Family Hour of Stars

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Family Hour of Stars is an American radio anthology series that was broadcast on CBS beginning on October 3, 1948, and ending on February 26, 1950. It was also known as The Prudential Family Hour of Stars. [1]

Contents

Background

Family Hour of Stars, which was sponsored by the Prudential Insurance Company of America, [2] replaced The Prudential Family Hour, a program that featured concert music but also included dramatic segments about composers' lives. The musical program had been on for seven years and had "a gradual erosion of audience". [1] The sponsor began Family Hour of Stars "with no break in continuity" a week after the concert show ended. [1]

Overview

Family Hour of Stars initially featured Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, and Robert Taylor as its core group of stars. [2] Those actors were absent during summer episodes in 1949, when the broadcasts used "free-lance 'less expensive' talent". [3] John Lund was featured in the first summer program, on June 5, 1949, with Ava Gardner, Richard Widmark, and Diana Lynn in the next three episodes. [4] In October 1949 the show had a new core group of stars: Dana Andrews, Ronald Colman, Irene Dunne, and Loretta Young. [5] In January 1950, Colman left because he begun a program of his own; James Stewart replaced him. [6] Some episodes featured guest stars. [4] Frank Goss [7] and Truman Bradley were the announcers, and Carmen Dragon led the orchestra. [1]

Episodes

Partial List of Episodes of Family Hour of Stars
DateEpisodeStar
October 3, 1948"John Jones, Vice President" Gregory Peck [8]
October 24, 1948"The Flowering Thorn"Stanwyck [2]
November 7, 1948"The Deeper Shadow" Ray Milland [9]
February 6, 1949"The Trouble With Luke Casper" Van Johnson [10]
May 29, 1949"Luck Is a Lady"Milland [11]
July 3, 1949"One Life to Lose" Kirk Douglas [12]
July 31, 1949"To Mary, With Love" Herbert Marshall [13]
August 14, 1949"The Wookey" Edmund Gwenn [14]
August 28, 1949"The Firebrand" Victor Jory [15]
October 16, 1949"One Sunday Afternoon"Andrews [16]
October 30, 1949"Winterset"Douglas [17]
November 27, 1949"The Barretts of Wimpole Street"Dunne [7]
January 15, 1950"George Washington Slept Here"Andrews [18]

Production

Benton & Bowles (B & B) had overall control of production, but when the show was launched B & B farmed out responsibility to MCA Inc. Effective with the June 5, 1949, episode, B & B took direct control of production from MCA. [3] Ken Burton was the producer. [1] Directors included Murray Bolen [7] and Jack Johnstone. Writers included Jean Holloway. [15] The half-hour program was broadcast on Sundays at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. [1] Prudential ended Family Hour of Stars, "planning to save some money by the cancellation". [19] Combined costs of time and talent exceeded $20,000 per week. [20] The show was replaced by My Favorite Husband . [21]

Critical response

Radio historian John Dunning wrote in the reference book On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio that Family Hour of Stars "had much the same sound as half a dozen 'Hollywood glitter' shows then on the air". [1] He added that even with occasional guest stars and original stories (rather than adaptations), "the sound was the same, due to the glut of such programming on CBS and the other networks as well." [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dunning, John (May 7, 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 555. ISBN   978-0-19-507678-3 . Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Radio and Television: Video Presentation of 'Break the Bank' Will Begin Over ABC on Friday Night" . The New York Times. October 18, 1948. p. 46. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "'Family Hour' Back to B&B". Billboard. May 14, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "'Family Hour of Stars' Opens Straw Hat Series Today". The Shreveport Times. June 5, 1949. p. A-15. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Adams, Val (September 11, 1949). "Concerning Radio" . The New York Times. p. X 9. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Radio and Television: A. B. C. to Begin Its 'Let's Go to the Met Opera Preview Next Thursday" . The New York Times. January 6, 1950. p. 42. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "Irene Dunne Plays Lead in 'The Barretts'". The Shreveport Times. November 27, 1949. p. A-13. Retrieved June 10, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Picked from Airlanes". The Daily Times. Iowa, Davenport. October 2, 1948. p. 8. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Ray Milland To Be Heard on 'Family Hour of Stars'". The Shreveport Times. November 7, 1948. p. 52. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Bird, Bill (February 6, 1949). "Radio on Review". Pasadena Independent. p. 30. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Ray Milland Stars in Radio Drama". Deseret News. Utah, Salt Lake City. May 29, 1949. p. 29. Retrieved June 15, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Kirk Douglas Stars On 'Family Hour of Stars' This Afternoon". The Shreveport Times. July 3, 1949. p. 36. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Herbert Marshall to Play Lead in 'Family Hour of Stars' Today". The Shreveport Times. July 31, 1949. p. 48. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Edmund Gwenn Stars on 'Family Hour of Stars'". The Shreveport Times. August 14, 1949. p. 12-A. Retrieved June 15, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  15. 1 2 "Victor Jory Stars As Cellini in 'Family Hour' Drama". The Shreveport Times. August 28, 1949. p. 56. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Sunday Again Brings Wide Variety In Radio And TV Shows All Day Long". The Birmingham News. October 16, 1949. p. B 7. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Caldwell, Lily May (October 30, 1949). "Twist Of Dial Whisks Listeners Over Nation For Top Entertainment". The Birmingham News. p. B 7. Retrieved June 11, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Radio Series Scripts, 1930-2001: A Catalog of the American Radio Archives Collection. McFarland. January 28, 2015. p. 260. ISBN   978-1-4766-0670-5 . Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Prudential Drops". Broadcasting. January 30, 1950. p. 53. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Prudential's 20G Show Cancelled". Variety. January 25, 1950. p. 29. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Edward E. Horton Set for Video Role: He Will Play Hotel Manager in New Variety Series Planned by A.B.C. to Begin in March" . The New York Times. January 26, 1950. p. 36. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
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