Ronald Liss OTR Child Star of the Month June 2026

Press image of Ronald Liss c. 1945. Image reused with permission from The Big Broadcast by Frank Buxton and Bill Owen, 1972. 

Ronald Liss 

April 4, 1930 - Fall 1969****

Also Known as Ron Liss, Ronny Liss, and Ronnie Liss.

Partial List of Known Radio Programs, Title and Range of Known Appearances

NBC Children's Hour, (Coast To Coast on a Bus), 1933-194?
Columbia Workshop c. 1939 - 1947
Bright Horizon c. 1941-1945
Mrs. Miniver (CBS Series) 1944
Adventures of Superman, 1945-1948
Light of the World (1940s)

Cimarron Tavern 1945-1946
Eternal Light, 1945-1967
Adventures of Red Feather Man, 1946
Batman Mystery Club (unaired pilot) 1950
Hilltop House, early 1950s
Let's Pretend 
Mark Trail, 1950 
Theater 5, 1965

Television Programs
Discovery, writer 1962-1970

On Christmas Day 1999, when I was a kid, I received two long awaited sets of Superman radio episodes on CD and cassette that were produced by Radio Spirits. I quickly grew very fond of the Man of Steel as portrayed by Clayton "Bud" Collyer, Batman by Stacy Harris and a memorable Robin The Boy Wonder as portrayed by Ronald Liss. 

Ronald Liss was one of radio's most dynamic child personalities and possibly the most consistently employed in the Golden Age of Radio. He was far more than radio's "Boy Wonder" (in more than one sense) as he may be most well known today. 

Radio's Child Prodigy

Ronald S. Liss was born April 4, 1930* in New York City. He was one of radio's greatest child prodigies showing tremendous vocal and musical range from an early age. Little "curly-headed" Ronald was a featured singer and band conductor on the NBC Children's Hour from the age of 3. He was a regular on NBC's Lady Next Door, and Coast To Coast on A Bus. He also made public appearances as the conductor of the New York Baby Orchestra organized by Karl Moldrem. 

Throughout the 1930s he made guest appearances on The Rudy Vallee Hour, Goodman Ace, and other musical programs as a singer and violinist. A curious 1933 broadcast on the Marie Davenport program teamed 3 year old Ronald playing violin with a 110 year old pianist. With Audrey Egan, Ronnie famously substituted for Singing Lady Ireene Wicker for a few broadcasts while she recovered from laryngitis in 1939.

"Curly Headed" Ronald Liss, age 3 (or 2), conducting the New York Baby Orchestra. Central New Jersey Home News, June 04, 1933. Snippet from Newspapers.com

Radio's Real "Boy Wonder"

His prodigious intellect also included languages as he learned Spanish and later Japanese. For his fluency in Spanish, Liss was called upon to do patriotic broadcasts during World War II. He was asked portray children with different dialects and even to do some broadcasts near the Southern US border. 

Into his adolescent and teen years Ronald became even more well known for his roles on radio programs created to instill patriotism, goodwill, and diversity among American citizens. He portrayed youth in several episodes of the wartime propaganda series This Is Our Enemy. Liss was also heard on the famous African American civil rights series New World A-Coming. 

He was in the cast of the daytime drama Bright Horizon (1941-1945) as adopted orphan Bobby. Liss is also credited in the cast for Aunt Jenny's Stories, and as Mickey the son of married detectives on the CBS series Two On A Clue** (1944-1946).

Further into the 1940s Liss was in demand for courageous youth on adventure themed programs. In 1945 he was cast in Cimarron Tavern a weekday serial about life on the western frontier. 

Ronny Liss' most famous radio role today was as Robin "young boy with mask and cape" and "youthful companion to the famous Batman" on recurring crossover stories on the Adventures of Superman between 1945 and 1948. The radio adventures of Superman with Batman were culturally significant as these characters did not have a written adventure story together in the pages of DC comics until the 1952. While several key episodes of Superman from World War II are lost today, (including the first appearance of Batman) the first two episodes with Liss as Robin from March 1945 can be heard today, followed by by several complete storylines.

Batman was portrayed by Matt Crowley and Stacy Harris, while Liss was always Robin. In 1950 Liss again portrayed Robin for an unsold pilot for The Batman Mystery Club. This was the second known attempt to give the Dark Knight Detective his own radio show. 

With restorations by Radio Spirits, several of the Batman/Superman team-ups were re-released on cassette and CDs from 1999 to 2006. References to the name of Ronny Liss over the past few decades are from dozens of histories of Batman and Robin in mass media. From these releases and histories, Liss may be the most familiar name and voice of any juvenile actor today from radio's Golden Age.

The Light of the World was the daytime soap opera adapted from the Bible. Liss had several parts, with a young Daniel being notable. He also played a tough kid named Jimmy on the short lived Mrs. Miniver radio series on CBS. 

Press images of Jeanne Elkins and Ronny Liss for The Magic Christmas Window. The Tribune (Coshocton, OH). November 28, 1948. From Newspapers.com

While appearing in many adventure and drama programs, Liss could still be heard on more light hearted children's fare. With Jeanne Elkins*** cast as his sister, Ronnie was the co-lead of The Magic Christmas Window a syndicated series of holiday fantasies for children. 

Liss was teamed up with Matt Crowley again for the 1950 Mark Trail series, based on the comic strip, as the title character's young friend Scotty.

With a voice that remained youthful well into young adulthood, Liss was cast as war orphans and juvenile delinquents on radio well into his early 30s. He had roles on the sci-fi anthologies 2000 Plus and X-Minus One with memorable roles on Suspense as late as 1961. 

The Official Adventures of Ronald Liss

In the mid 1960s, Liss was an actor and script writer for the "Official Adventures" Leo The Lion series of audio/radio drama style stories for LP albums based on famous characters. The series included new adventures of Flash Gordon (with Buster Crabbe), The Green Hornet, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, Superman, and Batman & Robin.

In the Batman & Robin albums, Liss was once again the Boy Wonder. The Caped Crusader was portrayed by Jack Curtis (1924-1970) who was also a former radio child star on Coast To Coast on A Bus, and whose voice is instantly recognizable from his voice over work on Speed Racer and Marine Boy. 

“The Official Adventures of Batman and Robin” LP. Note that the story was written by Ron Liss, and that he is also in the cast. Image from Discogs.com

TV's Youngest Relic

Liss is known to have acted on television dramas as early as 1943. He was active in the new medium as an actor as a young adult. By the age of 28 he was a writer and producer. His full credits are still unknown, but he was interviewed while he was a production assistant for the Jimmy Dean Show. Since by 1958 he had TV experience longer than most even while still young, he was dubbed "TV's Youngest Relic". 

Beyond the Golden Age of Radio, Liss' greatest contribution to children media was as a writer for the educational series Discovery (1962-1971) on ABC TV. Still fondly remembered by Baby Boomers and older Gen Xers, Discovery brought culture, nature and history to young viewers as a weekly documentary. 

Bill Owen, who was the host from 1966-1971 still recalls Liss as a good friend with a "great prankish sense of humor" and his fondness for entertaining the young Owen children. Not only did Liss write several episodes, but he also shot publicity stills for the series. 

Thanks to YouTube and the Internet Archive, several episodes written by Liss are now viewable for the first time in decades. 

Liss was still a contributing writer on Discovery at the time of his passing at the age of 38 in 1969. Some sources have mistakenly listed his death date as 1970. No public obituary was located as of this writing, but the impact and shock at ABC was mentioned in press snippets. A tribute ad was published in the October 15, 1969 edition of Variety with the words "In the Memory of Ronald Liss By His Friends". Episodes written by Liss continued to air into 1971. 

Many details of Liss' life remain a mystery due to limited documentation. More information is wanted about his family. In 1959 he was married to actress Jan Chaney. Press articles about their union described Liss as a "CBS assistant producer" or a "stage manage and assistant producer" at CBS. 

Legacy 

Ronald Liss embodied the full range of talent that any child actor could have. His career as an adult embraced the new medium of television while still producing colorful audio projects rooted in what made radio so special. With his multiple performances on Superman, Dimension X, and other programs, many more episodes with Liss have survived for entertainment and review than many of his childhood peers. Also with more knowledge of Ronald Liss' life, baby boomers and older Generation X kids can revisit Discovery on YouTube with a renewed appreciation of one of the amazing talents behind the scenes.  

From war information programs, to dramas about racial tolerance and to writing television documentaries about culture and history, Liss is an overlooked figure in the history of instructional children’s media.

The OTRR Library has hundreds of surviving programs with Liss as a cast member, the most plentiful being from Superman. More episodes with Liss exist in archival collections; for example one episode of Cimarron Tavern is in the OTRR Library, but an additional 23 exist in the J. David Goldin Collection at the Marr Sound Archives from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Notes & Acknowledgements

This blogger would like to thank Mr. Bill Owen for sharing recollections of Ron Liss, and for special permission to use a photo from "The Big Broadcast" (1972).

*Some sources say Liss was born in 1931. Also early coverage may be incorrect about his age, as it was typical for a year or two to be added or subtracted from a child's age. Also, his given middle initial was S. I still have no idea what it stood for. 

** Of all the lost programs featuring Liss, I am most curious about Two For A Clue. 

*** This blogger would like to get in touch with Jeanne Elkins. Years ago a neighbor of hers was seeking out radio programs.

**** An exact date of death was not found for Ronald S. Liss as of June 11, 2026. His interment date was October 8, 1969. 

The Lost 1954 Charlotte's Web Radio Plays

Snippet from Scrantonian (PA) Tribune Sun, Mar 07, 1954 Page 28.
Image from Newspapers.com

E. B. White's children's book Charlotte's Web remains a household name and a beloved classic after more than 70 years. Wikipedia and many other sources lists it many adaptations like the 1973 animated film, the recent HBO Max miniseries, and the live action 2006 film. 

Forgotten and lost is the very first media adaptation of the book which was produced less than two years after the book was published. Charlotte's Web was adapted for radio by Joanna Johnstone for the Peabody award winning children's series "Let's Pretend". Let's Pretend (1929-1954) was CBS radio's Saturday morning classic that typically adapted fairy tales with a juvenile cast. It was that rare show that captivated children while also being highly praised by parents and teachers as one of radio's best. Charlotte's Web was broadcast as a two part dramatization on Saturday, March 13 and Saturday March 20, 1954. 

Young stage actress Lynn Thatcher (1938-2015) was cast as Fern according to most press releases. A few clippings claim that she was cast as Charlotte. Articles also claimed that the rights to adapt Charlotte's Web were acquired by CBS with the young actress in mind. She was the recipient of the Nila Mack Award, a tribute to director Nila Mack (1890-1953), who transformed Let's Pretend into such a successful program from 1930 until her death. The cast members were often called the “Let’s Pretenders”. 

Charlotte's Web aired during Let's Pretend's last season. Thatcher was a part of the cast for the last original episode "Jorinda and Joringel" which aired Saturday, October 24, 1954. 

Despite its long run and multiple accolades less than 50 of the original radio broadcasts of Let's Pretend can be heard today. Unfortunately, the audio of the first adaptation of Charlotte's Web is now lost. No audio or scripts are listed in the E. B. White papers at Cornell University. Fortunately the scripts and music conductor's cues exist within the Let's Pretend Collection at Emerson College. So it is possible that these historic broadcasts could be recreated some day. 

Photo illustration montage of Lynn Thatcher as Fern in "Charlotte's Web" in Let's Pretend
March 13 -20, 1954. Photo is partially blocked by a 1952 ticket.

A special acquisition in the Nila Mack Let’s Pretend Collection from my Children's Media Archive, is this original press photo of Lynn Thatcher as Fern. The overlapping ticket is from a 1952 broadcast. An original press text used with the image said:

E. B. WHITE HEROINE - Lynn Thatcher will play the human heroine in "Charlotte's Web," comedy fantasy which will be given a second Saturday broadcast over CBS radio on March 20. CBS.

Additional Reading

Let's Pretend Collection at Emerson College Archives and Special Collections Repository:

Charlotte Part I, 1954-03-13 - https://archivesspace.emerson.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/14951 

Charlotte Part II, 1954-03-20 - https://archivesspace.emerson.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/14952

Newspaper Clippings:

Lynn Thatcher To Be Featured In 'Let's Pretend" Play Series. Scrantonian (PA) Tribune Sun, Mar 07, 1954 Page 28. https://www.newspapers.com/article/scrantonian-tribune-lynn-thatcher-in-cha/198712844/ 

Patricia Peardon: OTR Child Star of the Month April 2026

Pat Peardon, about age 11, From Radio Stars, April 1936.
Image from the Media History Digital Library. 

Patricia Peardon

 April 20, 1924* - April 22, 1993

Also Known As Pat Peardon, Patsy Peardon**

Known Juvenile Roles

King Arthur Land, NBC, 1935
Beatrice Fairfax, NBC, 1935
Forty Five Minutes in Hollywood, 1935 
Let's Pretend, 193?
March of Times
Orphans of Divorce c.1939 - 1942

The Aldrich Family

The cast of NBC's "Adventures in King Arthur Land"(1935) from left to right, Charita Bauer, Jimmy McCallion, Ethel Blume, Lynn Mary Oldham, Patricia Peardon. From Radio Stars, November 1935. Image from the Media History Digital Library. 

Patricia "Pat" Peardon was an actress and sculptor best remembered and possibly most researched today for originating the title role in Junior Miss on Broadway. A substantial part of her acting career was also was in the Golden Age of Radio as a child and teen star. 

Early Life

Born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1924* and raised in Allendale, Midland Park, and Ridgewood, she was the daughter of U.S. Navy Commander Roswell Cameron Peardon and a his wife abusiness executive. Encouraged by an early interest in performance, she began acting at age eight and attended Oakley Hall, a private girls’ school.

Childhood on Radio

Snippet of Pat Peardon on March of Times. From The Central New Jersey Home News,
February 17, 1938. From Newspapers.com

As a child actress, Peardon gained experience in radio, appearing on programs such as The March of Time, where she portrayed roles including Princess Elizabeth and Alice in Wonderland, and Cavalcade of America. Peardon was a cast member of Adventures in King Arthur Land a lost fantasy series by Madge Tucker that ran for several months in 1935 on NBC. 

She also appeared as Shirley Temple on the program Forty Five Minutes In Hollywood a lost program that featured radio actors reenacting scenes from new and upcoming films. Peardon's impressions of Temple were widely noted in the press and she may have been the first actor to portray the world famous child star in a reenactment.  

Little Pat was also promoted as the youngest member of "Roxy's Gang" or the popular Roxy Hour in 1935 led by the pioneering Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel.  

Peardon was also a cast member on Let's Pretend and Beatrice Fairfax. Some press clippings place her in the 1930s Camel Caravan radio program. As a teenager she was one of a number of actresses heard as Mary, the sister of Henry Aldrich on The Aldrich Family.

In these many series, Peardon worked with many famed child actors of the 1930s like Jimmy McCallion, Cherita Bauer (decades before The Guiding Light), and Nancy Kelly.

With so many early Golden Age radio programs having very little surviving audio, scripts and logs, plus documentation of child actors roles, it it hard to say just how many programs Peardon acted in before the age of 17.

On Stage with the Stars

At age twelve, she toured with Katharine Hepburn in a Theatre Guild production of "Jane Eyre" in the role of 'Adele' a little French girl. The encouragement from Hepburn would strongly influenced her career ambitions. Peardon was already nationally known from press releases about her radio roles, but sharing the stage with Hepburn gained her even more national attention. She also starred in a production of "The Middleman" with Ernest Truex and Mildred Natwick based in Suffern, NY. 

"Patricia Peardon is excellent as Judy, displaying a winning charm and performing with considerable skill" - Variety, November 5, 1941 review of Junior Miss

Peardon achieved national recognition at seventeen when she debuted on Broadway as 13 year old Judy Graves in "Junior Miss" (1941) a play based on humorous tales of adolescence written by Sally Benson. Her performance earned critical acclaim and led to a Life and Family Circle magazine cover features. She continued the role throughout the play’s Broadway run, national tour, and a USO-sponsored European tour. 

"Junior Miss" was popular enough for a radio series in 1942, ironically starring Shirley Temple, who Peardon had impersonated when both were little girls. This program is not known to exist, but scripts from the series were sold as part of auctions from Temple's estate. 

Her later stage work included "The Desperate Hours" (1955) and performances with Shakespearean and regional theater companies. 

Early Television Roles. 

Screenshot of Wright King and Pat Peardon from an episode of "Johnny Jupiter", c. 1953. Screenshot from YouTube.com, W/O/C Channel. 

While still acting on stage Pat Peardon also appeared on anthology TV programs like the TV versions of Lights Out, Escape and The Philco TV Playhouse. 

From September 1953 to June 1954 Peardon had a supporting role on the 2nd version of the children's sci-fi puppet series Johnny Jupiter. On the series Wright King played Ernest P. Duckweather a young TV shop repairman who invented a TV that could communicate with aliens on the planet Jupiter, who were puppets. Peardon played Katherine Frisby the daughter of the television shop owner. While not the highlight of Peardon's career, three surviving episodes of Johnny Jupiter are widely available on YouTube and may be the most accessible recordings of any of her performances today. Also it was from watching this series, that this writer became curious to know more about her. 

Her last recurring TV role was on the short lived soap opera Our Five Daughters (1962) starring Esther Ralston. 

Expanding Creativity and Later Life

In addition to acting, Peardon created literary recital programs, including "The Amazing Miss Alcott", commissioned by the Library of Congress for the centennial of "Little Women". In the mid-1960s, she transitioned into sculpture, producing small bronze figures that were widely exhibited, including at Tiffany & Co., the Metropolitan Opera House, and other major cultural venues.

In the late 1970s, Peardon lent her voice to a couple of now scarce book recordings for The Library of Congress National Library Service For the Blind and Physically Handicapped. 

Patrica Peardon married twice, had two daughters, and died of pneumonia in New York City at age 69.

Thoughts and Legacy

Patricia Peardon was a extremely talented child, teen and adult actress of radio's Golden Age whose life showed the potential and versatility of children trained in radio acting. Her body of work screams for preservation today and how unfortunate that many recordings were not preserved. There are so many performances that are recalled about her that would be excellent to hear today, like her impersonations of Shirley Temple, or her roles on daytime dramas, and work for the war effort. Also, it is unfortunate that more than likely (unless filmed for a newsreel) there may not have been a film or audio recording of her performances in "Junior Miss". 

Sources & Additional Resources

Life Magazine, December 15, 1941. Patricia Peardon cover. https://books.google.com/books?id=Zk4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false 

"Child Star of 'Jane Erye' is Enjoying a Rest on Vineyard" Newspapers.com. The Standard-Times, June 27, 1937. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-times-patricia-peardon-ra/194177284/.

"Patricia Peardon - Roxy Saturday Night" Newspapers.com. Daily American-Democrat, January 30, 1935. https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-democrat-patricia-peardon/194174115/.

Notes

* Most sources give her birth year as 1924, a few cite 1923. 

** She was very scarcely called Patsy; this was only found in a few childhood clippings. Peardon was usually called "Patricia" or "Pat".

Island of Lost Christmas Specials: The Lady Next Door's Christmas Party 1930

 

Snippet of a newspaper photo promoting multiple Christmas broadcast. Image of Madge Tucker at the top with an illustration depicting her as "The Lady Next Door".
From Advertiser Journal, December 18, 1930. From Newspapers.com

The Lady Next Door's Christmas Morning Special 

December 25, 1930, 9:00am EST, NBC. Rebroadcast Annually for an unknown number of years.

The Hook: An early annual Christmas special from one of radio pioneering story ladies.

Margaret Berniece "Madge" Tucker (1897-1996) was the earliest known director of children's programming for the NBC radio network, and the beloved "Lady Next Door" of many children's hours in the Golden Age of Radio. 

Beginning in the late 1920s, Tucker began hosting an annual Christmas morning program from New York Station WEAF. This article details her Christmas Day 1930 party. 

All that is known are brief details from snippets in the Advertiser Journal which describes it as a Christmas morning party to be broadcast at 9:00am. Perhaps there were stories, songs and stories to accommodate small children after they would have opened their gifts and before a warm Christmas morning breakfast. 

The Christmas morning broadcasts were promoted for a few years into the mid 1930s. 

Island of Lost Christmas Specials: The Little Stranger on KFI Radio

 

The Island of Lost Christmas Specials.
An imaginary place where forgotten reels, discs, and U-Matics could be found in time for Christmas. 

The Little Stranger

Written by Forest Barnes, Sponsored by Bullock’s department stores.

Station KFI Los Angeles

Broadcast: Friday, December 22, 1939, Friday, December 20, 1940. Friday, December 21, 1941, Tuesday, December 22, 1942, Tuesday, December 21, 1943.

The Hook: A charming Christmas story sponsored by a west coast department store with many coincidences shared with an enduring Christmas serial.

A few years ago, I was researching Christmas radio legend Barbara Jean Wong (1924 - 1999) and her many performances as Arbadella on the Amos 'n' Andy Show, and her enduring performance as Judy in the Christmas serial "The Cinnamon Bear". It was in this research that I discovered she was advertised to have a lead role as a boy named Jimmy in the 1942 broadcast of "The Little Stranger", an annual Christmas play from KFI Los Angeles. 

Written by Forrest Barnes and sponsored by the Bullocks’ Department Store, "The Little Stranger" was the story of an orphan boy who is invited to his local church by a friend where he watches the Holy Christmas Story enacted. The story was broadcast over Los Angeles for 5 consecutive years beginning in 1939.

Ad for “The Little Stranger” from the Venice (CA) Vanguard. December 19, 1941. From Newspapers.com.

According to press releases, in the initial broadcast from 1939, the role of Jimmy was played by child actor Billy Cook (1928 - 1991). The supporting cast included Lurene Tuttle, Gale Gordon, Verna Felton, Theodore Osborn, and Howard McNear. All of these actors were part of the supporting cast of radio’s “The Cinnamon Bear” (1937). 

For the 1942 production radio's "Chinese Wonder" Barbara Jean Wong was advertised as “Jimmy”. Wong playing a boy named Jimmy is an amazing coincidence, since she is still heard annually as Judy Barton in the Cinnamon Bear; Judy's twin brother was named Jimmy. Also, one of her credited co-stars was Walter Tetley who was wrongly believed to have been the voice of Jimmy Barton for over 75 years.

Another coincidence with Wong is that like many of the Amos ‘n’ Andy Christmas Shows, the singing music was provided by the Paul Taylor Chorus.

Audio of “The Little Stranger” is not known to exist as of this writing, and beyond press notices for the 1942 version, it is not known if Wong performed this role for another broadcast. It would be nice to read its script in place of missing audio to get a since of this Christmas tale that was special to it West Coast audience.

For Further Reading:

Stewart Jr., James R. “Barbara Jean Wong: A Delightful Voice of Christmas Past”. Old Radio Times. November-December 2022. https://www.otrr.org/FILES/Times_Archive_pdf/2022_06%20November-December.pdf

Island of Lost Christmas Specials: Christmas Story with Patty Ann Gerrity

Snippet from a NTA Film Network Ad for "This Is Alice" with Patty Ann Gerrity.
Media History Digital Library. 

Christmas Story (1963) with Patty Ann Gerrity

The Hook (what makes it interesting): A Christmas special that was actually an episode of an rare and fondly remembered TV show for a short lived TV network, and that had a small landmark in Golden Age TV history. 

For those new to this blog, every December I add titles to the "Island of Lost Christmas Specials", a wishlist of lost or publicly unavailable Christmas media, episodes and specials from radio and TV. 

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In the 1958-1959 season American families were treated to a new series about a little "impish", "angel" "tomboy" girl named Alice Holiday. Titled This Is Alice, it was unique among all the Golden Age sitcoms with child characters for being one of the few with a little girl as the lead character. In fact it may have been the first American TV series with girl under 13 as the lead. Dennis The Menace with the late Jay North, Leave It To Beaver still have a strong syndication and streaming run today, but Alice has not been syndicated in decades and is mostly remembered by the generation that first saw her. 

Patty Ann Gerrity, image from TV Radio Mirror, April 1959. Media History Digital Library

9 year old Patty Ann Gerrity (1948-1992) was Alice, Phyllis Coates was her Mom, and Tommy Farrell played her father. Kathy Garver, who would become a household name with Family Affair auditioned for the lead but was cast as Alice's friend Sally. Already experienced in acting on film and dancing Gerrity also stood out with what could be her signature look; a combination of freckles, blue eyes and brown hair done up in two pigtails with ribbons.

This is Alice was the only child centered series from Desilu Productions. Gerrity was promoted in the press by Desi Arnaz as a "miniature Lucille Ball". The single season aired in first run syndication from 1958-1959 on the short lived NTA Film Network (1956-1961) and continued in American markets until 1962. That is the latest I could find it in American TV logs. The program also ran overseas. It was known as "La Travesuras di Alicia" in Argentina.

Snippet from the Honolulu Star Bulletin, December 24, 1964. From Newspapers.com

The series had a Christmas episode simply titled "Christmas Story". Based on TV listings, this episode was distributed as a stand alone Christmas special in some markets in 1963 and 1964. It seems to have had a very limited run as I could only find it listed in stations in Hawaii and California. Based on TV snippets it is was the story of Alice trying to sell Christmas trees while also helping an elderly woman

The Alice Christmas specials as broadcast the week of Christmas 1964 seem to be the very last times this series was broadcast on TV in the United States. 

The print for the original "This Is Alice" episode "Christmas Story" does exist in the UCLA Film and TV archives, as does the entire series.  The question is what changes were made to the print of "Christmas Story" shown in 1963 and 1964? If any? 

To date only 4 episodes of  "This Is Alice" are available publicly today thanks to the Moviecraft YouTube.

It’s A Charlie Brown Collection!

Today is the 60th Anniversary of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, which still doesn’t seem the same without a network TV rebroadcast or retrospective.

The Peanuts characters created by Charles Schulz 75 years ago remain popular and familiar to today’s children. It is interesting to look at how Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts cast have been marketed toward all audiences across that time. So here is a peak inside my not so rare but fun Peanuts collections:

A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of A Tradition, by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez.

Good Housekeeping June 1966 with photos and profiles of the voice cast from the upcoming Charlie Brown All-Stars, including Peter Robbins and Chris Shea from the Christmas Special.

Snoopy and Friends Sticker Fun 1987, and Hallmark books “The World According to Lucy” and “Snoopy’s Philosophy”.

Silent Child Stars in Color: Mary Ann Jackson 001

Mary Ann Jackson. Colorized from Exhibitor's Herald, May 26, 1928.

Of all the girls from the Our Gang and Little Rascals film series, Mary Ann Jackson (1923-2003) always stood out for her then current bob hair cut, face full of freckles, tomboy nature, and being a natural "tiny commediane".

In the above and below images, it may never be known what colors were originally on her dress.

Original Image

Prior to appearing in the Our Gang Comedies from 1928 to 1931. Mary Ann and her sister Charlotte "Peaches" Jackson were well known child actresses. At the age of 2, Mary Ann was already considered a possible successor to Baby Peggy Montgomery. Jackson was the baby star of The Smith Family Comedies from the Pathe Studios. She was rare for being a recognizable child actress before joining the Our Gang series.

The next set of images are from a photo of Mary Ann from 1927 that appeared in Motion Picture News and various other publications. It was described as a photo of her with a giant jar of candy that was gifted to her on her 4th birthday. First there is my attempt to colorize it. 

Snippet of Mary Ann Jackson from Motion Picture News, January 28, 1927. 

Image From Media History Digital Library

Now here is an original movie trade ad showing an artisit's rendering of Mary Ann from this photo:

Trade Ad For the Smith Family Series, from Moving Picture World, July 16, 1927. 

Image from Media History Digital Library. 

Logging the Lost "Junior Detectives" Radio Program

Newspaper Ad for the Blue Valley Junior Detectives from the Cleveland Press, February 13, 1931.
From Newspapers.com.

Recently, my research article on the lost Junior Detectives radio series was published in the September-October edition of the Old Radio Times. 

https://otrr.org/FILES/Times_Archive_pdf/2025_05%20September-October.pdf 

Junior Detectives (1931) was a popular, but short lived radio children's series that I believe to have been the first juvenile detective program in broadcasting history. In other words, the first program in any broadcast medium (radio, TV, cable) with young detectives or the first mystery program geared to a child audience. It predates the radio series Dick Tracy, Chick Carter Boy Detective and by decades the TV programs Ghostwriter, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Scooby-Doo Where Are You? and many others.

No scripts or audio from the series are known to exist today, but it was possible to create a log from newspapers listings. As originally printed in my article, the log was compressed with errors. One section of dates I gave were from Sundays instead of Saturdays when the series aired.

Updated Log For the "Junior Detectives" Radio Series - 1931. NBC Network. 

All broadcast dates were on Saturdays at various times. "Unknown" refers to missing information about episode titles and stories. 

1931-01-31 Premiere. unknown

1931-02-07 unknown

1931-02-14 unknown

1931-02-21 unknown

1931-02-28 unknown

1931-03-07 unknown

1931-03-14 "Stolen School Funds". Title from press releases.

1931-03-21 "Stolen School Funds" Title from press releases. 

1931-03-28 unknown

1931-04-04 unknown

1931-04-11 unknown

1931-04-18 unknown

1931-04-25 "The Hoodlum's Hideout". Title from press releases. 

1931-05-02 Plot with stolen gold and a train. Based on a May 06, 1931Variety review. 

1931-05-09 unknown

1931-05-16 unknown

1931-05-23 unknown

1931-05-30 unknown

1931-06-06 unknown

1931-06-13 unknown

1931-06-20 unknown if broadcast. News about removal from air after this date

1931-06-27 unknown if broadcast

1931-07-04 unknown if broadcast. Last date in newspaper radio logs.

Silent Child Stars in Color: Baby Peggy 001

 

Baby Peggy Montgomery, later Diana Serra Cary (1918-2020) was known in recent years as the last surviving major star of the Silent Era. She was the prominent girl child star of the 1920s and an acclaimed chronicler of the histories of child stardom in her later life.

It was interesting to colorize this sepia toned postcard of her. I suspect that her dress had more color, especially the fruit patches. 

Found Mystery Photo of Little Girl From 1928

 

Occasionally in my research on children's media, I will come across lost photos and home movies. This photo of little girl in a fancy white dress seated and leaning on a table stand with a 1928 card was ironically found inside a book on antique advertising and signage. Was it a custom made photo of someone's daughter or was it a mass produced card for News Years of 1928? There are no clues on the back.  It may always be a mystery. 

OTR Child Star of the Month April 2025 - Growing Up With Bob Hastings

Screen capture of "Bobby Hastings" in the short film "Toyland Casino" (1938). This short film marked his live-action debut. 

Bob Hastings (April 18, 1925–June 30, 2014) who was born 100 years ago this month was a prolific star of stage, screen, television and radio. His nearly 80 year career began in radio as a child in the late 1930s. 

Young millennials like myself fondly remember him the most for his commanding voice work as Commissioner James Gordon on “Batman: The Animated Series” and related DC Comics based animation and video games from 1992 - 2004. As it has been said before, Hastings was much more than that role, and he is probably more famous for his work in live action television. While he is not primarily thought of as a major figure in children’s media, it can be accurately said that Hastings played memorable roles in children's media across several generations. 

Bob Hastings was born in New York the elder son of Charles and Hazel Hastings. As a boy Hastings began as a singer on radio and would co-star on NBC's hallmark children's series Coast to Coast on a Bus. Under the direction of Milton Cross, young Hastings sang and performed on the “White Rabbit Line Chorus”. It was during the production of that series that he met Joan Rice would become his wife of 66 years. Among many juvenile roles he was also “Jerry”, the young aid to Captain Silver on “The Sea Hound” radio series.

Crop from a widely printed image of Bob Hastings as Archie Andrews and Gloria Mann as Veronica. Image from Los Angeles Evening Citizen-News, June 22, 1949. 

After serving in Workd War II, Bob Hastings was cast as Archie Andrews on radio, the fourth and most famous of several actors to have played the part. The Adventures of Archie Andrews (1943-1953) was a staple of Saturday morning radio for most of its run. Hastings played the part from 1945 to 1953, and to date only Dal McKennon the voice of Filmation's Archie played the part longer in mass media. At least 20 episodes of this series have survived with Hal Stone as Jughead, Rosemary Rice as Betty, and Gloria Mann as Veronica.

Ad from the St. Louis Dispatch, April 28, 1946.

In the Golden Age of Television he appeared on Captain Video and His Video Rangers where his younger brother Don Hastings (1934 -) was the Video Ranger. Bob also co-starred on the now lost sci-fi series Atom Squad (1953-1954). Atom Squad brought young audience the live adventures of a group of scientists working for a secret government agency who fought radiation and nuclear threats to the United States.  

Bob Hastings (left) and Steve Courtleigh on the set of "Atom Squad". Image from Honolulu Star-Advertiser, November 28, 1953.

In the 1960s and 1970s Hastings began voice over work in animation. He was notably the voice of Superboy for Filmation's The New Adventures of Superman [The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (1966-1970). At the time, Filmation would launch the hit series "The Archie Show" and it was a lost opportunity that Hastings was not considered for the role of Archie again. Filmation notably had Bud Collyer and most of the cast of the Superman radio program return for the "New Adventures of Superman" animated series. 

He had numerous voicing roles on many Saturday Morning cartoons like "Jeanie", “Clue Club” "Superfriends", and  "Fred Flintstone and Friend. He even appeared as a police detective in the ratings winning 1977 live-action Spider-Man TV Movie with Nicholas Hammond.

"Bob Hastings: 45 Songs Children Love to Sing" (1960). Image from Discogs.com

He also released at least 2 albums for children. In my research, a collection of his songs may have also been syndicated to local radio stations. Hastings was one of several former OTR child stars to create or read for children’s albums after radio’s golden age like Rosemary Rice and Gwen Davies. 

One thing that my generation did not realize while hearing Hasting's voice work on "Batman" was that not only were we growing up in the last era of Saturday morning cartoons, but also the last era of working voice actors from the Golden Age of Radio. Generations grew up with the voice work of Lucille Bliss, Alan Young, June Foray, Jackson Beck, Don Messick, Hans Conried, Ginny Tyler, Mel Blanc, Janet Waldo and many others in television animation, audio books, and children's records. In the cases of Alan Young and Janet Waldo young children could hear them in new radio dramas like Adventures in Odyssey. 

We were listening to the greatest talents who were founded on 30 and even 70 years of voice acting expertise from the Golden Age of Radio. Bob Hastings remains one of the most enduring of those legends.

Lucy Gilman - OTR Star of the Month - March 2025

Image of 11 year old Lucy Gilman. From the Passaic Herald-News, Tuesday, October 13, 1936. The caption claimed that she was talked out of cutting her red curly locks. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-news-radio-child-actress-lucy/167164771/ 

Since many Old Time Radio (OTR) child stars were born in the 1920s, being in the 2020s presents many opportunities to celebrate centennial anniversaries of their birthdays. I tried this last year with Barbara Jean Wong and here is another star on what would have been their 100th birthday. 

Lucy Gilman (Scott) March 4, 1925 - November 23, 2006

Known Juvenile Radio Roles
Today's Children, c. 1932 - 1937
Rainbow Court [a.k.a. "Song of the City"] 1934-1935
First Nighter, c. 1933
Princess Pat Players, c. 1934 - 1936
Sunbrite Junior Nursing Corps 1936 - c. 1938

Guiding Light c.1939

Myrt and Marge c. 1940 

One Man's Family

Right To Happiness 

Lucy Gilman was a prominent child, teen and young adult actress in the world of Chicago radio with several roles on daytime dramas. She may be mostly researched today as the lead of the Dorothy Hart Sunbrite Nursing Corps program. 

Beginnings in Chicago Radio

Radio actress Lucy Gilman was born on March 4, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois. Her father Harry Gilman was a concert violinist and music producer for overseas radio programs. Lucy was the youngest of three sisters. Her sister Toni Gilman (1923-2017) was also a model, radio and stage actress. Lucy began her career as a child actress reportedly at the age of 3. 

Lucy Gilman in a character pose as "Lucy Moran" on "Today's Children". From Radio Stars Magazine, Feburary 1935. From the Media History Digital Library. 

In regional and national press young Lucy was frequently referenced as one of radio's youngest stars and attracted attention for her role as Lucy Moran on the soap opera "Today's Children" with Irna Phillips "Godmother of the Soap Opera", Ireene Wicker who was also known as "The Singing Lady", writer and actor Walter Wicker (Ireene's husband) and several other Chicago radio pioneers. 

With much of the same cast Gilman portrayed "Mary Lou" and orphan girl on the short lived soaper Rainbow Court (Song of the City. Lucy is also credited in a 1935-1936 revamp of "Painted Dreams"; the 1930 version was the landmark series by Irna Phillips some historians credit as the first soap opera. Gilman was also heard in at least one dramatic role for the "First Nighter Program"

Dorothy Hart Sunbrite Nurse Program

Dorothy Hart Sunbrite Junior Nurse Corps Button. Images: Ebay.com

The pinnacle of Lucy's radio career may have been the "Sunbrite Junior Nurse Corps". Also known as "Dorothy Hart Sunbrite Nurse" this radio program premiered on February 17, 1936* over Chicago WBBM for CBS sponsored by Sunbrite Cleanser. The series was directed by Bess Johnson who was Lucy's co-star on the Today's Children series.

Airing three times a week, typically around 5 p.m., each 15-minute episode Gilman as Dorothy Hart who was the "National President" of the Sunbrite Junior Nurse Corps, guiding young listeners through stories and lessons on hygiene, safety, and first aid. The program featured narrative stories about historical figures like Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, and Sacagawea. 

Image from WorthPoint Auctions --
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1936-dorothy-hart-sunbrite-junior-1845907898

Girls listening to the series were encouraged to join the Sunbrite Junior Nurse Corps by sending in a Sunbrite Cleanser label. New members received a membership certificate, a Junior Nurse Manual, and an equipment catalog. The catalog offered items such as official uniforms, first aid kits, rings, and other accessories. The Sunbrite Nurse accessories are rare and collectible today especially since audio from the actual program is lost today. Some memorabilia from the program is even in the collections of the National Library of Medicine.  

Left to Right, Charlie Arnold, Jim Ameche, and Lucy Gilman. Notice the Sunbrite Nursing shoulder patch. Image from the Joe Hehn Memorial Collection of Golden Age Radio. https://archive.org/details/photosJHMC

The program's content was supervised by child guidance expert Angelo Patri (1876-1965), ensuring it was both educational and appropriate for its young audience. 

Brief Hollywood Career

Gilman has one documented screen appearance (on IMDB) as Julia Davis in the 1938 film "Gangster's Boy," co-starring Jackie Cooper. 

Before this film was made Gilman was also widely publicized the top contender for the role of Becky Thatcher in David O'Selznick's production of "Adventures of Tom Sawyer". She won the role from over 874 actresses. According to an interview given by Gilman in 1937 she lost the role when the production was delayed and she grew too big for the part by time shooting had resumed. 

Actress Ann Gillis (1927-2018) was ultimately cast as Becky Thatcher for the completed 1938 release. Gillis, a redhead just like Gilman, would also portray Little Orphan Annie on the big screen that year. Since Little Orphan Annie was a redheaded character, and a fixture of Chicago radio, just like Lucy Gilman, one wonder if she could have had this part under different circumstances. 

Other Radio Roles

While Gilman's Hollywood career was brief she continued in radio acting into early adulthood. Among her roles were Eileen O'Brien on "The Guiding Light", Edna Seymour on "Myrt and Marge", the Mrs. on "Mr. and Mrs.", and even as a "co-em-cee" for "The Breakfast Quiz" game show on WGN.  

On December 25, 1948, she married advertising president Jack Scott. The couple were married for over 50 years until Scott's death. Lucy Gilman Scott passed away in her sleep on November 23, 2006, at her home in Northbrook, Illinois at the age 81. 

Lucy Gilman's Legacy Today

As with several of the prolific child stars of the 1930s very few broadcasts with Gilman as a child have survived or are publicly available today. Her career is documented in the collections of several archives, museums and digital collections.  Her versatility at a very young age in the soap operas "Today's Children", "Song of the City" and "Painted Dreams" predates several child and teen stars of the TV soaps like Laurence Fishbourne, Christel Khalil, Bryton McClure and Kimberly McCullough. 

If Irna Phillips was the "Godmother of Soap Operas", and Ireene Wicker "The First Queen of the Soap Operas" then Gillman could be considered "The First Princess of the Soaps Operas" or daytime dramas. 

The Sunbrite Nursing Corps series remains notable as possibly the first broadcasting program designed to engage young girls in a simulation of a STEM or medical field, even if the real goal was to sell cleanser. More research is needed to learn about the programs' impact on women who became nurses between 1940 and 1960. Today it could be seen as a distant ancestor of "Mission Unstoppable". 

Links and Resources. 

*See Larry Wolters article cited below. 

Angelo Patri Papers - Library of Congress, 1904-1962. [Not reviewed for this blog, but is hoped that Patri's papers would contain materials related to this series]  

[Interview with Lucy Gilman]. In This Corner With Cedric Adams. Minneapolis Star February 22, 1937. 

Lucy Gilman Scott (Obiturary) Donnellan Funeral Home. https://www.donnellanfuneral.com/obituaries/Lucy-Gilman-Scott?obId=7468926

Sunbrite Postcard, Collection of History of Medicine, National Library of Medicine Digital Library - http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101627261

Wolters, Larry. News of the Radio Stations. Chicago Tribune. February 17, 1936. Page 20. https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-premiere-of-sunbrite-jun/167166122/