The Jergens Hollywood Playhouse Radio Program

Background

As we've indicated in several other Definitive articles, the 'playhouse' format was a popular staple of Radio Drama throughout the Golden Age of Radio. The 'theatre of the mind' that Radio had become almost from its first dramatic broadcasts, made the notion of live theatre being brought to the living rooms and parlors of post-Depression America both uplifting and entertaining for the exponentially growing Radio audiences of the 1930s and 1940s.

Even as other popular genres waxed and waned in popularity throughout the Golden Age of Radio, the 'playhouse drama,' usually showcasing one or two major Film or Stage stars of the era brought fine drama--and fine dramatic performances--to audiences who, for the most part, had never had the opportunity to enjoy such performances on Broadway or the larger, more prestigious drama venues of the era. And indeed, by the mid to late 1930s and early 1940s, the playhouse drama genre became a highly competitive programming vehicle among the three, then four major networks.

• 1930 Paramount Playhouse
• 1937 Your Parlor Playhouse
• 1938 Campbell Playhouse
• 1939 Gulf Musical Playhouse
• 1939 Hollywood Playhouse
• 1939 Knickerbocker Playhouse
• 1940 Listener’s Playhouse
• 1940 Wheatena Playhouse
• 1941 Author’s Playhouse
• 1941 People’s Playhouse
• 1941 Philip Morris Playhouse
• 1943 Dreft Star Playhouse
• 1944 NBC Star Playhouse
• 1946 Carrington Playhouse
• 1946 Spotlight Playhouse
• 1946 Summer Playhouse
• 1946 Your Playhouse of Favorites
• 1948 Hallmark Playhouse
• 1948 Manhattan Playhouse
• 1948 Radio City Playhouse
• 1949 Comedy Playhouse
• 1949 Four Star Playhouse
• 1949 Screen Director’s Playhouse
• 1950 Hollywood Star Playhouse
• 1950s Broadway Playhouse [AFRS]
• 1950s Playhouse 25 [AFRS]
• 1951 Philip Morris Playhouse On Broadway
• 1952 Jergens Hollywood Playhouse
• 1953 NBC Star Playhouse
• 1953 Radio Star Playhouse
• 1953 Philco Radio Playhouse
• 1955 Sunday Playhouse

The 'playhouse format' appears to have been a popular recurring vehicle of choice for both the two major networks--CBS and NBC--and an emerging favorite of both MBS and ABC. And of course it was also a popular advertising vehicle of the era.

NBC had been a prolific producer of quality stage play adaptations throughout the Golden Age of Radio.

Series Derivatives:

Notes on Provenances:

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[Date, title, and episode column annotations in red refer to either details we have yet to fully provenance or other unverifiable information as of this writing. Red highlights in the text of the 'Notes' columns refer to information upon which we relied in citing dates, date or time changes, or titles.]