 Portion of 1945 NBC advertisement promoting theNBC University of the Air | |
| Genre | Dramatic anthology, adaptations of great novels, with programs for college credit |
|---|---|
| Running time | 1 hour |
| Language | English |
| Syndicates | NBC Radio |
| Written by | Albert Harris (music),Ernest Kinoy,George Lefferts, Claris A. Ross, Richard E. Davis |
| Directed by | Andrew C. Love |
| Original release | 30 July 1948 (1948-07-30) – 14 February 1951 (1951-02-14) |
| Podcast | |
NBC University Theater (also known asNBC University Theater of the Air,NBC Theater of the Air orNBC Theater) was a brand the National Broadcasting Co. applied to a category of radio programming. Although it was not actually a university, some colleges and universities participated by including some of the programming in their curriculum.NBC University Theater's most well-known radio series wasThe World's Great Novels. NBC used the name "University Theater" or similar from about 1923–1947.
Most NBC University Theater programming aired on NBC'sRed Network, but theBlue Network (later to become ABC) also participated.[1]The Armed Forces Radio Network also distributed some of the programs. About 1948, NBC replaced this category withNBC Presents.
The World's Great Novels was one of the radio series included in NBC University Theater. The series was produced byMargaret Cuthbert[2] and directed by Homer Heck. It presented adaptations ofclassic novels, often described as "Anglo-American literature." The show was bornThe World's Great Novels on WMAQ, Chicago, and NBC from 1944 to 1948, and adopted its better known name when it relocated to Hollywood in July 1948.It initially aired Saturdays at 7:00 pm CST during the first 1944–45 season and then moved to Fridays at 11:30 pm. Music for the series was composed by Emil Soderstrom(né Emil Otto Edvard Söderström; 1901–1972) and conducted by Bernard "Whitey" Berquist(né Bernard H. Berquist; 1903–1962).[3]
The Chicago-based programs were a production of The NBC University of the Air. Through agreements with theUniversity of Louisville, theUniversity of Tulsa,Kansas State Teachers College, andWashington State College, listeners could receive college credit through accredited, radio-assisted literature correspondence courses. A study guide,The Handbook of the World's Great Novels, was available for 25 cents.[3]
The series began October 28, 1944, withHenry Fielding'sTom Jones, followed byVoltaire'sCandide andJane Austen'sEmma. Over the next four years, it aired adaptations of such novels asKidnapped,The Last of the Mohicans,Thomas Hardy'sThe Mayor of Casterbridge,Moby-Dick,A Tale of Two Cities andWar and Peace. Since this was a half-hour program, many of the novels were serialized in multi-part adaptations of two to six 30-minute episodes.
The group of Chicago actors heard on the series included Larry Alexander, Ernie Andrews, Everett Clarke, Johnny Coons, Maurice Copeland, Harry Elders, Sidney Ellstrom, Charles Flynn, Donald Gallagher, Hilda Graham, Ken Griffin,Jonathan Hole, Geraldine Kay,Eloise Kummer, Jack Lester (né Jack Lester Swineford; 1915–2004),Ken Nordine,Hope Summers and Lee Young. Some episodes were narrated by Nordine. The announcers were Charles Chan, John Conrad andDave Garroway.[3]
Some shows in the series had guest speakers. Amy Loveman, an editor withThe Saturday Review of Literature, was the guest commentator with the 1944 adaptation ofEmma. The novelistIda Alexa Ross Wylie was the guest commenting onCharles Dickens'The Pickwick Papers. The adaptation ofTheodore Dreiser'sFree (July 9, 1948) featured a brief talk by the Dean of theUniversity of Chicago.
On July 23, 1948, the final program featured readings from different works byThomas Wolfe.
The series was retooled by Cuthbert and renamedNBC University Theater (akaNBC University Theater of the Air,NBC Theater of the Air andNBC Theater)[4][5] and moved from Chicago to Hollywood. That series was heard from July 30, 1948, to February 14, 1951.[6] In the new format, the program also included adaptations of short stories and plays in addition to novels and occasionally featured commentary on the original work by distinguished writers and critics. The new series won aPeabody Award in1948 and was considered one of the most distinguished radio programs of its day; all the episodes from this period still survive.
The NBC University of the Air also produced a summer replacement series,American Novels, which was broadcast whenThe World's Great Novels was off during the summers of 1947 and 1948.[6]
Some sources give the title of the 1944–48 series asThe World's Greatest Novels, but there is no evidence this title was ever used.[6]
A partial list.
Between 1942 and 1946, NBC made a distinction between the "University of the Air" and the "Inter-American University of the Air". The former tended to be focused on the United States while the latter was more global.[7]
