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| 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.
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| 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/
