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Juvenile

Hop Harrigan

1942–1948 · 152 episodes · 8 listens

Hop Harrigan was an American old-time radio juvenile adventure program that was broadcast on ABC from August 31, 1942, until August 2, 1946, and then on Mutual from October 2, 1946, until February 6, 1948. The series was adapted from the Hop Harrigan character that originated in the All American Comics publication.

The show centered around the adventures of Hop Harrigan, an 18-year-old aviator who battled the Axis powers during World War II. Most of the program’s plots revolved around Harrigan’s aerial exploits and his efforts to thwart the plans of the enemy. The youthful protagonist and his exciting wartime escapades were designed to captivate the show’s target audience of young listeners.

The Stars

Chester Stratton initially portrayed the title role of Hop Harrigan, but the part was later taken over by Albert Aley. Mitzi Gould played Harrigan’s girlfriend, while the only other regular character was Tank Tinker, Harrigan’s mechanic, who was voiced first by Ken Lynch and later by Jackson Beck. The program also featured announcers Glenn Riggs, Dresser Dahlstead, and Vic Perrin.

Key Dates

  • Hop Harrigan debuted on the air on August 31, 1942, and ran on ABC until August 2, 1946.
  • The series then moved to the Mutual network, where it continued until its final broadcast on February 6, 1948.
  • General Foods began sponsoring the program on October 2, 1944, after it had previously been unsponsored.

Other Information

The Hop Harrigan radio program was produced in cooperation with the Air Training Corps of America and was endorsed by the Office of the Adjutant General of the Army. In its second month on the air, the show received over 124,000 letters from listeners requesting premiums that were offered.

The program also had two fan organizations, the All-American Flying Club and the American Observation Corps, which catered to its young audience.

According to author Jim Cox, the character of Hop Harrigan and his “detecting and crime-fighting enthralled the adolescents for whom it was intended, creating a loyal following that clung to every new action-packed crisis.”

The series’ blend of aerial adventure and wartime heroics clearly resonated with its juvenile listeners during the challenging years of World War II.

Cast & Crew

JJackson BeckActorCCharles StrattonActorJJon BlummerWriterDDavid GoodisWriterKKen LynchActorKKing LeonardoActorPPerry WhiteActorMMitzi GouldActor

Ratings & reviews

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Episodes

Apr 1, 1943 · 14:19
Having succeeded in destroying an attack fleet of three giant plane and troop carrying Zeppelins, Hop and Tank…
Apr 8, 1946 · 14:45
Now, thoroughly involved in the strange and complex mystery surrounding a traveling circus staked out on their airport,…
Dec 1, 1947 · 13:51
While the mystery of the wailing witch remains as puzzling as ever, and there's still no hint as to what happened to…
Dec 10, 1947 · 13:44
A long, restless night has finally dawned into a clear, sunlit day, perfect for the coming test of Simon Gore's jet…
Dec 11, 1947 · 13:41
Despite the fact that he suffered serious injury in a plane crash, Hop overrode Tank's strenuous objections, and…
Dec 12, 1947 · 13:49
The morning sun, riding high in the heavens over the black mesa, gleams on the shiny metallic surfaces of a new,…
Dec 14, 1945 · 15:00
A pilot less Fairchild airplane almost crashes into Hop, Brooklyn Joe and Gail. The "Ghost Plane" is really piloted by…
Dec 15, 1944 · 14:01
Fighting their way through a squadron of Nazi dive bombers, Hop and Tank crash landed at the airbase and reported…
Dec 15, 1947 · 14:03
Determined to track down the mystery of the wailing witch, Hop took Simon Gore's jet propelled Flying Wing up for its…
Dec 16, 1947 · 14:10
Discovering the cause of the ghastly, shrieking sound, labeled the 'wailing witch', Hop felt certain that by…
Dec 17, 1945 · 14:50
Hop takes off in his Piper Cub at night in order to break the jinx at the airport. Does he make it?
Dec 17, 1947 · 14:08
The mystery of the wailing witch is rapidly approaching a climax. Hop and Tank have nearly all the facts necessary to…
Dec 18, 1947 · 13:45
With Hop and his knowledge of what the wailing witch is as bait, a trap has been set in the underground aircraft plant…
Dec 19, 1945 · 14:55
Hop has crashed while taking off from the Lakeville airport. He calls on the telephone to say that he's unhurt from the…
Dec 19, 1947 · 13:41
Twilight, ushered in by heavy, snow laden clouds, which blanket the entire sky, settles over the small midwestern town…
Dec 22, 1947 · 13:42
Returning to Lakeville at the height of a raging snowstorm, Hop and Tank narrowly escaped a dangerous crash with…
Dec 23, 1947 · 14:03
Hop and Tank's return home to Lakeville has been marked by two strange, yet seemingly unrelated, incidents. First, a…
Dec 24, 1947 · 14:08
The sudden discordant tone of the new bell in the Lakeville town hall steeple, has resulted in a surprise visit by John…
Dec 25, 1944 · 15:11
Forced to bail out somewhere over the Austrian Alps when their B61 collided with a German transporter, Hop and Tank…
Dec 25, 1947 · 14:16
The mysterious change in tone of the bells from the carillon has had a deep affect on the personal lives of Hop and…
Dec 26, 1947 · 13:58
Flying to the small Ohio town of Flemington, Hop, Tank, and the FBI agent John Temple, pursued their investigation of…
Dec 29, 1947 · 13:51
The sudden weird change of the tone of the bells from the carillon has finally been explained. Each of the discordant…
Dec 3, 1947 · 14:02
The trail which led Hop and Tank from the underground aircraft plant in the black mesa, to the booming oil town of…
Dec 30, 1947 · 13:50
Flying north to Ohio, and then west to Nebraska, Hop, Tank and John Temple from the FBI followed the trail of suddenly…
Dec 31, 1947 · 13:54
With the knowledge that Carlos Mendes, pilot of a black plane, was closely connected with the mystery of the suddenly…
Dec 4, 1947 · 14:04
Escaping from a large oil storage tank where they had been left to die by Roy Saunders, owner of the Wild Cat petroleum…
Dec 5, 1947 · 13:59
Two shadowy figures, barely outlined in the light of a street lamp gleaming through a dirty window pane, crouched…
Dec 8, 1947 · 14:02
After an evening in the oil town of Yellow Creek, an evening crowded with startling developments, Hop and Tank headed…
Dec 9, 1942 · 15:24
Hop Harrigan, Tank Tinker, and Hop's Aunt Agatha were together in a hotel room in San Rio, a sea port on the western…
Dec 9, 1947 · 14:09
In the nearly disastrous crash of their Piper Cub on an oil field near Yellow Creek, the result of another deadly…
Feb 1, 1943 · 14:24
Summoned to Hanley Field on a mysterious assignment, Hop Harrigan and Tank Tinker boarded an early train and were on…
Feb 18, 1943 · 13:35
When an unidentified plane was spotted flying over the Pacific coast, heading inland, neither Hop or Tank who were…
Feb 2, 1944 · 14:05
In search of Dr Keller, the man who stole the papers containing secret information on German air strength, Hop and…
Feb 2, 1948 · 13:58
As the mysterious organization symbolized by a jagged streak of lightning, slowly and relentlessly gained control of…
Feb 3, 1948 · 14:08
Overwhelmed by the attacks of the powerful lightning organization, which by blackmail and terrorism is trying to gain…
Feb 4, 1948 · 14:14
A meeting is taking place at the Lakeville airport - a meeting which is vital to the future security and independence…
Feb 5, 1948 · 14:07
The long battle between Hop and Tank, and the lightning organization headed by their old enemy, Tobias Finley, is…
Feb 6, 1948 · 14:44
A mixed squadron of private planes, all led by Hop and Tank in their Beech Craft, are flying to a deadly rendezvous - a…
Feb 7, 1944 · 13:38
Recovering the German aviation secrets after a narrow escape from a burning building, Hop, Tank and the American agent,…
Jan 12, 1948 · 13:48
The long and arduous pursuit of Carlos Mendes through two continents is almost over. Hop, Tank and John Temple, roaring…
Jan 13, 1948 · 14:05
After landing, Hop, Tank and John Temple confronted Carlos Mendes with the fact they knew he had stolen the Lakeville…
Jan 14, 1948 · 13:51
It is early evening, and the full moon rising in the east is obscured by swiftly gathering storm clouds, casting the…
Jan 15, 1948 · 13:31
Landing some way away from Carlos Mendes' ranch, Hop, Tank and John Temple proceeded to the ranch house on foot in an…
Jan 16, 1948 · 13:54
Reaching Carlos Mendes ranch, Hop, Tank and John Temple force their way through the main gate in the cover of darkness…
Jan 18, 1944 · 14:29
Having overpowered the Gray Ghost, Hop and Tank return to the aviation plant to contact an elderly German prisoner…
Jan 19, 1948 · 13:19
Midnight, and the storm-swept ranch of Carlos Mendes is the scene of an impending battle to the death. Hop, Tank and…
Jan 2, 1948 · 13:57
The mysterious Carlos Mendes, pilot of a Bellanca monoplane, which had been seen near every place where a bell had…
Jan 20, 1948 · 13:48
Hopelessly trapped in a large barn at Carlos Mendes ranch, after rescuing Gail and Christopher Cross, Hop, Tank and…
Jan 21, 1948 · 13:58
Trapped in a large barn at Rancho Verde, after rescuing Gail Nolan and young Christopher Cross, Hop, Tank and John…
Jan 22, 1948 · 13:56
As a cloud-flecked afternoon sky casts a weird ever-changing pattern of light and shadow on the open range land of…
Jan 23, 1948 · 13:49
Heading back to Lakeville in the Beechcraft after a long flight from South America, Hop, Tank, Gail and young…
Jan 24, 1944 · 14:08
Attempting to escape from Germany, Hop, Stein, and the unconscious Tank, have reached the headquarters, but Tank's…
Jan 25, 1944 · 14:34
Atttempting to escape from Germany, Hop, Stein and the unconscious Tank have reached the headquarters of the Allied…
Jan 26, 1948 · 13:33
A mysterious organization, unnamed, but symbolized by a jagged streak of lightning has suddenly encroached on the…
Jan 27, 1948 · 13:51
Hop and Tank are being blackmailed by a false complaint of reckless flying, into joining some mysterious organization…
Jan 28, 1948 · 13:57
Trouble in the form of a jagged streak of lightning representing mysterious and powerful organization has dogged Hop…
Jan 29, 1948 · 14:05
In an attempt to work out a method of combating a mysterious organization which threatens to gain control of private…
Jan 30, 1948 · 14:06
When Harry Charles, the owner of the Greendale Airport was shot dead before their very eyes, Hop and Tank knew…
Jan 5, 1948 · 14:05
After a nerve-wracking wait of more than three hours in which John Temple marshalled all possible aid in the search for…
Jan 6, 1948 · 13:32
From Lakeville to New Orleans. From New Orleans to Managua, and now out of Managua roaring over open ocean southward to…
Jan 7, 1948 · 13:34
Flying a borrowed Army B26 bomber, Hop, Tank and John Temple roared southward from Lakeville across Central America and…
Jan 8, 1948 · 12:43
Flying in hot pursuit of Carlos Mendes, the Argentine rancher who has stolen the Lakeville Bell, and who is holding…
Jan 9, 1948 · 13:42
Delayed by a violent, tropical storm and then a forced landing on the desolate Pacific coastline of Peru; Hop, Tank and…
Jul 10, 1947 · 14:02
When Bill King, wisecracking reporter for the Continental News Service, arrived in Lakeville with a fantastic story…
Jul 11, 1947 · 13:36
When Bill King, the star reporter for the Continental News Service, arrived in Lakeville, trouble started for Hop and…
Jul 14, 1947 · 14:19
Lakeville has become the scene of a strange and puzzling mystery. When Bill King, star reporter for the Continental…
Jul 15, 1947 · 13:53
Involved in a fantastic manhunt, led by Bill King, the fast talking reporter for the Continental News Service, Hop and…
Jul 16, 1947 · 14:02
It is carnival day in Lakeville, and the fair grounds just outside of town are jammed with noisy, laughing crowds of…
Jul 17, 1947 · 14:01
The measured and mournful strains of Chopin's funeral march have led Hop and Tank into the weirdest mystery of their…
Jul 18, 1947 · 13:56
Little more than 12 hours have passed since Bill King's arrival in Lakeville with a seemingly fantastic story of…
Jul 21, 1947 · 14:05
The solemn tones of Chopin's funeral march form a deadly background for Hop and Tank's latest and weirdest adventure.…
Jul 22, 1947 · 14:07
In a desperate search for Tank, who is apparently a victim of an unknown man who constantly whistles the solemn strains…
Jul 23, 1947 · 14:03
The mysterious stranger who constantly whistles the mournful strains of Chopin's funeral march has claimed another…
Jul 24, 1947 · 14:01
Suddenly realising that Tank, who has been missing since early afternoon, must be in the basket suspended from the…
Jul 25, 1947 · 13:39
Tank, a victim of the mysterious man who whistles, was a helpless prisoner in the swaying basket suspended beneath the…
Jul 28, 1947 · 13:39
The mystery of the vanishing men grows deeper and more baffling with every passing hour, and Tank, the only one who…
Jul 29, 1947 · 14:07
With Tank unconscious and unable to identify his assailant, Hop, Gail and their friend from the FBI, began a thorough…
Jul 30, 1947 · 13:42
The mystery of the vanishing men has come to a sudden, startling climax. A small group of people are gathered in the…
Jul 7, 1947 · 14:32
It's early evening at Lakeville, and at the airport the sun has just dipped beneath the rim of the horizon and the…
Jul 8, 1947 · 14:09
A mysterious phone call from a man who warned Hop's Aunt Agatha to beware of the black hand, was the beginning of a…
Jul 9, 1947 · 13:52
With Bill King, wisecracking reporter for the Continental News Service, identified as the man behind the black hand…
Jun 7, 1943 · 14:17
Recuperating from a severe bullet wound inflicted on him by Paul Kruger, a German saboteur, Hop Harrigan is a patient…
Mar 11, 1943 · 15:06
Hop Harrigan and his mechanic pal Tank Tinker are at a United Nations air base in the South Pacific, after rescuing an…
Mar 29, 1946 · 14:18
Becoming more and more involved with the Bentley Circus, in spite of their determination to stay out of other people's…
Mar 7, 1947 · 15:15
There's a hushed tenseness in the jungle, and all the birds and animals are strangely quiet. The usually moving leaves…
Nov 10, 1947 · 13:48
When Hop bailed out of his plane to help movie star Dixie Davenport, who was being held captive in a ranch house in one…
Nov 11, 1947 · 14:00
In the clear, cloudless skies over the mountains, a desperate aerial battle is about to take place, with Hop and Tank…
Nov 12, 1947 · 14:01
Fighting off Tex Regan's machine gun attack on their overloaded beach craft, and eventually outdistancing him…
Nov 13, 1947 · 13:57
A trim, streamlined bi-plane, its engine idling, silently wheels over the long, deep valley, and glides toward a…
Nov 14, 1947 · 13:51
As dusk begins to deepen into night, two planes roar high over the shadowy range land of eastern California, and their…
Nov 17, 1947 · 13:54
After receiving orders from a mysterious stranger, Hop and Tank took off from the motion picture location camp and flew…
Nov 18, 1947 · 13:56
A mysterious summons from someone identified only as Eagle, has brought Hop and Tank to a secret airfield in the black…
Nov 19, 1947 · 13:58
A former government war plant, built entirely under the desolate wastelands of the black mesa in Oklahoma, is the…
Nov 20, 1947 · 13:53
Hop and Tank, summoned to a secret underground plant in the black mesa of Oklahoma by Major McColl, were there for less…
Nov 21, 1947 · 13:57
Reporting to a hidden aircraft plant in the black mesa of Oklahoma to help Major McColl solve the weird mystery of the…
Nov 24, 1942 · 15:02
When Hop Harrigan and Tank Tinker arrived in a tiny Central American province, to investigate the possibilities of…
Nov 24, 1947 · 13:48
Reporting to Major McColl at an underground aircraft plant in Oklahoma, Hop and Tank had barely started their…
Nov 25, 1947 · 13:48
Sabotage and murder, two deadly allies, stalk the underground tunnels and chambers of a hidden aircraft plant in the…
Nov 26, 1947 · 13:47
Confronted by a series of crashes as a result of testing the jet propelled Flying Wing, which the US Army had under…
Nov 27, 1947 · 14:01
A night of intense activity and strange happenings has finally dawned into a day clouded by the threat of sudden,…
Nov 28, 1947 · 14:01
Before leaving the underground aircraft plant to trail Carla Davis, their only lead in the mystery of the wailing…
Nov 3, 1942 · 14:36
Fighting with the Russians near Murmansk, Hop and Tank join the Russian guerrillas in an attack against a Nazi Panzer…
Nov 3, 1947 · 13:55
The quest to find the wonder horse, Sequoia, and the disappearance of his owner, movie star Dixie Davenport, have…
Nov 4, 1942 · 12:52
Fighting with the Russians near Murmansk, Hop and Tank join the Russian guerrillas in an attack against a Nazi Panzer…
Nov 4, 1947 · 14:56
Finding the hidden ranch house where Dixie Davenport was being held ransom by Tex Regan and Joe Bell, Hop ordered Tank…
Nov 5, 1947 · 14:46
After Hop bailed out of the beach craft to join Dixie who was being held prisoner in a ranch house by Tex Regan and Joe…
Nov 6, 1942 · 14:27
Forced down over the icy wastes near Momansk, Russia Hop Harrigan and tank Tinker were rescued by a band of soviet…
Nov 6, 1947 · 14:44
The long night, fraught with danger, has finally passed. Morning finds Hop and movie star Dixie Davenport outside Tex…
Nov 7, 1944 · 14:26
Wearing uniforms of a Luftwaffe Oberleutnant and a Gestapo Captain, Hop and Tank drove to the secret airfield of the…
Nov 7, 1947 · 14:41
Finally deciding to wait no longer for Tank, Hop and Dixie, riding Sequoia, started down a narrow dirt lane leading to…
Nov 8, 1945 · 14:52
Hop and Tank are prisoners of the Nazis in Upper Mongolia. Escaping through a tunnel, Hop, Tank and their Mongolian…
Nov 9, 1944 · 14:23
On the last lap of their dangerous trek through Germany in search of Major McColl, Hop and Tank, wearing the uniforms…
Oct 1, 1942 · 14:28
En route to Paris, Hop and His friends fool the Nazis, who board the troop train and get on a refugee train to continue…
Oct 1, 1947 · 14:12
The massive temple stands majestically golden in the rays of the early morning sun, and throws a long triangular shadow…
Oct 10, 1947 · 14:18
Leading La Pentera and her men on a wild goose chase through the dark labyrinthian tunnels of the temple, Hop gave Tank…
Oct 13, 1947 · 14:23
Reverberating over the night blanketed ruins of the lost city, the hollow, booming note of the giant, temple gong…
Oct 14, 1947 · 14:34
Returning to Lakeville on the completion of their mission in the lost mine city, Hop and Tank were puzzled when they…
Oct 15, 1947 · 14:14
A high afternoon sun burns out of a cloudless sky, its rays gleaming on the wings of a bi-plane roaring over the plains…
Oct 16, 1947 · 14:42
Surprised, and more than a little excited at the offer of starring roles in a motion picture being filmed out west, Hop…
Oct 17, 1947 · 14:43
Given feature parts in a new western movie being filmed on the open range land in eastern California, Hop and Tank…
Oct 2, 1947 · 14:32
Trapped in one of the many dark, twisting tunnels of the temple in the lost mine city, Hop, Tank and young Christopher…
Oct 20, 1947 · 14:38
Like an evil shadow, trouble has dogged Hop and Tank's footsteps since their arrival on location to begin work on a new…
Oct 21, 1947 · 14:35
When Hop and Tank accepted roles in a new motion picture being filmed on location in Eastern California, they little…
Oct 22, 1947 · 14:44
The theft of Dixie Davenport's wonder horse Sequoia, and the startling reappearance of her pilot, Joe Bell, the…
Oct 23, 1947 · 14:28
One surprising event has followed closely on the heels of another, and now on the second day of their new venture -…
Oct 24, 1947 · 14:41
Puzzled by Dixie Davenport's refusal of their help, and her later disappearance from the Timber Line Hotel, Hop and…
Oct 27, 1947 · 14:43
Hop and Tank have discovered that Dixie Davenport has withdrawn $50,000 from her Los Angeles bank, which she planned to…
Oct 28, 1947 · 14:44
In spite of her refusal of assistance, and her obstinate attempts to get them out of the way, Hop and Tank are still…
Oct 29, 1947 · 13:48
A violent storm has broken over the open range land of eastern California, turning mid-afternoon to night, and lashing…
Oct 3, 1947 · 14:38
Stalled in the completion of their assignment to photograph the secret mural in one of the tombs in the ancient temple,…
Oct 30, 1942 · 14:36
While aboard a British corvette en route to Russia, Hop and Tank are attacked by a Nazi destroyer while getting into a…
Oct 30, 1947 · 14:20
Realising that Dixie Davenport was playing right into Tex Regan's hands in her attempts to recover her horse, Sequoia,…
Oct 31, 1947 · 13:47
With time running dangerously short, and only a slim chance left to find movie star Dixie and her horse, Sequoia, Hop…
Oct 4, 1944 · 14:20
Reporting to Allied intelligence headquarters in a little Dutch town outside the enemy lines, Hop Harrigan and his…
Oct 5, 1942 · 14:30
substituting as a British intelligence officer Hop Harrigan is in occupied France on the trail of a new type German air…
Oct 6, 1947 · 14:21
With the capture of Pablo, an old Mexican native who had made the temple his home, the weird and seemingly supernatural…
Oct 7, 1947 · 14:29
After much danger and many weird experiences, Hop, Tank and young Christopher Cross have finally completed their job of…
Oct 8, 1942 · 15:12
As you remember, Hop Harrigan and Lisa Culard, the young French girl who engineered Hop's escape from prison, made…
Oct 8, 1947 · 14:11
The sudden, startling appearance of La Pentera and her men in the lost city, caught Hop, Tank and Christopher Cross by…
Oct 9, 1942 · 14:30
Escaping occupied Paris in a stolen Messerschmidt, Hop dogfights with the Luftwaffe over the English channel and shoots…
Oct 9, 1947 · 14:23
Surprised by the sudden appearance of La Pentera and her men in the lost mine city, Hop, Tank and Christopher Cross…
Sep 15, 1945 · 14:25
The war has ended, but for Hop and Tank, the fight goes on - a desperate fight against tremendous odds. On the island…
Sep 17, 1942 · 14:50
In an attempt to escape from an uncharted island, somewhere off the coast - an island being used by the Nazis as a…
Sep 23, 1942 · 13:16
Carl Strasser, a British agent, is supposed to help Hop and Tank steal a Messerschmidt from Calais, featuring the new…
Sep 24, 1942 · 14:56
Hop and Tank are shot out of the sky by a Nazi raider and taken aboard by Count Von Fortunoff. They are forced to help…
Sep 24, 1947 · 14:17
The long search is over, and Hop, Tank and young Christopher Cross have finally found the ruins of the lost mine city,…
Sep 25, 1947 · 14:05
Suspended in the night sky, a full moon cast a pale, silvery light along the tropical forest, stretching for endless…
Sep 26, 1947 · 14:12
Reaching the lost mine city, almost completely hidden by the dense, tropical forest of central Yukatan, Hop, Tank and…
Sep 29, 1947 · 14:11
Native legend and superstition underscored by several weird happenings, have created a night of terror for Hop, Tank…
Sep 30, 1947 · 14:01
Entering the mysterious and forbidding temple, despite many weird occurrences, Hop, Tank and Christopher Cross found…
Sep 4, 1942 · 14:18
Summoned to a mysterious old mill house on the Atlantic coast by a fake telegram stating that Hop's Aunt Agatha had met…
Sep 8, 1942 · 14:27
Major McColl had assigned Hop and Tank to track down a mysterious enemy surface radar, and its even more baffling…
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