Friday, November 14, 2008

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Academy Award Theater "Keys Of The Kingdom" (08-21-46)


Keys Of The Kingdom (Aired August 21, 1946)


Stars and movies with Oscars were the idea - in most cases, the movie stars recreated their academy award roles for the show, or in other cases, fine actors played the parts and gave it a different character. Both ways make for great radio drama and first class Hollywood motion picture star entertainment. The Lux Radio Theater had been doing this kind of radio show in the grandest manner for many years, but sponsor Squibb had the hubris and deep pockets to take on the competition by doing Academy Award Theater right after the Second World War. The year 1946 was pre-television, and so movies were still the major American visual art form, with radio the other popular network entertainment. In this final pre-TV time, Academy Award Theater was thought of as a premier radio production, a wow show, much like CinemaScope was to be in the 1950's when Hollywood felt the box office blow of early TV.


THIS EPISODE:

August 21, 1946. CBS network. "The Keys Of The Kingdom". Sponsored by: Squibb. A story about the deep faith of a missionary to China, and his life of service. The show receives an award from "Motion Picture Magazine." Gregory Peck, Leith Stevens (composer, conductor), Dee Englebach (producer, director), Hugh Brundage (announcer), Erskine Johnson (Motion Picture Magazine). 29:31.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

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