S C R E E N D I R E C T O R S ' P L A Y H O U S E ----------- ------------------- ----------------- 1949 - 1951 First Show: Jan 09, 1949 Last Show: Aug 30, 1951 Number Shows: 115 Audition Show: not known Series Description: This series of movies-turned-radio-drama originated as SCREEN DIRECTORS' ASSIGNMENT. It premiered on Sunday, January 9, 1949 over NBC stations. The first show was "Stagecoach" and featured the same star as the movie version, John Wayne. An unusual feature of this series was the show's introduction by the movie's director at the opening. After each show, the director and actors would close with a short discussion about the film. This format tightly linked the radio version to the film version. The series appeared on Sundays until the summer of 1949, when it switched to Fridays. It played Fridays through the end of September, 1949, switched briefly to Mondays in October, than went back to Fridays until the start of summer, 1950. The shows, up until this time, were 30 minutes long, except for "A "A Foreign Affair", on March 6, 1949, which ran 60 minutes. SCREEN DIRECTORS' PLAYHOUSE took a summer vaation, and returned, featuring 60 minute shows, on November 9, 1950. The 60 minute format remained until the series' end in May of 1951. Although short lived, the superior radio scripting and superstar billing made for some of the best radio drama of its day. Log Comments: This list is ordered by date. A rehearsal version of "The Exile" is available from a number of sources. Two references stated the last show was on August 30, 1951. However, no shows were found beyond May 10, 1951. Chronological Log: Date Num Title Star Avail ------------ --- ---------------------------- ------------------ ----- .... Starts on Sundays ..... Jan 09, 1949 1 "Stagecoach" John Wayne yes Jan 16, 1949 2 "Let's Live A Little" Robert Cummings yes Betty Lou Gerson Jan 19, 1949 "The Exile" (rehearsal) D. Fairbanks Jr. yes Jan 23, 1949 3 "The Exile" D. Fairbanks Jr. yes Janet Waldo Jan 30, 1949 4 "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" Robert Montgomery yes Mary Jane Croft Feb 06, 1949 5 "Hired Wife" Rosalind Russell yes Carleton Young Feb 13, 1949 6 "Magnificent Obsession" Irene Dunne yes Willard Waterman Feb 20, 1949 7 "The Prisoner of Zenda" Ronald Coleman, yes Bonita Coleman Feb 27, 1949 8 "Night Has a 1000 Eyes" E.G. Robinson, yes John Ferrow Mar 06, 1949 9 "A Foreign Affair" Marlene Dietrich yes (60 minutes long) John Lund Rosilland Russell Herb Vigrin Billy Wilder Mar 13, 1949 10 "You Were Meant for Me" Bette Davis yes Dan Dailey Mar 20, 1949 11 "Perfect Marriage" Loretta Young yes Bob Bailey Mar 27, 1949 12 "Suddenly It's Spring" Fred MacMurray yes Apr 03, 1949 13 "The Ghost Breakers" Bob Hope yes Shirley Mitchell Apr 10, 1949 14 "Music for Millions" June Allyson yes Ann Whitfield Apr 17, 1949 15 "Best Years of Our Lives" Dana Andrews yes Apr 24, 1949 16 "The Sky's the Limit" Fred Astaire yes May 01, 1949 17 "Trouble With Women" Ray Milland yes May 08, 1949 18 "It's a Wonderful Life" James Stewart yes May 15, 1949 19 "Hold Back the Dawn" Charles Boyer yes Venessa Brown May 22, 1949 20 "Her Husband's Affair" Lucille Ball yes Elliott Lewis May 29, 1949 21 "Trade Winds" Fredrich March yes Lurene Tuttle Jun 05, 1949 22 "The Killers" Burt Lancaster yes Shelly Winters ..... moves to Fridays ..... Jul 01, 1949 23 "Mr. Blandings Builds His Cary Grant yes Dream House" Jul 08, 1949 24 "The Big Clock" Ray Milland yes Jul 15, 1949 25 "Yellow Sky" Gregory Peck yes Jul 22, 1949 26 "Casbah" Tony Martin yes Jul 29, 1949 27 "Saigon" Alan Ladd yes Aug 05, 1949 28 "Fort Apache" John Wayne yes Ward Bond John Ford Aug 12, 1949 29 "Jezebel" Bette Davis yes William Wilder Aug 19, 1949 30 "Love Crazy" William Powell yes Aug 26, 1949 31 "Appointment For Love" Charles Boyer yes Sep 02, 1949 32 "Apartment for Peggy" Jeanne Crain Sep 09, 1949 33 "The Human Comedy" Mickey Rooney yes Clarence Brown Sep 16, 1949 34 "Whispering Smith" Alan Ladd Sep 23, 1949 35 "Don't Trust Your Husband" Fred MacMurray Sep 30, 1949 36 "Pride of the Yankees" Gary Cooper, yes Lurene Tuttle Frank Lovejoy ..... Moves to Mondays ..... Oct 03, 1949 37 "The Senator Was Indescreet" William Powell yes Oct 10, 1949 38 "Criss Cross" Burt Lancaster yes Oct 17, 1949 39 "Pitfall" Dick Powell yes Oct 24, 1949 40 "Love Letters" Joseph Cotten yes Barbara Eiler Oct 31, 1949 41 "Remember The Night" Barbara Stanwyck yes Gerald Mohr ..... Moves to Fridays ..... Nov 11, 1949 42 "Body And Soul" John Garfield yes William Conrad Nov 18, 1949 43 "The Uninvited" John Dehner yes Ray Milland Nov 25, 1949 44 "The Spiral Staircase" Dorothy McGuire yes John Dehner Dec 02, 1949 45 "All My Sons" E.G. Robinson yes Dec 09, 1949 46 "Call Northside 777" James Stewart yes Dec 16, 1949 47 "The Affairs of Susan" Joan Fontaine yes Dec 23, 1949 48 "Miracle on 34th St." Edmund Gwenn yes Dec 30, 1949 49 "One Way Passage" William Powell yes Jan 06, 1950 50 "Magic Town" James Stewart yes Jan 13, 1950 51 "Tomorrow is Forever" Jeff Chandler, yes Claudette Colbert Jan 20, 1950 52 "Mr. Lucky" Cary Grant yes Jan 27, 1950 53 "It Had To Be You" Gerald Mohr yes Joan Fontaine Feb 03, 1950 54 "The Sea Wolf" Edward G. Robinson yes Feb 10, 1950 55 "This Thing Called Love" Rosalind Russell yes Steve Dunn Feb 17, 1950 56 "It's In The Bag" Fred Allen yes Feb 24, 1950 57 "Incendiary Blonde" Betty Hutton Mar 03, 1950 58 "The Paleface" Bob Hope yes Jane Russell Mar 10, 1950 59 "Portrait of Jenny" Joseph Cotten yes Mar 17, 1950 60 "Champion" Kirk Douglas yes Mar 24, 1950 61 "Chicago Deadline" Alan Ladd yes Mar 31, 1950 62 "The Dark Mirror" Olivia DeHavilland yes Apr 07, 1950 63 "The Fighting O'Flynn" D. Fairbanks, Jr yes Apr 14, 1950 64 "It Happens Every Spring" Ray Milland yes Apr 21, 1950 65 "A Kiss In The Dark" Jane Wyman yes Apr 28, 1950 66 "Rope of Sand" Burt Lancaster yes May 05, 1950 67 "When My Baby Smiles At Me" Betty Grablr yes May 12, 1950 68 "Butch Minds The Baby" B. Crawford yes May 19, 1950 69 "Miss Grant Takes Richmond" Lucille Ball yes May 26, 1950 70 "Flamingo Road" Joan Crawford Jun 02, 1950 71 "She Wouldn't Say Yes" Rosalind Russel yes Jun 09, 1950 72 "Mr. Blandings Builds His Cary Grant, yes Dream House" Betsy Drake Jun 16, 1950 73 "A Star Is Born" Fredric March Jun 23, 1950 74 "Strange Love of Martha Barbara Stanwyck Ivers" Jun 30, 1950 75 "Cinderella" Verna Velton ..... moves to Thursday .... ..... 60 minute shows .... Nov 09, 1950 76 "Shadow Of A Doubt" Cary Grant yes Betsy Drake Hy Averback Lois Corbett Nov 16, 1950 77 "Life Boat" Tallulah Bankhead yes Jeff Chandler Wilms Herbert Sheldon Leonard Nov 23, 1950 78 "Cluny Brown" Dorothy McGuire yes Nov 30, 1950 79 "Mrs. Mike" Joseph Cotten yes Dec 07, 1950 80 "My Favorite Wife" Cary Grant yes Irene Dunne Dec 14, 1950 81 "The Lady Gambles" Barbara Stanwyck yes Stephen McNally William Conrad John Dehner Dec 21, 1950 82 "Miricle On 34Th Street" Edmund Gwen yes Dec 28, 1950 83 "Alias Nick Beal" Ray Milland yes Jan Sterling Raymond Burr Herb Butterfield Jan 04, 1951 84 "Prince Of Foxes" D. Fairbanks Jr. yes Joyce Mckenzie William Conrad Raymond Burr Jan 11, 1951 85 "Ivy Joan Fontaine yes Jan 18, 1951 86 "The Big Lift" Edmond O'Brien yes Jan 25, 1951 87 "Spellbound" Joseph Cotten yes M. Macambridge Howard McNear Herb Butterfield Feb 01, 1951 88 "Take a Letter Darling" Rosalind Russell yes Feb 08, 1951 89 "Lucky Jordan" Alan Ladd yes Feb 15, 1951 90 "Dark Victory" Tallulah Bankhead yes Feb 22, 1951 91 "No Minor Vices" Louis Jourdan yes Mar 01, 1951 92 "A Foreign Affair" Marlene Dietrich yes Mar 08, 1951 93 "Bachelor Mother" Lucille Ball yes Mar 15, 1951 94 "Thelma Jordan" Barbara Stanwyck yes Mar 22, 1951 95 "The Great Lover" Bob Hope yes Mar 29, 1951 96 "Next Time We Love" James Stewart yes Apr 05, 1951 97 "The Damned Don't Cry" Joan Crawford yes Frank Lovejoy Paul Frees Sidney Miller Apr 12, 1951 98 "Hired Wife" Rosalind Russell yes Apr 19, 1951 99 "Humoresque" Tallulah Bankhead yes Apr 26, 1951 100 "Jackpot" James Stewart yes May 03, 1951 101 "Captain From Castile" D. Fairbanks, Jr. yes Paula Morgan Ted Decorsia Nestor Paiva May 10, 1951 102 "No Time for Love" Claudette Colbert yes May 17, 1951 103 "Rogue's Regiment" Dick Powell May 24, 1951 104 "Back Street" Charles Boyer M. McCambridge May 31, 1951 105 "Beyond Glory" Alan Ladd Jun 07, 1951 106 "The Gunfighter" Gregory Peck Jun 14, 1951 ... no program ... Jun 21, 1951 107 "D.O.A." Edmond O'Brien Jun 28, 1951 108 "The Lady Takes A Chance" John Lund, yes Joan Caufield Jul 05, 1951 109 "Only Yesterday" Jeff Chandler M. McCambridge Jul 12, 1951 110 "The Fugitive" Henry Fonda Jul 19, 1951 111 "Remember The Night" William Holden Jul 26, 1951 112 "Stairway To Heaven" Robert Cummings yes Julia Adams Aug 02, 1951 113 "Caged" Eleanor Parker Aug 09, 1951 ... no program ... Aug 16, 1951 114 "The Ghost And Mrs. Muir" Charles Boyer Jane Wyatt Aug 23, 1951 ... no program ... Aug 30, 1951 115 "Mother Was A Freshman" Lorette Young (last show) 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 Num Date --------------------------------------------- --- -------- Affairs of Susan, The 47 49-12-16 Alias Nick Beal 83 50-12-28 All My Sons 45 49-12-02 Apartment for Peggy 32 49-09-02 Appointment For Love 31 49-08-26 Bachelor Mother 93 51-03-08 Back Street 104 51-05-24 Best Years of Our Lives 15 49-04-17 Beyond Glory 105 51-05-31 Big Clock, The 24 49-07-08 Big Lift, The 86 51-01-18 Body And Soul 42 49-11-11 Butch Minds The Baby 68 50-05-12 Caged 113 51-08-02 Call Northside 777 46 49-12-09 Captain From Castile 101 51-05-03 Casbah 26 49-07-22 Champion 60 50-03-17 Chicago Deadline 61 50-03-24 Cinderella 75 50-06-30 Cluny Brown 78 50-11-23 Criss Cross 38 49-10-10 D.O.A. 107 51-06-21 Damned Don't Cry, The 97 51-04-05 Dark Mirror, The 62 50-03-31 Dark Victory 90 51-02-15 Don't Trust Your Husband 35 49-09-23 Exile, The 3 49-01-23 Fighting O'Flynn, The 63 50-04-07 Flamingo Road 70 50-05-26 Foreign Affair, A 9 49-03-06 Foreign Affair, A (repeat) 92 51-03-01 Fort Apache 28 49-08-05 Fugitive, The 110 51-07-12 Ghost And Mrs. Muir, The 114 51-08-16 Ghost Breakers, The 13 49-04-03 Great Lover, The 95 51-03-22 Gunfighter, The 106 51-06-07 Her Husband's Affair 20 49-05-22 Hired Wife 5 49-02-06 Hired Wife (repeat) 98 51-04-12 Hold Back the Dawn 19 49-05-15 Human Comedy, The 33 49-09-09 Humoresque 99 51-04-19 Incendiary Blonde 57 50-02-24 It's a Wonderful Life 18 49-05-08 It's In The Bag 56 50-02-17 It Had To Be You 53 50-01-27 It Happens Every Spring 64 50-04-14 Ivy 85 51-01-11 Jackpot 100 51-04-26 Jezebel 29 49-08-12 Killers, The 22 49-06-05 Kiss In The Dark, A 65 50-04-21 Lady Gambles, The 81 50-12-14 Lady Takes A Chance, The 108 51-06-28 Let's Live A Little 2 49-01-16 Life Boat 77 50-11-16 Love Crazy 30 49-08-19 Love Letters 40 49-10-24 Lucky Jordan 89 51-02-08 Magic Town 50 50-01-06 Magnificent Obsession 6 49-02-13 Miracle on 34th St. 48 49-12-23 Miss Grant Takes Richmond 69 50-05-19 Mother Was A Freshman 115 51-08-30 Mr. & Mrs. Smith 4 49-01-30 Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House 23 49-07-01 Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (repeat) 72 50-06-09 Mr. Lucky 52 50-01-20 Mrs. Mike 79 50-11-30 Music for Millions 14 49-04-10 My Favorite Wife 80 50-12-07 Next Time We Love 96 51-03-29 Night Has a 1000 Eyes 8 49-02-27 No Minor Vices 91 51-02-22 No Time for Love 102 51-05-10 One Way Passage 49 49-12-30 Only Yesterday 109 51-07-05 Paleface, The 58 50-03-03 Perfect Marriage 11 49-03-20 Pitfall 39 49-10-17 Portrait of Jenny 59 50-03-10 Pride of the Yankees 36 49-09-30 Prince Of Foxes 84 51-01-04 Prisoner of Zenda, The 7 49-02-20 Remember The Night 41 49-10-31 Remember The Night (repeat) 111 51-07-19 Rogue's Regiment 103 51-05-17 Rope of Sand 66 50-04-28 Saigon 27 49-07-29 Sea Wolf, The 54 50-02-03 Senator Was Indiscreet, The 37 49-10-03 Shadow Of A Doubt 76 50-11-09 She Wouldn't Say Yes 71 50-06-02 Sky's the Limit, The 16 49-04-24 Spellbound 87 51-01-25 Spiral Staircase, The 44 49-11-25 Stagecoach 1 49-01-09 Stairway To Heaven 112 51-07-26 Star Is Born, A 73 50-06-16 Strange Love of Martha Ivers 74 50-06-23 Suddenly It's Spring 12 49-03-27 Take a Letter Darling 88 51-02-01 Thelma Jordan 94 51-03-15 This Thing Called Love 55 50-02-10 Tomorrow is Forever 51 50-01-13 Trade Winds 21 49-05-29 Trouble With Women 17 49-05-01 Uninvited, The 43 49-11-18 When My Baby Smiles At Me 67 50-05-05 Whispering Smith 34 49-09-16 Yellow Sky 25 49-07-15 You Were Meant for Me 10 49-03-13 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: * AVPRO, Don Aston, PO Box 1392, Lake Elsinore, CA 92531-1392 * Crabapple Sound, Henry Hinkel, 254 Florida Ave., Amsterdam, NY 12010 * Erstwhile Radio, PO Box 2284, Peabody, MA 01960 * Jerry Haendiges Productions, Jerry Haendiges, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 * McCoy's Recordings Inc., Pat McCoy, PO Box 1069, Richland, Wash. 99352 * Radio Historical Association of Colorado, PO Box 1908, Englewood, CO 80150 * Radio Showcase, Steve Kelez, PO Box 4357, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 * Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety And Comedy, PO Box 7177, Van Nuys, CA 91409-7177 Other Logs or Books: * SCREEN DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE log, Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514 * SCREEN DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE log, Jerry Haendiges Productions, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 (http://www.otrsite.com) * SCREEN DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE log, Audio Classics Archive, Terry Salomonson, P.O. Box 347, Howell, MI 48844-0347 (http://www.audio-classics.com) Reader Feedback: * Jerry Shnay provided information for a number of shows not in my origional list. 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).