Marlene Dietrich appeared frequently on radio in the 1930s, mostly in Lux Radio Theater adaptations of her films. During the war years, she actively raised funds during bond drives and entertained the troops in person and via radio. She appeared in post-war years on variety shows, and in 1953, she briefly had her own series, A Time for Love. This week, we'll hear the second episode of A Time for Love, from January 1953.

Breakfast in Hollywood aired on the Blue Network from 1941 to 1948. The show originated daily from Tom Brenneman's restaurant in Hollywood and featured Brenneman walking through the restaurant, chatting up the mostly female, and frequently tourist patrons.

In 1946, Harold Schuster made a film of the same name, using the show (and Brenneman) as a backdrop for a series of intertwined melodramatic stories. I found the film in the Archive Classic Movies podcast feed, but you can also download it from the Internet Archive.

In 1948, Breakfast in Hollywood ended soon after Brenneman's untimely death.

As I mentioned on this week's show, my information about Breakfast in Hollywood is spotty. It has no listing in John Dunning's Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, nor is it to be found in many radio log lists I consulted. If you have more information, please drop me a line.

MGM star, and serial Academy Award nomineed (she won once) Greer Garson spent her radio career performing in adaptations of her own films for Lux Radio Theater. She was also active in on-air wartime fundraising, and performed on variety shows with Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy and Jimmy Durante. This episode of HOTR, which was suggested by a listener, features an episode of Academy Award, in which Garson takes the female lead in a 1946 adaptation of Brief Encounter.

The words Rita Hayworth and radio star don’t seem to quite fit together. Celebrated primarily for her beauty and glamour, Rita Hayworth electrified the motion picture screen. But did she have the personality for a medium without pictures, or even the inclination to perform there? Apparently the answer was yes. Between 1942 and 1947, she is credited with 34 radio appearances, on program ranging from the dramatic (Lux Radio Theater and Suspense) to the light-hearted (Edgar Bergen). She was also a popular attraction on wartime series Mail Call and Command Performance. In this episode of HOTR, we hear Rita paying "herself" on the Burns & Allen program from March 21, 1944.

In the post-war years, Judy Garland appeared on many of the leading radio variety shows, including Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and The Big Show. She also contributed her time and talnet to charitable and political causes. In this episode, however, we hear one of Judy's several dramatic performances. From December 1946, it's an episode of Suspense called "Drive In".

Judy Garland was among the most active film performers on radio during World War II. The war happened to coincide with the height of Garland's early film success, but she was also an enthusiastic participant in the war effort.

On this episode, you'll hear Judy play Esther Blodgett, 12 years before her musical film version of A Star Is Born. You'll also hear a high-spirited episode of Mail Call, a popular variety show intended to build military morale.


Next time, Judy in the post-war years.

Long before she made her first MGM film, Judy Garland was known to radio audiences. Shortly after signing with the studio in 1935 (at age 13) Judy began appearing on radio shows sponsored by the studio, and eventually landed regular roles on other variety shows including Jack Oakie's College, and the Popsodent Show. Her first national fadio appearance occurred on October 26, 1935, on MGM's Shell Chateau program.

On this episode of HOTR, you'll songs from three radio programs, and a complete episode of MGM's Good News, which aired during the run-up to the release of The Wizard of Oz.

Today you'll hear:

Next week, Judy during and after World War II.

Command Performance was Hollywood's gift to the men and women serving overseas during World War II. Produced by the US War Department with 100 percent donated labor and facilites, the show featured appearances by performers as requested by servicemen. Each show featured a star MC, musical acts, comedy, and variety. Today's episode was produced June 30, 1942. Spencer Tracy serves as host, with appearances by Groucho Mrx, Barbara Stanwyck, Victor Borge, and Mary Lee, among others.

In this bonus episode of my Lux Radio Theater series, I bring the saga to a close, with a show dated February 22, 1955. Starring Alan Ladd and Van Heflin in their film roles, Shane offers an excellent example of how the Lux program maintained its quality, even at the end of its 20-year run. This recording is from the Armed Forces Radio Service; though the performance is the same as the original, Lux ads have been removed. Listen for my comments about old-time radio collecting in the intro.

I'll be back next week with something other than a Lux episode.

Today we hear Part 5 of a retrospective covering the history of Lux Radio Theater. Today's episode is Broken Arrow, which aired January 22, 1951, and starred Burt Lancaster, Jeff Chandler, and Deborah Paget.  Chandler and Paget reprised their film roles, while Lancaster stood in for the ailing James Stewart, who had starred in the film, and who had been scheduled to play the role on the raio.