The Railroad Hour
Volume 1
 In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, millions of American households had their radios tuned to NBC on Monday evenings for what the network termed their "Night of Music". It was clever programming; following the challenges inherent in the first work day of a new week, NBC realized that prime-time listeners would appreciate the chance to relax in their living rooms with soothing melodies that relaxed them, rather than be given dramas or comedies that required energy and attention. This remarkable evening of entertainment included such long-running radio stalwarts as "The Telephone Hour", "The Voice of Firestone", and "The Cities Service Band of America" - but, as of October 1949, the evening began with a musical program that would soon become must-hear weekly listening for most households: "The Railroad Hour", starring a young and handsome baritone named Gordon MacRae.
Sponsored by the Association of American Railroads, a lobbying organization which represented most of the railroads in the United States, "The Railroad Hour" presented vest-pocket versions of some of the most popular and beloved musicals and operettas of all time - everything from the romantic melodies of Victor Herbert and Sigmund Romberg right through to the modern musical comedies of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Irving Berlin. In these lush and tuneful half-hours, star and leading man Gordon MacRae was joined by a host of leading ladies - including MGM and Warner Brothers vocalist Lucille Norman, Metropolitan Opera stars Dorothy Kirsten and Nadine Conner, Dorothy Warenskjold of the San Francisco Opera Company, as well as guest artists like Jane Powell, Jeanette MacDonald, Kenny Baker, Eileen Wilson, and Patrice Munsel.
The rich, room-filling music was provided by maestro Carmen Dragon, an arranger/conductor with vast musical experience in both radio and motion pictures, and the dozen or so members of the Norman Luboff choir; together, these two musical experts gave "The Railroad Hour" a sound that was both distinctive and unique, even in an medium that was known at the time for large-scale musical programs. But it was the expert voice of announcer Marvin Miller that really brought the show together. Setting the scene for each program with the announcement "Ladies and gentlemen, the Railroad Hour!", listeners would then hear the sound of a train whistle in the distance as Miller went on to proclaim "And here comes the star-studded show train!" as the orchestra and chorus struck up the theme "I've Been Working on the Railroad", which increased in speed and intensity to suggest a fast-moving express train while Miller announced that evening's musical or operetta, ending with the introduction of star Gordon MacRae.
 In his role as host and leading man, MacRae generally narrated the programs, giving listeners the basic structure of the plot as the show went along. It helped that the librettos of most popular operettas were little more than bare-bones plots upon which to hang romantic melodies, but large-scale epic musicals sometimes suffered from the truncation required to turn a two- or three-hour show into a half-hour of familiar melodies. The complicated and multi-layered plot of "Showboat", for instance, becomes nothing more than the misbegotten romance of a riverboat gambler and a romantic young lady. Still, many of the familiar Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II melodies are featured - including "Old Man River" which, since "The Railroad Hour" had no deep-voiced black bass in its cast, is given instead to the choir to perform.
 The job of adapting massive musicals and full-scale operettas for the half-hour format fell to Jean Holloway and the writing team of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Holloway, who herself was also a singer and musician, had earlier written for such programs as "The Kate Smith Hour" and "Mr. President", while Lawrence and Lee had honed their writing skills as two of the first staff members of the Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II. All three had considerable knowledge of both music and theater; Lawrence and Lee, in fact, would in later years write the Broadway classic "Auntie Mame" and its musical counterpart "Mame", as well as such well-known plays as "Inherit the Wind" and "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail". The "Railroad Hour's" director was Francis "Fran" Van Hartesveldt, a former professional musician and arranger who had turned to work in advertising agencies in the late 1930s.
Though "The Railroad Hour" is today remembered primarily for its striking musicals and operettas, the summertime broadcasts of the series were equally effective. While most popular network programs left the airwaves between June and September to be replaced by less expensive forms of entertainment, "The Railroad Summer Show Train" continued to offer superior musical entertainment. Rather than presenting adaptations of stage successes, however, the summer programs instead offered musical tributes to various composers, offering selections of their best known works with a bit of history about how they came to be written. Unlike the regular season, the programs were prerecorded (or "transcribed", as they called it in those days); MacRae continued as host, with Dragon and occasionally other conductors taking the baton.
One of the unfortunate things about the often sorry state of radio show preservation is the sad way that such well-produced programs as "The Railroad Hour" have survived the decades. For years, many of the programs from the series available to collectors existed only in inferior sound, frequently marred by wobbly transfers that turned the wonderful melodies and arrangements into nearly unlistenable exercises in musical torture. Not so with this ten-hour collection of broadcasts from Radio Archives. We've gone directly to the source - the original lacquer master recordings, made for the Benton & Bowles advertising agency - to ensure the best and highest quality sound possible. The disks, cut by Radio Recorders in Los Angeles during the original broadcasts and long stored away in Las Vegas, Nevada, were in excellent condition and required only minimal restoration to sound as fresh and sparkling as if they were recorded just last week, rather than well over fifty years ago. The result is twenty programs that provide not only outstanding entertainment for today's listeners but that also stand as a tribute to the talent and production techniques that went into their creation so many years ago.
If you love Broadway musicals, romantic operettas, or the popular songs of the mid-20th century, you'll love "The Railroad Hour" - especially in this outstanding collection from Radio Archives. Here is the complete content of this ten-hour collection:
#110 Irene
Music by Harry Tierney, with lyrics by Joseph Montgomery and James Montgomery
With Gordon MacRae, Eileen Wilson, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, November 6, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#164 Jubilee
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
With Gordon MacRae, Dorothy Kirsten, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, November 19, 1951 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#168 Rosalie
Music by George Gershwin and Sigmund Romberg, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and P.G. Wodehouse
With Gordon MacRae, Nadine Conner, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, December 17, 1951 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#102 Musical Memories of 1933
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, September 11, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#53 Showboat
Music by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
With Gordon MacRae, Dorothy Kirsten, Lucille Norman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, October 3, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#44 A Salute to Ethelbert Nevin
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, the Sportsmen Quartet, John Rarig and his Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, August 1, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#56 Music in the Air
Music by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
With Gordon MacRae, Jane Powell, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, October 24, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#46 A Salute to Mack Gordon and Josef Myrow
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, The Sportsmen Quartet, John Rarig and his Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, August 15, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#78 Sunny
Music by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II
With Gordon MacRae, Jo Stafford, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, March 27, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#88 Musical Memories of 1937
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, June 5, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#83 Sally
Music by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Gay Bolton and Clifford Grey
With Gordon MacRae, Marion Bell, Jack Kirkwood, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, May 1, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#89 Musical Memories of 1931
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, June 12, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#129 Apple Blossoms
Music by Fritz Kreisler and Victor Jacobi, with lyrics by William LeBaron
With Gordon MacRae, Dorothy Kirsten, Francis X, Bushman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, March 19, 1951 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#93 Musical Memories of 1934
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, July 10, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#139 Katinka
Music by Rudolf Friml, with lyrics by Otto Harbach
With Gordon MacRae, Annamary Dickey, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, May 28, 1951 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#95 Musical Memories of 1938
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, July 24, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#162 Rose Marie
Music by Rudolph Friml and Herbert Stothart, with lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II
With Gordon MacRae, Dorothy Kirsten, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, November 5, 1951 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#97 Musical Memories of 1932
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, August 7, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#163 The Bohemian Girl
Music and lyrics by Michael William Balfe
With Gordon MacRae, Dorothy Kirsten, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, November 12, 1951 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
#100 Musical Memories of 1929
With Gordon MacRae, Lucille Norman, The Norman Luboff Choir, Carmen Dragon and the Railroad Hour Orchestra, and announcer Marvin Miller
Monday, August 28, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by the Association of American Railroads
In 1951, the Association of American Railroads issued a small booklet to fans of "The Railroad Hour". In it are photographs of the cast, information on broadcasts, and brief biographies of the people involved in the production of the program. Radio Archives thought you might enjoy reading more about the people who created and starred in "The Railroad Hour".
Gordon MacRae, Singing Star
The career of Gordon MacRae, the young baritone star of the Railroad Hour, is a saga of America, the story of a youth who knew what he wanted and was able to get it because his abilities had the encouragement and guidance of understanding parents and the climate of freedom in which to grow.
Gordon was born in East Orange, New Jersey. In his childhood he moved with his parents to Buffalo, and later to Syracuse, New York. There the youngster became locally famous for his acting, singing and mimicking talents. He participated wholeheartedly in school dramatics, operettas and musical comedies. The debating society and athletics also claimed his attention, and he won his letter in several sports.
The field that riveted Gordon's interest was acting and singing. While attending Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, he played leading roles in several productions and helped organize a group of fellow students for personal appearances throughout New England.
In his school days Gordon toured England, France, Germany, Switzerland and Holland. Time and again that experience has proved of value to him in interpreting the assorted European characters he portrays in operettas and musical comedies.
At nineteen, Gordon won a magazine talent contest. The prize was a two weeks engagement in a show at the New York World's Fair. He then joined the Millpond Players at Roslyn, Long Island. After a brief stay, he got a job as a page boy at the NBC Studios in New York. There, Horace Heidt, the noted orchestra leader, offered him a tryout. Gordon accepted, and toured the country with Heidt's Orchestra. While in Cleveland, Ohio, he married Sheila Stephens, whom he had met when she was star of the Millpond Players.
In 1942, Gordon made his stage debut in the Broadway hit "Junior Miss." When the show closed, he joined the aviation cadets, advancing from private to first lieutenant in the air branch. Returning to civilian life in 1945, Gordon landed a role as the romantic juvenile in "Three to Make Ready." By this time he was much in demand as a singer. In 1947 he was put under contract by Warner Brothers and Capitol Records. Then in 1948 came the greatest opportunity of all when Gordon was selected for the top role in the show that millions of Americans hear every Monday evening--The Railroad Hour.
Intensely serious about his work, Gordon is yet casual, relaxed and informal. He trusts people implicitly, and people like him instinctively. Gordon and Sheila have three fine children - two girls and a boy - Meredith Lynn, Heather Allison and William Gordon, in descending order of age.
Carmen Dragon, Musical Director
Carmen Dragon, who both arranges and directs the music on the Railroad Hour show, is one of radio's most talented and versatile musical directors.
Born in Antioch, California, Carmen inherited his love of music from parents whose household hummed with musical practicing, Carmen and his two brothers contributing their share of the noise. The family held weekly musical sessions, with each member alternating on as many as three instruments. Through these family ensembles, Carmen developed a specific talent on the trombone and bass, and he later played both instruments in symphony orchestras.
During high school days, he played piano, trumpet, trombone, string bass and tuba.
Carmen's musical education took no specific direction until he entered San Jose State College where he received advanced training in orchestration, composition, counterpoint and other highly technical subjects. He finally settled on conductorship as his particular musical field and made his first professional appearances with a band that toured West Coast colleges playing for dances and proms.
In San Francisco he achieved an extraordinary distinction for his 22 years when he became staff arranger for Meredith Willson, who then headed the NBC San Francisco orchestra. When Wilson went to Hollywood in 1937, Carmen became his chief arranger. When Wilson entered the Army, Carmen took over his baton. His talents as an arranger and his professional skill as an orchestra leader were in constant demand in motion pictures and radio. His score for "Cover Girl" won an Academy award in 1944. Dragon is not only a professional musician, he is also a composer in his spare time.
As musical director and arranger of the Railroad Hour, Dragon is called upon to adapt some of the world's finest musical literature to the requirements of a half-hour radio program each week. He must not only adapt the music, preserving its mood, but must fit the adaptation to the requirements of the script. How well he has succeeded in doing this is attested by the growing popularity of the Railroad Hour.
Norman Luboff, Choral Director
The chorus, led by Norman Luboff, together with the orchestra, provides the essential background of mood and atmosphere for the Railroad Hour. It embellishes the personalities of the main actors, emphasizes action and connects the threads of the narrative into a complete story.
Norman Luboff's training as a vocalist began in grade school in Chicago, and continued through his undergraduate days at the University of Chicago, where he became a protégé of the famed choral conductor, Noble Cain. Encouraged by his fine baritone voice, Luboff envisioned a career as a singer. Upon his graduation from the University in 1940, however, he took up teaching music theory at Chicago Central College and became interested in composition and directing. After three years in the Army Signal Corps during World War II, Luboff located in New York, where he became choral director of two top radio shows.
The mixed group he directs in support of Gordon MacRae and guest stars each Monday evening includes some of the top names in the field of choral work - Gene Lahnam, baritone, a noted director in his own right; Bill Lee, bass, famed also as a trombonist; Gil Mershon, first tenor, widely known as a soloist; second tenor Bob Wacker, who has a national reputation for his singing commercials. In the feminine contingent of the Railroad Hour chorus are several who have established themselves in the highest range of choral singers.
In preparation for the Railroad Hour each Monday evening, Luboff first meets with orchestra leader Carmen Dragon to go over the arrangements. Luboff scores the individual lead sheets for each chorister and works out the introductions and fadeouts. Then the chorus meets as a unit for a busy session just before full cast rehearsals. Each member contributes suggestions, and Luboff, if possible, incorporates them into the script. By the time the program is ready to go on the air, the director claims he can forget about effects and technicalities and join his hearty baritone into the blend of voices which sets the mood and atmosphere for the show.
Jean Holloway, Writer
Jean Holloway is a young woman of many talents. Singer, actress, musician and writer, she adapts to radio requirements many of the original works of the famous composers whose musical masterpieces are heard on the Railroad Hour. Miss Holloway's creativeness, skill and writing technique enable her to compress two-and-a-half-hour stage shows into half-hour radio productions.
Jean began taking music lessons at the age of seven. Before she had reached her teens, she was showing promise in dramatics. She loved play acting; she wanted to be an actress. While attending San Jose State College in California, she began to write dramatic skits with good parts in them for herself. When she visited New York she took along a few scripts she had written. One was shown to Kate Smith, and Miss Holloway was surprised when the famous singer accepted it and asked for others. This led to her first contract as full-time writer. Then but nineteen years of age, Jean sidetracked her ambitions for a stage career and soon became one of the top scriptwriters.
Lawrence and Lee, Writers
Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee are masters of the art of adapting stage musicals to the format of radio programs. Their skill as adapters and their ability to create original works have carried the two Ohioans to the top rank in the intensely competitive field of radio and television writing.
Jerome Lawrence was born in Cleveland. He was graduated from Ohio State University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. For a while he was editor of a small town daily newspaper. Moving to California, Lawrence worked at an independent radio station until he was employed by one of the large networks.
Robert E. Lee was born in Elyria, Ohio, and was graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University. A career in advertising was his goal, so he applied for and got a job as a director-producer with one of the major agencies in New York City.
In military service during World War II, the two pooled their talents in writing and directing programs for the entertainment of service men. Since leaving military service, they have continued to work together as a team.
Marvin Miller, Announcer
When the "show train" is announced from the NBC studio in Hollywood each Monday evening, the program of music is preceded by the voice of Marvin Miller, speaking for the sponsors. Friendly, enthusiastic, dignified, announcer Miller greets millions of listeners and welcomes them to the sparkling entertainment provided on the Railroad Hour.
Miller's training for his career as a radio announcer began in his high school days in St. Louis, his home town, where he won several oratorical contests. As a freshman at Washington University, he added acting to his other talents. He decided that radio offered a natural outlet for his energies. He quickly won an audition at a local station and got a job. He wrote the dialogue for and played the parts of two Englishmen, two Frenchmen, two Americans, an Italian and a straight man for a five-days-a-week show. This superman stint led to a small dramatic role and eventually a staff announcing job at the largest St. Louis station.
With a job he liked, Miller enrolled again at Washington University, and in 1934 received his bachelor's degree. He then concentrated on music study and became one of the nation's foremost announcers in that field. Meanwhile, he had attained fame as a news broadcaster.
Having exhausted the possibilities in St. Louis, Miller moved to Chicago, where he soon became a leading announcer and actor. Just before moving to Hollywood in 1944 he was appearing on an average of 45 broadcasts a week and was dubbed, by Variety, "Chicago's one-man radio industry."
Currently busy with a heavy schedule of radio and picture assignments, Miller yet finds time to write poetry, read many books, and collect classical recordings running into the thousands. He is presently at work on a book of verse of his own composition.
Francis Van Hartesveldt, Director
A professional musician who decided to become a radio director is the guiding hand behind the Railroad Hour each Monday evening. His name is Francis Van Hartesveldt, and, especially appropriate in view of his Dutch moniker, he grew up in the picturesque town of Holland, Michigan, near his birthplace at Grand Rapids.
"Fran," as he prefers to be known, attended Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, where he majored in music. During his college days, he earned quite a reputation and some money playing the saxophone in itinerant dance bands on the collegiate circuit.
After winning his diploma, Van Hartesveldt graduated into "big time" orchestras. From 1935 until 1937 he was an instrumentalist and arranger with various noted organizations. Then, he changed his mind about being a musician and went to New York to look for a job in advertising.
His first job was as a messenger in a major agency. Gradually he found himself most interested in radio production, and when a job opened in the radio department, Van Hartesveldt asked for and got it. He worked himself up to staff producer, and, as time passed, the list of his credits grew to include some of the best-known programs on the air.
The director of a top-flight radio show such as the Railroad Hour needs an absorbing hobby, and Van Hartesveldt has one that occupies him profitably. He and Mrs. Van Hartesveldt and their eight-year-old daughter, Patricia, raise Welsh Terriers at their San Fernando Valley home in North Hollywood. "Fran" is president of the Welsh Terrier Breeders Club of Southern California. When they have time away from the kennels, the Van Hartesveldts enjoy horseback riding. Both avid baseball fans, they find time to attend a few games each season.
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