Hi! This is Mike Alexander. I can’t believe another week has gone by. It’s time once again for another journey back to The Golden Age of Radio to listen to some of the classic programs of that time. The Time Portal is just about ready to start the trip back. Why don’t you find a seat while I get things ready. While you’re doing that, let me tell you about this week’s journey.
This week we will honor Cary Grant whose birthday was January 18, 1904. We’ll travel to 1944 to listen to him in an episode from one of the premier thriller programs of the Golden Age of Radio. Then it’s off to 1947 for one of the top comedy programs with Grant as the guest star.
Before we start, here is the answer to last week’s question and the special Friday the 13th journey question. First, last week I asked for the name of the TV series for which Lionel Stander is best remembered. The answer is Hart To Hart. Stander played Max, the chauffer, cook and valet to the wealthy couple who had a penchant for solving crimes. ON the Special Friday the 13th journey, I asked you to name the other horror program for who Scott Bishop was the writer. The answer is The Strange Doctor Karnac.
All is set, so let’s begin our journey.
This first stop is to Thursday, November 30, 1944 to listen to Cary Grant starring in an episode of Suspense. Grant, born Archibald Leach, was an English-American actor. He was known for his accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of Hollywood’s definitive leading men from the 1930s until the mid-1960s. Born and brought up in Bristol, England, he became attracted to theater at a young age when he visited the Bristol Hippodrome. At the age of 16, he went as a stage performer with the Bob Pender Troupe of acrobats and comedians for a tour of the US. After a series of successful performances in New York City, he decided to stay there. He established a name for himself in vaudeville in the 1920s and toured the United States before moving to Hollywood in the early 1930s. Grant initially appeared in crime films or dramas such as Blonde Venus (1932) with Marlene Dietrich.
As I turn back the time porta’s radio dial to Thursday, November 30, 1944 here is Cary Grant starring in the Suspense episode titled “The Black Curtain.”
Grant gained famed for his performances in romantic screwball comedies such as The Awful Truth (1937) with Irene Dunne, Bringing Up Baby (1938) with Katharine Hepburn, His Girl Friday (1940) with Rosalind Russell, and The Philadelphia Story (1940) with Hepburn and James Stewart. He was also well received in dramas such as Only Angels Have Wings (1939) with Jean Arthur, Penny Serenade (1941) again with Dunne, and None but the Lonely Heart (1944) with Ethel Barrymore; he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the latter two.
You’re listening to the Unforgettable Radio Theater. Our journey back to The Golden Age of Radio will continue after this.
Welcome back to The Unforgettable Radio Theater and our trip back to The Golden Age of Radio. I’m Mike Alexander, your travel guide for the journey.
