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Anthology drama · Syndicated (ZIV)

Favorite Story

June 18, 1946 – March 29, 1949 · 122 broadcasts

Favorite Story was a weekly half-hour anthology that dramatized a classic work of literature -- a novel, a short story, a legend, or a poem -- introduced each week as the personal "favorite story" of a famous public figure. The roll of patrons is remarkable: Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Gregory Peck, and radio pioneer Lee De Forest among them (though production records later revealed the celebrities actually chose from a fixed list). The whole series was recorded at KFI in Hollywood. Its earliest broadcasts, in 1946, were local Los Angeles airings sponsored by the Bullock's department store and guided by writer-director-host True Boardman, with scripts by the young team of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee -- years before Inherit the Wind. The Frederic W. Ziv Company then syndicated it nationally from 1946 to 1949, roughly 118 half-hours fronted by the film star Ronald Colman, whose cultured voice opened each program. The Hollywood repertory pool filled the casts -- William Conrad, Janet Waldo, Howard Duff, Jeff Corey, a pre-fame June Foray and Raymond Burr, and a guest turn by Vincent Price -- across an all-public-domain literary slate that doubles as a survey of the mid-century canon.

Collection status: 6 of 122 held (5% complete)
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Episode Spine

Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.

1946

June 18, 1946 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court."
June 25, 1946 Cyrano De Bergerac
Edmond Rostand's "Cyrano De Bergerac." Presented as the favorite story of Ronald Colman.
July 2, 1946 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Presented as the favorite story of Walter Huston.
July 9, 1946 Little Women
Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women." Presented as the favorite story of Shirley Temple.
July 16, 1946 Rappaccini's Daughter
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter." Presented as the favorite story of Sidney Greenstreet.
July 23, 1946 Great Expectations
Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations." Presented as the favorite story of George Palmer Putnam.
July 30, 1946 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Presented as the favorite story of Orson Welles.
August 6, 1946 Jane Eyre Listen (MP3)
Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre." Presented as the favorite story of Brock Pemberton.
August 13, 1946 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Presented as the favorite story of Artie Shaw.
August 20, 1946 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Presented as the favorite story of Alfred Hitchcock.
August 27, 1946 Bishop's Candlesticks
Victor Hugo's "Bishop's Candlesticks."
September 3, 1946 Luck of Roaring Camp
Bret Harte's "Luck of Roaring Camp." Presented as the favorite story of Eleanor Roosevelt.
September 10, 1946 Meridian 7-1212
Irving Reis's "Meridian 7-1212." Presented as the favorite story of Mark Hellinger.
September 17, 1946 Gulliver's Travels
Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels." Presented as the favorite story of Ralph Ingersoll.
September 24, 1946 Sire De Maletroit's Door
"Sire De Maletroit's Door." Presented as the favorite story of Deems Taylor.
October 1, 1946 A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities."
October 8, 1946 Diamond Lens
Fitz-James O'Brien's "Diamond Lens."
October 15, 1946 Arabian Nights
"Arabian Nights." Presented as the favorite story of Lowell Thomas.
October 22, 1946 Count of Monte Cristo
Alexander Dumas's "Count of Monte Cristo." Presented as the favorite story of Joseph Cotten.
October 29, 1946 Phantom Rickshaw
Rudyard Kipling's "Phantom Rickshaw."
November 5, 1946 From the Earth to the Moon
Jules Verne's "From the Earth to the Moon." Presented as the favorite story of Carveth Wells.
November 12, 1946 Vanity Fair
"Vanity Fair." Presented as the favorite story of Sinclair Lewis.
November 19, 1946 Man Who Sold His Shadow to the Devil
"Man Who Sold His Shadow to the Devil." Presented as the favorite story of Robert Frost.
November 26, 1946 Prince and the Pauper
Mark Twain's "Prince and the Pauper." Presented as the favorite story of Mervyn LeRoy.
December 3, 1946 Wuthering Heights Listen (MP3)
Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." Presented as the favorite story of Bennett Cerf.
December 10, 1946 God Sees the Truth, but Waits
Leo Tolstoy's "God Sees the Truth, but Waits." Presented as the favorite story of Eddie Dowling.
December 17, 1946 Journey to Bethlehem
"Journey to Bethlehem." Presented as the favorite story of Everybody in the World.
December 24, 1946 Blessed Are They
True Boardman's "Blessed Are They." Presented as the favorite story of Roddy McDowall.
December 31, 1946 Three Musketeers

1947

January 7, 1947 Queen of Spades
January 14, 1947 David Copperfield
January 21, 1947 Joan of Arc
January 28, 1947 Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshire
February 4, 1947 Moby Dick Listen (MP3)
February 11, 1947 Importance of Being Earnest
February 18, 1947 Frankenstein Listen (MP3)
Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." Presented as the favorite story of Fred Allen.
February 25, 1947 Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Presented as the favorite story of Irving Berlin.
March 4, 1947 The Travels of Marco Polo
Rustichello da Pisa's "The Travels of Marco Polo." Presented as the favorite story of Eva Le Gallienne.
March 11, 1947 Jamie Freel
"Jamie Freel." Presented as the favorite story of Barry Fitzgerald.
March 18, 1947 Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
March 25, 1947 Lodging for a Night
"Lodging for a Night." Presented as the favorite story of Frank Sullivan.
April 1, 1947 Ben Hur: a Tale of the Christ
April 8, 1947 Mister Shakespeare
"Mister Shakespeare." Presented as the favorite story of Spencer Tracy.
April 15, 1947 Moonstone Listen (MP3)
Wilkie Collins's "Moonstone." Presented as the favorite story of Russel Crouse.
April 22, 1947 Mayerling
Claude Anet's "Mayerling." Presented as the favorite story of Gregory Peck.
April 29, 1947 Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist."
May 6, 1947 Window in Thrums
"Window in Thrums." Presented as the favorite story of Dorothy McGuire.
May 13, 1947 Debt-Collector
Maurice Levl's "Debt-Collector." Presented as the favorite story of Van Johnson.
May 20, 1947 Glass Eye
May 27, 1947 Man Without a Country Listen (MP3)
June 3, 1947 Casey at the Bat
June 10, 1947 Mary Queen of Scots
September 16, 1947 Peter Ibbetson
September 23, 1947 Tom Sawyer
September 30, 1947 Mystery of Room 323
October 7, 1947 Necklace
October 14, 1947 Strange Mr. Bartleby
October 21, 1947 Lady of the Lamp
October 28, 1947 Bottle Imp
"Bottle Imp." Presented as the favorite story of Ed Wynn.
November 4, 1947 Cashel Byron's Profession
November 11, 1947 Mutineers of the Bounty
November 18, 1947 Golden Ingot
"Golden Ingot." Presented as the favorite story of Lauritz Melchior.
November 25, 1947 Little Minister
"Little Minister." Presented as the favorite story of James Stewart.
December 2, 1947 Inside a Kid's Head
December 9, 1947 Washington Square
December 16, 1947 Man from Yesterday
December 23, 1947 Journey to Bethlehem
December 30, 1947 Suicide Club

1948

January 6, 1948 Lost Horizon
January 13, 1948 Man Who Married a Dumb Wife
January 20, 1948 Light That Failed
January 24, 1948 Lodging for the Night
January 27, 1948 Around the World in 80 Days
February 3, 1948 Escape to Nowhere
February 10, 1948 The Brownings
February 17, 1948 Sunken City
February 24, 1948 The Young Years
March 2, 1948 Window
March 9, 1948 Tale of Two Cities
March 16, 1948 Doll's House
March 23, 1948 Our Lives Have Just Begun
March 30, 1948 Diamond Lens
April 6, 1948 Green Mansions
April 13, 1948 Rhythm
April 20, 1948 Crime of Silvestre Bonnard
April 27, 1948 Treasure Island
May 4, 1948 Son's Veto
May 11, 1948 Gift of Laughter
May 18, 1948 Bet
May 25, 1948 Aspern Papers
June 1, 1948 [title unknown]
June 8, 1948 Blue Danube
July 17, 1948 The Strange Mister Bartlesby
July 24, 1948 Lost Horizons
September 14, 1948 Country of the Blind
September 21, 1948 Piece of String
September 28, 1948 Youth
October 5, 1948 The Valiant
"The Valiant." Presented as the favorite story of Bob Feller.
October 12, 1948 Maniac
October 19, 1948 All My Children
October 26, 1948 Jest of Hahalaba
"Jest of Hahalaba." Presented as the favorite story of Frank Capra.
November 9, 1948 A Work of Art
November 16, 1948 The Assignation
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Assignation." Presented as the favorite story of radio pioneer Lee De Forest, marking the 100th broadcast.
November 23, 1948 Long Ago
November 30, 1948 Time Machine
December 7, 1948 Monkey's Paw
December 14, 1948 Billy the Kid
December 21, 1948 Journey to Bethlehem
December 28, 1948 Copper Penny

1949

January 4, 1949 Gambler
January 11, 1949 Love Story of Francesca Da Rimini
January 18, 1949 Roll-Call of the Reef
January 25, 1949 Judgment of Paris
February 1, 1949 How Much Land Does a Man Need?
"How Much Land Does a Man Need?." Presented as the favorite story of Albert Einstein.
February 8, 1949 Magic Shop
February 15, 1949 Flying Dutchman
February 22, 1949 Dynamiter
March 1, 1949 Enoch Soames
March 8, 1949 When the Door Opened
March 15, 1949 Young Man Who Stroked Cats
March 22, 1949 Change of Face
"Change of Face." Presented as the favorite story of Lily Pons.
March 29, 1949 Passing of the 3rd Floor Back
The Story

Favorite Story was a weekly half-hour anthology that dramatized a classic work of literature -- a novel, a short story, a legend, or a poem -- introduced each week as the personal "favorite story" of a famous public figure. The roll of patrons is remarkable: Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Gregory Peck, and radio pioneer Lee De Forest among them (though production records later revealed the celebrities actually chose from a fixed list). The whole series was recorded at KFI in Hollywood. Its earliest broadcasts, in 1946, were local Los Angeles airings sponsored by the Bullock's department store and guided by writer-director-host True Boardman, with scripts by the young team of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee -- years before Inherit the Wind. The Frederic W. Ziv Company then syndicated it nationally from 1946 to 1949, roughly 118 half-hours fronted by the film star Ronald Colman, whose cultured voice opened each program. The Hollywood repertory pool filled the casts -- William Conrad, Janet Waldo, Howard Duff, Jeff Corey, a pre-fame June Foray and Raymond Burr, and a guest turn by Vincent Price -- across an all-public-domain literary slate that doubles as a survey of the mid-century canon.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
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