The Green Hornet 07-11-1943 | Going Out of Business | Classic Old Time Radio

*The Green Hornet – “Going Out of Business”* *Original Air Date: July 11, 1943* A business closing its doors may look like an ordinary commercial failure, but Britt Reid suspects something more sinister is happening in “Going Out of Business,” a 1943 episode of *The Green Hornet*. When seemingly legitimate business activity provides cover for criminal profit, Reid and Kato enter the underworld to discover who is really behind the scheme. *Synopsis* Britt Reid becomes interested in circumstances surrounding businesses that are shutting down, particularly when the pattern suggests that their failures may not be entirely natural. A store announcing that it is “going out of business” can attract customers with promises of bargains and deeply discounted merchandise, but such sales can also provide an ideal opportunity for dishonest operators to manipulate prices, unload questionable goods, or disguise a more complicated racket. Through the investigative resources of the *Daily Sentinel*, Reid begins looking beyond the advertisements and public explanations. He searches for connections among the people involved and attempts to determine whether the supposed business failures are genuine or merely part of a carefully constructed scheme. As usual, however, Britt Reid’s public identity can take him only so far. The people profiting from the operation have little reason to explain their methods to a newspaper publisher. The Green Hornet is another matter. With Kato at his side, Reid assumes his masked identity and approaches the criminals as someone interested in profits rather than justice. The Hornet’s reputation as an underworld operator gives him the opportunity to learn how the racket functions from within. If the criminals believe he wants a share of their business, their own confidence and greed may persuade them to reveal more than they should. The investigation eventually turns the phrase “going out of business” into something the criminals themselves may have reason to fear as the Green Hornet moves to close their operation permanently. *About the Series* Created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, The Green Hornet began broadcasting from WXYZ in Detroit in 1936. The series follows Britt Reid, wealthy publisher of the *Daily Sentinel*, who secretly fights organized crime as the Green Hornet. Reid deliberately permits both police and criminals to believe the Hornet is an outlaw. That reputation enables him to enter criminal circles and expose rackets from the inside. His trusted partner Kato assists him throughout his investigations and drives their famous automobile, the Black Beauty. *Audio Restoration* This historic recording has undergone significant audio restoration and enhancement for this presentation. Restoration may include careful reduction of hiss, hum, crackle, and other unwanted artifacts, along with tonal correction, level balancing, dynamics processing, and additional work intended to improve dialogue intelligibility. The goal is to provide a clearer, more consistent listening experience while retaining the atmosphere and character of the surviving original broadcast. *Cast & Production Credits* Britt Reid / The Green Hornet – Al Hodge Kato – Tokutaro Hayashi (Raymond Toyo) Lenore “Casey” Case – Leonore Allman Michael Axford – Gil Shea The District Attorney – Fred Reto Narrator – Fielden Farrington Created by – George W. Trendle and Fran Striker Principal writer – Fran Striker Originating station – WXYZ, Detroit Production – George W. Trendle / WXYZ Signature music – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” With its unusual combination of journalism, undercover investigation, crime drama, and masked adventure, The Green Hornet remains one of the most recognizable programs of radio’s Golden Age.