''Mr. President'' was a
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 transmi ...
series that ran on the
ABC Network from June 26, 1947, to September 23, 1953.
Format
Each half-hour episode was based on an incident in the life of one of the people who have held the office of
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
, but the dialogs were written in such a way as not to reveal the name of the President until the last line of dialog at the end of the program, when the President would be addressed by name. An advertisement for the program noted, "Each week the suspense mounts from his first question, 'Which one of our 32 Presidents am I?'"
[ The audience was thus encouraged to guess, from the plot of the episode, which President it was.
]
Personnel
The series was created by Robert G. JenningsJean 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 ...
, Bernard Dougall and Ira Marion. A research staff made certain that the stories were accurate. It was produced and directed by Dick Woolen.[Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 454.]
The President each week was played by Edward Arnold, with supporting performances by Bea Benaderet, Gil Stratton
Gil Stratton Jr. (June 2, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an actor and sportscaster who was born in Brooklyn, New York. He most recently resided in Toluca Lake, California, until his death from congestive heart failure.
Early life
Stratton was ...
, Hans Conried
Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's '' Dud ...
, Lurene Tuttle, Nina Bara
Nina Bara (born Frances Joan Baur on May 3, 1920, died August 15, 1990) was an American actress who performed in films, on television, and on old-time radio.
Early years
The daughter of an Italian mother and an American father, George Baur, Bar ...
and 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 ...
. The announcer was Owen James.
Award
In 1953, ''Mr. President'' received the Award of Merit from the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.
References
{{reflist
Description
Description of the program on Premier Collections site
Logs
Program log from Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Program log from RadioGOLDINdex
Streaming audio
Episodes for streaming or download from the Internet Archive
Episodes for streaming or download from Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
American radio dramas
1940s American radio programs
1950s American radio programs
ABC radio programs