Voyage of the Scarlet Queen


Voyage of the Scarlet Queen was a radio drama portraying the adventures of the 78-foot ketch Scarlet Queen in the South Pacific. It was broadcast on Mutual from 3 July 1947 to 14 February 1948.

Personnel

James Burton produced the scripts by Gil Doud and Robert Tallman. Elliott Lewis starred as Philip Kearney, master of the Scarlet Queen, with Ed Max as first mate Red Gallagher.

Scenario

Each episode opens with an entry from the ship's log, such as: "Log entry, the ketch Scarlet Queen, Philip Kearney, master. Position -- three degrees, seven minutes north, 104 degrees, two minutes east. Wind, fresh to moderate; sky, fair..." with a similar closing: "Ship secured for the night. Signed, Philip Kearney, master." Arriving at an exotic port of call, the captain and first mate would go ashore and immediately run into trouble with local authorities, agents of rival merchants, or desperate women in need of rescue. After some investigation and at least one good fight they would solve the problem, get back on the ship and sail away, Kearney and Gallagher sharing a laugh and a drink at the wheel before the captain's closing log entry.

Principal Characters

Ship's Master Captain Philip Kearney is a principled man of action who places mission above personal gain.
First Officer Red Gallagher is a skilled bo'sun and a loyal sidekick to Kearney, although the loyalty is suspect for the first few episodes.
Ku Chei Kang, Kearney's employer and the financier of the voyage of the Scarlet Queen, appears in only one episode, but figures prominently in episodes 1-21.
Constantino, a Portuguese crime-lord or similar stature villain, is Kang's antagonist and the source of many of the troubles that befall Kearney and the Scarlet Queen. Constantino's many agents appear in the first 20 episodes, but Constantino himself does not appear until episode 21.
Ah Sin is a remarkably obese, delicate, vain, educated and ruthless Chinese trader who speaks "like Charles Laughton" and surrounds himself with clouds of jasmine perfume. He appears in three episodes. Ah Sin has a sidekick, a Texan named Mangan who carried a pearl-handled frontier pistol.
Henrietta "Hank" Ainley is a love interest of Kearney who appears in two episodes.
Neilson is the crew member who is mentioned most by name and the only one with any speaking lines. Other crew members mentioned include Gordon and Kohler.

What Changed from the Pilot to the Series

The pilot starred Howard Duff as Captain Phil Kearney, and Elliott Lewis as First Officer Red Gallagher. For the series, Lewis took the role of Kearney and Ed Max was brought on to play Gallagher.
The pilot show mentions the ultimate villain as Van Gort; this becomes Constantino in the series. Other than a few edits to tighten up the script, The Death of David Malone is as effective as The Shanghai Secret as an introduction to the drama.

Dramatic Basis and Story Arc

Episodes 1-20 chronicle the voyage from San Francisco through many meticulously detailed ports of call until they reach episode 20, "Kang's Treasure and the Ghost of Tangolan Bay". During this time Kearney and Gallagher visit ports of call for resupply and further instructions from Kang, provided through local agents of Kang's sprawling Pacific trading operation. At nearly every step they are opposed by agents of Constantino. The "$10 million" prize is a set of ancient Chinese artifacts from every major period of Chinese history. Kang feels the artifacts will restore much needed pride to the people of devastated postwar China, while Constantino is simply greedy and knows that Kang will pay dearly for the artifacts. This climaxes at episode 20.
After Episode 20, Kearney, Gallagher, and the Scarlet Queen have another dozen or so adventures, but the series seems to run out of steam without the Kang-Constantino rivalry and the continuity of the original story.

The Scarlet Queen and the Starship Enterprise

The structure of the adventures, opening with a quote from the Ship's Log that introduces a sense of mystery of what is to come, and finishing with a final "captain's log" entry, with adventure in between, has been suggested as a forerunner to the much later Star Trek. The opportunities for inspiration are myriad, but they do not prove causation.

Spelling of the Captain's Name

Many old-time radio websites exist with reviews of the show and downloads of episodes. Captain Phil Kearney's name is spelled variously as Carney, Karney, and Kearney. An image of a Billboard magazine review of the show from August of 1947 uses Kearney.

Individual Episodes

Voyage of the Scarlet Queen - Complete Log
Fictitious locations are in quotes. Modern place names are in parentheses.
Episode #DateTitleLocation
Pilot47-02-02The Death of David MaloneSan Francisco, CA
147-07-03The Shanghai SecretSan Francisco, CA
247-07-10Report of the White Jade BuddhaHonolulu, HI
347-07-17The Spaniard & the Lascar Pirates"Muninjima", Japan
447-07-24The Boston Geisha & Chesapeake BayKobe, Japan
547-07-31Lily in the Chimoipo Bar Jinsen Korea
647-08-07The White Cargo Act and Ah SinTientsin, China
747-08-14The Ninth Niece in the Street of Weeping Women Shanghai, China
847-08-21Story of the Eight Historic PeriodsSwatow, China
947-08-28The Barefoot Nymph and the Mother Hubbard JacketManila, Philippines
1047-09-04The Dead Man and The Boac Idol Masbate, Philippines
1147-09-11Jewel Thieves and the Straw-Filled DummyHong Kong
1247-09-18The Courtship of Anna May LamourHaiphong, Vietnam
1347-09-25Shore Leave and the Unhappy WifeSingapore
1447-10-02The Fat Trader and the Sword of ApokaezhanSandakan, N Borneo
1547-10-09The Tattooed Beaver & Baby Food for Pare PareMakassar, Celebes
1647-10-16Ah Sin & the Balinese Beaux Arts BallBuleleng, Bali
1747-10-23Grafter's Fort and the Black Pearl of Galahla BayBatanta, Raja Ampat, W. Papua region of Indonesia
1847-10-30King Ascot And The Maid In WaitingKarakelong, Celebes
1947-11-06Lonely Sultan of Isabella De BasilanIsabela, Basilan, Philippines
2047-11-13Kang's Treasure and the Ghost of Tangolan BaySangihe Island “Tangolan Bay”
2147-11-20Beautiful Girl in the Bargain BasementHong Kong
2247-11-27Huntsman's Quarry & the Dead ChineseFort-Bayard, Kouang-Tchéou-Wan
2347-12-03The Green Tourist and the Temple BellBà_Rịa, Vietnam
2447-12-10The Wandering Master and the Warlord at RestRabaul, New Britain, Papua/New Guinea
2547-12-17Red Beard and the Bag of PearlsHull Island, Phoenix Group
2647-12-24The 15th Lama and the Wise Guy from the EastChristmas Island
2747-12-31Hattie McCormick and the Patient StowawayPago Pago, Tutuila, American Samoa
2848-01-07The Derelict and the Wandering BoyPort Moresby, New Guinea
2948-01-14Fang Rubies and the Black SiameseDarwin, Northern Territory, Australia
3048-01-21The Ambitious Hostess on South Bridge RoadSingapore
3148-01-28The Bubble Dancer & the BuccaneersPenang, Malaysia
3248-02-04The Pegleg Skipper & the Iberian BladeSurabaya, Java
3348-02-11Rocky III and the Dead Man's ChestWellington, NZ
3448-02-18Queen Anne Pistols and the Dealer on King George RoadSydney, Australia
3548-02-25Winchester Rifle and the Ambitious GroomSingapore
Pilot 250-05-06Log Of The Black Parrot

Assessment

Technically the show was among the better radio productions of the time, employing realistic sound effects and sailing terminology, well paced stories and colorfully detailed settings. Most places visited by the Queen are real. Even the map coordinates given by the captain are mostly accurate, following a zigzag course around the South Pacific.

Follow-ups

After the show was cancelled, an attempt was made to revive it under a different name. Only the audition show was produced which was not picked up. The new show's title was to be The Log Of The Black Parrot. The cast included Ed Max, Ted Osborne, Lillian Buyeff, Harold Hughes, Jack Kruschen, and Ben Wright. Music was directed by Walter Schumann and composed by Nathan Scott. The audition was produced by the star of Scarlet Queen, Elliot Lewis and directed by Gil Doud. The announcer was Bob Stevenson. It was recorded on May 6, 1950.
A TV pilot was made in 1975 loosely based on the same concept, titled The Log of the Black Pearl, which likewise included Jack Kruschen in the cast, co-starring with Ralph Bellamy and Kiel Martin, with Jack Webb as executive producer.