SOCIA S TI A O L N A O C I F R C O T O S I L O H R O A I D D O A R FO 5 U 7 NDED 19 Volume 36, Number 5 SEE IMPORTANT NOTICE - PAGE 7 September/October, 2011 tackled serious problems of the day including the THE HALLS of IVY draft, racial and (unheard of in the early 1950s) sexual prejudice, class snobbery, and students dealing with unrealistic parental expectations. A Comedy-Drama Ahead of its’ Time Series creator Don Quinn had been chief writer on Fibber McGee and Molly for many years and was By Carol Tiffany noted for his cunning use of puns and snappy “We love the Halls of Ivy, here with us today, dialogue. However, even on Fibber, Quinn tended and we will not forget ‘though we be far, far away,” to interweave more serious topics into the program, especially during World War II. When The Halls of The opening lines Ivy began many critics of that theme song surmised that the reflect the ubiquitous, program was “too sometimes intellectual” for the tongue-in-cheek, and listening public, but quite literate quality of they were quite the late 1940s/early surprised when it 1950s radio program. became a hit. Halls The ‘Halls’ referred to would go on to win a in the song could be Peabody Award for either the brick and excellence in radio mortar buildings that broadcasting and a comprise the campus Chamber of of Ivy College (“in the Commerce citation of town of Ivy, USA”) or merit. the President of Ivy, While Quinn William Todhunter Hall, and his wife, Victoria originally considered (Cromwell) Hall, formerly of the British stage. casting Gale Gordon as Hall, and Edna Best as his The Halls of Ivy was broadcast from June of wife, he found a couple who could have been the 1949 through June of 1952 on the radio and would models for the characters in Ronald and Benita be continued on television through 1954. The (Hume) Colman. Best known as film actors, both program followed the lives of the faculty, had done yeoman service playing themselves as Jack administration, and students of Ivy, their interactions Benny’s long-suffering and much put-upon with each other and the people of the town. While next-door neighbors on the Jack Benny Show. ostensibly a comedy program, its’ scripts often Continued on Page 3 RADIO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OF COLORADO PO BOX 1908, Englewood CO 80150 Dedicated to the preservation of old-time radio programs, and to making those programs available to our members Old-Time Radio is Alive and Well in Colorado! KEZW 1430 AM “When Radio Was” Weekdays, 6:00 - 7:00 PM Pirate Radio 104.7 FM & www.pirate1047.com - “Radio Memories” (Greeley) Sunday, 6:30 - 12:00 PM KRMA TV Channel 6 Secondary Audio Program (SAP), “Tribute to OTR” Monday, 5:00 - 6:00 AM RHAC Web Site - http://www.rhac.org RHAC Email - [email protected] Hear RHAC on the web, 4th Saturday of every month, at 9:30pm Mountain time at; “OTR From The Rockies” - http://www.yesterdayusa.com/saturdaylive.htm RETURN WITH US NOW... is the official publication of the Radio Historical Association of Colorado, Inc., a nonprofit organization. Cost of membership is $25.00 for the 1st year with $15.00 for renewal. Each member in good standing has full use of the club resources. For further information contact anyone listed below. Any mention of a product in RETURN WITH US NOW... does not constitute an endorsement by RHAC. President: Larry Weide Vice-President: Herb Dunivan Secretary: Barrett Benson Treasurer: Bill McCracken Newsletter: Carol Tiffany 1394 Golf Vista Court N. E., Palm Bay, FL 32905 (321) 723-7803 [email protected] Membership: Larry Weide Tape Donations: Bill McCracken Herb Duniven Directors at Large: Fred Hobbs Dennis Kavanaugh Terry Hamilton LIBRARIES Reference Material: Bill McCracken Logs & Scripts: Open Position Cassette Tape: “ #1 (1-499) David Gatch PO Box 70 Glen Haven, CO 80532 (970) 586-2863 #2 (500-999) “ “ “ “ #3 (1000-2000) Terry Hamilton 6225 S. Clarkson St.. Centennial, CO 80121 (303) 794-1739 #4 (5001-up) David Gatch PO Box 70 Glen Haven, CO 80532 (970) 586-2863 CD Library: Terry Hamilton 6225 S. Clarkson St.. Centennial, CO 80121 (303) 794-1739 2011 Convention Schedules Sept. 21-24 6th Annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention Marriott Hotel, 245 Shawan Rd., Hunt Valley, Md. 21031. A stellar line-up of guests, beginning with Norman Corwin (100 years old and still going strong) followed by several Radio, Television, and Movie stars. Dozens of nostalgia dealers, many panels and seminars on OTR, movie serials, cartoons, etc. Presentations by experts such as Maury Cagle on "The History of Buck Rogers" and Jack French on "Sky Gals: Lady Aviators in Real-life and Popular Fiction". More info at www.midatlanticnostalgiaconvention.com. CREDIT: This publication may, under license, use objects and/or images from one or more of the following: Lotus Wordpro 9.1 and Corel Gallery. These software packages are protected by the copyright laws of the United States, Canada and elsewhere. This publication is copywrited 2011, with all rights reserved. RETURN WITH US NOW... -2- September, October 2011 Famed actor Ronald Colman (1947 Academy Award invalided from the service in 1916. winner for "A Double Life") was perfect for the part In 1920, Colman went to America and toured of William Todhunter Hall. Colman had the with Robert Warwick in The Dauntless Three, and authentic, intelligent, English upper-crust manner to subsequently toured with Fay Bainter in East is convince immediately. Coleman's wife, Benita West. While appearing on stage in New York in La (Hume) Colman played Hall's wife Vicky, whose Tendresse, Director Henry King saw him, and background was as a former British stage actress. engaged him as the leading man in the 1923 film, Thus, the pair was a great example of "opposites The White Sister, opposite Lillian Gish, which was attract." A fine cast portrayed Ivy College's Board of an immediate success. Thereafter Colman virtually Governors, the students on campus, and the abandoned the stage for film. He became a very household of the Halls. Herbert Butterfield was popular silent film star in both romantic and thorny Board of Directors member adventure films, among them The Dark Clarence Wellman, who served as villain Angel (1925), Stella Dallas (1926), and and comedic foil on both the radio and Beau Geste (1927). He came into his television versions. own with the advent of “talkies” which The greatest strengths of The Halls allowed him to capitalize on his of Ivy were its’ superb acting and “beautifully modulated voice”. excellent scripts. The writing team of He was nominated for four Academy Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee did awards: Bulldog Drummond (1929), most of the scripts, with Quinn's input Condemned (1930), Random Harvest and supervision. Lawrence and Lee (1942), and A Double Life (1947), for went on to Broadway to "Inherit the which he won the Academy Award. He Wind" and "Auntie Mame" fame. These also won the Golden Globe award for writers created a timelessly witty Best Actor in 1947 for his role in A program whose premise holds up well Double Life. Colman has two stars on even 50 years later. When Halls moved the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for to television in 1952, Milton and motion pictures and one for television. Barbara Merlin assumed the writing Ronald Colman died on May 19, 1958, chores seamlessly as the show retained at 67, from a lung infection in Santa the quality which had distinguished it on Barbara, California. He had a daughter, radio. The dialogue between the Juliet, by his second wife, Benita Hume. Colmans was, and still is today, fresh Benita Hume was born on October and humorous. They worked well 14, 1906 in England. She was a stage together, and one needs only to listen to and screen actress who was best known the program for 5 minutes to know they for her American film roles (Rainbow on were obviously enjoying themselves. The River, Suzy, and Tarzan Escapes Much of the lasting enjoyability of among many others) until she joined her this show is due to the excellent cast, in husband, Ronald Colman, on radio and particular the leads, Ronald and Benita television, most notably on The Halls of Colman. Ronald Colman was born in Richmond, Ivy. Widowed by Colman’s death in 1958, she Surrey, England in 1891, the second son and fourth remarried British actor George Sanders. Benita child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory. He Hume died on November 1, 1967, in Egerton, was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, England, UK, of bone cancer. where he discovered he enjoyed acting. He intended The Colmans shared a marvelous and witty to study engineering at Cambridge University, but affection that made the Halls come alive. The his father's sudden death from pneumonia in 1907 characters were both alive and totally believable made this financially impossible. He became a which, in turn, made the audience care about them well-known amateur actor, and was a member of the and the problems they faced. The Halls of Ivy is a West Middlesex Dramatic Society in 1908-9. He fine example of a good idea well done, and deserves joined the London Scottish Regiment in 1909 and more attention than it receives from devotees of Old was among the first of Territorial Army to fight in Time Radio. World War I. On October 31, 1914, at the Battle of Messines, Colman was seriously wounded.