. Greg and Gail Collins take their crime with a little comedy and romance, and in their travels from Mexico to Italy they meet plenty of unusual situations. All the American sleuths move fast, taking a new crime each week. The British like a more leisurely way of life, plenty of action on a long-term plan. "Simon Mystery" is the unconventional British Security agent, whose latest adventures deal with crime on a large scale-the English criminal empire organised by the wearers of "The White Cross," and "The Saboteurs," who operate in Paris, London and New York. Guy Doleman, now appearing as Major William Evans, is also a Security officer, who, with Howard .Craven as John Stuart, wages a secret war on a power-mad dictator who is trying to control the world Ay directing tempests to the major cities. The amateur variety has more charm and savoir-faire, and much more time for the ladies. The Hon. Anthony Halliday goes to Paris to find Raoul Davigny, and becomes involved with the French underworld and the beautiful Danielle Claudet. His blithe contempt for danger guides him through a maze of sinis-

ter intrigues. Another of that ilk is Simon Crawley, played by George Edwards. This young man arrives in Sydney with little except unlimited selfconfidence and amazing sales talk. A series of burglaries and murders distract him’ from his career as a writer, but he eventually) solves the mystery and reveals the arch-criminal. A complete novice in crime, Simon does make mistakes, but they are all part of the fun of the game of detection. Richard Diamond is being heard from 2ZA on Tuesdays at 8.0 p.m., and from the ZBs and 1XH on Wednesdays at 9.0 p.m. No Holtday for Halliday is played on the ZBs at 8.0 p.m. on Mondays. The other serials are played at 10.30; It’s a Crime, Mr Collins! is from all ZBs on Monday, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays 1ZB pays Simon Mystery in "The White Cross,’ 2 plays Simon Mystery in "The Saboteurs," 3ZB has Tempest, and 4ZB plays The Amazing Simon Crawley.