Frank P. Scanlon is the local district attorney who is usually portrayed as an ally of Britt Reid. Originally created for the Green Hornet television series, he has since appeared as a principal supporting character in most iterations of the franchise.
Role in the TV Series[]
In The Green Hornet television series, county district attorney Frank A. Scanlon was played by actor Walter Brooke. He was one of the principal members of the cast and appeared in each of the series's twenty-six episodes. This iteration of the character also appeared in a variety of spin-off media including the novels The Green Hornet in the Infernal Light and The Case of the Disappearing Doctor and the comic book series published by Gold Key. Brooke's portrayal of the character was also included in each of the two films which were edited together from episodes of the TV series and released to theaters following Bruce Lee's meteoric rise to fame and untimely death.
Scanlon's glasses[]
This version of the character wears corrective eyewear in form of a pair of horn rimmed glasses. However, the glasses have secretly been modified so that the Green Hornet can use them to page Scanlon. When the Hornet sends a signal via the Hornet Pocket Watch, the glasses pick up the signal and emit a humming sound. This process is sometimes referred to as "buzzing" Scanlon. The signal typically means that Scanlon is to enter Britt Reid's apartment via its hidden entrance for a secret rendezvous with the Green Hornet and/or Kato.
Role in the comics[]
Gold Key comics[]
As this series is ostensibly set within the same continuity as the television series, Scanlon's role in the comics closely mirrors that of the show. He is one of the only people, along with Kato and Lenore Case, to know of Britt Reid's dual identity as the Green Hornet.
NOW comics[]
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Dynamite comics[]
In The Green Hornet comic books, Frank Scanlon was once the District Attorney of Century City. With the help of the Green Hornet, he was able to clean up the city and even become elected mayor afterward.
An older man, Scanlon feared the loss of his position and became desperate. At his re-election campaign party, hosted by his friend Britt Reid (the former Green Hornet), a villain resembling the Green Hornet (the Black Hornet) crashed in and killed Britt. Frank used this to move ahead in the polls and secure his place as Mayor. But Frank had made a deal with the devil to achieve this, betraying Reid to his old enemy Yakuza boss Oni Juuma.
Role in the 2011 film[]
David Harbour as Frank Scanlon
In The Green Hornet film, Frank Scanlon is portrayed by David Harbour. This version of Scanlon is a corrupt district attorney who is secretly an ally of mobster Benjamin Chudnofsky. Scanlon has accepted bribes from him and, in return, downplays the seriousness of the city's crime rates. He eventually reveals that he was the man who murdered Britt's father with bee venom. He is killed during the film's climax, when Kato uses the Black Beauty to push him out of a tenth story at the Daily Sentinel offices.