The_Charlotte_Greenwood_Show
The Charlotte Greenwood Show
1944-1946 radio situation comedy
The Charlotte Greenwood Show was a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States, on NBC from June 13 to September 5, 1944, and on ABC from October 15, 1944 to January 6, 1946.[1]
| Other names | The Hallmark Charlotte Greenwood Show |
|---|---|
| Genre | Situation Comedy |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | NBC ABC |
| Starring | Charlotte Greenwood |
| Announcer | Wendell Niles |
| Written by | Ray Singer Phil Leslie Jack Hasty Don Johnson |
| Produced by | John Guedel Thomas Freebairn Smith Arnold McGuire |
| Original release | June 13, 1944 – January 6, 1946 |
| Sponsored by | Pepsodent (1944) Hallmark Cards (1945–46) |
The program began as a summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show.[2] Newspaper columnist Hedda Hopper reported, "The interesting thing is that she (Charlotte Greenwood) got the job on a couple of scripts written by her husband, Martin Broones, who's never before written for radio."[3][4]
The 1944 version of the show had Greenwood, playing herself, working as a cub reporter in a small newspaper as research in preparation for a future film role. When the program resurfaced in 1945, Greenwood's character had the responsibility of raising three children, teenagers Jack and Barbara and little Robert[1] after her good friend died, making her executor of the estate. The setting was the fictional town of "Lakeview".[5]
An old time radio reference commented that Greenwood's character "managed to be single, moral, and peppy."[6]
The main characters of the latter program and the actors portraying them are shown in the table below.[1][5]
| Character | Actor/actress |
|---|---|
| Jack Barton | Cliff Carpenter,[7] Edward Ryan |
| Barbara Barton | Janet Waldo,[7] Betty Moran |
| Robert Barton | Dix Davis,[7] Bobby Larson |
| Judge Cronin | Charles Cantor |
| William Anderson | John Brown |
| Mr. Reynolds | Edward Arnold |
Others in the cast were Shirley Mitchell, Arthur Q. Bryan, Harry Bartell and Will Wright.[1] Wendell Niles was the announcer.[8] The writers included Jack Hasty, Don Johnson,[5] Ray Singer, and Phil Leslie.[1] The producers included Arnold McGuire.[9]
- Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
- "Photo caption" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 10, 1944. p. 49. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- Hopper, Hedda (April 3, 1944). "Looking at Hollywood". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 18. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- Hedda Hopper (1944-04-06). "Hollywood". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
- Boyd, Malcolm (April 22, 1945). "The Winnah!" (PDF). Radio Life. pp. 26–27. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- "Stereotypes on Radio" (PDF). Routledge. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- Terrace, Vincent (2003). Radio Program Openings and Closings, 1931-1972. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-7864-4925-5.
- West, Virginia (November 4, 1945). "KECA mike memos" (PDF). Radio Life. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- "On All Accounts" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 21, 1949. pp. 84, continued from 10. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
Episodic log
Streaming audio
- Episodes of The Charlotte Greenwood Show, archive.org