C A M P B E L L T H E A T E R
--------------- -------------
1938 - 1940
First Show: 12-09-38 Last Show: 09-13-46
Number Shows: 15 Audition Show: none
Show Description:
At the end of the eighteenth show of THE MERCURY THEATER OF THE AIR,
Orson Welles announced that the Campbell's Soup Company was to
sponsor the series. After four more shows, the series moved from
Sunday to Friday and changed its name to THE CAMPBELL PLAYHOUSE. The
first show of the new series aired December 9, 1938, at 8:00 PM.
The new series retained the hallmarks of the old. Orson Welles was
still active, the shows were still sixty minutes long. Although
some stories were based on classic books, popular movies were also
done. Thanks to Campbell's sponsorship, the listening audience was
treated to 56 shows featuring the genius of Orsen Welles.
List Comments:
Jerry Haendiges Productions listing on the Internet disagreed with
the list below for 2 shows. I've listed these 2 below the other
title, followed by "(J. Haendiges)". (If you have Internet access,
make sure you check his excellent site!)
Not many vendors seem to carry this series. I've seen some shows
listed in lists from fellow collectors, so they are out there.
Those shows found in collector catalogs are shown with an asterisk
in the source key if I couldn't find it in a vendor catalog. Good
hunting!
List:
Date Day Num Title Src Key
-------- --- --- ------------------------------------ -------
12-09-38 Fri 1 Rebecca 12 45
12-16-38 Fri 2 Call It A Day
12-23-38 Fri 3 A Christmas Carol
12-30-38 Fri 4 A Farewell To Arms
01-06-39 Fri 5 Counsellor At Law 12 45
01-13-39 Fri 6 Mutiny on the Bounty 5
01-20-39 Fri 7 The Chicken Wagon Family
01-27-39 Fri 8 I Lost My Girlish Laughter 1 45
02-03-39 Fri 9 Arrowsmith 4
02-10-39 Fri 10 The Green Goddess 45
02-17-39 Fri 11 Burlesque
02-24-39 Fri 12 State Fair
03-03-39 Fri 13 Royal Regiment
03-10-39 Fri 14 The Glass Key 1 45
03-17-39 Fri 15 Beau Geste 1 45
03-24-39 Fri 16 Twentieth Century *
03-31-39 Fri 17 Show Boat 34
04-07-39 Fri 18 Les Miserables
04-14-39 Fri 19 The Patriot *
04-21-39 Fri 20 Private Lives 45
04-28-39 Fri 21 Black Daniel
05-05-39 Fri 22 Wickford Point 1 4
Ordeal (J. Haendiges)
05-12-39 Fri 23 Our Town 2 45
05-19-39 Fri 24 The Bad Man 45
05-26-39 Fri 25 Things We Have 1 4
American Cavalcade (J. Haendiges)
06-02-39 Fri 26 Victoria Regina
<<< Off for the Summer between >>>
<<< 06-02-39 and 09-10-39. >>>
09-10-39 Sun 27 Peter Ibbetson 4
09-17-39 Sun 28 Ah, Wilderness 1 4
09-24-39 Sun 29 What Every Woman Knows 1 4
10-01-39 Sun 30 The Count Of Monte Cristo 1 45
10-08-39 Sun 31 Algiers 34
10-15-39 Sun 32 Escape 5
10-22-39 Sun 33 Liliom 34
10-29-39 Sun 34 The Magnificent Ambersons 1 4
11-05-39 Sun 35 The Hurricane 4
11-12-39 Sun 36 Murder Of Roger Ackroyd 1 45
11-19-39 Sun 37 The Garden of Allah 4
11-26-39 Sun 38 Dodsworth 1
12-03-39 Sun 39 Lost Horizons 34
12-10-39 Sun 40 Venessa 1
12-17-39 Sun 41 There's Always A Woman 1 4
12-24-39 Sun 42 A Christmas Carol 1 5
12-31-39 Sun 43 Come And Get It
01-07-40 Sun 44 Vanity Fair 1
01-14-40 Sun 45 Theodora Goes Wild 1 4
01-21-40 Sun 46 The Citadel 1 45
01-28-40 Sun 47 It Happened One Night
02-04-40 Sun 48 Broome Stages
02-11-40 Sun 49 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town *
02-18-40 Sun 50 Dinner at Eight *
02-25-40 Sun 51 Only Angels Have Wings 4
03-03-40 Sun 52 Rabble In Armes
03-10-40 Sun 53 Craig's Wife
03-17-40 Sun 54 Huckelberry Finn 1 345
03-24-40 Sun 55 June Moon 1 4
(1st program before live audience)
03-31-40 Sun 56 Jane Eyre
(last show)
Information Sources:
The information above was obtained from the following OTR vendor
and club catalogs. Contact them directly for more information.
Key Source
--- -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 Radio Showcase, Steve Kelez, PO Box 4357, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
2 Radio Historical Association of Colorado, PO Box 1908, Englewood,
CO 80150
3 Crabapple Sound, 254 Florida Ave, Amsterdam, NY 12010
4 Great American Radio, PO Box 504 Genesee, MI 48437
5 Jerry Haendiges Productions, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602
email: jhaendiges@aol.com
To be fair to all, this is not an endorsement of the above vendors
and clubs. I receive nothing by mentioning them. They help keep
OTR alive. Please support them.
References:
* "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To
All Circulating Shows", third edition, by Jay Hickerson, Box 4321,
Hamden, CT 06514
Other Logs or Books:
* MERCURY THEATER OF THE AIR log, Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden,
CT 06514 (includes Campbell Playhouse)
* CAMPBELL PLAYHOUSE log, Jerry Haendiges, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier,
CA 90602 (available from the Internet at The Vintage Radio Place,
http://www.otrsite.com)
Last Update: 08-24-98
I retain copyright, but this log may be freely copied provided that
the text is unchanged. Please send error corrections or additional
information to: Frank Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044
or via e-mail to passage@juno.com.