Title:

Family Theater

Type:

Dramatic anthology

Length:

30 minutes

Broadcast history:

Feb. 13, 1947 - July 4, 1956 Mutual. Various timeslots. It was heard as reruns well

into the 1960's.

Cast:

A who's who list of top Hollywood movie stars.

Announcer: Tony La Frano

A veritable who's who list of Hollywood stars acted in or narrated this series, which was created by Father Patrick Peyton of the Holy Cross Fathers. The shows were dramas with moral themes.

There were several unique attributes of this series. Firstly, there were no commercials. The normal time slots reserved for commercials were used for appeals for family prayer with such slogans as "A world at prayer is a world at peace" and "The family that prays together stays together."

Secondly, Mutual donated the radio time under four conditions: that the shows be of top quality; that they be strictly nonsectarian; that a major Hollywood film star be involved each week; and that Father Peyton pay production costs.

Loretta Young became the "first lady" of Family Theater and helped Father Peyton navigate Hollywoods social circles, helping him approach stars for the series. She appeared in more than thirty episodes of

Family Theater.

The shows reveal little or no religious dogma and are little different from other high quality anthologies.

The series broadcast 482 dramas during its run.

Source:

On The Air - John Dunning