Tales of Fatima
Tales of Fatima was an old-time radio show from 1949 starring Basil Rathbone, who had by that time become famous for his long run portraying the world's most famous sleuth in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
In Tales of Fatima, Rathbone portrayed himself in adventurous situations played for broad comedy, quite a departure for the actor from the stalwart Holmes. References to the sponsor, Fatima Cigarettes, were embedded in the storylines, and Rathbone also delivered the commercials. In further tie-ins, Rathbone also endorsed the product for a series of magazine ads.
The series aired Saturday evenings at 9:30pm on CBS in 1949 from January 8 to October 1, ending after 39 episodes. In the supporting cast, Francis DeSales played Lieutenant Farrell. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. Harry Ingram directed, and Jack Miller was the series' music supervisor.
Only two shows in the series have survived:
- "A Much Expected Murder", episode 20 from May 21, 1949
- "Time to Kill", episode 21 from May 28, 1949