Radio City Playhouse - Long Distance (Aired July 3, 1948)
First appearing on September 25, 1948, this series was conceived as a showcase for what NBC termed "good drama" regardless of the reknown of the playwright or of the play. The program was "sustained", which is to say that the production costs were borne by the network rather than a sponsor. Absent the need to cater to a particular sponsor, director, Harry W. Junkin and producer Richard McDonagh had the lattitude to produce works which were more literary in nature than the formula genre plays which were the mainstay of network radio. They took full advantage of this freedom to present plays ranging from the quirky comedy, "Fanny", to the taut drama "Long Distance", the series' premiere episode. Jan Miner's gripping performance in that play created a sensation reminiscent of Agnes Morehead's triumph in the Suspense production of "Sorry, Wrong Number" some five years earlier.
THIS EPISODE:
July 03, 1948. Program #1. NBC network. "Long Distance". Sustaining. The first show of the series. A story about the wife of a convicted murderer who tries to stay his execution by telephone. The concept is similar to, "Sorry, Wrong Number." The script was subsequently used on "Radio City Playhouse" on August 23, 1948 (see cat. #76603) and on June 30, 1949. After program #20, the "Attraction number," announced at the beginning and end of each program, appears to be in error. On at least two occasions, the same "Attraction number" is announced two weeks in a row. The program numbers indicated are based on the calender, not the announcement. Richard P. McDonough (NBC supervisor), Roy Shield (composer, conductor), Bob Warren (announcer), Eugene Francis, Jean Tatum, Anna Karen, Frank Thomas, Jan Miner, Harry W. Junkin (writer, director). 42:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.
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