The Adventures of Harry Nile
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Harry Nile is a radio drama series created by veteran radio writer and producer Jim French
. It has been in continuous production since 1991 and is syndicated nationally as part of the Imagination Theater
package. The series made its original debut on January 1, 1976 over Seattle radio station KVI and continued for 24 episodes before French left the station to pursue other interests. In the late 1980s, Jim returned to broadcasting joining the staff of the local CBS affiliate KIRO. In 1990 he was asked if he knew who owned the rights to the Nile shows. Through a bit of foresight in the 1970s, Jim retained the rights to all of his scripts and characters, and it wasn't long before the original 24 episodes along with two that had been produced but never aired were running on Sunday nights. In 1991 Jim began writing and producing new Nile shows with one new episode playing every month, first only locally and then in 1996 nationally. As of this writing, over 190 installments have been done.
From his 1976 debut until his death in October 2004 the part of Harry Nile was played by Phil Harper
. Since Harper's passing, the show has starred Larry Albert.
Harry Nile, a fictional private detective in Los
Angeles and Seattle during the 1940s and 1950s, is the
title character of this New-Time Radio detective
series. Like many private eyes, Harry started out as a
cop. Harry's real last name is actually Niletti; he
changed it before he joined the force to protect his
family from potential retaliation by the Mob. As a
rookie on the Chicago Police Department, Harry was
recruited by the department's Internal Affairs
Division.
When his blues singer wife is killed in a night club
shooting, Harry's life hits the skids. He turns up
precinct-wide police corruption and is eventually
forced to resign from the Chicago police force. After
he runs up substantial gambling debts and is unable to
pay them, Harry agrees to travel to L.A. to do a
"little favor" for the holder of his markers, a Windy
City casino owner/crime boss. The "little favor"
involves the murder of a Los Angeles crime boss. Harry
manages not to do the deed and ends up staying on the
West Coast, working as a private eye, first in Los
Angeles, and later, in Seattle.
Harry is definitely not a hard-boiled P.I. He seldom
uses his gun or gets into a fight, but he's no wimp.
This guy can be tough when necessary. Here's a
detective who is a real human being. He'll never be
rich or have a fancy office; he's usually one step
ahead of the bill collectors. Even after years in the
business, he's not completely cynical. He cares about
his clients and his greatest strength is his humanity.
He's aided in his investigations by his associate
Murphy, a red-haired, former librarian played by Pat French, who made her
debut in the episode "The Twenty Dollar Trackdown."
Murphy is not the stereotype P.I.'s secretary; this
lady is no dummy. She was initially enamored by the
supposed glamour of the P.I. business and sometimes
accompanies Harry on cases. For several years, she was
Harry's unpaid assistant. Now she's basically Harry's
partner and great at finding important information.
While she has always been infatuated with Harry, she's
smart enough not to push it.
Jim French (radio)
James R. "Jim" French is an American radio personality and producer who has written and produced, as of 2011, over 803 radio shows, including The Adventures of Harry Nile and The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series.-Life and career:...
. It has been in continuous production since 1991 and is syndicated nationally as part of the Imagination Theater
Imagination Theater
Imagination Theater is an American syndicated radio drama program produced by Jim French Productions. It airs on FM and AM radio stations across the United States and also on XM satellite radio. It features modern radio dramas, the most popular of which are The Adventures of Harry Nile and The...
package. The series made its original debut on January 1, 1976 over Seattle radio station KVI and continued for 24 episodes before French left the station to pursue other interests. In the late 1980s, Jim returned to broadcasting joining the staff of the local CBS affiliate KIRO. In 1990 he was asked if he knew who owned the rights to the Nile shows. Through a bit of foresight in the 1970s, Jim retained the rights to all of his scripts and characters, and it wasn't long before the original 24 episodes along with two that had been produced but never aired were running on Sunday nights. In 1991 Jim began writing and producing new Nile shows with one new episode playing every month, first only locally and then in 1996 nationally. As of this writing, over 190 installments have been done.
From his 1976 debut until his death in October 2004 the part of Harry Nile was played by Phil Harper
Phil Harper
Phillip J. Harper was an American voice actor best known as the eponymous hero in the radio serial The Adventures of Harry Nile for more than 27 years....
. Since Harper's passing, the show has starred Larry Albert.
Series description
From The Adventures of Harry Nile broadcast log. See external link below.Harry Nile, a fictional private detective in Los
Angeles and Seattle during the 1940s and 1950s, is the
title character of this New-Time Radio detective
series. Like many private eyes, Harry started out as a
cop. Harry's real last name is actually Niletti; he
changed it before he joined the force to protect his
family from potential retaliation by the Mob. As a
rookie on the Chicago Police Department, Harry was
recruited by the department's Internal Affairs
Division.
When his blues singer wife is killed in a night club
shooting, Harry's life hits the skids. He turns up
precinct-wide police corruption and is eventually
forced to resign from the Chicago police force. After
he runs up substantial gambling debts and is unable to
pay them, Harry agrees to travel to L.A. to do a
"little favor" for the holder of his markers, a Windy
City casino owner/crime boss. The "little favor"
involves the murder of a Los Angeles crime boss. Harry
manages not to do the deed and ends up staying on the
West Coast, working as a private eye, first in Los
Angeles, and later, in Seattle.
Harry is definitely not a hard-boiled P.I. He seldom
uses his gun or gets into a fight, but he's no wimp.
This guy can be tough when necessary. Here's a
detective who is a real human being. He'll never be
rich or have a fancy office; he's usually one step
ahead of the bill collectors. Even after years in the
business, he's not completely cynical. He cares about
his clients and his greatest strength is his humanity.
He's aided in his investigations by his associate
Murphy, a red-haired, former librarian played by Pat French, who made her
debut in the episode "The Twenty Dollar Trackdown."
Murphy is not the stereotype P.I.'s secretary; this
lady is no dummy. She was initially enamored by the
supposed glamour of the P.I. business and sometimes
accompanies Harry on cases. For several years, she was
Harry's unpaid assistant. Now she's basically Harry's
partner and great at finding important information.
While she has always been infatuated with Harry, she's
smart enough not to push it.