Tennessee Jed

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Tennessee Jed is an American children's Western adventure radio program that was broadcast from May 14, 1945, through November 7, 1947. [1] It debuted on Mutual but for most of its time on the air it was on ABC. [2]

Contents

Premise

Jed Sloan, known as Tennessee Jed, [3] moved from the Civil War in the Old South to make a fresh start on the American frontier. Jed's marksmanship with his squirrel gun was highlighted in the opening of each episode. A voice said, "There he goes, Tennessee! Get Him!" [1] Then the sound effect of a gunshot was followed by, "Got him! Deeeeeeeeeaaaaaaad center!" [1] Jed also carried a pair of sixguns as he rode his horse, Smoky. Jed eventually began to capture outlaws on direct assignments from President Grant [1] Jed's Tennessee-hills background and his "native love for folk music and a natural musical ability" led to inclusion of music in the program as he accompanied himself on a guitar while singing familiar Western songs and sometimes "put dialogue to music". [4]

Cast

Cast of Tennessee Jed
CharacterActor(s)
Tennessee JedJohnny Thomas
Don MacLaughlin [3]
Sheriff Jackson Jeff Chandler
Humphrey Davis [3]
DeputyCourt Benson
Jim Boles [3]
Masters
(gambler)		 Raymond Edward Johnson [3]

Supporting actors included John McGovern, George Petrie, and Barton Yarborough. Announcers included Benson, Layman Cameron, and Larry Elliott. [2]

Schedule

Tennessee Jed was a late-afternoon program intended for a juvenile audience. It was on the Mutual network from May 14, 1945, through August 17, 1945. A longer run began on ABC on September 3, 1945. The show stayed on ABC until it ended on November 7, 1947. [2]

Production

Paul DeFur was the producer, and Bill Hamilton was the director. Elton Britt sang the theme. [1] The writers were Ashley Buck, Howard Carraway, and Tom Taggert. [3] The program was initially broadcast via transcription, with live performances beginning in September 1945. [4]

Ward Baking Company was the primary sponsor of Tennessee Jed, promoting its Tip Top Bread. [1] Other companies sponsored the program in areas (such as the West Coast) in which Ward's products were not distributed. [5] Safeway was a major sponsor in the non-Ward areas. [4] An initial report about the cancellation of Tennessee Jed said that Ward was cutting its budget because of a shortage of grain. [6] The trade publication Sponsor noted an additional factor as it reported, "... also because there is a growing feeling among sponsors that unless a children's program reaches the mothers at the same time as the youngsters, advertising doesn't pay off. Jed hasn't been reaching them." [7]

Promotion

In the fall of 1946, Ward and the sponsors of the other three programs in ABC's 5 to 6 p.m. Eastern Time slot joined in a promotional contest that the trade publication Billboard reported was "believed to be the first of its kind in radio". [8] The other programs and their sponsors were Terry and the Pirates (Quaker Oats Company), Sky King (Derby Foods, Incorporated), and Jack Armstrong (General Mills, Incorporated). [8] ABC contributed $15,000 for the promotion, and the sponsors combined to provide $30,000 for it. [9] In addition to promoting the contest on the air, ABC ran a one-third page ad about it in two syndicated newspaper comics sections. [10]

Each participant in the contest, which was limited to age 16 or younger, had to submit a letter completing (in 50 or fewer words) the sentence "I prefer (name of program) because ..." [10] Prizes were

Listeners submitted 298,694 entries in the contest. Winners were announced the week of January 13, 1947. [11] While the contest was in progress, the number of listeners for the four programs increased, but after it ended audiences for the shows returned to their previous numbers. [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dunning, John (May 7, 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 656. ISBN   978-0-19-507678-3 . Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 French, Jack; Siegel, David S. (November 5, 2013). Radio Rides the Range: A Reference Guide to Western Drama on the Air, 1929-1967. McFarland. pp. 183–184. ISBN   978-1-4766-1254-6 . Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cox, Jim (June 14, 2015). Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. p. 250. ISBN   978-1-4766-1227-0 . Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Ballentine, Anne (October 1946). "Tennessee Jed Hits Target". Radio Showmanship. p. 344. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Ward Shares Seg In Order To Get Pacific Coverage". Billboard. October 6, 1945. p. 7. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Grain Shortage Pinch Axes 'Tennessee Jed'". Variety. October 29, 1947. p. 25. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  7. ↑ "The Children's Hour". Sponsor. November 1947. p. 60. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Too Short for a Head". Billboard. October 19, 1946. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Competing Sponsors Plug Each Other in 45G ABC Promotion". Billboard. November 9, 1946. p. 15. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Pied Piper Contests". Sponsor. November 1946. p. 29. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Too Short for a Head". Billboard. January 11, 1947. p. 9. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Contest, Programs & Audiences". Sponsor. July 1947. pp. 55–56. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
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