''Lorenzo Jones'' was a daytime radio series which aired on NBC in different timeslots over an 18-year span.
Produced by
Frank
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* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
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Curr ...
and
Anne Hummert
Anne Hummert (née Schumacher) (January 19, 1905 – July 5, 1996) was the leading creator of daytime radio serials or soap opera dramas during the 1930s and 1940s, responsible for more than three dozen series.
Biography
She was born in Baltimore ...
, the series could be classified with its own unique category of "comedy soap opera", highlighted by organist
Rosa Rio's rollicking rendition of the opening theme music, "
Funiculi, Funicula".
[ During the early 1950s, the 15-minute program served as a comedy lead-in to '']Bob and Ray
Bob and Ray were an American comedy duo whose career spanned five decades, composed of comedians Bob Elliott (1923–2016) and Ray Goulding (1922–1990). The duo's format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, suc ...
''. Each episode opened with this introduction:
:We all know couples like lovable, impractical Lorenzo Jones and his devoted wife, Belle. Lorenzo's inventions have made him a character to the town, but not to Belle, who loves him. Their struggle for security is anybody's story, but somehow, with Lorenzo, it has more smiles than tears... and now, let's smile awhile with Lorenzo Jones and his wife, Belle.[
]
Characters and story
The daydreaming Lorenzo Jones (Karl Swenson
Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne. ) was employed as an auto mechanic at a garage owned by Jim Barker (John Brown, Frank Behrens). Barker's wife Irma (Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes (born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser; June 13, 1910 – October 22, 1995) was an American actress. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, nuns, therapists, teachers and housekeepers, who made ...
, Grace Keddy, Nancy Sheridan) had her own opinions about Lorenzo's inventions. Lorenzo's friend Sandy Matson (Joseph Julian) listened patiently as Lorenzo told him how fame and fortune were just around the corner, even though Lorenzo's dreams and schemes rarely surfaced in the marketplace. However, his wife Belle (Betty Garde
Katharine Elizabeth Garde (September 19, 1905 – December 25, 1989) was an American stage, radio, film and television actress.
Early years
Born in Philadelphia, Garde was starring in productions of South Philadelphia's Broadway Players by ...
, Lucille Wall
Lucille Loretta Wall (January 18, 1898 – July 11, 1986)Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; was an American ...
) always remained faithful as Lorenzo devised such curiosities as an outdoor vacuum cleaner and a teapot with three spouts (for strong, medium and weak tea).[
Lorenzo and Belle were able to buy their rented house after his invention of an automatic foot-warmer became a success, bringing them $2500. During the early 1950s, when science fiction became increasingly popular, Lorenzo spent many days attempting to construct a rocket ship in his basement. As time passed, the plots became a bit more like conventional soap operas, notably during a story arc in which Lorenzo was kidnapped by jewel thieves, received a blow to the head and wandered about with amnesia for more than a year.
]
Program
The program was launched by NBC at 4 pm on April 26, 1937, airing in that time period until the following year. In 1938–39, it was heard at 11:15 am, moving to 4:30 pm (1939–51), then to 5:30 pm (1951-54), concluding the series run at 5:15 pm (1954–55). From 1937 to 1949, the sponsors were Phillips Milk of Magnesia and Bayer Aspirin, followed by Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...
(1949–55).[
The show was scripted by Ted Ferro (who also collaborated on the '']Barnaby
Barnaby is an Old English surname composed of the Saxon element ''beorn'' 'young warrior' and the Danish suffix ''by'' meaning 'settlement'. As a given name, it means "son of consolation" and is etymologically linked with the New Testament name Bar ...
'' comic strip in 1946-47) and his wife, Mathilde Ferro. The announcers were Don Lowe, Norman Sweetser and George Putnam. Directors included Stephen Gross and Ernest Ricca.[
This show is widely acclaimed in the novel ''In Country''.
]
Cultural legacy
Lorenzo Jones served as an example of an inventor in the oral arguments of the 2009 Supreme Court case ''in re Bilski
''In re Bilski'', 545 F.3d 943, 88 U.S.P.Q.2d 1385 (Fed. Cir. 2008), was an ''en banc'' decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) on the patenting of method claims, particularly business methods. The Federal C ...
''.[
]
References
Further reading
*
External links
''Lorenzo Jones''
ten episodes streamed at the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
{{US radio soaps
1940s American radio programs
American radio dramas
American radio soap operas
NBC original programming
NBC radio programs