''Hollywood Showcase'' is the title of two American
old-time radio
The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early ...
talent shows, both of which were broadcast on CBS in the 1930s and 1940s.
During some intervals, the program was carried only on CBS's west-coast stations.
1937-1944 version
''Hollywood Showcase'' debuted on July 24, 1937, and was broadcast at a variety of times and with some interruptions until 1944.
Each episode featured "talented but little recognized professional, semi-professional and amateur artists" with winners selected by members of the studio audience. The winning act was rewarded with a week's engagement at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles.
By July 1942, the format had changed to have five contestants, with three winners selected to return to perform again.
Mary Astor
Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...
became the show's host on April 1, 1941
-- her first time as host of a radio program.
The
Richard Hudnut
Richard Alexander Hudnut (June 2, 1855 – October 30, 1928) was an American businessman recognized as the first American to achieve international success in cosmetics manufacturing. The company once maintained separate US and European headquarte ...
cosmetics company sponsored the program from April 1, 1941, until September 21, 1942. Company officials cited wartime restrictions on obtaining powder as the reason for cancellation of the sponsorship.
In July 1942, Astor took a leave of absence to serve with the Civil Air Patrol, and
Edna Best
Edna Clara Best (3 March 1900 – 18 September 1974) was a British actress.
Early life
Born in Hove, Sussex, England, she was educated in Brighton and later studied dramatic acting under Miss Kate Rorke who was the first professor of Drama at ...
substituted for her. At some point thereafter,
Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress.
Gaynor began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films. After signing with Fox Film Corporation (later ...
became the host, and in early December 1943,
Hedda Hopper
Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...
replaced Gaynor.
By then, Ben Hur Coffee was the sponsor until that arrangement ended in July 1944.
The change to Hopper brought the addition of a segment focused on gossip about the film industry.
Announcers for the program during these years included
Bob LeMond
Robert West LeMond, Jr. (April 11, 1913 – January 6, 2008) was an American radio and television announcer who was best known as the voice who announced for the television shows '' Leave It to Beaver'' and ''Ozzie and Harriet''. LeMond was also ...
, Bob Green, Frank Goss and
.
Lud Gluskin
Ludwig Elias "Lud" GluskinState of New York Certificate and Record of Birth, January 4, 1899. (December 16, 1898 – October 13, 1989) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader.Donnelly, K.J. and Philip Hayward (2012''Music in Science Fiction ...
led the orchestra.
Paul Pierce, Bob Hafter, Russ Johnston,
Ken Niles
Ken Niles (December 9, 1906 – October 31, 1988) was an American radio announcer. Niles was born in Livingston, Montana. He was married to Nadia Niles, and had two children, Kenneth Niles and Denise Niles. His brother, Wendell Niles, was also a ...
and Charles Vanda were producers.
Mann Holiner
and
Bill Lawrence were directors.
Virginia Cooke and Paul West were writers.
1948 version
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...
starred in this iteration, which debuted on July 4, 1948, and ended on September 12, 1948. The 30-minute program was heard at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Sundays.The show provided another radio opportunity for Rooney, whose ''Shorty Bell'' newspaper drama had ended in June 1948. Relatively unknown singers, musicians, and actors appeared on the program, performing with Rooney as they were judged by a three-person panel.
[
Regular performers on the show were ]Dave Barry
David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comic ...
, Buddy Cole, Barbara Fuller, and Julie Wilson
Julie May Wilson (October 21, 1924 – April 5, 2015) was an American singer and actress widely regarded as "the queen of cabaret". She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1989 for her performance in '' Le ...
. Lemond was the announcer, and Gluskin led the orchestra. Jean Holloway
Jean Holloway (born Gratia Jean Casey) (April 16, 1917-November 11, 1989) was an American film, radio, and television writer who worked in Hollywood from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Biography
Holloway was born in San Francisco, California, t ...
and Bill Manhoff
Wilton "Bill" Manhoff (June 25, 1919 – June 19, 1974) was an American screenwriter, producer and playwright. His television series script writing credits included ''Sanford and Son'', ''The Partridge Family'', ''All in the Family'', ''Room 222 ...
were writers. Larry Berns and Hafter were producers.
Jack Gould
John Ludlow Gould (February 5, 1914 – May 24, 1993) was an American journalist and critic, who wrote commentary about television.
Early life and education
Gould was born in New York City into a socially prominent family and attended the Loomi ...
, in a review in ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', described the program as "not notably different from any number of other attractions which insist they are offering the 'stars of tomorrow'". He also thought that Rooney's pace ("always rush, rush and rush") could be wearing on listeners.
CBS lost money on the program, leading to its demise. The trade publication ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' reported in its August 14, 1948, issue, "... there's nothing on the black side of the ledger to counterbalance the red ink. And there's plenty of the latter ..."
Selected episodes
*October 31, 1937 - "George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
Biography"
*November 14, 1937 - Smith Ballew
Sykes "Smith" Ballew (January 21, 1902 – May 2, 1984) was an American actor, sophisticated singer, orchestra leader, and a western singing star. He also was billed as Buddy Blue, Charles Roberts, and Billy Smith.
Early years
The son of Wil ...
stars in a dramatization of the film ''Hawaiian Buckaroo
''Hawaiian Buckaroo'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and written by Daniel Jarrett. The film stars Smith Ballew, Evalyn Knapp, Harry Woods, Pat J. O'Brien, George Regas and Benny Burt. The film was released on January ...
''.
*July 29, 1938 - Lanny Ross
Lancelot Patrick Ross (January 19, 1906 – April 25, 1988)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. was an American singer, pianist an ...
and Gloria Stuart
Gloria Frances Stuart (born Gloria Stewart; July 4, 1910 September 26, 2010) was an American actress, visual artist, and activist. She was known for her roles in Pre-Code films, and garnered renewed fame late in life for her portrayal of Rose ...
co-star in a vignette from the film ''The Lady Objects
''The Lady Objects'' is a 1938 American drama film written by Gladys Lehman and Charles Kenyon and directed by Erle C. Kenton. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Song at the 11th Academy Awards with the song ''A Mist Over the Moon'', wit ...
''.
*April 22, 1941 - Berry Kroeger
Berry Kroeger (October 16, 1912 – January 4, 1991) was an American film, television and stage actor.
Career
Kroeger was born in San Antonio, Texas. He got his acting start on radio as an announcer on ''Suspense'' and as an actor, playing fo ...
stars in ''A Tale of Two Cities
''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the ...
''.
*May 13, 1941 - Kroeger and Astor co-star in ''The Importance of Being Earnest
''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...
''.
*July 15, 1941 - Paul Dubov
Paul Dubov (October 10, 1918 – September 20, 1979) was an American radio, film and television actor as well as screenwriter. He frequently appeared in the works of Sam Fuller.
Among Dubov's radio credits include the 05/02/1953 episode of Gunsm ...
and Astor co-star in ''Cog in the Wheel''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollywood Showcase
1937 radio programme debuts
1948 radio programme endings
1930s American radio programs
1940s American radio programs
CBS Radio programs