''Theatre-Five'' (aka ''Theater-Five'' or ''Theatre 5'') was a radio drama series, presented by the

ABC Radio Network Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which ...

between 1964 and 1965, and broadcast from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The series used an anthology format, presenting a number of short (20-minute) radio plays across a number of genres, a number of which reflected topical issues contemporary with its airing. Writers for the show varied, as did actors, although the roster included

George O. Petrie George O. Petrie (November 16, 1912 – November 16, 1997) was an American radio and television actor. Early years Petrie was born on November 16, 1912, in New Haven, Connecticut.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biograph ...

, Brett Morrison,

Jackson Beck Jackson Beck (July 23, 1912 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor best known as the announcer on radio's '' The Adventures of Superman'' and the voice of Bluto in the Famous era Popeye theatrical shorts. Early years Beck was born on July 23, ...

Robert Dryden Robert Dryden (February 8, 1917 – December 16, 2003) was an American actor and voice-over performer "whose acting career spanned over four decades of radio, television, theater, and film appearances." Radio Dryden played Sergeant Maggio in ...

Elliott Reid Edgeworth Blair "Elliott" Reid (January 16, 1920 – June 21, 2013) was an American actor. Early life Reid was born in Manhattan, the son of artist Christine Challenger Reid and banker Blair Reid. He attended the Professional Children's Sc ...

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Cliff Carpenter Clifford A. Carpenter (March 2, 1915 – January 9, 2014) was an American actor who appeared in radio, television and films. Career In 1937, Carpenter began his professional career on the radio serial '' Terry and the Pirates''. The show was ad ...

, and

Bryna Raeburn Bryna Raeburn (born Bertha Sinai;"Death Notices: Bertha Smi ...

. The show's 1965 run featured several well-known actors, including an early role for

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. A pioneer for black actors in the entertainment industry, Jones is known for his extensive and acclaimed roles on stage and screen. Jones is one of the few perfor ...

(''Incident on US 1''), a pre-''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

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(''A Bad Day's Work''), and radio veteran

Ed Begley Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) an ...

(''The Pigeon'') three years after his Academy Award win. Another Theatre-Five actor was

Romeo Muller Romeo Earl Muller, Jr. (August 7, 1928 – December 30, 1992) was an American screenwriter and actor most remembered for his screenplays for the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials including ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'', ''The Little Drumm ...

, who also wrote stories for the series but who became best known for his work with

Rankin/Bass Productions Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City. It was known for its seasonal television specials, ...

such as ''

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''. The ABC Radio Network Advance Program Schedule for January 1965 indicates ''Theatre-Five'' was fed to subscribing affiliates from 2:30 to 2:54 PM EST and again from 10:29 to 10:54 PM EST Monday through Friday.

Background

In the spring of 1964, ABC put

Ed Byron Ed Byron (born Edward Armour Byron, October 1905 - November 21, 1964) was an American radio and television producer — "a pioneer in radio dramatic production". Biography The oldest of three children born to Armour C. Byron and Cecilia Halloran ...

in charge of the network's plan "for the restoration of top-grade radio drama". At that time, Byron was an account executive in news program sales at NBC Television, but earlier in his career he had developed radio programs, including '' Mr. District Attorney''. ABC's plan to restore drama to radio had begun more than a year before Byron was selected. A report in the trade publication ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' attributed the delay to "a shortage of writing talent the we felt would be up to projected standards."

Sources

''Theatre Five (Theatre 5)'' Radio Program
*ABC Radio Network Advance Program Schedule, January, 1965

References

External links

- plot summaries and reviews.
''Theater Five single episodes''
1960s American radio programs 1964 radio programme debuts 1965 radio programme endings ABC radio programs American radio dramas Anthology radio series {{US-radio-show-stub