Mayor of the Town (radio program)
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | NBC CBS ABC Mutual |
| Starring | Lionel Barrymore Agnes Moorehead Conrad Binyon |
| Announcer | Harlow Wilcox Frank Martin Ken Peters |
| Written by | Jean Holloway Leonard St. Clair Howard Blake Howard Breslin Charles Tazwell Erna Lazarus |
| Directed by | Jack Van Nostrand |
| Produced by | Murray Bolen Knowles Entrikin |
| Original release | September 6, 1942 – July 3, 1949 |
| Sponsored by | Rinso Noxzema Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company |
Mayor of the Town is a radio comedy-drama in the United States. From September 6, 1942, to July 3, 1949, it was broadcast at various times on ABC, CBS, Mutual and NBC.[1]
Format
A review of the program in the trade publication Billboard had little positive to say. The writer opined that except for selling the sponsor's product, Mayor of the Town "is otherwise devoid of merit."[3] By way of explanation, he added, "From its very inception, almost every phase of 'Mayor of the Town' is the most palpable of contrivance; stock characters, stock plot and the lowest grade of corn."[3]
In contrast, radio historian
Personnel
In addition to Barrymore, Moorehead and Binyon, actors on Mayor of the Town included Gloria McMillan (Sharlee Bronson, Butch's girlfriend), Priscilla Lyon (Holly-Ann, the mayor's granddaughter)[1] and Bill Wright (the sheriff).[5] Dunning noted that Barrymore's involvement went beyond his acting. "He insisted on meticulous attention to detail, even though others were in charge of production. Barrymore had a way of knowing what lines were wrong and why."[4]
The announcer was Frank Martin.[6] Wilbur Hatch led the orchestra.[7] Music directors were Gordon Jenkins[8] and Bernard Katz.[9] Con Maffie played organ for the show.[10]
Arthur Trask was producer and director;[11] Jack Van Nostrand. also directed.[12] Writers were Howard Blake,[13] Leonard St. Clair,[12] Howard Breslin, Charles Tazwell,[14] Jean Holloway[15] and Erna Lazarus.[1]
Schedule
On January 2, 1949, the program moved to Mutual, where it was broadcast on Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.[11]
Television version
In 1954, a syndicated television version of Mayor of the Town aired in the United States. It starred Thomas Mitchell as Mayor Thomas Russell, Kathleen Freeman as Marilly, and David Saber as Butch.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
mayor of the town dunning.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7616-3. P. 173.
- ^ a b Franken, Jerry (November 29, 1947). "Mayor of the Town". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0-13-932616-2. P. 400.
- ^ Abbott, Sam (January 30, 1943). "Hollywood". Billboard. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- ^ Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1949). The 1949 Radio Annual. Radio Daily Corp. P. 940.
- ^ Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1944). The 1944 Radio Annual. Radio Daily Corp. P. 775.
- ^ Abbott, Sam (December 19, 1942). "Hollywood". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ "Main Street" (PDF). Radio Daily. May 26, 1947. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ISSN 0040-5531.
- ^ a b "Mayor of the Town". Variety. January 12, 1949. p. 22. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ a b Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1948). The 1948 Radio Annual. Radio Daily Corp. P. 952.
- ^ Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1946). The 1946 Radio Annual. Radio Daily Corp. P. 814.
- ^ "Main Street" (PDF). Radio Daily. July 8, 1946. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ "Behind the Mike" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 5, 1942. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
External links
Audio
- Streaming episodes from Old Time Radio Researchers Group library
- One set of streaming episodes from Internet Archive
- Another set of streaming episodes from Internet Archive