Hugh Studebaker (May 31, 1900 – May 26, 1978) was an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, born in Ridgeville, Indiana, who starred in

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

programs. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Studebaker.

Early years

As a student, Studebaker was the male lead in the opera "King Hal," produced by his high school in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

. Studebaker served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After being discharged "at an early age," he took lessons to learn to sing and play the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and "worked respectively as a blacksmith, salesman and postal clerk -- and didn't do well at any of them." As a member of a quartet, the Night Hawks, Studebaker sang in night clubs and theaters across the United States. In his early 20s, Studebaker was a member of The Marion Quartette, which toured "under the auspices of the Redpath-Horner institute," Redpath-Horner was part of the

Chatauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chau ...

movement.

Career

Studebaker first performed on radio in 1927 as part of "Georgie and Porgie, the Breakfast Food Boys." Later, a job at KOIL radio in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, provided "a daily fifteen-minute piano and conversational spot." In 1929, he was hired as an organist at

KMBC KMBC-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside The CW, CW affiliate KCWE (channel 29). The two stations share s ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, and soon had acting roles in dramas added to his duties. While at KMBC, he was organist for Ted Malone's ''Between the Bookends'' program. By 1933, Studebaker had a program that was carried on CBS. A radio listing in a 1933 issue of a

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, newspaper lists "4 P.M., ''Hugh Studebaker's One Man Show'', CBS." He moved to

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, in 1934. There he "was a free-lance announcer, a disc jockey and occasionally got assignments in daytime dramas." His roles on network radio programs included the following: Studebaker also appeared in other programs, including ''

The Romance of Helen Trent ''The Romance of Helen Trent'' was a radio soap opera which aired on CBS from October 30, 1933 to June 24, 1960 for a total of 7,222 episodes. The show was created by Frank and Anne Hummert, who were among the most prolific producers during the ...

'', '' Curtain Time'', and ''Knickerbocker Playhouse'', and he played Scrooge in ''A Christmas Carol''. Studebaker's mannerisms during broadcasts sometimes gave people in the studio an added dimension of entertainment. In 1937, a writer commented about the actor's role in ''Fibber McGee and Molly'':

When tall, thin Studebaker shuffles up to the mike as Silly Watson, Fibber, along with the audience, thinks that's very funny. Laughs as much as anyone else. It's not a prop laugh, either; it comes from deep down inside.

Related activities

Studebaker was one of the people who founded the

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) was a performers' union that represented a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording ...

Family

Studebaker married Bertina Congdon in 1934. She had been his boss at KMBC. He had two brothers, Joseph W. Studebaker and A.A. Studebaker, and a sister, Mrs. Paul Holbrook.

Death

Following a long illness, Studebaker died May 26, 1978, at Valley Presbyterian Hospital.

References

External links

*
Hugh Studebaker interview, 1976
{{DEFAULTSORT:Studebaker, Hugh 1900 births 1978 deaths American male radio actors American male voice actors Male actors from Indiana 20th-century American male actors