The Lux Radio Theatre, Volume 2

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The Lux Radio Theatre
Volume 2

"Lux Presents Hollywood!"

Cecil B. DeMille, host of "The Lux Radio Theatre"

Old-time radio enthusiasts are in near unanimous agreement that, during its heyday, "The Lux Radio Theatre" (1934-55) was radio’s most important dramatic hour. The series commanded the crème de la crème of Hollywood’s silver screen stars, the biggest budgets, the best writing, directing and sound effects, and no less than Hollywood’s foremost film director, Cecil B. DeMille, as the program’s master of ceremonies.

"The Lux Radio Theatre" premiered on the Blue Network October 14, 1934, but switched to CBS on July 29, 1935 for what would become a nearly twenty-year run on Monday nights at 9:00 PM. The show was originally designed to be an anthology of the Broadway stage, but at J. Walter Thompson, the agency in charge of the Lever Brothers/Lux account, an executive named Danny Denker saw the handwriting on the wall and soon persuaded the agency and network to have the show moved west. This reasoning - why not go directly to the stars instead of having them come to you? - proved to be precisely the ticket that soon vaulted Lux in the top-ten of network radio shows. The inaugural Hollywood broadcast on June 1, 1936, "The Legionnaire and the Lady”, set the standard for future "Lux Radio Theatre" programs: budgeted at $17,000.00, star Marlene Dietrich scored a $5,000.00 payday while her co-star, Clark Gable, pocketed $3,500.00. The show’s new host, the celebrated DeMille himself, earned $2,000.00 - an amount which would quickly become his weekly salary.

“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend” is a fitting way to describe the story of the long-time host of "The Lux Radio Theatre", who was often shown in publicity photographs as overseeing every aspect of each broadcast. As research has revealed, C. B. DeMille’s contributions to Lux were more along the lines of acting as opposed to directing or producing. The show’s real directors - Tony Stanford, Frank Woodruff, Fred MacKaye, and Earl Ebi - did all of the heavy lifting from week to week, including keeping the stars’ egos in check and making sure everything went off without a hitch. DeMille’s responsibility was simply to lend prestige to the series by providing the weekly introduction, “interviewing” the stars, and signing off with the flowery “This is Cecil B. DeMille saying goodnight from Holly—wood!” The director’s dedication to the show was such that he was once quoted as saying “he wouldn’t give up the job for a million dollars.” As it happened, he was willing to give up Lux for one dollar: when AFRA (the American Federation of Radio Artists) levied a $1.00 fine to those Lux participants unwilling to side with the union in a “right to work” dispute, DeMille refused to go against his principles and left the show in January 1945. Journeyman director William Keighley replaced him in the fall of that year, and was replaced in 1952 by Irving Cummings, who stayed with Lux until its cancellation in 1955.

As "The Lux Radio Theatre" neared the end of its lengthy radio run, some anonymous bean-counter guesstimated that, over the course of the series, Lux had gone through 52,000 pages of scripts, 496 stars (Fred MacMurray and Loretta Young made the most appearances, with 26 and 25, respectively), 1,467 supporting players, 18,667 music cues and 22,667 special effects. Naturally, for the ten programs included in this second Radio Archives collection, this is just the tip of the iceberg. But the listener of today certainly won’t be disappointed with the fine audio quality and first-class star lineup brought to you in this newly restored and remastered six-hour showcase, transferred from C. B. DeMille's own recording library and restored for sparkling audio fidelity.

Clark Gable

The Buccaneer
Starring Clark Gable, Olympe Bradna, and Gertrude Michael
Clark Gable stars as Jean Lafitte, the buccaneer who came to the aid of Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans, in this adaptation of the 1938 film directed by series host Cecil B. DeMille. Author and historian Rupert Hughes is the intermission guest. Based on a book by Lyle Saxon and a story and screenplay by Jeanie Macpherson, Edwin Justus Mayer, Harold Lamb, and C. Gardner Sullivan, the script was adapted for radio by George Wells and features Akim Tamiroff, Clara Blandick, Edmond Elton, Montague Shaw, Frank Nelson, Olympe Bradna, Jack Carr, Gertrude Michael, Lou Merrill, Earle Ross, John Fee, Reginald Sheffield, Harry Humphrey, Eddie Waller, Lois Collier, Earl Gunn, Vic DeMourell, Tony Paton, George Pembroke, Libby Taylor, Geraldine Peck, Cracker Henderson, Ross Forrester, Lee Millar, Perry Ivins, and announcer Melville Ruick. Music is by Louis Silvers and the production is directed by Frank Woodruff.
Monday, November 14, 1938 - 60:00 - CBS, sponsored by Lux Soap

Miriam Hopkins

Confession
Starring Miriam Hopkins, Claude Rains, Richard Greene, and Ann Shirley
The love of a rogue musician causes a famous opera singer's career to be reduced from stage stardom to common variety attraction in this adaptation of the 1937 Warner Brothers film, based on an earlier German release. Cecil B. DeMille hosts the drama, based on a screenplay by Hans Rameau, Julius Epstein, and Margaret Le Vino and adapted for radio by George Wells. The program also features Cy Kendall, Margaret Brayton, Lou Merrill, Ted Osborne, Arthur Van Slyke, Myra Marsh, Ethel Sykes, Frank Nelson, Edwin Max, David Kerman, Elia Braca, Jerrie Gail, Justina Wayne, Teresa Carmo, James Eagles, Sarah Selby, Jo Ann Ransom, Mildred Carroll, Ross Forrester, and announcer Melville Ruick. Music is by Louis Silvers and the production is directed by Sanford Barnett.
Monday, November 21, 1938 - 60:00 - CBS, sponsored by Lux Soap

Leslie Howard

The Scarlet Pimpernel
Starring Leslie Howard and Olivia DeHavilland
Leslie Howard revisits his 1934 film role as a daring Englishman with a secret identity who bedevils the French during the days of the Revolution. The intermission guest is Madame Hilda Grenier, former royal dresser to Queen Mary, who is interviewed by host Cecil B. DeMille. Based on the screenplay by Lajos Biró, S.N. Behrman, Robert E. Sherwood, and Arthur Wimperis, as adapted for radio by George Wells, the program also features Lou Merrill, Keith Kenneth, Ramsay Hill, George Pembrook, Gerald Cornell, Geraldine Peck, Ethel Sykes, John Toti, Betty Sutter, Coral Colebrook, Dave Roberts, Denis Green, Eric Snowden, Reginald Sheffield, Vernon Steele, Walter Kingsford, Carolyn Newell, Ross Forrester, Frank Nelson, and announcer Melville Ruick. Music is by Louis Silvers and the production is directed by Frank Woodruff.
Monday, December 12, 1938 - 60:00 - CBS, sponsored by Lux Soap

Edward G. Robinson

Kid Galahad
Starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Wayne Morris, and Andrea Leeds
Fight promoter Nick Donati (Edward G. Robinson) grooms a bellhop (Wayne Morris) as a future champ, but has second thoughts when the fighter falls for his sister (Andrea Leeds). Based on the 1937 Warner Brothers film written by Seton I. Miller and Frances Wallace, as adapted for radio by George Wells, the program also stars Joan Bennett and, as intermission guests, former heavyweight boxing champions Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, introduced by host Cecil B. DeMille. Featured in the cast are Chester Clute, Cy Kendall, Edwin Max, Frank Nelson, Joe Cunningham, Lou Merrill, Ross Forrester, Galan Galt, David Kerman, Joe Frenz, George Pembroke, Ruth Weston, Eddie Kane, Stewart Wilson, Cracker Henderson, Margaret McKay, Celeste Rush, Pauline Gould, George Webb, and announcer Melville Ruick. Music is by Louis Silvers and the production is directed by Frank Woodruff.
Monday, December 19, 1938 - 60:00 - CBS, sponsored by Lux Soap

Errol Flynn

The Perfect Specimen
Starring Errol Flynn, Joan Blondell, and May Robson
A multi-millionaire, bred by his grandmother to be a perfect specimen of manhood, encounters a madcap reporter and soon takes off to become his own person. The three leading players revive their roles in this adaptation of the 1937 comedy, based on a story by Samuel Hopkins Adams. During the intermission, host Cecil B. DeMille interviews Dr. Floyd L. Ruch, an associate professor of psychology. Adapted for radio by George Wells, the program also stars Lou Merrill, Frank Nelson, Byron K. Foulger, Lindsay MacHarrie, Alma Lloyd, Clem Bevins, Eddie Waller, Ross Forrester, Gay Seabrook, Billy Bletcher, Bob Burleson, Earle Ross, Lou Fulton, Edward Marr, Caroline Frasher, Raoul DeLeon, Gil Patric, David Kerman, Margaret Brayton, and announcer Melville Ruick. Music is by Louis Silvers and the production is directed by Frank Woodruff.
Monday, January 2, 1939 - 60:00 - CBS, sponsored by Lux Soap

Fred MacMurray

Front Page Woman
Starring Fred MacMurray, Paulette Goddard, and Roscoe Karnes
A plucky woman reporter (Paulette Goddard) tries to prove she's just as good as any man, but runs into considerable trouble when she attempts to track down a murderer. Fred MacMurray costars in this adaptation of the 1935 Warner Brothers film, which also features Roscoe Karnes reprising his original film role. The intermission guest is newspaper reporter Floyd Gibbons. Cecil B. DeMille hosts; others in the cast include David Starling, Edward Marr, Elinor Harriet, Elizabeth Wilbur, Frank Nelson, Harry Humphrey, Ynez Seabury, James Eagles, James Robbins, Joe Franz, John Fee, Lee Millar, Lindsay MacHarrie, Lou Merrill, Margaret Brayton, Mary Jane Karns, Rolfe Sedan, Ross Forrester, Sidney Newman, Ted Osborne, Abe Reynolds, and announcer Melville Ruick. Based on a story and screenplay by Richard Macauley, Laird Doyle, Lillie Hayward, and Roy Chanslor, adapted for radio by George Wells, the program was directed by Frank Woodruff and features music by Louis Silvers.
Monday, January 16, 1939 - 60:00 - CBS, sponsored by Lux Soap

Average Customer Review: Average Customer Review: 5 of 5

5 of 5 Total Reviews: 2 Write a review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent shows	July 29, 2024
Reviewer: Stephen K Lau from Atlanta, GA United States

Stage Door is great. I got movie many years ago as part of package, and the radio version is a nice condensed version.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Hollywood on the Radio.......	May 25, 2022
Reviewer: Richard McLeod from RIVERSIDE, CA United States

The LUX Radio Theater is one of the best known Radio Show during the Golden Age of Radio and had its' counterpart in Australia with the LUX Australian Radio Theater, equally as impressive. This boxed set is a good example of the quality this Radio Show was known to provide. Cecil B. DeMille as the Host for most of its' run, and his famous interviews at the end of each Show, have become a Hallmark of the Show. His voice at the time, was probably one of the most recognizable in America. The Radio Archives Staff have again restored one of the most popular Shows on Radio in crystal clarity and exceptional High Fidelity sound. The LUX Radio Theater is a must to have for any person who enjoys Classic Hollywood Films and Radio's "Theater of the Mind" with some of the best writing and production standards of any program ever aired during the Golden Age of Radio. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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