The Fat Man

The Fat Man premiered on ABC Radio on January 21, 1946, based on a character created by Dashiell Hammett. J. Scott Smart — who physically matched the character's size — played Brad Runyon throughout the run. Pepto-Bismol was the primary sponsor. The show was cancelled by ABC on September 26, 1951 — not for poor ratings but because of sponsor pressure over Hammett's Communist Party membership. Only approximately 10 episodes survive — a catastrophic loss rate largely because the network did not preserve transcription discs after Hammett became politically problematic.