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''The Halls of Ivy'' is an American
situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
that ran from 1950 to 1952 on NBC radio, created by '' Fibber McGee & Molly'' co-creator/writer Don Quinn. The series was adapted into a CBS television comedy (1954–55) produced by
ITC Entertainment The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in production and distribution of television programmes. History Incorporated Television Programme Compan ...
and Television Programs of America. British husband-and-wife actors Ronald Colman and Benita Hume starred in both versions of the show. Quinn developed the show after he had decided to leave ''Fibber McGee & Molly'' in the hands of his protégé Phil Leslie. ''The Halls of Ivy's'' audition program featured radio veteran
Gale Gordon Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfist ...
(then co-starring in '' Our Miss Brooks'') and Edna Best in the roles that ultimately went to the Colmans, who demonstrated a flair for radio comedy during the late 1940s recurring roles on ''
The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televi ...
''.


Radio series

''The Halls of Ivy'' featured Ronald Colman as William Todhunter Hall, the president of small, Midwestern Ivy College, and Benita Hume as his wife, Victoria, a former British musical comedy star who sometimes feels the tug of her former profession, and followed their interactions with students, friends, and college trustees. Others in the cast included
Herb Butterfield Herbert Butterfield (October 28, 1895 – May 2, 1957) was an actor best known for his work in American radio. Career Perhaps his major roles on radio were those of crime-lab expert Lee Jones (as well as many supporting characters) in ''Dragn ...
as testy board chairman Clarence Wellman, Willard Waterman (then starring as Harold Peary's successor as ''
The Great Gildersleeve ''The Great Gildersleeve'' is a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States from August 31, 1941 to 1958. Initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, it was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was built ...
'') as board member John Merriweather, and Bea Benaderet, Elizabeth Patterson, and Gloria Gordon as the Halls' maids. Alan Reed (television's Fred Flintstone) appeared periodically as the stuffy English teacher, Professor Heaslip. Other actors who appeared included Virginia Gregg, Lee Patrick, Jean Vander Pyl,
Rolfe Sedan Rolfe Sedan (born Edward Sedan; January 20, 1896 – September 15, 1982) was an American character actor, best known for appearing in bit parts, often uncredited, usually portraying clerks, train conductors, postmen, cooks, waiters, etc. E ...
, Sidney Miller, William Tracy, Sam Edwards,
Arthur Q. Bryan Arthur Quirk Bryan (May 8, 1899 – November 30, 1959) was an American actor and radio personality. He is best remembered for his longtime recurring role as well-spoken, wisecracking Dr. Gamble on the radio comedy ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' and f ...
,
Barton Yarborough William Barton Yarborough (October 2, 1900 – December 19, 1951) was an American actor who worked extensively in radio drama, primarily on the NBC Radio Network. He is famous for his roles in the Carlton E. Morse productions '' I Love a M ...
, James Gleason, Jerry Hausner and other actors. The series ran 109 half-hour radio episodes from January 6, 1950, to June 25, 1952, with Quinn, Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee writing many of the scripts and giving free if even more sophisticated play to Quinn's knack for language play, inverted cliches and swift puns (including the show's title and lead characters), a knack he'd shown for years writing ''Fibber McGee & Molly''. Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee continued as a writing team; their best-known play is '' Inherit the Wind''. Cameron Blake, Walter Brown Newman, Robert Sinclair, and Milton and Barbara Merlin became writers for the program as well. In subject matter, the program was often notably ahead of its time, forward looking, and willing to tackle controversial topics. "Hell Week," first broadcast on January 2, 1952, boldly addressed the unforeseen dangers of college fraternity hazing. "The Leslie Hoff Painting" (September 27, 1950) and "The Chinese Student" (February 7, 1950) both openly countenanced and dealt with instances of racial bigotry. Another episode centered on an unmarried student's pregnancy. But listeners were surprised to discover that the episode of January 24, 1951, "The Goya Bequest"—a story examining the bequest of a Goya painting that was suspected of being a fraud hyped by its late owner to avoid paying customs duties when bringing to the United States—was written by Colman, who poked fun at his accomplishment while taking a rare turn giving the evening's credits at the show's conclusion. A further treat was the episode of November 22, 1951, in which
Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...
appeared as himself, in a storyline involving his accepting Victoria Hall's invitation to perform for charity at Ivy College. The sponsor was the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company ("The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous"). Nat Wolff produced and directed. Henry Russell handled the music and co-wrote the theme with Vick Knight. Radio veteran Ken Carpenter was the announcer. The radio program received a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
in 1950.


Television series (1954–1955)

For the television series the Colmans and Butterfield repeated their radio roles with Mary Wickes as Alice, the Halls' housekeeper, and Ray Collins, later of '' Perry Mason'', as Professor Merriweather. The TV version premiered on October 19, 1954, and ran for 38 half-hour black-and-white episodes. Its last airing was October 13, 1955. Many television episodes are missing so that some credits and episode titles are unknown. It is known, however, that Ronald Colman personally supervised production of the TV series, with
William Frye William Pierce Frye (September 2, 1830 – August 8, 1911) was an American politician from Maine. A member of the Republican Party, Frye spent most of his political career as a legislator, serving in the Maine House of Representatives and the ...
as producer, under executive producer Leon Fromkess. John Lupton, later of the
western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...
series '' Broken Arrow'', and
Jerry Paris William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', and for directing the majo ...
, later of ''
The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Prod ...
'', appeared in some episodes as students. The creator of the television version was Don Quinn and virtually all of the scripts were adapted from those originally heard on radio.
Arthur Q. Bryan Arthur Quirk Bryan (May 8, 1899 – November 30, 1959) was an American actor and radio personality. He is best remembered for his longtime recurring role as well-spoken, wisecracking Dr. Gamble on the radio comedy ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' and f ...
played Professor Warren, head of the college's history department, a role he also had on the radio program. ''The Halls of Ivy'' aired at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesdays, after '' The Red Skelton Show'', for alternate sponsors International Harvester and
Nabisco Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International. Nabisco ...
.


References


Further reading

*Ohmart, Ben. ''It's That Time Again.'' (2002) (Albany: BearManor Media)


External links


''The Halls of Ivy'' article and log

Internet Archive: ''The Halls of Ivy''
*
Retro Galaxy: 1951 script excerpt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halls Of Ivy, The American comedy radio programs 1950s American radio programs Peabody Award-winning radio programs Radio programs adapted into television shows NBC radio programs 1950s American sitcoms 1954 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings CBS original programming Television series based on radio series Television series by ITC Entertainment Black-and-white American television shows 1950s American college television series