The Mr. and Mrs. Blandings Radio Program

Background: A shaky start

From the February 2, 1951 edition of the Lowell Sun:

SPONSORED MATRIMONY

By JOHN CROSBY

The deafening roar coming out of your radio loudspeaker these days is the accumulated sounds of husbands billing and cooing to their own wives. Sociologically speaking, it's an altogether splendid uproar and you're likely to hear quite a lot of it this winter. The husband-and-wife radio teams include—let's see now—Ronald and Benita Colman In "Halls of Ivy," the Phil Harrises, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, the Cary Grants in "Mr. and Mrs. Blandings" and— coming soon, as they say in the movies—the Humphrey Bogarts.

Never in my memory has matrimony got such excellent
notices from many glamorous people all at once. And every loving couple has got a sponsor, too. As Dorothy Dix would be the first to tell you, there's nothing like a sponsor to hold a marriage together. "Just Mary and me and the sponsor makes three . . ." There's a song in there somewhere, Mannie, if we can just straighten it out.

Newest Team

Let's stop woolgathering. The newest husband-and-wife team is that of Cary Grant and his wife Betsy Drake in "Mr. and Mrs. Blandings" (N.B.C. 5:30 p. m. EST Sundays) which is billed as the first big radio-show of 1951.

Big as it is, Cary Grant is quite a plum for N.B.C. and socially commendable as its message is, there's quite a lot wrong with it.

The story is derived from Eric Hodgins' two books, "Blandings Builds His Dream House" and "Blandings Way." The radio program picks up where the first book left off. The dream house is built, though nothing in it works very well. The trials and expense and disillusionment of getting the house up are out of the way, which may be one of the reasons why the show doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

On the opening installment, the Blandings got a bad fright when the State Highway commission decided to run a road right through their living room. On the second one, the Blandings' two girls, Susan and Joan, are sent home from school suffering from what turned out not to be measles after all. Those two situations should have offered enough plot complication for a half hour show. But they didn't.

The trouble lies, I should say, in the rather lofty, though puzzling, exchanges between Mr. and Mrs. Blandings, a type of dialogue which, I expect, is meant to represent the utmost in suburban sophistication. Mostly, the listener is left wondering just what the Blandings are talking about.

Since I'm one of the six people left in America who has neither read the books nor seen the movie, I have no way of knowing whether Mr. Grant and Miss Drake are faithful reproductions of the Hodgins characters. Miss Drake, who has a wispy voice and a personality that seems to be obscured in fog, plays the part of one of those females who tells a story backwards. Wives, I must admit, do this sort of thing, but it's a difficult character to project over the radio without confusing the listeners as much as the husbands.

Grant's distinctive muscle-bound voice is very much in evidence and should be a very great asset in radio comedy. But it hasn't yet had much to say. In addition to the Blandings, characters include a lawyer named Bill, the Blandings' best friend who passes most of his time insulting both of them; and a couple of salty old country folk who don't make much sense either. The dream house is almost a character in itself. The door bell sets the washing machine in motion; the front hall switch rings the doorbell; communications between the master bedroom and the kitchen are carried on by means of two tin cans connected by a string.

It ought to be funny, all right. It just isn't. I'm still rooting for the Grants, though, since Cary Grant has proved on numerous guest appearances that he is a very expert radio comedian when given a chance. About Miss Drake I have grave reservations.

The Grant show is sponsored, incidentally, by TWA, the air-line people, and bless my soul, if they haven't got a singing commercial:

"You'll love to fly
"High up in the sky
"You ride the airways
"Starry stairways . . ."

The timing--and tenor--of Radio critic and curmudgeon, John Crosby, and his less than laudatory review are entirely appropriate. One might well expect that any production starring Cary Grant in a recurring role over NBC should have premiered to outstanding reviews. Add to that formula the costarring role of Grant's wife, Betsy Drake, no less than five writers on board for the premiere episode, and Howard Hughes' own Trans-World Airlines as a sponsor and one might rightfully assume a production that couldn't fail.

In all fairness to the Radio rendition of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, the Film rendition (1948) of Eric Hodgins' best-seller was a tough act to follow on several levels:

• The chemistry between Myrna Loy and Cary Grant was not new to the big screen. They'd starred together in Wings In the Dark in 1935 and in The Bachelor and The Bobby Soxer (1947) the previous year--yet another domestic comedy.
• The timing for both the book and the Film adaptation were exquisite, coming as they did at the peak of the extraordinary explosion in families--both ex-G.I. families and civilian families--emigrating to the suburbs after the end of World War II.
• The crisp dialogue throughout the Film version was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy for 1948.
• Betsy Drake and Cary Grant had become inseparable during the filming of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House--the couple ultimately married in December of the following year.

The Film version of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House was a sleeper. During its first screenings it was cited as an average domestic comedy for its time. But as the housing booms continued to wax and wane throughout late 20th century American history, the film continued to strike an often intimate chord with first-time homeowners. The film has since reached classic status as a popular sentimental favorite--moreso with home buyers who've found themselves with a money-pit on their hands. The enduring message remains: a house is not simply the sum total of what it cost, but rather, the home it ultimately represents to its inhabitants.

As unlikely as it might seem, the first two episodes of Mr and Mrs Blandings were indeed, stinkers, given the acting and production talent behind them. The overwhelmingly common criticism of the season's first two episodes were two-fold: they were poorly written and Betsy Drake's performances were uncharacteristically flat. Quite naturally, the almost uniform panning of the season's first two episodes rivetted the attention of NBC, TWA and the Grants equally. Primarily in response to Billboard's highly critical pan of the two season openers, the Grants sought, and ultimately obtained, brand new writers by the Summer. In the interim, Betsy Drake herself, penned most of the scripts under the nom de plume, 'M Winkle.' She even weaved the name M. Winkle into one of her scripts as a pivotal character.

Compounding the mixed buzz of the first ten episodes was a circulating rumor that Cary Grant was so disenchanted with the production's writing that he was trying to get out of the commitment altogether. Both Grant and NBC promptly quashed the rumor via most of the print media of the era and the series proceeded as planned, ultimately spanning twenty-two episodes and with far more sparkling productions after the mid-point of the season.

From the February 5, 1951 Time Magazine article:

Radio: Very Attractive Couple

Eric Hodgins' bestselling Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House was a quietly hilarious account of a man's troubles with a new house. Though Blandings was short on sex appeal, it sold more than 300,000 copies and was bought by the movies. Then Hollywood, which thinks sex is so important that it created a Production Code to keep sex out, added a triangle to the plot. The Cary Grant-Myrna Loy movie was advertised with leering posters: "Does Gary suspect the wolf at the door is his best friend?"

Last week, sponsored by Trans World Airlines, Mr. and Mrs. Blandings (Sun. 5:30 p.m., NBC) reached radio, which is even more frightened and fascinated by sex than the movies are. Listeners were asked to visualize a firelit room, shaded lamps, a deep-cushioned sofa and a shakerful of Martinis. Against a background of Tchaikovsky, they eavesdropped on Cary Grant and Actress Betsy Drake (his wife both in radio and life), reminiscing about their courtship and honeymoon. Producer-Writer Nat Wolff (who is getting "dialogue assists" from Actress Drake) wants to picture "a very attractive couple in the $25,000-a-year class...the kind of people we'd like most to be." The show will contain "no platforms, no politics, no message." Nothing, in fact, but a little spicy innuendo and a succession of comic crises based on domestic misunderstandings.

At week's end, Blandings was being bombarded from all sides. Because of critical blasting of his first program, Grant had turned down five scripts, finally accepted and recorded one written entirely by his wife. Movie Producer David O. Selznick was demanding a reported $1,000 a week from the network because Betsy Drake was violating her contract by appearing on the show without his permission. Said Grant dazedly: "From what I now know of radio, I am amazed that some shows are as good as they are."

Once the series hit its stride, Billboard Magazine re-reviewed the production and pronounced it thoroughly improved--including Betsy Drake's scripted lines and delivery. In another wrinkle, Betsy Drake was being required by David O. Selznick and the R.K.O. Studio to kick back $1,000 of her earnings each week from Mr. and Mrs. Blandings in keeping with the terms of her contract with David O Selznick. This, in addition to plugging Selznick's latest film at the end of virtually every program of the series. And R.K.O's further response to The Grants' Radio success?: they re-released Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House in 1951 at the peak of Mr. and Mrs. Blandings' popularity over Radio. Hollywood Studio management--utterly predictable.

Mr. and Mrs. Blandings hits its stride

One of the more underreported developments during Mr. and Mrs. Blandings' early episodes was Betsy Drake's writing for the production. Writing as 'M Winkle', Betsy Drake, in response to numerous pans of both the writing for the early episodes and her own performances, penned at least six of the production's early episodes. The improvement showed. By the time Billboard gave Mr. and Mrs. Blandings another listen, the scripts had experienced a complete turnaround. Betsy Drake's own performances had improved as well. As many of the Radio critics had observed, Betsy Drake's quiet, soft-spoken performances in Film were entirely appropriate for her roles. But those Film performances were portrayed in combination with her physical presence, her extraordinarily expressive eyes, and her grace and delicate beauty in Film. Radio, an aural medium, didn't capture the visual elements and nuances of Betsy Drake's Film portrayals.

Betsy Drake rose to the challenge by punching up her lines for the scripts she penned, both giving Muriel Blandings a bit more spunk and irony, as well as noticeably delivering her Radio lines in a far more direct and snappy manner.

The premiere and second installment of Mr. and Mrs. Blandings sported no less than five writers--Nat Wolff, Walter Brown Newman, Millard Kaufman, and Lawrence and Lee [Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee of Stage Play fame], two directors--Nat Wolff and Robert Packham, and two producers--Don W. Sharpe and Archie Scott.

Eric Hodgins, the author of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and the sequel, Blandings' Way, was reportedly non-committal in response to the Radio rendition of his two best-sellers. Contary to John Crosby's observations (above), Gale Gordon's portrayal of The Blandings' lawyer, Bill Cole, was entirely in keeping with the Film portrayal of the character by Melvyn Douglas. Indeed, one might well argue that Gale Gordon was even better suited to the role in the first place.

By the time the production's scripts showed a marked improvement, the production had whittled the staff down to two writers--Charles Stewart and Mort Lachman, one director--Warren Lewis, and a solid ensemble of supporting performers, including Elvia Allman, Sheldon Leonard, Gail Bonney and Cliff Arquette. Gale Gordon's participation showed a marked expansion as the series matured and both Ann Whitfield (Susan Blandings) and Patricia Iannone (Joan Blandings) continued to mature in their roles. Announcer Wendell Niles had also left the production, replaced by Don Stanley.

Needless to say, trimming down the staff significantly improved the production. The ensemble cast, with continuing appearances by Radio legends Elvia Allman, Sheldon Leonard, and Cliff Arquette, expanded their involvement as well, and began markedly defining their roles. In any case, Cary Grant's extraordinary following, alone, would have ensured the success of Mr. and Mrs. Blandings. But quite understandably, as a simple point of pride, both Cary Grant and Betsy Drake wanted to put their best foot forward.

Clearly, the first few episodes of Mr. and Mrs. Blandings had been over-produced, with far too many cooks messing with the broth. While frustrating, to be sure, The Grants showed their extraordinary professionalism--over any medium--by quickly recovering and wearing as many hats as necessary to reconstitute the production. The effort both redeemed the great acting couple, and provided one of the most entertaining recurring appearances of Cary Grant over Radio.

What remains of their efforts stands as yet another historic remnant of The Golden Age of Radio--important for both Cary Grant's only Radio lead in a recurring role, as well as Betsy Drake's remarkable versatility as both an actress and writer. Indeed, we're hard pressed to recall an instance of a lead actor--other than perhaps Orson Welles--stepping forward to take over the writing chores for a popular Radio production already underway. It might well be argued that, were it not for Betsy Drake's interim scripts, the production may very well have folded by April of 1951.

In the final analysis, Mr. and Mrs. Blandings acquitted itself well, compared to the other husband and wife airings of the era. For dyed-in-the-wool Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House fans, the series was a splendid extension of the charming story, which, for its era, touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of ex-G.I.s who sought to rebuild their lives after the turmoil of World War II, simultaneously building their own versions of the American Dream, a house at a time, throughout the exploding suburbs of America.

Series Derivatives:

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were the log of the RadioGOLDINdex and newspaper listings. The least helpful source was the notoriously inaccurate OTTER database exclusively maintained by the OTRR and based on the equally inaccurate logs of The Vintage Radio Place.

Mr. and Mrs. Blandings was an historical program--Cary Grant's only recurring lead over Radio. The RadioGOLDINdex has long provided many of the transcription recording dates for the series, but only for eleven of the twenty-four programs. With this provenanced logging effort, we've uncovered not only the appropriate dates and program sequence for the series, we've also uncovered seven more provisional titles for the series.

You're welcome to compare our fully provenanced log below with the 1,500 'expert researchers' at the OTRR and their own Mr. and Mrs. Blandings log.

We've provided a screen shot of their current log for comparison, HERE, to protect our ongoing due diligence.

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