WE TAKE YOUR WORD

by Martin Grams, Jr.

The serial of panel discussions presented the origin of words. There were four panelists for each broadcast, three regulars and one guest "word master," almost always a female (there were a few exceptions). The reason for the weekly guest being a female was to add a "female element" to the discussions. For the first two broadcasts, Don Hollenbeck, Abe Burrows and Dr. Lyman Bryson were the regular panelists. Beginning with episode three, John K.M. McCaffrey took over Don Hollenbeck’s seat on the panel discussions as the moderator, and these three stayed with the program until the very end. We Take Your Word was broadcast on television from April of 1950 to March of 1951, which means the radio program outlived the television version! Sixty-three episodes were broadcast.

For any curious parties, in May of 1940, Invitation to Learning premiered over CBS, and the first two broadcasts were entitled We Take Your Word. Although that program dealt with the intellectual side of our written civilization, this series bore no relation to the two broadcasts of May 1940. (Just wanted to make sure that was clear.)

Episodes 1 to 21 was broadcast Sunday evening from 10:30 to 11 p.m., EST.

Episodes 22 to 25 was broadcast Sunday evening from 9 to 9:30 p.m., EST.

Episodes 26 to 63 was broadcast Friday evenings from 10 to 10:30 p.m., EST.

  1. (1/29/50) Faye Emerson
  2. (2/5/50) Faye Emerson
  3. (2/19/50) no guest known, and there was no broadcast on February 12.
  4. (2/26/50) Meg Mundy
  5. (3/5/50) Jan Struthers
  6. (3/12/50) Faye Emerson
  7. (3/19/50) Lois Wheeler
  8. (3/26/50) author Emily Kimbrough
  9. (4/2/50) Vicki Cummings
  10. (4/9/50) Cornelia Otis Skinner
  11. (4/16/50) no guest known
  12. (4/23/50) no guest known
  13. (4/30/50) Eva La Gallienne
  14. (5/7/50) Jan Struthers, author of Mrs. Miniver
  15. (5/14/50) Harriet Van Horne
  16. (5/21/50) Jan Struthers
  17. (5/28/50) Faye Emerson
  18. (6/4/50) Harriet Van Horne
  19. (6/11/50) Faye Emerson
  20. (6/18/50) Hiram Sherman
  21. (6/25/50) Sylvia Sidney
  22. (7/2/50) Margie Hart
  23. (7/9/50) Agnes Rogers
  24. (7/16/50) Cornelia Otis Skinner, co-author of Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
  25. (7/23/50) Jan Struthers
  26. (9/22/50) Ilka Chase
  27. (10/6/50) Emily Kimbrough
  28. (10/13/50) singer Jeannette MacDonald
  29. (10/20/50) Jan Struthers
  30. (11/10/50) Anna Lee
  31. (11/17/50) Jan Struthers
  32. (11/24/50) Ilka Chase
  33. (12/1/50) Jan Struthers
  34. (12/8/50) Vicki Cummings
  35. (12/15/50) Jan Struthers
  36. (12/22/50) Emily Kimbrough
  37. (12/29/50) Jan Struthers
  38. (1/5/51) Harriet Van Horne and John Faulk
  39. (1/12/51) Jan Struthers
  40. (1/19/51) Anna Lee
  41. (1/26/51) Faye Emerson
  42. (2/2/51) Jan Struthers
  43. (2/9/51) Wendy Barrie
  44. (2/16/51) Jan Struthers
  45. (2/23/51) Harriet Van Horne
  46. (3/2/51) Anna Lee
  47. (3/9/51) Anna Lee
  48. (3/16/51) Jan Struthers
  49. (3/23/51) Kitty Carlisle
  50. (3/30/51) David L. Cohn
  51. (4/6/51) Anna Lee
  52. (4/13/51) Jan Struthers
  53. (4/20/51) Emily Kimbrough
  54. (4/27/51) Jan Struthers
  55. (5/4/51) Mary Orr
  56. (5/11/51) Jan Struthers
  57. (5/18/51) Ethel Barrymore Colt
  58. (5/25/51) Jan Struthers
  59. (6/1/51) Margaret Ernst
  60. (6/8/51) Jan Struthers
  61. (6/15/51) Harriet Van Horne
  62. (6/22/51) Jan Struthers and Max Shulman
  63. (6/29/51) Jan Struthers and Basil Davenport

 

Martin Grams, Jr. is the author and co-author of many books about old-time radio, television and movies including Inner Sanctum Mysteries: Behind the Creaking Door, The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion and Invitation to Learning.



| BBSs | BOOKS | Chat | FAQS | GENERAL INFO | HISTORY | HUMONGOUS OTR DATABASE SEARCH | Mail Gps | News Gps | OTR Logs | Polls | Privacy | PROGRAM GUIDE | REFERENCE | Sights | Site Search | SoftWare | SoundBytes | SoundSnips | SPONSORS | Us |



The Original Old Time Radio (OTR) WWW Pages
-
Copyright © 1994-
Louis V. Genco
webmaster email