NBC University Theater

_____________________________________ In 1944, NBC brought WORLD'S GREAT NOVELS to radio, offering high quality adaptations of some of the great works of literature. Some colleges offered college credit in conjunction with the radio broadcasts. In 1948, the series was re-titled NBC UNIVERSITY THEATER OF THE AIR and production was moved to Hollywood. The first broadcast of the new series aired July 30, 1948. These adaptations were again of high quality and again colleges offered credit in conjunction with the broadcasts. In 1948, the Peabody was awarded to the NBC University Theatre for "an hour's dramatization of some of our finest novels and short stories... launched as an experiment in July, 1948." The following is a quote taken from the Peabody Award web site: The response to the first five performances, which included "A Farewell To Arms," by Ernest Hemingway, "Noon Wine," by Katherine Anne Porter, and "Main Street," by Sinclair Lewis, was so vociferous that the network pocketed any misgivings it may have had, moved the show to a more desirable hour, and found the actors and the funds to sustain a series of absorbing and skillfully adapted programs. Unfortunately, the "University" in the title kept listeners away for fear of the shows being to "high brow". NBC attempted to change this view by removing the "University" from the title for a short time. For the time that it was on the air, there were frequent day of the week, time of day and even program length changes. Despite the lack of broadcast consistency, the shows were consistent in its level of quality. Long after the demise of regularly scheduled dramatic radio in the United States, these shows were still being heard in school classrooms across the nation. If you've ever desired to read the classics but can't seem to find the time, these shows are a great alternative. Almost all have survived in good audio quality. 48/07/30 1 Main Street [Sinclair Lewis] (Vanessa Brown, Leon Ames) 48/08/06 2 A Farewell To Arms - (John Lund, Lurene Tuttle) 48/08/13 3 Number One - (Barry Sullivan, Wally Maher) 48/08/20 4 Noon Wine - (Beulah Bondi, John Beal, Lou Merrill) 48/08/27 5 Romantic Comedians - (Albert Dekker, Georgia Backus) 48/09/03 6 Candide - (Eddie Bracken) 48/09/10 7 Peter Ibbertson - (Joseph Schieldkraut) 48/09/17 8 The Purloined Letter - (Adolphe Menjou, Byron Kane, Clarice A. Ross) 48/09/24 9 Gulliver's Travels - (Gale Gordon, Henry Hull) 48/10/03 10 Lord Jim - (Brian Aherne, Donald Morrison) 48/10/10 11 An American Tragedy - (George Montgomery, Gloria Grant, Grace Lenard) 48/10/17 12 History of Mr Polly - (Boris Karloff, Ramsay Hill, Constance Cavendish) 48/10/24 13 They Stooped to Folly - (Jack Edwards, Jane Webb, Lynn Whitney) 48/10/31 14 Justice - (Ben Wright, Crauford Kent, Dan O'Herlihy) 48/11/07 15 Arrowsmith - (Theodore Von Eltz, Van Heflin) 48/11/14 16 Of Human Bondage - (Brian Aherne, Angela Lansbury, Eric Snowden) 48/11/21 17 Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber - (Preston Foster, Ramsay Hill, Rolfe Sedan) 48/11/28 18 A Passage to India - (Alma Lawton, Ben Wright, Constance Cavendish) 48/12/05 19 Three Soldiers - (Dane Clark, Inge Jollos, Jack Kruschen) 48/12/12 20 After Many a Summer Dies the Swan by Aldous Huxley - (Paul Henreid, Alan Hale) 48/12/26 21 Alice in Wonderland - (Dinah Shore) 49/01/02 22 Main Street - (Vanessa Brown, Leon Aames, John Dehner) 49/01/09 23 The Grapes of Wrath - (June Martell, Lawrence Dobkin, Lou Krugman, Parley Baer) 49/01/16 24 All the King's Men - (Wayne Morris) 49/02/06 26 Gulliver's Travels - (George Pirrone, Henry Hull, Hugh Thomas) 49/02/13 27 Tom Jones - (Eric Snowden, Ina Ronsley, Tom McKee) 49/02/20 28 Pride and Prejudice - (Alma Lawton, Angela Lansbury, Ben Wright, Constance Cavendish) 49/02/27 29 Heart of Mid-Lothian - (Maureen O'Sullivan, Norma Varden, Pat Aherne) 49/03/06 30 Tales of Edgar Allen Poe - (Joseph Schildkraut) 49/03/13 31 The Pickwick Papers - (Charles Coburn, Ramsey Hill) 49/03/20 32 The Marble Fawn - (Lynn Bari) 49/03/27 33 The History of Henry Esmond - (Edmund O'Brien) 49/04/03 34 Jane Eyre - (Deborah Kerr, Eric Snowden, Harry Martin) 49/04/10 35 Moby Dick - (Henry Hull) 49/04/17 36 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - (Dean Stockwell) 49/04/24 37 The Way of All Flesh - (Ben Wright, Doris Lloyd, Eric Snowden) 49/05/01 38 The Mayor of Casterbridge - (Ben Wright, Donald Morrison, Eileen Erskine, Eric Snowden) 49/05/08 39 The Red Badge of Courage - (Jack Lloyd, John Agar, John Dehner) 49/05/15 40 Heart of Darkness - (Brian Aherne, Rolfe Sedan, Whitfield Connor) 49/05/22 41 The Age of Innocence - (Carlton Carpenter, Gretchen North, John Sutton) 49/05/29 42 The Ambassadors - (Monty Margetts, Theodore Von Eltz, Tom McKee) 49/06/05 43 Short, Happy Life of Francis McComber - (Gayne Whitman, Rolfe Sedan, Ramsay Hill) 49/06/12 44 A Passage to India - (Marion Richman, Norma Varden, Parley Baer) 49/07/02 47 The Ides of March - (Ben Wright, Maya Gregory, Parley Baer) 49/07/09 48 Goodby, Mr Chips - (Ben Wright, Billy Hammond, Crauford Kent, Dan O'Herlihy) 49/07/16 49 Point of No Return - (Steven Chase, Theodore Von Eltz, William Lally) 49/07/23 50 How Green Was My Valley - (Donald Crisp) 49/07/30 51 This Side of Paradise - (Gayne Whitman, Georgia Backus, Gloria Grant) 49/08/06 52 The Death of a Heart - (Dan O'Herlihy, Dennis Hoey, Maureen O'Sullivan) 49/08/20 54 The Crusaders - (Jan Arvan, Jeff Corey, Ken Christy) 49/08/27 55 1984 - (David Niven) 49/09/03 56 Precious Bane - (Margaret O'Sullivan, Dan O'Herlihy) 49/09/25 57 Penrod - (Theodore Von Eltz, Tom Charlesworth) 49/10/02 58 Portrait of a Lady - (Gayne Whitman, Ben Wright) 49/10/09 59 The House of Mirth - (Parley Baer, Sidney Miller, Steven Chase) 49/10/16 60 Sister Carrie - (Kay Stewart, Marvin Miller, Tony Barrett) 49/10/30 62 Dark Laughter - (Lawrence Dobkin, Parley Baer) 49/11/06 63 Dodsworth - (Dan O'Herlihy, Donald Morrison, Paul Frees, Ramsay Hill) 49/11/13 64 Babalon Revisited - (John Dehner, Anne Whitfield, Gloria Hunter) 49/11/20 65 For Whom the Bells Toll - (Georgia Backus, Lester Schott, Ramsay Hill, Rolfe Sedan) 49/11/27 66 Point of No Return - (John Dehner, John Kieran, Lawrence Dobkin) 49/12/04 67 The Wild Palms - (Glen Denning, Gloria Ann Simpson, Helen Andrews) 49/12/18 68 You Can't Go Home Again - (Author: Thomas Wolfe. - Bruce Payne, David Wolfe, Frank Gerstle) 50/01/01 69 Great Expectations - (Alec Harford, Ben Wright, Constance Cavendish, Donald Morrison) 50/01/08 70 Manhattan Transfer - (Anne Diamond, Anne Whitfield, Bruce Payne) 50/01/15 71 The Ides of March - (Ben Wright, Georgia Backus, Eda Reiss Merin) 50/01/22 72 At Heaven's Gate - (Theodore Von Eltz, Tom Charlesworth, Betty Niglis) 50/01/29 73 Flowering Judas and Pale Horse, Pale Rider 50/02/05 74 Track of the Cat - (John Dehner, Steven Chase, Ralph Moody) 50/02/12 75 The Light That Failed - (Dan O'Herlihy, Earl Keen, Eileen Erskine, Eric Snowden) 50/02/19 76 Victory - (Ben Wright, Constance Cavendish, Lester Schott, Ramsay Hill) 50/02/26 77 The Patrician - (Donald Morrison, Doris Lloyd, Eric Snowden) 50/03/05 78 Tono Bungay - (Author: H.G. Wells. - Alma Lawton, Charles Davis, Crauford Kent) 50/03/12 79 There Is No Convention - (Georgia Backus, Norma Varden, Ramsay Hill) 50/03/19 80 Angel Pavement - (Ben Wright, Virginia McDowell, Constance Cavendish) 50/03/26 81 Howard's End - (Alma Lawton, Queenie Leonard, Tom Dillon, Ben Wright) 50/04/02 82 Mrs Dalloway - (Bruce Payne, Charles Davis, Robin Hughes, Virginia McDowell) 50/04/09 83 The Nazarine - (Frank Gerstle, Gayne Whitman, Jan Arvan, Lawrence Dobkin) 50/04/16 84 After Many a Summer Dies the Swan by Aldous Huxley 50/04/23 85 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - (Billy Hammond, Charles Davis, Dan O'Herlihy) 50/04/30 86 Sons and Lovers - (Donald Morrison, John Ramsay Hill, Monty Margetts) 50/05/07 87 England Made Me - (Ben Wright, Constance Cavendish, Marty Warren, Marvin Miller) 50/05/14 88 Prater Violet - (Donald Morrison, Doris Lloyd, Eileen Erskine) 50/05/21 89 The House in Paris - (Anne Whitfield, Ben Wright, Charles Davis) 50/05/28 90 Imperial Palace - (Constance Cavendish, Crauford Kent, Doris Lloyd, Fritz Feld) 50/06/04 91 Gallion's Reach - (Herbert Rawlinson, Raymond Lawrence, Tudor Owen) 50/06/11 92 Monsieur Vincent - (Ben Wright, Nestor Paiva, Parley Baer, Pedro De Cordoba) 50/06/18 93 The Wild Palms - (Anne Diamond, Clarke Gordon, Don Randolph) 50/06/25 94 The Doctor in Spite of Himself - (Naomi Stevens, Sarah Selby, Stan Waxman) 50/07/02 95 The Chips Are Down - (Theodore Von Eltz, Tom Holland, Vivi Janis) 50/07/09 96 The Time of Man - (Gail Bonney, Georgia Backus, Jeff Corey, John Dehner) 50/07/16 97 The Treasure of Franchard - (Lynn Whitney, Michael Chapin, Parley Baer, Paul Frees) 50/07/23 98 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - (Jerry Farber, Noreen Gammill, Lou Krugman, Parley Baer) 50/07/30 99 Trent's Last Case - (Gilbert Fry, Raymond Lawrence, Dan O'Herlihy) 50/08/06 100 Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - (Charles Davis, Herbert Rawlinson, Hugh Thomas) 50/08/20 102 A High Wind in Jamaica - (Anne Whitfield, Ben Wright, Charles Davis, Dawn Bender) 50/08/27 103 Hedda Gabler - (Florence Ravenal, Gloria Ann Simpson, Virginia Christine, Vivi Janis) 50/09/03 104 The Crime of Sylvester Bonard - (Anne Whitfield, Don Randolph, Eddie Firestone, Gail Bonney) 50/09/10 105 Lost Horizon - (John Dodsworth, Marvin Miller) 50/09/17 106 Portrait in the Mirror - (Constance Cavendish, Dan O'Herlihy, Otler Naysmith, Ramsay Hill) 50/09/24 107 Don Quixote - (Donald Morrison, Earl Lee, Eleanor Audley, Hans Conried) 50/10/01 108 Jonathan Wilde - (Jay Novello, Joan Banks, Lou Merrill) 50/10/08 109 Candide - (Sam Edwards, Rolfe Sedan, Lou Merrill, Jay Novello) 50/10/15 110 Northanger Abby - (Constance Cavendish, Crauford Kent, John Dodsworth, Nelson Welch) 50/10/22 111 Pere Goric - (Dan O'Herlihy, John Stevenson, Michael Ann Barrett) 50/11/02 112 The Red and the Black - (David Wolfe, Don Randolph, Donald Morrison, Earl Lee) 50/12/27 118 The Gambler - (Dan O'Herlihy, Georgia Ellis, Noreen Gammill, Ramsay Hill) 51/01/03 119 The Kreutzer Sonata - (Paul Dubov, Stanley Farrar, Vivi Janis) 51/01/17 120 Daisy Miller - (Gray Stafford, John McGovern, Kay Stewart, Georgia Backus) 51/01/24 121 The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg - (Earl Lee, Florence Ravenal, Frank Gerstle, Gail Bonney) 51/02/14 122 The Withered Arm - (Naomi Stevens, John McGovern, Betty Harford, Virginia McDowell) _____________________________________