Frank Readick

Frank Marvin Readick Jr. was an American actor born on November 6, 1896, in Seattle, Washington, whose career spanned Broadway, radio, and film. He died on December 27, 1965.

Readick made his Broadway appearances between 1921 and 1925, with credits that included the plays Solid Ivory and Nemesis. His stage work coincided with the early years of a career that would extend well beyond the theater into the emerging medium of radio.

In 1930, Readick stepped into the role of narrator on the Detective Story Hour, the program that preceded The Shadow, replacing James La Curto after La Curto departed for a Broadway engagement four months into the series. Readick went on to voice the character on The Blue Coal Radio Revue and The Love Story Hour between 1931 and 1932, before The Shadow became the title of its own dedicated series. He became particularly associated with the iconic line introducing the program — "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" — along with the distinctive evil laughter that followed it. That signature element was preserved in the series even after Orson Welles took over the role from Readick.

In 1938, Readick portrayed CBS reporter Carl Phillips in the radio production of The War of the Worlds. For that performance, he drew on WLS reporter Herbert Morrison's on-site coverage of the Hindenburg disaster from the previous year as a model. On April 30, 1940, he starred in a Cavalcade of America episode titled Thomas Paine. His other radio work included roles in The FBI in Peace and War and The Campbell Playhouse, the title roles in The Adventures of Smilin' Jack and Meet Mr. Meek, and the recurring character Knobby Walsh on Joe Palooka. He was also associated with the radio productions House of Mystery and A Burglar to the Rescue, both from 1931. Readick's film credits include Journey into Fear, released in 1943.