''The Cinnamon Bear'' is an old-time radio program produced by Transco (Transcription Company of America), based in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. The series was specifically designed to be listened to six days a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was first broadcast between Friday, November 26 and Saturday December 25, 1937. Some markets like Portland, Oregon, jumped the gun, debuting the program on November 25, Thanksgiving Day. In the first season, Portland broadcast the program on two stations, KALE at 6:00pm and KXL at 7:00pm. When syndication problems arose at Transco, the program was not officially broadcast in 1940, although some stations might have aired previous transcriptions. No program aired in Portland that year. In 1941, Transco programming was sold to Broadcasters Program Syndicate, and ''The Cinnamon Bear'' was on the air nationally once again. In the 1950s, syndication was taken over by Lou R. Winston, also based in Hollywood. An original Lipman-Wolfe & Company newspaper ad from the Portland

Oregon Journal ''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portlander ...

, November 25, 1937 read: :Introducing Paddy O'Cinnamon, Santa Claus's right-hand man! Meet him with Santa in Toyland at Lipman's... and don't miss his exciting adventures with Judy and Jimmy (two of the nicest playmates you could ever want). and some nights you'll be so anxious to hear how they got the Silver Star back from the wicked Crazyquilt Dragon that you'll listen twice! And here's a secret... the Cinnamon Bear is just as excited about meeting you as he can be.

Plot

The story focused on Judy and Jimmy Barton who go to the enchanted world of Maybeland to recover their missing Silver Star that belongs on their Christmas tree. Helping on the search is the Cinnamon Bear, a stuffed bear with shoe-button eyes and a green ribbon around his neck. They meet other memorable characters during their quest, including the Crazy Quilt Dragon (who repeatedly tries to take the star for himself), the Wintergreen Witch, Fe Fo the Giant and Santa Claus. Episodes began at Thanksgiving and ended at Christmas, with one episode airing each night. The show was created by a group of merchants as an advertising promotion and was recorded in only a few weeks. It was produced by Lindsay MacHarrie, who also provided the voice of Westley the Whale and several other characters.

Cast and crew

The voice of ''The Cinnamon Bear'' was provided by Buddy Duncan, a little person and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

comedian. Many notable radio voices lent their talents, including: * Barbara Jean Wong as Judy Barton *Bobby La Manche as Jimmy Barton *

Joseph Kearns Joseph Sherrard Kearns
TV Guide. July 15–21, 1961, Savetheorgan.org; retrieved September 28, 2011.

as The Crazy-Quilt Dragon *

Verna Felton Verna Arline Felton (July 20, 1890December 14, 1966) was an American actress, best known for providing many voices in numerous Disney animated films. She also provided the voice for Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law, Pearl Slaghoople in Hanna-Bar ...

as Judy & Jimmy's mother *

Lou Merrill Louis Dilman Merrill (April 1, 1912 – April 7, 1963) was an American actor, who worked primarily in radio from the 1930s through the 1950s. Early life Lou Merill was born on April 1, 1912, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., and moved to the ...

as Santa Claus *

Martha Wentworth Verna Martha Wentworth (June 2, 1889 – March 8, 1974) was an American actress. Her vocal variety led to her being called the "Actress of 100 Voices". Biography Wentworth was born on June 2, 1889 in New York City. After graduating from ...

as The Wintergreen Witch *

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, tightfiste ...

as Weary Willie the Stork and Oliver Ostrich *

Rosa Barcelo Rosa Barcelo was a radio actress who portrayed Joan Gregory on '' Magic Island'' and Queen Melissa on ''The Cinnamon Bear''. She also was a member of the cast of ''Secret Ambition'', which originated at KNX radio in Los Angeles, California, and w ...

as Queen Melissa *

Elvia Allman Elvia Beatrice Allman (September 19, 1904 – March 6, 1992) was an American actress in Hollywood films and television programs for over 50 years. She is best remembered for her semi-regular roles on ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' and ''Petticoat J ...

as Penelope the Pelican *Joe DuVal as Fe Fo, the Giant * Frank Nelson as Captain Tin Top *

Hanley Stafford Hanley Stafford (born Alfred John Austin, September 22, 1899 – September 9, 1968), was an actor principally on radio. He is remembered best for playing Lancelot Higgins on ''The Baby Snooks Show''. Stafford also assumed the role of Mr. Dithers ...

as Snapper Snick, the Crooning Crocodile *

Howard McNear Howard Terbell McNear (January 27, 1905 – January 3, 1969) was an American stage, screen, and radio character actor. McNear is best remembered as the original voice of Doc Adams in the radio version of ''Gunsmoke'' and as Floyd Lawson, the ...

as Samuel the Seal and Slim Pickins, the Cowboy *

Cy Kendall Cyrus Willard Kendall (March 10, 1898 – July 22, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1935 and 1950. Kendall's heavy-set, square-jawed appearance and deep voice were perfect for wiseguy roles such ...

as Captain Taffy, the Pirate, and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer (Indian Chief) *

Ted Osborne Theodore H. Osborne (February 6, 1900California Death Index
for Theodore H. Osborne. Retrieved 23 May ...

as King Blotto the Third and Professor Whiz, the Owl * Elliott Lewis as Mr. Presto the Magician and Mudley *Ed Max as the Inkaboo Assistant Executioner *Dorothy Scott as Fraidy Cat *Lindsay MacHarrie as Wesley the Wailing Whale, the Grand Wunkey, and others * Eddie Collins as Rhyming Rabbit Radio announcer

Bud Hiestand In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specia ...

served as the narrator.

Lindsay MacHarrie Lindsay may refer to: People *Clan Lindsay, a Scottish family clan *Lindsay (name), an English surname and given name, derived from the Scottish clan name; variants include Lindsey, Lyndsay, Linsay, Linsey, Lyndsey, Lyndsy, Lynsay, Lynsey Places ...

was also the producer of the show. Both actors Gale Gordon as Weary Willie the Stork and Oliver Ostrich and Joseph Kearns as The Crazy-Quilt Dragon would later go on to work on the 1959 television show '' Dennis the Menace''. Gale Gordon was under contract to play John Wilson (after the death of

Joseph Kearns Joseph Sherrard Kearns
TV Guide. July 15–21, 1961, Savetheorgan.org; retrieved September 28, 2011.

, who played George Wilson) on '' Dennis the Menace''. For more than 80 years, the identity of the actor who played Jimmy was a mystery, with several actors suggested, including Walter Tetley. In 2021, researcher Karl Schadow found conclusive evidence that Jimmy was played by Bobby La Manche. Schadow published the information in an article in the September 2021 issue of Hollywood360 Newsletter (editor: Carl Amari). The story and all the songs were written in six weeks' time by Glan Heisch, aided by his wife, Elisabeth A. Heisch (1908–2003). He was specifically directed to create something in the style of ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...

'' and ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

''.

Public reception

The radio show proved to be so popular that the Metropolitan Washington Old-Time Radio Club says it has been broadcast by a station somewhere in the world every year during the holidays, even today. Many malls had a Cinnamon Bear that children would tell what they wanted for gifts instead of a Santa, and he would show up in Christmas parades. ''The Cinnamon Bear'' has remained especially popular in Portland, Oregon, which was often cited as a "Cinnamon Bear hotspot". WDOR-FM radio in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin has broadcast ''The Cinnamon Bear'' for decades, airing episodes each day at 4pm in the weeks before Christmas WVIZ-DT9 in Cleveland, Ohio broadcasts ''The Cinnamon Bear'' every year from Thanksgiving until Christmas.
International Children's Arts Network (ICAN)
in Portland, Oregon broadcasts ''The Cinnamon Bear'' every December, daily at Noon and 6pm (Pacific Time).

Television

In 1951, for a ''Cinnamon Bear'' television series, the characters were hand puppets, and the radio program provided the soundtrack.

Books and publications

In 1987, upon the 50th anniversary of The Cinnamon Bear, a fan of the show started an annual newsletter called

and put out by "The Cinnamon Bear Brigade," which ran for five years. ''The Cinnamon Bear in the Adventure of the Silver Star'' (2007) by Rick Lewis and Veronica Marzilli was published during the 70th anniversary of ''The Cinnamon Bear''. Jerrel McQueen and Timothy Holmes provided the illustrations.

Influence

''Timothy John'', a proposed radio serial by

Carlton E. Morse Carlton Errol Morse (June 4, 1901 - May 24, 1993) was a Louisiana-born producer/journalist best known for his creation of the radio serial ''One Man's Family'', which debuted in 1932 and ran until 1959 as one of the most popular as well as long-r ...

, featured a teddy bear who spoke with an Irish accent. As noted by Martin Grams, Jr., Morse's unused plot synopsis was obviously inspired by ''The Cinnamon Bear''. Lipman's is probably best remembered for the Cinnamon Bear, a popular Portland

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

time tradition since 1937. The Cinnamon Bear was introduced as a Lipman's-sponsored radio story character, meant to count down the days until Christmas. Along with Santa Claus, his costumed likeness appeared every Christmas at Lipman's stores, handing out cookies to children. Frederick & Nelson continued the practice after absorbing the brand. The Cinnamon Bear survives today as a souvenir at the Fifth Avenue Suites. To this day, the Cinnamon Bear is aired during the holidays on K103. The Cinnamon Bear radio show can also be heard on Kool 99.1 in Eugene, Oregon every Christmas. Portland Spirit Cruises developed the first Cinnamon Bear Cruise in 2005, based on the radio show by Glanville and Elizabeth Heisch's memorable characters and the radio show. Becoming a family tradition in Portland, Oregon, the cruise entering its 5th year in 2009, sells out to thousands of family members during the month of December. On board, children of all ages meet Queen Melissa, Cinnamon Bear, Crazy Quilt Dragon, Presto the Magician, Captain Taffy, Jack Frost and the Candy Buccaneers and numerous other magical characters from the radio series.

Remake

Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or ru ...

released a remake as a serialized podcast from November 29 to December 23, 2021. The remake featured an all-star cast led by Alan Cumming as the Cinnamon Bear.

References

External links

"PDX History: Cinnamon Bear""The Cinnamon Bear, Old Time Radio Christmas Show"
* ttp://otrrlibrary.org/OTRRLib/Library%20Files/C%20Series/Cinnamon%20Bear/ ''The Cinnamon Bear'' Old Time Radio Showbr>"Cinnamon Bear Cruises"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinnamon Bear, The American radio dramas American children's radio programs 1937 radio programme debuts 1937 radio programme endings Radio programs adapted into television shows Holiday characters Christmas characters Thanksgiving (United States)