''Author's Playhouse'' is an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
radio drama series created by Wynn Wright, that aired on
Mutual in 1940–1941,
[Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 31.] and on the NBC
Blue Network
The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945.
Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the N ...
from March 5, 1941, until October 1941. It then moved to the NBC
Red Network where it was heard until June 4, 1945.
Philip Morris Phil(l)ip or Phil Morris may refer to:
Companies
*Altria, a conglomerate company previously known as Philip Morris Companies Inc., named after the tobacconist
**Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company wholly owned by Altria Group
**Philip Morris Inter ...
was the sponsor between 1942 and 1943.
[
Premiering with "Elementals" by Stephen Vincent Benét, the series featured adaptations of stories by famous authors, such as “Mr. Mergenthwirker’s Lobbies” by ]Nelson Bond
Nelson Slade Bond (November 23, 1908 – November 4, 2006) was an American writer. His works included books, magazine articles, and scripts used in radio, for television and on the stage.
The 1998 recipient of the Nebula Author Emeritus award ...
, "The Snow Goose" by Paul Gallico, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs
William Wymark Jacobs (8 September 1863 – 1 September 1943) was an English author of short fiction and drama. His best remembered story is "The Monkey's Paw". He was born in Wapping, London, on 8 September 1863, the son of William Gage Jacobs ...
, "The Piano" by William Saroyan
William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''The ...
and " The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber.[
]
Cast
Cast members included Curley Bradley, John Hodiak
John Hodiak ( ; April 16, 1914 – October 19, 1955) was an American actor who worked in radio, stage and film.
Early life
Hodiak was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Anna (Pogorzelec) and Walter Hodiak. He was of Ukrainian and ...
, Marvin Miller
Marvin Julian Miller (April 14, 1917 – November 27, 2012) was an American baseball executive who served as the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 to 1982. Under Miller's direction, the players ...
, Nelson Olmsted
Nelson Olmsted, (January 28, 1914, Minneapolis, Minnesota - April 8, 1992, Torrance, California) was an actor in films, recordings, radio and television from the 1950s to the 1970s. Sometimes billed as Nelson Olmstead, he was best known for an ...
, Fern Persons
Fern Gwendolyn Persons (née Ball; July 27, 1910 – July 22, 2012) was an American film and television actress and a member of the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists from 1937 until her death. Her fil ...
, Olan Soule and Les Tremayne. Orchestra conductors for the program were Joseph Gallicchio, Rex Maupin and Roy Shield. Directors included Norman Felton Norman Francis Felton (April 29, 1913 – June 25, 2012) was a British-born American television producer, known for his involvement in shows such as ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and ''Dr. Kildare''.
Background
Felton was born in London, the son ...
, Homer Heck and Fred Weihe.[Dunning, John. ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio'']
New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Related
The series was a precursor to several NBC radio programs of the late 1940s and early 1950s: ''The World's Great Novels
''NBC University Theater'' (also known as ''NBC University Theater of the Air'', ''NBC Theater of the Air'' or ''NBC Theater'') was a brand the National Broadcasting Co. applied to a category of radio programming. Although not actually a universit ...
'', '' NBC Presents: Short Story'' and ''The NBC University Theater''.
References
External links
Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: ''Author's Playhouse''
Listen to
*{{InternetArchiveOTR, id=AuthorsPlayhouse, title=Author's Playhouse
American radio dramas
1940s American radio programs
NBC Blue Network radio programs
NBC radio programs
Anthology radio series
1941 radio programme debuts
1945 radio programme endings