''Meet Corliss Archer'' is an American radio program from

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...

that ran from January 7, 1943, to September 30, 1956. Although it was

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

's answer to

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's ''

A Date with Judy ''A Date with Judy'' is a comedy radio series aimed at a teenage audience which ran from 1941 to 1950. The series was co-created by Jerome Lawrence and Aleen Leslie, and based on Leslie's “One Girl Chorus” column in the Pittsburgh Press. La ...

'', it was also broadcast by NBC in 1948 as a summer replacement for ''

The Bob Hope Show ''The Pepsodent Show'' is an American radio comedy program broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio. The program starred comedian Bob Hope and his sidekick Jerry Colonna along with Blanche Stewart and Elvia Allman as high-society crazies Brenda a ...

''. From October 3, 1952, to June 26, 1953, it aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, finally returning to CBS. Despite the program's long run, fewer than 24 episodes are known to exist.

Characters and story

Priscilla Lyon and

Janet Waldo Janet Waldo (born Jeanette Marie Waldo; February 4, 1919 – June 12, 2016) was an American radio and voice actress. In animation, she voiced Judy Jetson in various Hanna-Barbera media, Nancy in ''Shazzan'', Penelope Pitstop, Princess from ''Batt ...

successively portrayed 15-year-old Corliss on radio.

Lugene Sanders Trevalene Lugene Solomon (born September 17, 1934 or 1935) is an American retired actress and former child star. The peak of her career was during the mid-1950s. Before getting married and retiring from acting in the early 1960s, Solomon went un ...

also played Corliss briefly on radioSies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 440. and in the

version of the ''Meet Corliss Archer'' television show.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; . P. 677. Perpetually perky, breathless and well-intentioned, Corliss is constantly at the side of her next-door neighbor and boyfriend, Dexter Franklin (Bill Christy,

Sam Edwards Sam George Edwards (May 26, 1915 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor. His most famous role on television was as banker Bill Anderson on ''Little House on the Prairie''.D.S.S. Form 1 Military Draft Registration Card completed on October 16, ...

). Clumsy, nerdy Dexter, a sweet but constant bungler with a nasal voice, is best remembered for his trademark phrase, " Holy cow!" and his braying call, "Heyyyy, Corrrrrliiiiiss!"—frequently delivered from the hedge separating their houses. Harry Archer, Corliss's father, is a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

who tolerates Dexter only when he wants to use him to help flaunt male superiority. Gruff but gentle, he was played by Bob Bailey, Fred Shields and Frank Martin. Janet Archer, Corliss's mother, was played by, successively,

Irene Tedrow Irene Tedrow (August 3, 1907 – March 10, 1995) was an American character actress in stage, film, television and radio. Among her most notable roles are as Janet Archer in the radio series ''Meet Corliss Archer'', Mrs. Lucy Elkins on the TV sit ...

, Monty Margetts and

Gloria Holden Gloria Anna Holden (September 5, 1903 – March 22, 1991) was an English-born American film actress, best known for her role as ''Dracula's Daughter''. She often portrayed cold society women. Early life Holden was born in London, England. She ...

. She is calm and understanding with her daughter and her husband, both of whom sometimes try her patience. Other frequent characters include Mildred Ames, a good friend of Corliss (played by Bebe Young and

Barbara Whiting Barbara Whiting Smith (May 19, 1931 – June 9, 2004) was an American actress and singer. Early life Whiting was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of music manager Eleanor Youngblood Whiting and composer Richard A. Whit ...

); Mildred's irritating younger brother Raymond (Tommy Bernard, Kenny Godkin); and Corliss's rival, Betty Cameron (Delores Crane). ''Meet Corliss Archer'' was written by

F. Hugh Herbert Frederick Hugh Herbert (May 29, 1897 - May 17, 1958) was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, short story writer, and infrequent film director. Biography Born in Vienna, Austria, Herbert was educated at the University of London. He emigrated in ...

, who first introduced the character and her friends in a

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

story "A Private Affair," the first of a series of stories. ''Kiss and Tell'' was a 1943 play that was adapted for a 1945 film starring

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

. The 1949 sequel, ''

A Kiss for Corliss ''A Kiss for Corliss'' (retitled ''Almost a Bride'' before its release) is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Richard Wallace, written by Howard Dimsdale and starring David Niven and Shirley Temple. The film, which was the last for both Wal ...

'', was re-released in 1954.

Television

Herbert's ''Meet Corliss Archer'' property was adapted to television in 1951 and 1952 with live broadcasts produced and aired by CBS. In 1954 and 1955 Ziv Television Programs produced a syndicated telefilm series starring

Ann Baker Anna Rose Baker (July 23, 1930 – March 2, 2017) was an American actress, known for her appearance in classic films and television shows during the 1950s. Early years Born Anna Rose Baker, Baker was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Baker, ...

and

Mary Brian Mary Brian (born Louise Byrdie Dantzler, February 17, 1906 – December 30, 2002) was an American actress who made the transition from silent films to sound films. Early life Brian was born in Corsicana, Texas, the daughter of Taurrence J. ...

. One of the show's unique features was the occasional cut to a comic-book-style drawing, with announcer's commentary, that illustrated the current story situation and was used several times during each episode. The program was produced by Ziv Productions. Several episodes of the Ziv version are available on DVD, and some are also available from the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

.Archive.org
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Robin Morgan Robin Morgan (born January 29, 1941) is an American poet, writer, activist, journalist, lecturer and former child actor. Since the early 1960s, she has been a key radical feminist member of the American Women's Movement, and a leader in the ...

portrayed Corliss in a live telecast of ''Kiss and Tell'' on ''

The Alcoa Hour ''The Alcoa Hour'' is an American anthology television series that was aired live on NBC from 1955 to 1957. The series was sponsored by Alcoa. Overview Like the ''Philco Television Playhouse'' and ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' that had prec ...

'' (August 5, 1956), with

Warren Berlinger Warren Berlinger (August 31, 1937 – December 2, 2020) was an American character actor, with Broadway runs, movie and television credits, and much work in commercials. Early life Warren Berlinger was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, o ...

as Dexter.

Comics

Radio listeners had to use their imaginations to visualize Corliss, her friends and her town. But those imaginations got a boost in 1948 when the ''Meet Corliss Archer'' comic book, published by

Fox Feature Syndicate Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...

, came out in three issues from March to July 1948.

Al Feldstein Albert Bernard Feldstein ( ; October 24, 1925 – April 29, 2014) was an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satire, satirical magazine ''Mad (magazine), Mad''. Aft ...

(Albert B. Feldstein), later the editor of '' Mad'', was a key writer and illustrator of this short-lived comic book series, which is now remembered primarily for his artwork in general and the

good girl art Good Girl Art (GGA) is a style of artwork depicting women primarily featured in comic books, comic strips, and pulp magazines. The term was coined by the American Comic Book Company, appearing in its mail order catalogs from the 1930s to the 1970 ...

covers in particular. Film strips and radio microphones on the front cover indicated the tie-ins and media crossovers. Janet Waldo was depicted on the front cover twice, as herself and as Corliss.

Listen to

Jerry Haendiges Listening Lounge: ''Meet Corliss Archer'' (April 6, 1947)

References

{{Reflist

Sources

''A 50-Year Adventure in the Advertising Business'' by Ernie Baker (Wayne State University Press, 2000)''Meet Corliss Archer'' at the Grand Comics Database
American comedy radio programs 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs CBS Radio programs NBC radio programs ABC radio programs Radio programs adapted into television shows