Mr. President (radio series)
Mr. President was a radio series that ran on the ABC Network from June 26, 1947,[1] to September 23, 1953.
Genre | Drama |
---|---|
Running time | 30 minutes |
Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Syndicates | ABC |
Starring | Edward Arnold |
Created by | Robert G. Jennings |
Written by | Jean Holloway Ira Marion |
Directed by | Robert G. Jennings |
Produced by | Dick Woollen |
Original release | June 26, 1947 – September 23, 1953 |
Format
Each half-hour episode was based on an incident in the life of one of the people who have held the office of President of the United States, but the dialogs were written in such a way as not to reveal the name of the President until the last line of dialog at the end of the program, when the President would be addressed by name. An advertisement for the program noted, "Each week the suspense mounts from his first question, 'Which one of our 32 Presidents am I?'"[2] The audience was thus encouraged to guess, from the plot of the episode, which President it was.
Personnel
The series was created by Robert G. Jennings[2] and written by a team that included Jean Holloway, Bernard Dougall and Ira Marion. A research staff made certain that the stories were accurate. It was produced and directed by Dick Woolen.[3]
The President each week was played by Edward Arnold, with supporting performances by Bea Benaderet, Gil Stratton, Hans Conried, Lurene Tuttle, Nina Bara[4] and Herb Butterfield. The announcer was Owen James.
Award
In 1953, Mr. President received the Award of Merit from the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.[5]
References
- "Edward Arnold Is Often Called 'Mr. President' In Private Life". Denton Record-Chronicle. Denton Record-Chronicle. February 3, 1952. p. 14. Retrieved August 18, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(advertisement)". Variety. February 25, 1948. p. 31. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 454.
- Staff, “Space Girl ‘Tonga’ to Appear At White-Barne Grand Opening,” The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 17 November 1954, Volume LXI, Number 67, page 8.
- "'Mr. President' Honored" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 4, 1953. p. 11. Retrieved 23 April 2015.