Another look at Dashiell Hammett’s creation for radio – The Fat Man. The Brad Runyon character was never seen in Hammett’s stories, though the overall character creation was his despite his not writing any of the scripts for radio. Hammett wasn’t a big fan of radio drama nor of how his characters were developed over the medium. Quite honestly, he did it for the money mostly.
I also look briefly at J Scott Smart (left) who was himself a “fat man” and strongly advocated for the portrayal to make people more sympathetic toward people of size. He claimed he never felt fat. Smart was a veteran stage actor who also was on radio prior to his taking on the role of Runyon. An interesting man with an interesting voice.
Music under is Charlie Haden Quartet performing Billy Strayhorn’s Passion Flower.
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