Showing posts with label (CBS) Columbia Broadcasting System. Show all posts
Showing posts with label (CBS) Columbia Broadcasting System. Show all posts

Saturday, May 21, 2022

The Many Faces and Voices of Yolande Langworthy

An overlooked figure in the history of American children's radio is Canadian born singer, writer and poet Yolande Langworthy (1892 - 1976). For nearly 2 short years from 1928 to 1930 she wrote, directed and sometimes acted in children's radio series for the young Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).

Langworthty was a contralto singer who performed on American radio stations as early as 1922 under her married name Frances Reade. For still unknown reasons she adapted the nom de plume "Yolande Langworthty" and became a famed and notable director, writer and producer for CBS. 

Her most acclaimed series was "Arabesque", (1928-1930) a prime time drama series that modernized the 1001 Arabian Nights saga with poetic readings and acting. Langworthy also portrayed "Lizzie Twitch" on one of the networks earliest comedy-variety series "The Nit-Wits" which was CBS' rival series to NBC's "The Cuckoo Hour".

Yolande Langworthy dressed in Arabian/gypsy garb for "Arabesque" on CBS radio, c. 1929.

Langworthy (Second from Left) as "Lizzie Twitch" on "The Nit Wit Hour" or "The Nit Wits"., From Radio Digest, March 1931.

Her contributions to children's media include the public recognition as "director of Columbia's children's programs". While acting, writing and directing Arabesque, Langworthy was in charge of at least 3 children's radio programs for CBS. "Mountainville Sketches" or "Littmann's Mountainville Sketches" was a series about a small town with a child and adult cast. The series was created with the intent to foster understanding between parents and children. Langworthy portrayed a teacher's wife. 

Yolande Langworthy (center) with Artells Dickson captain of the "Ship of Dreams" on "Land O' Make Believe", and Patricia "Pat" Ryan possibly the first child star on CBS.  From "What's On The Air, August 1930.

There was also a Sunday morning fantasy series called "Land O' Make Believe". The program with her most lasting legacy was the "Adventures of Helen and Mary" a Saturday morning fantasy series about two little girls Helen (Jean Derby and Patricia "Pat" Ryan) and Mary (Estelle Levy**), whose storybook fantasies were enacted by adult performers. Levy and Ryan were featured in all the other children's programing on CBS. This series was the cornerstone for the acclaimed children's series Let's Pretend.

In "Let's Pretender" Arthur Anderson's (1922-2016) wonderful book "Let's Pretend and the Golden Age of Radio", it is claimed that either CBS executives or founder William S. Paley wasn't pleased with her scripts, and felt that another writer/director was needed for the children's program. However, Langworthy's departure from CBS coincides with a lawsuit that she filed in New York Supreme Court against the network to retain rights to her "Arabesque" stories. So, for whatever reason, two years of creative writing and directing by Miss Langworthy came to an end. 

She was replaced by Nila Mack (1891-1953) "The Fairy Godmother of Radio" and the rest is history. Mack does deserves credit for turning "Helen and Mary" into the Peabody award winning "Let's Pretend". However Langworthy's tenure on the series is worth more investigating after 92 years.

This blogger is not aware of surviving scripts or recordings for the children's series directed by Langworthy so it is impossible to objectively judge the quality of content that she created for children. Without revealing too much personal information for now, Langworthy returned to Canada, where she passed away at the age of 84.

If you have additional information about Yolande Langworhty, please leave a comment or write to archivebuilder@gmail.com with "Yolande Langworthy" as the subject header. 

**In 1941 Estelle Levy began singing and professionally acting as "Gwen Davies". As of 2004 she is believed to still be living. If anyone has more information about her please leave a comment. 

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

From The Archives: "Based On The TV Program" (1950s)

Here are scans of book covers from 50's era television programs. Chicago style citations are in the captions.

Schroeder, Doris. 1955. Annie Oakley in danger at Diablo. Racine, Wis: Whitman Pub. Co.

Annie Oakley (1954 1957) was one of the best "kiddie" westerns from the 1950s. In the series the fictional Annie (Gail Davis) lived in the town of Diablo with her kid brother Tagg (Jimmy Hawkins It's A Wonderful Life).



Jason, Leon. ill. Ruhman, Ruth. 1957. Jingle dingle book.  New York, NY. Wonder Books.

Jingle Dingle was a jolly character created by New York artist Leon Jason to be their weatherman for local TV stations. For information on local kids TV characters like Jingle Dingle there is still no better source than Tim Hollis's Hi There, Boys and Girls!: America's Local Children's TV Shows

Fisher, Lois J., and Karl Murr. 1951. Lois and Looie; inside a TV show. Chicago: Children's Press.

Lois Jeanette Fisher (1907? - 1988) was an accomplished cartoonist, teacher and writer by the time she hosted Lois and Looie for WENR-TV in Chicago. She told and illustrated the adventures of herself, a boy named Looie, a puppy named Poco and the horse Starbaby. She had previously hosted Trace-A-Pix for WPIX in New York and an early experimental interactive video series in Chicago around 1945. There will much more about her in future posts. 

Children's television magazine, July 1952. Haverford, Pa. Charles L. Shaffer, Inc.

Above a below are the cover and a spread page from Children's Television Magazine. According to the 1953 Catalog of Copyright Entries, this may have been the only issue of this magazine ever published. The funny looking puppet on the cover is Willie the Worm from "Junior Hi-Jinx with Willie" or simply Junior Hi-Jinx a CBS-TV children's program. For more about this series I will share this link to a page in Wesley Hyatt's amazing book Short Lived Television Programs, 1948-1978. 


Children's television magazine, July 1952. Haverford, Pa. Charles L. Shaffer, Inc.

There are so many stories about how amazed children were that the Princess from Howdy Doody (1947-1960) became a dancing singing human being. Were you one of them?

Thursday, September 1, 2016

This Month in Children's Media: September 2016




I will try to have this feature on the first of each month. It has been said that people cannot resist celebrating any anniversary divisible by the number 25. This December is especially going to be fun with the 50th anniversary of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" (TV Special), and the 100th anniversary of "Snow White" (1916) (the first film Disney saw as a boy), and many more.

This is my first post with this theme so please forgive the lack of video,s links or images to go with the facts. By all means there are too many anniversaries to acknowledge, so don't be upset if there is a great book, program or film missing.

Also I hope to have a follow up article on these events throughout the month.


25 Years Ago 

September 20, 1991 - Step by Step was added to the TGIF line up.

September 30, 1991 - The popular PBS Game Show "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego" premiered.


50 Years Ago


1966 is sometimes regarded as the single coolest year in television history. It was the year that all programming transitioned to color, and several iconic programs premiered or were on the air at the same time (Batman, Star Trek, Gillian's Island, Get Smart, I Spy, Addams Family, a long long, long, long ongoing list).

It was also the ultimate year that children's Saturday morning programming was almost completely animation (no more reruns of B&W series like Lassie, or Sky King, and Captain Kangaroo left Saturdays), and controversy would grow over the new action adventure series, especially in 1967 (Spider-Man, Dino Boy, ...), plus the advertising and the quality of children's television.

Yonkers NY Herald Statesman, September 2nd, 1966


September 9, 1966 - Radio, comic book and Saturday Matinee vigilante The Green Hornet transitioned to television for one (memorable) season.

September 12, 1966 - Family Affair premieres on CBS

Saturday Morning premieres








September 10, 1966 - Yes, all of these shows debuted on the same day!
(ABC)
 King Kong Show

(CBS)
New Adventures of Superman - Bud Collyer was back as the Man of Steel. (See 75 years ago below).
Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles
The Lone Ranger (Halas & Batchelor) - It is interesting that radio's most famous hero and icon for boys and girls was played in animated form by radio veterans.  Micheal Rye in this version and in the 1980s version it would be radio's Marshall Dillon, William Conrad. Speaking of radio, the last original Lone Ranger radio drama aired 60 years ago in 1956.

(NBC)
Space Kiddettes
Super-Six
Cool McCool - Bob Kane's spy spoof.

Exact date unknown -
Animal Secrets (NBC, 1966 - 1968) Educational series hosted by Dr. Loren Eisely, professor of anthropology and history at the University of Pennsylvanina.

The Smithsonian (NBC, 1966 - ?)

75 Years Ago



September 5, 1941 - Reg'lar Fellers, the live action film based on the comic strip by Gene Brynes starring Billy Lee as Pinhead Duffy and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as Bump Hudson. Also an Ub Iwerks animated short Happy Days premiered 80 years ago on September 30, 1936.

Showman's Trade Review - September 28, 1940. Ad for the series a full year earlier.

September 26, 1941 - Max Fleischer's first Superman cartoon hits theaters, the first animated comic book superhero film ever made, just 6 months after the live-action "Captain Marvel" serial. The cast of the Superman radio program do the honors: Clayton "Bud" Collyer (Superman/Clark Kent), Joan Alexander (Lois Lane), Julian Noa (Perry White). Moving from comics, to comic strips, then on radio, in merchandise, the 1939 World's Fair, and then theatrical cartoons further showed the mass market appeal and success of the "superhero" concept.

16 more Technicolor adventures with the Man of Steel would follow. DC (National) Comics failed to renew the copyright for the series in the 1960s and they have been in the public domain ever since. From local kiddie TV hosts to bargain VHS & DVDs, children have been reintroduced to this series over and over again. Just how many superhero cartoons have there been over the last 75 years?