The Island Venture Radio Program

Background

Chicago's CBS-owned and operated WBBM was one of the three major network-owned and operated Chicago radio stations to originate quality programming throughout Chicago and surrounding states. WMAQ, Chicago's NBC affiliate also orginated a great deal of local and regional programming throughout the area. WGN, Chicago's Mutual Broadcasting System affilate also orginated a great many Radio features that went national in time. WENR was the newcomer O&O, the Chicago Key Station for The Blue Network (ABC). Among WBBM's many locally originated programs were:

• 1933 Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy
• 1938 Manhattan Mother
• 1939 Knickerbocker Playhouse
• 1939 Manhattan Mother
• 1938 Wayside Theater
• 1940 A Brighter World
• 1942 The First Line
• 1945 Those Websters
• 1945 America In the Air
• 1945 Five After the Hour
• 1945 Island Venture
• 1945 American Family News
• 1950 Cloud Nine

Founded in 1923 by Harry Leslie 'Les' Atlass, WBBM first broadcast local election returns as the second licensed amateur radio station in Lincoln, Illionois--designated '9FDC. ' Quickly expanding from his initial transmitting power of 10 watts to 200 watts, Les Atlass acquired permission to use the call letters 'WBBM' for his 200 watt broadcasting station; the initials reportedly representing "We Broadcast Better Music." Though 200 watts may seem relatively small power, it was enough in 1923 and 1924 to be picked up from coast to coast.

After selling his produce company to Armour & Company, Atlass subsequently dismantled the broadcasting equipment on his property in Lincoln, Illinois in preparation for a move to Chicago. Atlass simply broadcast out of his basement in Chicago for the following two years.

WBBM returned to the air in Chicago for the first time on February 24, 1925, broadcasting from the Broadmoor Hotel on Chicago's North Side. WBBM began broadcasting three days a week with mostly jazz. By the late 1920s WBBM had become the first Chicago station to accept commercial advertising. CBS acquired the station in 1928 as a CBS O&O station. WBBM added a 5,000 Watt FM frequency in 1941 and a Television station in 1953.

During WBBM's programming development heyday of the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s WBBM originated numerous public service, drama, variety and soap opera programs for airing throughout the Midwest, many of which were picked up by CBS for national broadcasts.

WBBM and Wrigley bring Island Venture to CBS airwaves

WBBM, Chicago, had aired a popular regional favorite, The First Line, throughout the World War II years. The First Line was a patriotic informational and variety program which celebrated the efforts of the U. S. Navy in prosecuting World War II at home and abroad. The First Line aired between January 1942 and November 1945. The Great Lakes region of the American Midwest remained a significant contributor to World War II efforts throughout the era--especially Navy efforts and training. Wrigley sponsored The First Line throughout its three-year run.

With the welcomed arrival of V-J Day, August 9th 1945, WBBM and Wrigley felt that The First Line had honorably served its intended purpose and began casting around for another late evening vehicle to replace The First Line.

First conceived as simply "Adventure," the new series was to be an action-adventure drama involving two ex-Naval Aviation veterans and their attempts to establish an air freight service in the Central Pacific Ocean area. The two featured 'stars' of the series were identified as only "two ex-servicemen," one of which has been identified as Jerry Walter in the role of Gil Perry.

By the time the series got the green light it was renamed "Island Venture" and deemed worthy of airing over the full CBS Network of the era. Premiering late Thursday evening, November 15th 1945, the series aired nationally between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. over most CBS affiliates.

The premise of the series was certainly worthy of commercial sponsorship to a national audience:

Former Naval Aviation pilot, Gilbert 'Gil' Perry was the driving force in establishing the Inter-Island Air Service based on the Central Pacific island of Ilopan. Perry's sidekick and business partner was ex-Naval Aviation engineer and gunner 'Trigger' Brett. The partners had also acquired the services of local 'fixer' and owner of Ilopan's Empire Hotel, Roland Luis Fernando Tomas 'Pop' Mendoza and his daughter Polly to assist with the maintenance and administration of the ambitious island-hopping air service. The backstory of the evolving premise disclosed an ongoing romantic relationship between Polly Mendoza and Trigger Brett.

The series hit all the right notes for the era: two ex-GIs undertaking a much-needed air service for the area, the encroachments of competitors--both fair and criminal, and a series of encounters with the aboriginal natives and French colonialists inhabiting the islands surrounding Ilopan. Gil Perry found his own romantic interest by February 1946 in the form of Nancy Goodwin, the erstwhile owner of a competing air service--Central Pacific Air Service. The romantic elements didn't generally distract from the action-adventure aspects of the series. Rather they generally provided either occasional light comedy relief or an opportunity for a 'damsel in distress' plot of one kind or another.

The sniping byplay between 'Pop' Mendoza and Trigger Brett made for some of the lighter aspects of the series, but the usually fast-paced adventures that underscored each plot kept each episode moving along quite crisply. Fans of the later Bold Venture series starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall will find many similarities between Island Venture and Bold Venture. The themes and interstitial underscore were quite reminiscent of the later Bold Venture, as well as the format of the series. Naturally, with Bold Venture set in the Caribbean and Island Venture set in the South Pacific, the geographical similarities don't exist, but many of the situations, plots, character dynamics and interactions compare very closely indeed.

Series Derivatives:

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were newspaper listings.

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