If there is something peculiar about this show, it’s the title. Originally, the show debuted on the 10th of July 1948 with the title Joe Canto, Private Eye. Such debut was made again but with a different title: Jeff Regan, Private Eye. Then finally, the show was listed as Jeff Regan, Investigator. What was more interesting is that, the newspaper eventually listed its name in all ways possible except Jeff Regan, Investigator. It’s often listed as either Regan, Jeff Regan, Jeff Regan Detective etc. and, the most interesting of all, people started referring it to as the Lyon’s/Lion’s Eye to the point that people search the internet with those keywords to look for Jeff Regan, Investigator. This might be attributed to the fact that, everyday, the host of the show opens it with the line: "I get ten a day and expenses...they call me the Lyon's Eye."

The story revolves around, Regan, who receives his assignment from a boss that he is not on friendly terms with. His boss was named Anthony Lyon, thus the emergence of the title, Lyon’s Eye. Jack Regan was played by Jack Webb and Anthony Lyon was voiced by Wilms Herbert.

By the end of 1947, life was going very nicely for Jack Webb. He was doing well enough with Mutual’s Johnny Madero, Pier 23 that he could afford to marry jazz singer Julie London in July. His movie career, while not spectacular seemed poised to take off. He was scheduled to begin shooting a supporting role in the noir police procedural He walked by Night (1948). Unfortunately, Madero had only been ordered as a summer replacement, but CBS was impressed enough with its numbers that Webb was offered a shot at their new detective program, Jeff Regan, Investigator. Regan would be a departure from the formula that Webb and his writing partner, Richard Breen had developed for Pat Novak and Johnny Madero. First of all, Regan would be a professional investigator rather than a waterfront tough guy taking whatever jobs he could get. He also lacked a confessor/mentor like Jocko Madigan or Father Leahy. Instead, he had a boss to answer to, Anthony J. Lyon, President of the International Detective Agency in downtown L.A. (in the intro, Regan referred to himself as “the Lyon’s eye”). As the show was originally conceived, Jeff Regan was not going to be the investigator. The program debuted as Joe Canto, Investigator starring Barton Yarborough as Canto. Yarborough was a radio veteran who had played several roles for producer Carlton B. Morse. Even though Webb took over his role at the International Detective Agency, Yarborough and Webb became good friends. Yarborough became Sgt Friday’s partner on

Dragnet and slated to continue the role on television, but he died after taping the first episode.

While working on He Walked By Night Webb struck up a friendship with the film’s technical advisor, Detective Sergeant Marty Wynn of the LAPD. Through this association, Webb came up with the concept of what would become Dragnet, a no-nonsense portrayal of working police detectives with as much reality as possible. After the first season of Regan, CBS hired Webb away to reprise his role as Pat Novak. Veteran voice actor and announcer Frank Graham took over Jeff Regan for the 1949-50 season. Click here to read more about Jeff Regan Investigator