Academy Award - Single Episodes
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- Publication date
- 2020-01-01
ACADEMY AWARD
Academy Award was a CBS radio anthology series which presented 30-minute adaptations of plays, novels or films. The program's title is listed in one source as Academy Award Theater.
Rather than adaptations of Oscar-winning films, as the title implied, the series offered "Hollywood's finest, the great picture plays, the great actors and actresses, techniques and skills, chosen from the honor roll of those who have won or been nominated for the famous golden Oscar of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."
With that as a guideline, any drama could be presented as long as the cast included at least one Oscar-nominated performer. For example, Robert Nathan's 1940 novel Portrait of Jennie was not released as a film until 1949. David O. Selznick, having acquired the rights to Nathan's novel in 1944, was spending much time and money in his efforts to bring it to the screen. Thus, Academy Award's December 4, 1946, adaptation of Portrait of Jennie, with John Lund and Oscar-winner Joan Fontaine, had a promotional aspect, concluding with host/announcer Hugh Brundage revealing, "Portrait of Jennie is soon to be a Selznick International picture starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten."
The program initially aired on Saturdays at 7pm (Eastern) through June, then moved to Wednesdays at 10pm (Eastern). Frank Wilson scripted the 30-minute adaptations for producer-director Dee Englebach, and Leith Stevens provided the music. Frank Wilson was the script writer. The sound effects crew included Gene Twombly, Jay Roth, Clark Casey and Berne Surrey.
The series began March 30, 1946, with Bette Davis, Anne Revere and Fay Bainter in Jezebel. On that first show, Jean Hersholt spoke as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, welcoming the E.R. Squibb & Sons pharmaceutical company "The House Of Squibb" as the program's sponsor. It was an expensive show to produce since the stars cost $4,000 a week, and another $1,600 went each week to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the use of their name in the show's title. This eventually became a factor in Squibb's decision to cancel the series after only 39 weeks.
Dramas in which actors recreated their original film roles included Henry Fonda in Young Mr. Lincoln, Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, Cary Grant in Suspicion, Gregory Peck in The Keys of the Kingdom, and Ronald Colman in Lost Horizon. Of the 39 episodes, only six actors recreated their own Oscar-winning roles: Fay Bainter, Bette Davis, Paul Lukas, Victor McLaglen, Paul Muni and Ginger Rogers.
The series ended December 18, 1946, with Margaret O'Brien and one of the series' frequent supporting players, Jeff Chandler (appearing under his real name, Ira Grossel) in Lost Angel.
The material for this series synopsis was originally published at www.wikipedia.com.NOTE: Updated with Version 4 files on 01-Jan-2020.
NOTE: Updated with Version 3.1 files on 23-July-2012.
From the Old Time Radio Researchers Group. See "Notes" Section below for more information on the OTRR.
Notes
OLD TIME RADIO RESEARCHERS GROUP
This is a production of the Old Time Radio Researchers (OTRR) Group located at Old Time Radio Researchers Website (www.otrr.org), Old Time Radio Researchers Facebook Group, and Old Time Radio Researchers Group.
It contains the most complete and accurate version of this series in the best sound possible at the time of creation. An updated version will be issued if more episodes or better sounding ones become available.
This is the Single Episodes Page. The Certified Set includes extras not found here. It is located at OTRR Certified Set. This Single Episodes page is provided in case you want to sample the shows. Note that in many cases, file names have been modified from the original OTRR names to conform to archive.org naming requirements.
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- Addeddate
- 2006-12-26 22:23:15
- Boxid
- OL100020404
- Identifier
- OTRR_Academy_Award_Theater_Singles
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Reviews
Reviewer:
OTRRArchive
-
-
January 5, 2020
Subject: Files Updated!
FYI:
Replaced files on this page from the Version 4 Release (01-Jan-2020).
For the full OTRR Release, see the OTRR Certified page:
OTRR Academy Award
- Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Subject: Files Updated!
FYI:
Replaced files on this page from the Version 4 Release (01-Jan-2020).
For the full OTRR Release, see the OTRR Certified page:
OTRR Academy Award
- Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Reviewer:
bstepno
-
favoritefavoritefavorite -
March 4, 2018
Subject: Arise my love
Subject: Arise my love
Anyone know who the leading lady in this production is? It was Claudette Colbert's part in the film version, but I don't think the radio show identifies anyone but Ray Milland, who was the co-star in both the film and this radio adaptation. The announcement also is unclear about what he won the Academy Award for. That was the 1946 award for the 1945 film Lost Weekend, not his performance in this movie.
Reviewer:
jtyroler
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favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
March 5, 2017
Subject: One of Radio's Best Shows
Subject: One of Radio's Best Shows
The only complaints I have about this program are it was only a 30 minute show (less the time for the intro, close, and words from the sponsor) and not using some of the actors playing other characters in the film. For example, in the Maltese Falcon, the 3 introduced actors are Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sidney Greenstreet, because they had all been nominated for an Academy Award - winning or being nominated for an Academy Award was the main reason for being on this short-lived program. However, another actor was playing the Peter Lorre role of Joel Cairo. As many times as I have watched "The Maltese Falcon" (and this might be part of the reasoning for this), you expect Peter Lorre's voice - not someone trying to imitate Peter Lorre's voice.
Other than that, this was one of the best radio programs that recreated the stories of some of the best movies of the era.
Other than that, this was one of the best radio programs that recreated the stories of some of the best movies of the era.
Reviewer:
ddsimpkins
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
January 12, 2016
Subject: Best of the Best
Subject: Best of the Best
This may be the best thing I have ever listened to. Bravo!!!
151,762 Views
77 Favorites
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MP3
Uplevel BACK
22.6M
Jezebel download
24.7M
Kitty Foyle download
23.7M
Snow White download
24.8M
Stagecoach download
24.9M
If I Were King download
22.4M
The Informer download
23.7M
Arise, My Love download
22.9M
Front Page download
25.8M
A Star Is Born download
25.4M
Vivacious Lady download
23.2M
Pinnochio download
24.2M
My Man Godfrey download
23.8M
Suspicion download
24.2M
Night Train download
23.1M
Brief Encounter download
22.5M
Lost Horizon download
22.6M
Lost Angel download
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