User:Teblick/Ford Theater (radio series)
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Ford Theater is an American dramatic anthology radio program that was broadcast on NBC October 5, 1947 - June 27, 1948, and on CBS October 8, 1948 - July 1, 1949.[1] The name was sometimes seen as Ford Theatre.[2]
Overview
[edit]The creation of Ford Theater provided "a prestige hour dramatic show" for NBC after it tried to obtain Lux Radio Theatre from CBS or Theatre Guild on the Air from ABC.[3] Plans for the program called for broadcasts of "adaptations of great plays, classic motion pictures, best-selling novels, prize-winning short stories, and an occasional musical".[2] Producers also planned to occasionally broadcast episodes of "outstanding original radio dramas of the past" and to present encore performances of the show's best-received episodes.[2] One such repeat was Norman Corwin's We Hold These Truths, which was originally broadcast on CBS.[4]
NBC version
[edit]The first version of the program debuted on October 5, 1947, replacing the NBC Symphony Orchestra's broadcast on Sundays from 5 to 6 p.m. Eastern Time.[2] Howard Lindsay was the master of ceremonies and narrator.[4]
Actors
[edit]Launching Ford Theater essentially meant "establishment of a genuine repertory theatre under commercial sponsorship".[5]
Scripts
[edit]The trade publication Variety noted that scripting for Ford Theater departed from the norm for radio programs in two ways. Prior to the show's debut, Kenyon & Eckhardt (the producing agency) announced that each 13-week cycle of the program would include at least two original scripts, with the remaining scripts being adaptations from films, novels, or plays. The agency sought outlines of scripts from freelance writers. A writer whose outline resulted in having a script assigned received $1000. If the script was used in a broadcast, he or received an additional $1000. The agency paid another $1000 if the program used the script a second time. Another break with tradition was that rights to the script reverted to the author after the second performance.[6]
By November 1947, original submissions had not matched the agency's hopes. The New York Times reported that the problem lay not in the number submitted but in their quality: "... several hundred have beeen submitted but only a very small fraction are suitable for broadcast and an infinitesimal number acceptable."[7] The program had met its quota of using two original scripts during its first 13 weeks, but only one was in store for use in the second 13 weeks. The report suggested that the money offered was not comparable to what a similar amount of effort might earn a writer for a work for a film or a play.[7]
Production
[edit]George Zachary was the initial producer and writer. Howard Teichmann was script editor. George Faulkner was continuity chief.[6] Lyn Murray was the musical conductor.[2]
Ford's contract with NBC contained a provision that would move the show to an evening time slot if one became available.[8]
Episodes
[edit]| Date | Episode | Actor(s) |
|---|---|---|
| October 5, 1947 | "A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court"[4] | - |
| October 12, 1947 | "The Great McGinty"[4] | - |
| December 7, 1947 | "We Hold These Truths"[4] | - |
| February 15, 1948 | "Abe Lincoln in Washington" | Karl Swenson, Muriel Kirkland[8] |
| March 21, 1948 | "It's a Gift" | Cliff Carpenter, Elspeth Eric, Carl Eastman, Bill Zuckert, James Van Dyke, Ivor Francis, Les Tremayne, Rod Hendrickson, Frank Dane[9] |
| March 28, 1948 | "The Informer" | Bryan Herbert[10] |
References
[edit]- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 257–258. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
- ^ a b c d e "The News of Radio: Ford Motor Company to Sponsor Series of Dramatic Programs on NBC in Fall". The New York Times. July 14, 1947. p. 34. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "New Ford Drama Seg Spurs Competish for Top Scripts". Billboard. July 19, 1947. p. 6. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Gould, Jack (August 28, 1947). "The News of Radio: Howard Lindsay to Be Master of Ceremonies for 'Ford Theatre' Starting Oct. 5". The New York Times. p. 40. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ Zachary, George (August 24, 1947). "The Case Against Stars: Producer of 'Ford Theatre' Maintains They Jeopardize Script Values". The New York Times. p. X 7. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "K & E to Pay $2,000 for 'Ford Theatre' Originals, return rights to Scripters". Variety. August 6, 1947. p. 19. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Lohman, Sidney (November 2, 1947). "Radio Row: One thing and another". The New York Times. p. X 11. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Lohman, Sidney (January 25, 1948). "Along Radio Row: One Thing and Another". The New York Times. p. X 11. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ "The News of Radio: Groucho Marx Program Leaving April 21 -- Show Reported as 'Too Successful'". The New York Times. March 15, 1948. p. 42. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ "The News of Radio; Bach Aria Group, Directed by Scheide, Begins Series on WABF Easter Sunday". The New York Times. March 22, 1948. p. 40. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
External links
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