Harold Teen (radio program)

Last updated
Harold Teen
GenreTeenage comedy
Running time15 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Home stationWGN (1931-1932)
SyndicatesMutual (1941-1942)
StarringWilliam Farnum (1931-1932)
Charles Flynn (1941-1942)
Eddie Firestone Jr. (1941-1942)
AnnouncerPierre Andre (1931-1932)
Written byBlair Walliser
Fred Kress
Original release1931 – 1942

Harold Teen is a teenage comedy old-time radio program in the United States. It was broadcast initially on WGN in Chicago, Illinois, and a decade later was heard nationally on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of more than 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

WGN (AM) radio station in Chicago, Illinois

WGN, 720 kHz, is a commercial AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The station is owned by Tribune Broadcasting and is one of several properties owned by the locally based Tribune Media. The station's studios are located on the 18th floor of 303 East Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop, while its transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village. Since around 1990, WGN has maintained a news/talk format. WGN does not broadcast in HD.

Mutual Broadcasting System Former American radio broadcasting network

The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, Mutual was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow. For many years, it was a national broadcaster for Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and Notre Dame football. From the mid-1930s and until the retirement of the network in 1999, Mutual ran a highly respected news service accompanied by a variety of popular commentary shows. During the late 1970s, Mutual pioneered the nationwide late night call-in radio show and introduced the country to Larry King.

Contents

Format

Based on the Harold Teen comic strip, the program's episodes centered around the adventures of the title character and his friends. Other characters included best friend Shadow Smart, girlfriend Lillums Lovewell and Cynthia (who had a crush on Harold). Harold's and Beezie's fathers were the adult characters, while Beezie and Josie were two of Harold's friends. [1]

<i>Harold Teen</i> 1910-1959 American comic strip

Harold Teen was a popular, long-running American comic strip written and drawn by Carl Ed. Publisher Joseph Medill Patterson may have suggested and certainly approved the strip's concept, loosely based on Booth Tarkington's successful novel Seventeen. The strip ran from 1919 to 1959. Asked in the late 1930s why he had started the strip, Ed answered, "Twenty years ago, there was no comic strip on adolescence. I thought every well-balanced comic sheet should have one."

The WGN version was broadcast in 1931-1932, and the Mutual version in 1941-1942. [2] (Although the preceding reference lists 1931-1932 for the initial run of the program, an article in the October 19, 1930, issue of the Chicago Tribune says, "... the radio audience has taken the broadcast version of Harold Teen as closely to its heart as the dashing cartoon creation of Carl Ed ...") [3] The Harold Teen character appeared on radio again in 1948 in two genres.

The Teen-Agers Quiz Club

In 1948, WGN broadcast The Teen-Agers Quiz Club, a program that featured competition between a team of three boys and a team of three girls, all chosen from the teenage audience. Harold Teen headed the boys' team, and Sheila John Daly (a teenage columnist for the Chicago Tribune ) headed the girls' team. [4]

<i>Chicago Tribune</i> Major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region. It had the 6th highest circulation for American newspapers in 2017.

Swinging at the Sugar Bowl

Swinging at the Sugar Bowl featured Harold Teen as a disc jockey with music "expertly selected for 'teen-age taste'". [4] :99 Other characters from the comic strip also occasionally appeared on the program. [4] :99 Fred Reynolds (son-in-law of Teen's creator, Carl Ed) [5] portrayed Harold Teen on the disc-jockey program. [6] The program's debut occurred on April 3, 1948, the same day that the comic strip had Teen begin a new adventure as a disc jockey, "paralleling Harold's grafic [sic] adventures". [7]

Personnel

WGN

Characters and the actors who portrayed them included those shown in the table below.

CharacterActor
Harold Teen William Farnum
LilacsWally Colbath
BezieJack Spencer
Giggles Ireene Wicker
LillumsEunice Yankee

Source:Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition [2]

The supporting cast included Eddie Firestone Jr., Charles Flynn, Rosemary Garbell, Bob Jellison, Marvin Miller, Loretta Poynton, Beryl Vaughn and Willard Waterman. Writers were Blair Walliser and Fred Kress. [2] Pierre Andre was the announcer. [8]

Mutual

Characters and the actors who portrayed them included those shown in the table below.

CharacterActor
Harold TeenCharles Flynn
Eddie Firestone Jr.
Shadow SmartBob Jellison
LillumsLoretta Poynton
Eunice Yankee
JosieRosemary Garbell
Beezie JenksMarvin Miller
Harold's fatherWillard Waterman
Beezie's fatherJack Spencer
CynthiaBeryl Vaughn [9]

Source:Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows, [1] except as noted.

Blair Walliser was the director. He and Fred Kress were writers for the program. [9]

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Harold Teen is a 1928 American comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and written by Thomas J. Geraghty. It is based on the comic strip Harold Teen by Carl Ed. The film stars Arthur Lake, Mary Brian, Lucien Littlefield, Jack Duffy, Alice White and Jack Egan. The film was released on April 29, 1928, by First National Pictures.

References

  1. 1 2 Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN   978-0-7864-4513-4. Pp. 145-146.
  2. 1 2 3 Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN   978-0-7864-5149-4. Pp. 145-146.
  3. ↑ "Harold, Lillums Live the Parts in Daily Life". Chicago Tribune. October 19, 1930. p. Part 5 - Page 1. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Alicoate, Jack (1948). Shows of Tomorrow. Radio Daily. p. 126.
  5. ↑ Remenih, Anton (January 8, 1950). "Fred Reynolds Parlays Hobby into Radio Job". Chicago Tribune. p. Part 3 - Page 8. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Green, Nat (December 20, 1948). "Chicago" (PDF). Radio Daily. p. 4. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Wolters, Larry (March 28, 1948). "Harold Teen's Disc Show to Open Saturday". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Pierre Andre Launches New Show Tonight". Chicago Tribune. June 18, 1955. p. 4 F. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  9. 1 2 Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. Pp. 17-108.
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