Terry and the Pirates

Terry and the Pirates was a serial based on the popular newspaper comic strip originated by Milt Caniff; it chronicles the adventures of an American teenager in the Far East. In the company of his protector and friend, Pat Ryan, Terry finds himself in numerous adventures with all sorts of villains, especially the Dragon Lady, leader of a notorious cabal of pirates and other evildoers. The show aired in the afternoons and was target at children and teens.

The show had two false starts before it truly caught on. It ran from 1937 into 1939 on NBC's Red, then Blue Networks, was revived in 1941 and 1942 for a short run on Chicago's WGN, then returned to the air in 1943 on the Blue Network, where it ran for an additional five years. In this last manifestation, many of the adventures had patriotic overtones reflecting events in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

As with many serials, a number of performers voiced the roles of the recurring characters. Among the most notable are Agnes Moorehead, Bud Collyer, Frances Chaney, and Cliff Carpenter.

In addition to the radio serial, the comic strip inspired a movie and a television series.

For more information about the comic strip and the radio show, see their respective Wikipedia articles.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.