Theatre Five (Theatre 5) Radio Program

Background

The American Broadcasting Company never really established itself as Drama powerhouse, with the possible exception of it's daytime Television soap operas. Indeed ABC Radio never really developed a truly memorable drama anthology of its own.

It certainly wasn't for lack of talent. ABC Radio and its founding Blue Network produced some wonderful genre dramas over the years, but it never really mounted a dramatic series of the breadth and scope of Theatre 5. This prologue simply serves to underscore what a remarkable series this was for its time.

ABC takes a last run at Radio Drama Revival

And yes, Theatre 5 probably came a bit late in ABC's Radio History to really contribute to the body of Golden Age Radio drama, but better late than never. Some have implied that Theatre 5 was a rather lightweight attempt to recapture the wonderful Radio heritage of the Golden Age of Radio. I suppose this should be considered a Golden Age Revival series in that respect. But in all fairness to ABC Radio, this was never a half-hearted attempt by any means.

The production values, polish, direction, sound engineering, and acting were all top notch. Indeed many of the finest voice talents from The Golden Age of Radio are present throughout its run. The variety of dramatic genre represented with its 260 production broadcasts also run the gamut of the rich variety of drama presented during the height of the Golden Age of Radio. Indeed very little is missing from this remarkable production run.

The variety of dramatic presentations was one of Theatre 5's most compelling features. With a broad mix of genres and some of Radio, Stage, Television and Film's finest guest stars, ABC's humble 21-minute scripts packed a lot of entertainment into a relatively small format. We loosely tallied the following genres from the entire run:

6 Ghost, Horror or Supernatural Dramas
8 Suspense Dramas
10 Fantasy Dramas
12 Action-Adventure Dramas
13 Social Dramas
17 Crime Dramas
18 Science Fiction or Space Age Dramas
18 Topical Dramas
24 Comedies
25 Mystery Dramas
26 Melodramas
26 Psychological Dramas
35 Human Interest Dramas

All told, a remarkably varied mix of afternoon or evening drama for the era--over Radio, in any case.

Timing is everything. ABC Radio missed the sweet spot of Radio Drama History by about 20 years. Nevertheless, this series competes well with the Golden Age Radio revival attempts that post-dated it, and, for a 30-minute drama, it certainly hits its target. Now that the Golden Age of Radio has come and gone, there's all the more reason to give this wonderful dramatic anthology another listen. Moreso, given its compact, but thoroughly developed 30-minute format.

And let's not forget the chance to listen to wonderful Fred Foy's remarkable voice hosting the series. That's reason enough to give this series another listen.

Series Derivatives:

Notes on Provenances:

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Theatre Five (Theatre 5) Series Log

An Action-Melodrama produced on 64-06-16 as per ABC production log.

Theatre Five (Theatre 5) Biographies

• Acting as one of the Sponsors of an Artists Front to Win the War meeting he helped organize at Carnegie Hall in 1942.
• A December 1946 speech he gave on the encroachments being made against free speech.
• Being a signator to a 1948 full page 'We Are for Wallace' ad in the New York Times.
• A masthead listing him as an Associate for the Hollywood Quarterly, a scholarly journal of Film, Radio and Television history.

That's apparently all the extreme Right Wing needed during those shameful post-War years to destroy any great professional's career--through whispers and innuendo. Robson had been one of CBS's premiere Radio and Television talents, but their withering support of Robson, fueled by the spurious comments in Red Channels eventually pressured CBS into discharging Robson. The long-festering Right Wing backlash from F.D.R.'s famous Four Freedoms Speech had traversed full-circle. And so it evolved that anyone speaking out for the protection of those very freedoms was targeted for ostracization.

But despite the attempts to destroy his reputation, Robson's career in Radio and Television and in service to his country still stand as one of the finest records of acheivement of the Golden Age of Radio. Indeed, it was Edward R. Murrow himself, under the administration of John F. Kennedy that gained an appointment for Robson as a Director for The Voice of America. His security clearance for that highly sensitive position was expedited without a hitch.

William Robson had every expectation of having a storied career. He showed early promise at Yale, began his writing career with Paramount Pictures, then in 1936, entered Radio while still in his twenties. He was a staff writer and director for CBS for almost 20 years. So instrumental was his role in early CBS Radio dramas that his name was rountinely attached to the promotional efforts for the programs he wrote, directed or produced for CBS--and rightly so. By the mid-1940s Robson had already received two prestigious George Foster Peabody awards for CBS--for 1943's Man Behind the Gun and the documentary, Open Letter on Race Hatred.

Robson's Philosophy degree served him well throughout his career, and its influence on his Radio and Television productions is readily apparent throughout his body of work. Always sensitive to the eternal conflicts between morality and amorality, many of Robson's pet projects strove to shine a light onto the murkier aspects of American society. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons that the first half of his career attracted the prurient interests of the extreme Right Wing during the infamous HUAC era.

And indeed, despite all extreme Conservative attempts to squelch his 'voice' in the Media, he could not be restrained for long. Robson may well have argued himself, that the second half of his career was even more productive and influential on the World Stage than his years in American Radio and Television.

William N. Robson capped an outstanding career in Communications with a highly influential position producing Pro-Democracy documentaries as Chief Documentary Writer, Producer and Director for the Voice of America. Indeed, he won four more Peabody Awards for his work at The Voice of America. How fittingly ironic.

And though his work with The Voice of America may well have eclipsed his work during The Golden Age of Radio, his personal influence in shaping and giving a conscience to those Golden Years stands head and shoulders above his peers.

William Robson died of Alzheimer's disease at his home in Alexandria, Va in April of 1995, survived by his wife, Shirley, and three sons, Christopher, Anthony and Michael.