Pat Novak, for Hire

"Sure, I'm Pat Novak, for Hire, says Pat in the opening sequence of this noir mystery series from the late 1940s. Pat runs a struggling business on the San Francisco waterfront, likely a boat rental outfit, and does odd jobs to survive, but his business rarely has any bearing on the stories. He has a knack for attracting trouble. though he is seldom looking for it. Murder and mayhem in the dark and violent world of the waterfront, "where you don't need a union card to get shot," just keep knocking on his door.

Jack Webb, who achieved his greatest fame in Dragnet, voiced Pat, except for one short period when Webb was away on business. During that period, Ben Morris took over the part and performed quite credibly. Pat's nemesis, Inspector Hellman, whose main purpose in life seems to be to put Pat behind bars, is portrayed by Raymond Burr, best remembered as television's Perry Mason.

The series had two runs, one as a west coast regional show in 1946-1947 out of San Francisco, then as an ABC network program in 1949.

Learn more at Wikipedia.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.