"Old in the traditions for broadcasting indeed as history is reckoned, Mary and Bob made their radio debut on the first Friday night of 1928. Since that time they have gone on air each week with a new travel adventure which has prologued the presentation in dramatized for of a true story disclosed to them in the course of their week's travels."The plot is that Mary and Bob are newlyweds touring and traveling the country. Bob was actually played by William Brenton,except when it was David Ross or Eddie Wragge, or Cecil Secrest. Mary was played by Elizabeth 'Betty' Wragge, and Nora Stirling. Nora and William were the original Mary and Bob. Eddie and Elizabeth Wragge and played the parts on the 1938 revamp. On that season, they were telling other peoples stories, no longer their own.
In 1932 two of the voice actors Cecil Secrest and Nora Stirling wrote a set of radio scripts for a spin off series. But "Mary and Bob on the Farm" was never launched. The new plot was that their travels were over and they were settling in for a rural life.They wrote at least three episodes with Roger Gray. You can see the copyright entry here.
Despite losing that series, they managed to work in the biz. Nora had been a radio writer, who among other things, wrote for the AFRS Mystery Playhouse program.Cecil Secrest performed on a number of other dramas such as "Home Sweet Home" which ran in 1930 on NBC Blue, Treasure Band wagon on the Mutual Network in 1943 and others. True Story magazine was discontinued in 1942. But before that happened, it became the basis for a radio series in 1935 called "The True Story Court of Human Relations." It was directed by none other than Erik Barnouw and was carried on NBC.
AFRS Mystery Playhouse was a repackaging of network programs. Were there original productions?
ReplyDeletethe only reference to it was here but it gave no previous use so I assumed that there may have been SOME original works. It doesnt seem too far fetched. http://neptune.spaceports.com/~queen/EQ_radioplays__page_07.htm
ReplyDelete