T H E D A M O N R U N Y O N T H E A T R E ----- --------- ----------- ------------- 1949 First Show Date: Jan 02, 1949 Last Show Date: Dec 25, 1949 Number of Shows: 52 Audition Show Date: none Series Description: THE DAMON RUNYON THEATRE brought the works of Damon (Alfred) Runyon (1884-1946) to radio, remaining true to his stylized, idiomatic way of telling tales of New York's underworld. The series was syndicated nationwide after it premiered on the West Coast (under Mayfair Syndication). The story teller in Mr. Runyon's original works was unnamed. In this adaptation, he was given the name "Broadway". Broadway not only recounts the tale, but in many of the shows, is directly involved in the action. Broadway's stories had plenty of warmth and appeal and were told in his thick Brooklyn accent. This series utilized the audio art of dialect humor. Broadway was played by John Brown. Supporting members of the cast were frequently actors well known to the radio audience, such as Frank Lovejoy, Allen Reed, Gerald Mohr, Eddie Mar, Louis Van Rooten and William Conrad. Log Comments: Since the series was syndicated and sent to stations on disk, broad- cast dates varied from source to source. Some start dates are Jan. 2, 1949, Jan 11, 1949, Jan 22, 1950 and Aug 8, 1950 (this information is thanks to Dick Judge). This log uses the earliest of the known starts. Chronological Log: Date Day Num Title ------------ --- --- ------------------------------- Jan 02, 1949 Sun 1 "Little Miss Marker" Jan 09, 1949 Sun 2 "Tobias The Terrible" Jan 16, 1949 Sun 3 "Butch Minds The Baby" Jan 23, 1949 Sun 4 "Breach of Promise" Jan 30, 1949 Sun 5 "A Nice Price" Feb 06, 1949 Sun 6 "The Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown" Feb 13, 1949 Sun 7 "Romance In The Roaring 40's" Feb 20, 1949 Sun 8 "The Lemon Drop Kid" Feb 27, 1949 Sun 9 "The Hottest Guy In The World" Mar 06, 1949 Sun 10 "All Horseplayers Die Broke" Mar 13, 1949 Sun 11 "Princess O'Hara" Mar 20, 1949 Sun 12 "For A Pal" Mar 27, 1949 Sun 13 "A Piece Of Pie" Apr 03, 1949 Sun 14 "Barbecue" Apr 10, 1949 Sun 15 "Blonde Mink" Apr 17, 1949 Sun 16 "Leopard's Spots" Apr 24, 1949 Sun 17 "Dancing Dan's Christmas" May 01, 1949 Sun 18 "Pick A Winner" May 08, 1949 Sun 19 "The Brain Goes Home" May 15, 1949 Sun 20 "Hold 'em Yale" May 22, 1949 Sun 21 "Old Em's Kentucky Home" May 29, 1949 Sun 22 "Blood Pressure" Jun 05, 1949 Sun 23 "Lonely Heart" Jun 12, 1949 Sun 24 "Broadway Complex" Jun 19, 1949 Sun 25 "Madame LaGimp" Jun 26, 1949 Sun 26 "Baseball Hattie" Jul 03, 1949 Sun 27 "The Big Umbrella" Jul 10, 1949 Sun 28 "Earthquake" Jul 17, 1949 Sun 29 "Bloodhounds of Broadway" Jul 24, 1949 Sun 30 "Lilly of St. Pierre" Jul 31, 1949 Sun 31 "It Comes Up Mud" Aug 07, 1949 Sun 32 "Broadway Financier" Aug 14, 1949 Sun 33 "Bred For Battle" Aug 21, 1949 Sun 34 "So You Won't Talk" Aug 28, 1949 Sun 35 "Social Error" Sep 04, 1949 Sun 36 "Cemetery Bait" Sep 11, 1949 Sun 37 "The Melancholy Dane" Sep 18, 1949 Sun 38 "The Brakeman's Daughter" Sep 25, 1949 Sun 39 "The Lacework Kid" Oct 02, 1949 Sun 40 "Maybe A Queen" Oct 09, 1949 Sun 41 "Joe Terrace" Oct 16, 1949 Sun 42 "Lillian" Oct 23, 1949 Sun 43 "Palm Beach Santa Claus" Oct 30, 1949 Sun 44 "Tight Shoes" Nov 06, 1949 Sun 45 "That Everloving Wife Of Hymie" Nov 13, 1949 Sun 46 "A Light In France" Nov 20, 1949 Sun 47 "A Story Goes With It" Nov 27, 1949 Sun 48 "Dark Delores" Dec 04, 1949 Sun 49 "What, No Butler?" Dec 11, 1949 Sun 50 "Neat Strip" Dec 18, 1949 Sun 51 "Sense Of Humor" Dec 25, 1949 Sun 52 "Dream Street Rose" Alphabetical List: This list is intended to be used with the chronological list above. Therefore, not all information from the log above is included in this list. Note that the date format is year-month-day. Title Date Num ------------------------------ -------- --- All Horseplayers Die Broke 49-03-06 10 Barbecue 49-04-03 14 Baseball Hattie 49-06-26 26 Big Umbrella, The 49-07-03 27 Blonde Mink 49-04-10 15 Blood Pressure 49-05-29 22 Bloodhounds of Broadway 49-07-17 29 Brain Goes Home, The 49-05-08 19 Brakeman's Daughter, The 49-09-18 38 Breach of Promise 49-01-23 4 Bred For Battle 49-08-14 33 Broadway Complex 49-06-12 24 Broadway Financier 49-08-07 32 Butch Minds The Baby 49-01-16 3 Cemetery Bait 49-09-04 36 Dancing Dan's Christmas 49-04-24 17 Dark Delores 49-11-27 48 Dream Street Rose 49-12-25 52 Earthquake 49-07-10 28 For A Pal 49-03-20 12 Hold 'em Yale 49-05-15 20 Hottest Guy In The World, The 49-02-27 9 Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown, The 49-02-06 6 It Comes Up Mud 49-07-31 31 Joe Terrace 49-10-09 41 Lacework Kid, The 49-09-25 39 Lemon Drop Kid, The 49-02-20 8 Leopard's Spots 49-04-17 16 Light In France, A 49-11-13 46 Lillian 49-10-16 42 Lilly of St. Pierre 49-07-24 30 Little Miss Marker 49-01-02 1 Lonely Heart 49-06-05 23 Madame LaGimp 49-06-19 25 Maybe A Queen 49-10-02 40 Melancholy Dane, The 49-09-11 37 Neat Strip 49-12-11 50 Nice Price, A 49-01-30 5 Old Em's Kentucky Home 49-05-22 21 Palm Beach Santa Claus 49-10-23 43 Pick A Winner 49-05-01 18 Piece Of Pie, A 49-03-27 13 Princess O'Hara 49-03-13 11 Romance In The Roaring 40's 49-02-13 7 Sense Of Humor 49-12-18 51 So You Won't Talk 49-08-21 34 Social Error 49-08-28 35 Story Goes With It, A 49-11-20 47 That Everloving Wife Of Hymie 49-11-06 45 Tight Shoes 49-10-30 44 Tobias The Terrible 49-01-09 2 What, No Butler? 49-12-04 49 Additional: Although not part of the series, there are a few other Damon Runyon related shows. * Steve Kelez' Radio Showcase catalog lists NBC STAR PLAYHOUSE: "A Slight Case Of Murder" (Jan 24, 1954), a one hour show based on a story by Damon Runyon. It also lists COLUMBIA WORKSHOP: "Damon Runyon's Birthday" (Mar 30, 1946), 30 minutes. * The University of Memphis catalog (see "References" below) lists COLUMBIA WORKSHOP, "Damon Runyon's Very Honorable Guy" (Mar. 30, 1946), 30 minutes (same as "Damon Runyon's Birthday" above). References: * "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To All Circulating Shows", by Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514 * OTR club and vendor catalogs or web sites: * Crabapple Sound, Henry Hinkel, 254 Florida Ave., Amsterdam, NY 12010 * Edward J. Carr, 216 Shaner Street, Boyertown, PA 19512 * Jerry Haendiges Productions, Jerry Haendiges, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 * Memories Of Radio, Dick Judge, PO Box 67800, Rochester NY 14617 * North American Radio Archives, 134 Vincewood Dr., Nicholasville, KY 40356 * Radio Historical Association of Colorado, PO Box 1908, Englewood, CO 80150 * Radio Memories, Ted Davenport, 1600 Wewoka St., North Little Rock, AR 72116 * Radio Showcase, Steve Kelez, PO Box 4357, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 * Vintage Broadcasts, Andy Blatt, PO Box 50065, Staten Island, NY 10305 Other Logs or Books: * DAMON RUNYON THEATER log, Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514 * DAMON RUNYON THEATER log, Jerry Haendiges Productions, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 (http://www.otrsite.com) * THE DAMON RUNYON THEATER log, Memories Of Radio, Dick Judge, PO Box 67800, Rochester NY 14617 Reader Feedback: * Dick Judge sent me his log, which provided starting dates for the series that were much earlier than those I found in the catalogs I used. Last Update: May 20, 2004 This log is informational only. It does not imply that I or my references have these shows for trade or sale. The shows may still be protected under copyright law and should be obtained only from authorized dealers. The log may be freely reproduced and published on a no-profit basis. Please send error corrections or additional information to Frank M. Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044 (email: wb2ntp@arrl.net).