If you got the chance to listen to "Nick Carter's Christmas Adventure," a 1943 episode of the Mutual Broadcasting System radio series, I'm sure you'll spot the similarities to "A Christmas Carol."
The show features a Scroogesque character who hates Christmas. He particularly seems Scroogey when Nick and his assistant Scubby visit him to ask for a charitable donation. They get as warm a welcome as the portly gentlemen in the book!
We need a mystery for Nick to solve, so he determines to find out why Mr. Rasper hates Christmas so much. Then he arranges something of a "Christmas Past" intervention to change his mind.
Due to this being a holiday episode, the murder and mayhem is toned down from the usual episodes in the series and the "mystery" is mild, but it's still entertaining.
I do find it interesting that nobody on the episode makes any reference to "A Christmas Carol" at all, like, "Wow, that guy's a real Scrooge!" although I'm presuming the book exists within that show's universe.
Speaking of said universe, the show presents Nick Carter as something of a real person, being "impersonated" for radio purposes by star Lon Clark, who interacts with the announcer.
This is similar to "The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" radio series (which we heard here), where Dr. Watson interacts with the announcer and introduces the stories as if they actually happened.
The Nick Carter show is entertaining, as the usual episode will have a clue or two that Nick will pick up on to solve the case, which gives the sharp-eared listener a chance as well.
It was popular enough to last from 1943-1955.
As a bonus, here's another, more typical episode, also from 1943:
Good fun!
Next: A look into Nick's origins.
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