Thu Oct 20, 2011 12:44 pm
You don't have to be an old time radio fan to enjoy any of the hour-long weekly series, GOOD NEWS. I'm not sure where the title came from but a more accurate one might be the MGM Variety Show. Almost all the shows are in circulation through streaming or mp3 and most are in excellent sound. If you're a fan of MGM films from the late 30s, this series makes a nice addendum and tie-in to those films.
Hosts served for several months before rotating and started off with James Stewart, then Robert Young (who always refers to himself as Bob Young) among others. The regulars included Frank Morgan at his silliest (he is funny though) and Fanny Brice as Baby Snooks. This proved so popular that the Snooks segment later spun off to its own series. The show began in late 1937 and supposedly were broadcast from an MGM sound stage. Later shows dropped any reference to that so I assume they moved to a radio studio. It seems that everybody but Garbo showed up. Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone with the rest of the Andy Hardy cast did an original playlet for the '38 Christmas show. Other stars turned up to plug their latest films, even Father Flanagan turned up to promote BOYS TOWN.
Louis B. Mayer appeared on two broadcasts and although the dialogue is scripted and no doubt rehearsed, Mayer sounds rather pompous. Everybody calls him "Mr. Mayer" and he calls everybody by their first name as though they were children. This really arched when even Lionel Barrymore called him Mr. Mayer, who in turned called him Lionel. I understand that in real life, Barrymore called him LB. The shows plug those great songs from the MGM films of the era, and its theme song was "Always" from the Joan Crawford-Spencer Tracy film, MANNEQUIN (1938), complete with a choir.
Not to be outdone, Paramount launched its own variety show in Oct 1938 under the sponsorship of Texaco. Adolphe Menjou was the initial host for several months and was succeeded by John Barrymore (!) . The regulars were Charlie Ruggles, Una Merkel, and Ned Sparks. Jane Frohman was the resident singer and the weekly guests were often but not always Paramount stars. These broadcasts are not as easy to find as GOOD NEWS and the show, which must have been very expensive to produce, lasted only for the 1938-39 season. I have about ten of these broadcasts. GOOD NEWS seems to have lasted about three seasons.
Warner Bros. seems to have had its own show, HOLLYWOOD HOTEL, but these shows are few and far between. Of course Warners had its own radio station, KFWB, that had twin towers to produce a very powerful signal. All the shows were broadcast live and had studio audiences so there were no retakes for nervous stars. If you haven't sampled these shows, I can highly recommend them.
Hosts served for several months before rotating and started off with James Stewart, then Robert Young (who always refers to himself as Bob Young) among others. The regulars included Frank Morgan at his silliest (he is funny though) and Fanny Brice as Baby Snooks. This proved so popular that the Snooks segment later spun off to its own series. The show began in late 1937 and supposedly were broadcast from an MGM sound stage. Later shows dropped any reference to that so I assume they moved to a radio studio. It seems that everybody but Garbo showed up. Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone with the rest of the Andy Hardy cast did an original playlet for the '38 Christmas show. Other stars turned up to plug their latest films, even Father Flanagan turned up to promote BOYS TOWN.
Louis B. Mayer appeared on two broadcasts and although the dialogue is scripted and no doubt rehearsed, Mayer sounds rather pompous. Everybody calls him "Mr. Mayer" and he calls everybody by their first name as though they were children. This really arched when even Lionel Barrymore called him Mr. Mayer, who in turned called him Lionel. I understand that in real life, Barrymore called him LB. The shows plug those great songs from the MGM films of the era, and its theme song was "Always" from the Joan Crawford-Spencer Tracy film, MANNEQUIN (1938), complete with a choir.
Not to be outdone, Paramount launched its own variety show in Oct 1938 under the sponsorship of Texaco. Adolphe Menjou was the initial host for several months and was succeeded by John Barrymore (!) . The regulars were Charlie Ruggles, Una Merkel, and Ned Sparks. Jane Frohman was the resident singer and the weekly guests were often but not always Paramount stars. These broadcasts are not as easy to find as GOOD NEWS and the show, which must have been very expensive to produce, lasted only for the 1938-39 season. I have about ten of these broadcasts. GOOD NEWS seems to have lasted about three seasons.
Warner Bros. seems to have had its own show, HOLLYWOOD HOTEL, but these shows are few and far between. Of course Warners had its own radio station, KFWB, that had twin towers to produce a very powerful signal. All the shows were broadcast live and had studio audiences so there were no retakes for nervous stars. If you haven't sampled these shows, I can highly recommend them.
Official Biographer of Mr. Arliss
"I eat nothing I can pat." George Arliss
http://ArlissArchives.com
http://OldHollywoodinColor.com
"I eat nothing I can pat." George Arliss
http://ArlissArchives.com
http://OldHollywoodinColor.com
