Hollywood Hotel (radio program)
Genre | Drama/Variety |
---|---|
Running time | 1 hour |
Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Syndicates | CBS |
Hosted by | Louella Parsons William Powell |
Starring | Dick Powell Fred MacMurray |
Announcer | Ken Niles |
Written by | Wyllis Cooper John McClain |
Directed by | George MacGarrett William A. Bacher F.G. Ibbett Brewster Morgan |
Original release | October 5, 1934 – December 2, 1938 |
Opening theme | Blue Moon |
Sponsored by | Campbell Soup Company |
Hollywood Hotel is an American radio program that was broadcast in the 1930s. It featured Hollywood stars in dramatized versions of then-current movies and "helped to make Hollywood an origination point for major radio programs."
The instigator of the program was gossip columnist Louella Parsons, whose column was distributed by the
At the time Hollywood Hotel was launched, Parsons had no peers in Hollywood. In 1937, columnist
Hollywood Hotel's popularity even spread beyond the United States. On January 28, 1938, all stations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation began carrying it.[7] It was also broadcast in Australia. A June 11, 1938, ad in a Sydney newspaper said, "In America, 'Hollywood Hotel' entertains millions of listeners, and now, from 2UE, it is winning a big audience who appreciate smart, snappy entertainment. Hear it every Thursday night at 8:15."[8]
Format
Dunning described the hour-long program as being "built around the illusion of a glamorous hotel." Although it was broadcast from a studio, an episode would begin with "a lot of talk and film babble as the stars supposedly made their way in and out of the theater." Next came a musical segment featuring an orchestral number, a solo by a member of the cast and a performance by a guest singer. Then Parsons interviewed a celebrity. A station break ensued, followed by a 20-minute sketch based on a new movie and featuring several of the movie's stars.[2]
That abridged version of a movie apparently whetted listeners' appetites for the real thing. One writer reported, "Lolly [Parsons] could sometimes double a picture's earnings by admitting it to the program."[9]
In a sense, Hollywood Hotel may have marked a transition in the relationship between the movie industry and radio.
The conceit behind the program was that it was taking place in a glamorous Hollywood hotel -- not a utilitarian radio studio, as it actually was. Stars dropped in for drinks or dinner and caught up with Louella Parsons, who interviewed them on their latest doings. Dick Powell sang a song, replicating the variety format popular on radio, and then the stars re-created scenes from their latest pictures. It was radio in the service of Hollywood in the service of radio, and everyone made out.[10]
Star Power
Much of Hollywood Hotel's attraction was the caliber of Hollywood stars that appeared on it. In the first five episodes alone, listeners heard Claudette Colbert, Ronald Colman, Loretta Young, Jean Harlow, Dolores del Río, Reginald Owen, Victor Jory and Gloria Swanson.[11] A January 23, 1937, article in Motion Picture Daily reported that Hollywood Hotel had 83 "film guests" from July 1, 1936, to January 1, 1937.[12]
Listeners might have been surprised to learn that those big-name Hollywood stars appeared for free—or, more precisely, that they received one case of the sponsor's soup for their appearances. Such was Parsons' power in Hollywood that, as an article in Life magazine summarized, she "could -- and did -- bully the biggest stars in the business into appearing without pay on her radio program."[13] Another article in Life in 1965 summarized Parson's broadcasting success after an earlier failure:
When she flopped with a local radio program on which she interviewed "guest" stars, she simply essayed a grander scheme; instead of kidnaping screen personalities one by one, she corralled them by whole companies to do synopsized versions of current movies, and in so doing, she hit it rich.[9]
Even Parsons' power, however, had its limits. Movie stars who normally received $1,000 for appearing on a radio program[14] resented receiving only a case of soup. Life magazine reported, "when the Screen Actors' Guild, led by Jimmy Cagney, insisted they be paid with money instead, the sponsor recoiled in horror and the program was speedily abandoned."[9]
Cast
Initially, Parsons was the hostess and star. After the soup-for-performance system was abandoned, the program was brought back in 1938 with William Powell as host and star. Herbert Marshall filled in for Powell at times.
Other cast members were as follows:
- MC: Dick Powell, Fred MacMurray, Jerry Cooper, Ken Murray and Frank Parker
- Telephone operator (opening each show with "Hello, Hollywood Hotel"): Duane Thompson[15]
- Vocalists: Rowene (Jane) Williams, Loretta Lee
- Orchestra leaders: Raymond Paige; Ted Fio Rito
- Announcer: Ken Niles[2]
A contemporary source also lists Igor Gorin as a singer on the program.[16]
Critical response
A review in the trade publication Radio Daily noted a drop in the program's quality after MacMurray replaced Powell, commenting that MacMurray might be "too exhausted from film work to be very scintillating in his air stint."[17] The review complimented the performances of Langford and Gorin.[17]
See also
References
- ^ Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 113.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- TCM.com
- ^ Elliott, Jordan (Summer 2015). "Hooray for Hollywood!". Nostalgia Digest. 41 (3): 24–30.
- ISBN 0-13-932616-2. P.282-283.
- ^ Fidler, Jimmy (July 1937). "Behind the Hollywood Front". Radio Mirror. 8 (3): 23. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ "'Hotel' to Go Over Canadian Stations". Motion Picture Daily. January 19, 1938. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ "classified advertisement". The World's News. June 11, 1938. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ a b c O'Neil, Paul (June 4, 1965). "The Little Queen Hollywood Deserved". Life. Vol. 58, no. 22. p. 79. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-521-88908-7. Pp. 40-41
- ^ "Series: "HOLLYWOOD HOTEL"". Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs. Archived from the original on 5 December 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ "Three Broadcasts Use 209 Film Guests in Six Months". Motion Picture Daily. January 23, 1937. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ Wickware, Francis Sill (November 20, 1944). "Hedda Hopper". Life. Vol. 17, no. 21. p. 63. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ Cox, Jim. "The Hollywood Gossips: Feudin' 'n' Fightin' On the Air and in Writin'" (PDF). The Society To Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "Watts in the Air: Hollywood Hotel Begins Third Year." Harrisburg [PA] Telegraph. October 9, 1936. 14.
- ^ Hartley, Katherine (October 1936). "With a Song in His Heart". Radio Mirror. 6 (6): 36–37. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Comments on Current Shows" (PDF). Radio Daily. February 15, 1937. p. 5. Retrieved April 10, 2024.