Damon Runyon Theater
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damon_runyon.qxd:8 pg. Booklet 10/28/10 1:08 PM Page 1 CD 7B: “Dream Street Rose” 12/25/49 DAMON RUNYON THEATER The story of a woman, down on her luck thanks to a good-for-nothing man, Dolls and Guys and Broadway who is willing neither to forgive nor to forget. Program Guide by Elizabeth McLeod Guys and dolls, and scams and swindles — all wrapped up in one of the most distinctively colorful dialects ever concocted — that was the formula that made newspaperman/raconteur Damon Runyon one of the most popular, most widely- read figures of the Golden Age of the American Short Story. And that same formula, that same emphasis on clever turns of phrase and absurd twists of plot, was cut to measure for success in the most verbal medium of all: radio drama. But, perhaps the most absurd twist of all is that it wasn’t until nearly the end of Frank Lovejoy is heard in “Tobias the Terrible” and the Golden Age of Radio that Runyon’s classic characters and stories found their “Madame La Gimp.” ideal broadcast setting. Damon Runyon was first and foremost a New York Elizabeth McLeod is a journalist, author, and broadcast historian. She newspaperman — a received the 2005 Ray Stanich Award for excellence in broadcasting hard-boiled, ink-stained history research from the Friends of Old Time Radio. wretch of the old school, as stylized in his own way as any character he ever created, and as New York as the speckled cobblestones and sooty brickwork of the city itself. It is no surprise that he was born in Manhattan… until you discover that the Manhattan www.RadioSpirits.com that gave him root was the PO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424 one in Kansas. © 1982 American Rights Management Company, LLC, as successor-in-interest As a young man in of Sheldon Abend. All Rights Reserved by American Rights Management the last years of the Company, LLC.; any use without express written consent of American Rights 19th Century, Runyon Management Company, LLC is prohibited. followed in his father’s footsteps as a small-town Program Guide © 2010 Elizabeth McLeod and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved. newspaperman. And, he might have spent the rest 44282 of his life pecking out damon_runyon.qxd:8 pg. Booklet 10/28/10 1:08 PM Page 2 bucolic squibs describing the latest social events at the Grange Hall had the CD 3A: “Blood Spanish-American War not intervened. Military service opened young Runyon’s Pressure” 04/10/49 eyes to the wider, more colorful world around him, and no doubt the earthy All Broadway wants is characters of Army life were filed away for future reference in his ever- an evening of peace and sharpening writer’s mind. Those observational skills served him well when he at quiet — but try and find last arrived in the other, bigger Manhattan to begin a long career as a sportswriter it when “Rusty Charley” for William Randolph Hearst’s New York American. comes around. The Manhattan that young Damon Runyon invaded in those years just before the CD 3B: “Blonde Mink” first World War was a bustling, loud-mouthed, high-rolling town, full of 04/24/49 flamboyant sportsmen willing to bet on anything from how many foul balls Julie, a former prize would drop into the short right field of the Polo Grounds in any given game to fighter and loyal friend, how long it would take the head to dissolve on a warm glass of beer. A constant has been listening closely to the complaints and habitué of the ballpark, the race track, and the boxing ring, Runyon was Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando as Miss Sarah Brown and Sky Masterson fascinated by these men and their idiosyncratic speech — a mishmash of ethnic advice of his best from the 1955 film Guys and Dolls. and regional dialects that resembled nothing ever heard west of the Hudson pal…who happens to be River. Before long, these real-life grifters, gonifs, and sharpies were sanitized deceased. into the basis for a memorable fictional world, ultimately contributing the adjective “Runyonesque” to the American lexicon. CD 4A: “The Hottest Guy in the World” 05/15/49 World-famous yegg Big Jule finds that when you’re just out of jail it’s a good Runyon’s elaborate cast of high-living, crap-shooting hoods-and-hustlers-with- idea to keep out of trouble — no matter what! a-heart-of-gold began appearing as throwaways in his newspaper column. Gradually, he began framing them into actual narratives, fleshing them out into CD 4B: “Madame La Gimp” 06/19/49 full-fledged stories that quickly earned national distribution — first in Hearst The Madame is determined to spiff up for the wedding of her daughter, whom papers all over the country, and later as a long-running feature in the popular she hasn’t seen in fifteen years. Collier’s Weekly. Runyon’s characters all spoke a unique dialect, soon dubbed “Runyonese.” The rules were simple: CD 5A: “Bloodhounds of Broadway” 07/17/49 always speak in the present tense, avoid Broadway’s chum Regret is well named when he takes charge of rambunctious contractions, and use plenty of high- hound dogs Nip and Tuck (along with their Southern master). The story was flown racetrack bombast. Soon, readers adapted almost beyond recognition as a 1952 20th Century Fox musical. everywhere were savoring joyously gritty Broadway milieus populated by CD 5B: “Broadway Financier” 08/07/49 “typical Damon Runyon characters,” A doll by the name of Silk turns out to be a good bit tougher than her name. throwing off convoluted witticisms out of the corner of their mouths while CD 6A: “Social Error” 08/28/49 waiting for the next big score. Handsome Jack loves Midgie. Midgie does not return the compliment. Complications ensue. Runyon’s legacy was sealed in 1932, CD 6B: “Tight Shoes” 10/30/49 when a collection of his best stories A shoe clerk’s blunder leads to astonishing repercussions in the halls of power. came out in hardcover under the umbrella title “Guys and Dolls.” No CD 7A: “Neat Strip” 12/11/49 better title could have been chosen to A burlesque dolly sets her spangles for a well-bred Yale man, and all is well — Damon Runyon epitomize the down-to-earth appeal of until she has to meet his family. 2 7 damon_runyon.qxd:8 pg. Booklet 10/28/10 1:08 PM Page 3 MAYFAIR PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS his fictional world. Hollywood thrust contracts and checks his way, bringing DAMON RUNYON THEATRE several of his best pieces to the screen over the next decade, featuring stars Inspired by the works of DAMON RUNYON from Shirley Temple to Bob Hope. But, remarkably, nearly twenty years passed Featuring JOHN BROWN as “BROADWAY” before his works received a proper radio showcase. Adapted by RUSSELL HUGHES Occasional adaptations of Runyon Production Supervised by VERN CARSTENSEN stories did make it to the air from the 1930s forward, enlivening anthology Directed by RICHARD SANVILLE and variety series as diverse as Screen Guild Theatre, Maxwell House Note: Program Dates are approximate, and varied based on local markets. Good News, Radio Readers’ Digest, Commercials inserted locally. The series likely premiered in 1948 and aired at and even the highbrow Columbia many different dates and times over subsequent years. Workshop. But, it wasn’t until 1948, two years after Runyon’s death, that his CD 1A: “Tobias The Terrible” 01/02/49 works received a worthy air treatment. A mild-mannered fellow decides to add some excitement to his humdrum life by meeting some genuine underworld characters — and gets more excitement than “Damon Runyon Theatre” came out of he expected! one of radio’s busiest booms — the postwar explosion in the popularity of CD 1B: “The Idyll of Miss Sarah syndicated dramatic programs. With Brown” 02/06/49 more stations than ever on the air, and Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine as Nathan Detriot and Miss A tightly-wound mission worker more people than ever listening, Adelaide from the 1955 film Guys and Dolls. discovers romance with a crap-shooter transcribed programming made for an efficient, cost-effective way of keeping of some repute. The primary source of listeners entertained and happy. One company capitalizing on the boom was plot for the film Guys and Dolls. Mayfair Productions, an enterprise set up by film star Alan Ladd. Its first offering, the mystery thriller Box 13, starred Ladd himself, and its success helped CD 2A: “For a Pal” 02/13/49 lay the groundwork for additional programs from the company. With Ladd a Only one thing can come between longtime fan of Runyon’s work, Damon Runyon Theatre seemed an obvious lifelong pals Blind Benny and Little choice, and plans were quickly announced for a full 52-week run of tales adapted Joey — and she’s a knockout! from the master’s stories. CD 2B: “Butch Minds the Baby” Mayfair’s staff writer Russell Hughes devised a perfect framework for the 02/27/49 program. Runyon’s short stories were all related, in colorful vernacular, by an Home alone with his baby boy, Big unnamed narrator, a technique that was easily adaptable to radio’s popular Butch (a safe-cracker turned plumber) “hosted anthology” format. Hughes brought that narrator to life as “Broadway,” is talked in to bringing Junior along on whose quippy running commentary would frame each week’s tale. Initial plans a job…and not the kind of job that called for actor Pat O’Brien to handle this role, and an audition disc was involves pipes and wrenches.