OTR Child Star of the Month: Patricia Ryan Part I

In order to speed up a goal of completing a definitive history of children's radio before 1960, I will try to write about one juvenile star a month. Another February could not go by without acknowledging Patricia Ryan. 

Old Time Radio Child Star of the Month, February 2024: Patricia Ryan – Part I

Photo of Patricia "Pat" Ryan, from Radio Mirror, April 1936

Patricia Marion “Pat” Ryan (February 25, 1921 – February 15, 1949)

Selected Radio Programs
Adventures of Helen and Mary [Let’s Pretend]

Land O’ Make Believe (Land of Make Believe)
Daddy and Rollo
Sunday Morning at Aunt Susan’s
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

Aunt Jenny

The Parker Family

American School of the Air
Claudia (and David)
The Aldrich Family 

Patricia “Pat” Ryan was a leading child, teen, and young adult actress of Radio’s Golden Age. She acted on radio constantly from the age of 7 or 8 until her untimely death in 1949 at the age of 27. Now 75 years after her passing and for February which was also the month she was born here is a research complication of Patricia’s story. 

Patricia Marion Ryan born February 25, 1921 in London, England, the second child of John and Edith Lottie (Wood) Ryan. Her New York born father and English born mother also had Pauline Edith (b. 1917 - 2007), and baby sister Juanita (b. 1926 - ????). Edith, Paulina and Patricia immigrated to Ellis Island, NY when Patricia was just 3 months old.

“Pat” as she was commonly named as a child, began appearing in radio broadcasts around 1929 on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). In future press articles Pat Ryan was sometimes called Columbia's first child star. The series she would be most identified for was the Saturday morning children's series “The Adventures of Helen and Mary” (1929-1934) with Estelle Levy*. Levy and Ryan would work together for nearly 20 years. This fantasy series created by Yolande Langworthy would become the Peabody award winning “Let’s Pretend” (1934-1954) under the direction of Nila Mack. As Let’s Pretend, children of all ages were swept into the best fairy and folk tales, all enacted by a juvenile cast. 

Patricia "Pat" Ryan, with Yolande Langworthy, and Artells Dickson on "Land O' Make Believe",
From "What's On The Air, August 1930.

most radio histories (and ongoing publicity from CBS and the press) Pat Ryan was the first and only Mary**, but recent research for the Children’s Media Archive blog has found that she began this role in 1930 following actress Jean Derby. At the same time Derby was on the series, Ryan was listed as a featured CBS child actress, so further research is needed to confirm which children's series Pat Ryan appeared on first. 

Pat Ryan and Estelle Levy c. 1935

Before the age of 14 little Pat was featured on Land O’ Make Believe, Littmann’s Mountainville True Life Sketches, Daddy and Rollo, and Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. 

Ryan was part of a new generation of wonder children who were leading and starring in network radio programs and would graduate to adult programming, stage, and screen like Jimmy McCallion, Baby Rose Marie, Nancy Kelly, Shirley Bell, the Mauch Twins, and Franklin Adams.... just to keep the list short. 

Ryan went a step further and was also a writer and director. Pat was already writing plays for local theater, but it even more was widespread news when 12-year-old*** Pat was allowed to write and cast players for an original story for Let’s Pretend. She was reported as the youngest playwright for nationally broadcast radio program. Her story “The Silver Knight” was originally broadcast April 27, 1935. While a recording does not exist, an abridged version was published in the September 1935 edition of “Radio Stars. A script copy exists in the Let’s Pretend Collection at the Emerson College Archives and Special Collections. Pat did not appear in the play herself, but reportedy was interviewed by Nila Mack at the beginning of the broadcast. 

Abridged version of "The Silver Knight" from Radio Junior section of "Radio Stars" September 1935. Arty by Jim Kelly. 

Sources for Part I

"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6J7-938 : Thu Feb 08 23:09:00 UTC 2024), Entry for Patricia Marion Ryan and June Wood, 09 May 1921.

The Silver Knight, 1935-04-27, MSS 004-01-70, Box: MSS 004 Box 02. The "Let's Pretend" Collection, MSS 004. Emerson College Archives and Special Collections. https://archivesspace.emerson.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/15006  

"United States, New York, Index to Passengers Arriving at New York City, compiled 1944-1948", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:78Z3-1DMM : Thu Oct 05 04:06:39 UTC 2023), Entry for Patricia Marion Ryan, 1921.

Notes***

*Estelle Levy would later act, sing, and do animation voice overs as "Gwen Davies". Her married name was Gwen Greenhaus (1922-2022).

**Many contemporary sources list Pat Ryan in either role of Helen or Mary.  

***Like many child stars of the past, there are discrepancies with her age. Press articles from 1935 say Pat was 11 or 12 when the The Silver Knight premiered, but Patricia was really 14. 

Is The Children's Media Archive Real?

Yes Virginia, There is a Children's Media Archive....in theory! Here is a history of how this blog and accompanying YouTube channel began.

As a 1990s kid, I consumed new kids shows from both TV and VHS tapes. In a typical week I looked forward to the syndicated Disney Afternoon shows and a new episode of Family Matters on 5he ABC TGIF lineup. My parents are baby boomers, and it was through them and my grandmother that I was encouraged to try Abbott and Costello, The Three Stooges, Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, Shirley Temple and much more.

As an adolescent I was perfectly comfortable watching media that children would have enjoyed from multiple generations across 75 years. My bedroom included VHS tapes recordings of movie serials from American Movie Classics, old time radio sets from Radio Spirits, and books on every day life in American history. The 1930s was a favorite decade of study, when radio, comic strips, sound features and mass merchandise properties began to dominate the American childhood. Gradually, I accepted my growing fascination with what entertained, and educated kids from the past century.

A decade ago while studying instructional technology in college, I developed an idea that if today's content creators, digital storytellers, teachers, and media makers studied the kids media of yesteryear, it would lead to richer content today and a greater appreciation for the changes in methods, storytelling and technology across a century. 

An example of this would be comparing NBC TV Ding Dong School's Dr. Frances Horwich with a YouTube content creator for children. In the early 1950s "Miss Frances" Horwich was limited to one television camera on a studio set, compared to a teacher today who can record, edit, stream, and share multiple videos (in Color!!) with their phone.

Admittedly outside of this theory, it is still fascinating to learn about what past generations watched, read, or listened to. For fun one can for a few minutes imagine being part of the first generation to watch TV, or learn about kids who made their own instructional films with a super 8mm camera. With an episode of Radio's The Lone Ranger, Red Ryder, and Little Orphan Annie you can be Ralphie from "A Christmas Story".

Part of research collection before it was placed in storage earlier this year. If you squint, you can see hundreds of DVDs and VHS tapes, children's 45 LP records, and toys from Fisher Price, G.I. JOE and more.

Learning about historical children's media can also give an appreciation for how we became a society where a kid can over consume media. Just a little over 90 years ago CBS and NBC radio had only a handful of programs for children directed by Yolande Langworthy and Madge Tucker. 75 years ago the youngest baby boomers began to watch Howdy Doody, and the Small Fry Club on television. From 30 years ago, I remember the wonder, and curiosity of VHS tapes, and whether it was a big deal not having cable, since the networks still had the best kid shows anyway.

While several colleges and universities in the United States have archival collections full of children's literature, and others have rare children's films as part of a large collection, I am not aware of a massive collection devoted solely to the study of children's audio & video media; across decades and formats.

Materials in storage include a collection of TV Guides from the "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-1983) TV series, and a file box on James Basquette, the pioneering Oscar winning actor who starred in Disney's "Song of the South".

This motivated me to create an experimental "children's media archive" collection. In 2015, I began this blog to practice writing for books, and a YouTube channel to share content. My personal research collection has grown to include materials from the estates of Ireene Wicker, Mary Hartline, rare signed books by 1920s children's radio hosts, numerous recordings in multiple formats, reference books, and small toys. 

The blog and YouTube logo were handdrawn, with text added with Microsoft Paint.

As a trained librarian and archivist, I organize and preserve items as if I were running an actual children's media archive. Most of my collection is currently in storage as my wife and I make room for our own expanding family(!) 

I am especially proud that children are using the resources of this blog for their school projects. It is terrific to know that today's kids are looking into the past.

10 Comic Characters You Did Not Know Were On The Radio

Ad For the NBC Archie Andrews radio series, from "Pep Comics" #54, Sept. 1945. 

When it comes to Golden Age kids' radio shows and comics from the same period, many people will remember scenes from A Christmas Story where Ralphie is a fan of the Little Orphan Annie radio series. The theme from the Red Ryder radio series is also heard in a dream sequence. It is interesting to note the many classic comic strips or comic books quickly made the transition from the page to the radio.

Buck Rogers - Regarded as Radio's first Sci-Fi series, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century premiered in 1932 on CBS radio. The series ran periodically until 1947. Buck would continue to have adventures in a 1939 movie serial, and two TV series.

Batman - While the Caped Crusader had two failed radio pilots (one in 1943, a second in 1950), he was a frequent guest on "The Adventures of Superman" radio program. Batman was usually portrayed by Stacy Harris or Gary Merrill. Robin was portrayed by Ronny Liss. Interestingly, Harris was the star of "This Is Your FBI", and Liss was occasionally cast as troubled juveniles in this series.

Flash Gordon - A year before Buster Crabbe took off to the planet Mongo on the serial screen, Gale Gordon brought the famous hero to life. "The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon" radio serial also starred Bruno Hampton as Emperor Ming. The actress who played Dale Arden (and maybe Princess Aura as well) is still unidentified.

Blondie - Following the success of the first two Blondie films starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake, a radio series began on CBS in 1939. Lake was heard as Dagwood throughout the entire run which ended in 1950. While Blondie is one of the world's longest-running comic strips, it has yet to be adapted successfully as a TV series. The 1957 and 1968 versions both lasted one season or less.

Bob Hasting as Archie on "The Adventures of Archie Andrews". Images from Wikimedia Commons.

Archie Andrews - A long, long, time before "Riverdale", and even Saturday Morning's "The Archie Show", the comic teen was the star of a Saturday morning radio series. The most famous radio Archie was Bob Hastings. This was the first of his many pop culture roles. Hastings was also the voice of Superboy in the 1960s Filmation cartoon series, and Commissioner Gordon on "Batman The Animated Series". He even appeared as a cop in the 1977 Spider-Man TV movie.

Blackhawk - The DC Comics military team appeared in a short-lived radio program in 1950 that ran for an estimated 16 episodes. The lead character was voiced by Michael Fitzmaurice was also replaced Bud Collyer as the voice of Superman during that program's final season. No broadcasts of the program are known to exist today.

Superman - Mentioned earlier in this list the "Adventures of Superman" (1940 - 1951) is probably the greatest juvenile adventure program from Radio's golden age. The series introduced mainstays to the Man of Steel's legacy like Jimmy Olsen, kryptonite, The Daily Planet as the newspaper name, Inspector Henderson, and storylines where Batman and Robin actually work together (not just nice comic covers).

Popeye - E. C. Seger's spinach-loving sailor appeared in a popular radio series sponsored by Wheatena, a hot cereal. This led to many fun adventures where the famous sailor man got a boost from a hot wheat cereal instead of spinach. 

Blue Beetle -  The original Blue Beetle was Dan Garrett a police officer who fought crime with a costume made of bulletproof chainmail. He jumped from the comic to the air very quickly after Superman in 1940. 

Ad for The Blue Beetle radio series in "Blue Beetle" Comics #05, Nov-Dec. 1940.

Skippy - Probably the least familiar title on this list but very significant in comic history. A film adaptation that year became the first and only comic adaptation to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Along with Little Orphan Annie, Skippy was one of Radio's first serialized juvenile adventure programs. No episodes exist today.