Screen Directors Playhouse (radio series)

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Screen Directors Playhouse is an American radio dramatic anthology program that was broadcast on NBC from January 9, 1949, through September 28, 1951. Initially it was called NBC Theater.[1]

Episodes of Screen Directors Playhouse were adaptations of films. Each episode began with an introduction by the director of the film being featured, and it concluded with a conversation between that director and the stars of the episode.[1] Margaret Truman appeared in a dramatic role for the first time on the program.[2]

NBC Theater[edit]

NBC Theater debuted on January 9, 1949, as a replacement for Fred Allen's program at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Sundays. Broadcasts were done in cooperation with the Screen Directors Guild. The premiere episode was "Stagecoach", with John Wayne re-creating his role in the film of the same name.[3]

Schedule and name change[edit]

On March 13, 1949, the show was moved to 9 p.m. E. T. on Sundays.[4] It was moved to Fridays, 8:30 to 9 p.m. E. T. beginning July 1, 1949, as a summer replacement for Eddie Cantor's program, with Pabst Brewing Company as sponsor.[5] The Pabst sponsorship was accompanied by a change in name as the program became Screen Directors Playhouse. The trade publication Billboard reported that NBC discounted the show's price for the summer, saying that the network wanted "to snare a bankroller during summer months even at a loss, thus cutting its overhead on the show and getting sponsorship prestige."[6] After the summer run, the show was heard on Mondays at 10 p.m. E. T. Beginning on November 18, 1949, it was moved to Fridays at 10 p.m. E. T. It was sustaining until RCA became its sponsor on January 6, 1950.[7]

Episodes[edit]

Partial List of Episodes of NBC Theater/Screen Directors Playhouse
Date Episode Actor(s) Director
January 9, 1949 "Stagecoach" John Wayne John Ford[3]
February 6, 1949 "Hired Wife" Rosalind Russell[8]
March 6, 1949 "Manhattan Merry-Go-Round" Rosalind Russell, Marlene Dietrich, John Lund Billy Wilder[9]
March 13, 1949 "You Were Meant for Me" Dan Dailey Lloyd Bacon[4]
April 2, 1949 "The Ghost Breakers" Bob Hope[10]
August 5, 1949 "Fort Apache" John Wayne, Ward Bond[11]
November 25, 1949 "The Spiral Staircase" Dorothy McGuire[12]
December 2, 1949 "All My Sons" Edward G. Robinson[13]
December 9, 1949 "Call Northside 777" James Stewart Henry Hathaway[14]
January 13, 1950 "Tomorrow Is Forever" Claudette Colbert[15]
March 17, 1950 "Champion"[16]
March 24, 1950 "Chicago Deadline" Alan Ladd[17]
March 31, 1950 "The Dark Mirror" Olivia de Havilland[18]
May 26, 1950 "Flamingo Road" Joan Crawford[19]
December 7, 1950 "My Favorite Wife" Cary Grant, Irene Dunne[20]
February 15, 1951 "Dark Victory" Tallulah Bankhead[21]
February 22, 1951 "No Minor Vices" Dana Andrews, Louis Jourdan[21]
April 26, 1951 "Jackpot" Margaret Truman, James Stewart[2]

Production[edit]

Jimmy Wallington was the announcer, and Henry Russell led the orchestra. Howard Wiley was the producer.[22] Milton Geiger and Richard Simmons were the writers.[6]

Screen Directors Playhouse was one of several shows in 1949 that mixed recordings of dialog with live performances of musical components. When the show was broadcast, engineers synchronized playback of taped segments with the live musical bridges and themes. That technique reduced expenses because musicians' fees for live broadcasts were lower than those for transcribed productions.[23] By November 1950, however, the show had become one of several network radio programs that used "canned bridges and cues".[24]

Recognition[edit]

In November 1949, the National Council of Teachers of English presented an award to NBC Theater as "the program which during 1948-49 school year has done most to promote greater understanding and appreciation of our literary heritage".[25] In December 1949, was a second-place selection for "outstanding entertainment in drama" in the Peabody Awards.[26]

Critical response[edit]

Radio historian John Dunning wrote in his book On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, that Screen Directors Playhouse demonstrated the importance of writing for radio programs, saying that such importance "was seldom better demonstrated than here. Though the material had a familiar sound, it was made fresh."[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 600. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  2. ^ a b "Miss Truman Gets Role in Radio Play: She Will Co-star With James Stewart in 'Jackpot' Over N.B.C. Network April 26". The New York Times. March 21, 1951. p. 59. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Tranter, Jim (January 8, 1949). "NBC Theater to Take Spot Vacated by Fred Allen". The Buffalo News. p. 11. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Tranter, Jim (March 12, 1949). "Dailey Stars as NBC Theater Moves to New Spot Sunday". The Buffalo News. p. 20. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Radio and Television: Peggy Wood to Play Title Role in 'Mama's Bank Account' on CBS Video Series". The New York Times. June 8, 1949. p. 58. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Cantor & Pabst Break; 'Riley' For AM-TV Deal". Billboard. June 4, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  7. ^ "'Screen Directors' Playhouse' for RCA, January 6". Billboard. November 12, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Bird, Bill (February 6, 1949). "Radio on Review". Pasadena Independent. p. 30. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Andy Devine's Gravel Voice Added To Show". The Indianapolis Star. March 6, 1949. p. 58. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "On Your Speaker and Screen Tonight". Los Angeles Mirror. April 2, 1949. p. 16. Retrieved March 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Schaefli, Roland (June 9, 2021). John Wayne Was Here: The Film Locations and Favorite Places of an American Icon. McFarland. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-4766-4127-0. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Pitts, Michael R. (April 3, 2015). RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956. McFarland. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-7864-6047-2. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Beck, Robert (September 16, 2015). The Edward G. Robinson Encyclopedia. McFarland. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-4766-0666-8. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  14. ^ "On The Air". The Gazette and Daily. Pennsylvania, York. December 9, 1949. p. 50. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "On The Air". The Gazette and Daily. Pennsylvania, York. January 13, 1950. p. 32. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Romano, Frederick V. (July 25, 2017). The Golden Age of Boxing on Radio and Television: A Blow-by-Blow History from 1921 to 1964. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-63144-075-5. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  17. ^ "On The Air". The Gazette and Daily. Pennsylvania, York. March 24, 1950. p. 40. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "On WFLA Today". The Tampa Tribune. March 31, 1950. p. 26. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Joan Crawford Billed In KSD Play Friday". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. May 21, 1950. p. 70. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Diespecker, Dick (December 7, 1950). "Around Your Radio Dial - Tonight". The Province. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver. p. 23. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b Caldwell, John (February 22, 1951). "Changes Are Listed As Signs of Spring; Two Fold In March". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 16. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Terrace, Vincent (October 6, 2022). From Radio to Television: Programs That Made the Transition, 1929-2021. McFarland. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-4766-8836-7. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "NBC Devises Radio Recording System". Billboard. December 10, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "AFM Probes Canned Music on Networks". Billboard. November 18, 1950. p. 11. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  25. ^ "English Teachers' Award Goes To 'NBC Theater'". Radio Daily. November 28, 1949. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  26. ^ "Radio-TV Programs Cited For Awards". Radio Daily. December 22, 1949. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
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