''The Big Story'' is an American radio and television crime drama which dramatized the true stories of real-life newspaper reporters. The only continuing character was the narrator, Bob Sloane.

Radio

Sponsored by Pall Mall cigarettes, the program began on

NBC Radio The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first t ...

on April 2, 1947. With Lucky Strike cigarettes sponsoring the last two seasons, it was broadcast until March 23, 1955. The radio series was top rated, rivaling

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

's '' Philco Radio Time''. Produced by Barnard J. Prockter, the shows were scripted by Gail Ingram, Arnold Pearl and Max Ehrlich. Tom Vietor and Harry Ingram directed the series. Gail and Harry Ingram were husband and wife. The theme was taken from ''Ein Heldenleben'' ("A Hero's Life"), a tone poem by

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

. Prockter was inspired to create the program after hearing about a man who was freed from a life sentence in jail by the work of two newspaper reporters in Chicago. Most of the stories in the show dealt with stories about closed cases. Ross Eaman, in his book, ''Historical Dictionary of Journalism'', wrote that the program was "originally intended to honor reporters ignored by Pulitzer committees ...." Jim Cox also cited that plan in his book, ''Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age''. Each week the program recognized the reporter who wrote the story on which that episode was based and the newspaper in which the story appeared. The reporter received $500, was interviewed on the air and was acknowledged in the introduction, as in this example:

Pall Mall, famous big cigarette, presents ''The Big Story'', another in a thrilling series based on true experiences of newspaper reporters. Tonight, to Russ Wilson of the Des Moines ''Tribune'' goes the Pall Mall award for ''The Big Story''. Now, the authentic and exciting story of "The Case of the Ambitious Hobo."Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P.40.

Television

The radio series was adapted for television where it debuted on NBC on September 16, 1949. The series continued to air on NBC until June 28, 1957, after which it appeared in syndication until 1958. The half-hour program was hosted by Robert Sloane, Norman Rose,

Ben Grauer Benjamin Franklin Grauer (June 2, 1908 – May 31, 1977) was a US radio and TV personality, following a career during the 1920s as a child actor in films and on Broadway. He began his career as a child in David Warfield's production of ''The Retur ...

, and, finally, Burgess Meredith. Guest stars included: *

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

Sam Jaffe Shalom "Sam" Jaffe (March 10, 1891 – March 24, 1984) was an American actor, teacher, musician, and engineer. In 1951, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950) and app ...

* Jack Klugman *

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'', she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy A ...

* Martin Landau * Lee Marvin *

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

* Lois Nettleton * Leslie Nielsen *

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

* Warren Oates * Anthony Perkins * Mark Rydell * Jerry Stiller * Joyce Van Patten * Jack Warden * Martin Balsam Among the episodes is "Harold Faller of the Huntington Advertiser of West Virginia" (January 19, 1951), starring Francis De Sales in his first screen appearance as newspaperman Harold Faller of Huntington, West Virginia. The theme music was two of the main themes from the tone poem ''Ein Heldenleben'' (A Hero's Life) by the German composer

. The series was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

in 1953. The series finished at #25 in the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

for the 1950–1951 season, #23 for 1952-1953 and #29 for 1953–1954.

References

*Sies, Luther F. ''Encyclopedia of American Radio 1920-1960''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2000. *Terrace, Vincent (1981). ''The Radio's Golden Years: Encyclopedia of Radio Programs, 1930-1960.''

A. S. Barnes __NOTOC__ Alfred Smith Barnes (January 28, 1817 – February 17, 1888) was an American publisher and philanthropist. Early life Barnes was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Eli Barnes of Southington, Connecticut, a farmer and innkeeper, who fo ...

Listen to

Same Time, Same Station: ''The Big Story'' (January 11, 1950)Streaming episodes of ''The Big Story'' from Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Story, The 1947 radio programme debuts 1955 radio programme endings 1949 American television series debuts 1958 American television series endings 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs 1940s American crime drama television series 1950s American crime drama television series 1940s American anthology television series 1950s American anthology television series American radio dramas Black-and-white American television shows English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States NBC original programming Television series about journalism NBC radio programs Radio programs adapted into television shows Television articles with incorrect naming style

Radio

Television

See also

References

Listen to

External links