SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

Radio quiz show, hosted by George Murphy, in which questions about Hollywood films are submitted by listeners. In this edition, without mentioning the title of the play, Irawn Seltzer of Clayton, Missouri, supplied some lines from Romeo and Juliet (III, v), asking the panel to identify the film these lines are from. Francis X. Bushman and Celeste Holm read the lines first, then Bushman identifies the picture by title (MGM, 1936). Holm points out that it was a play before it was a movie. Murphy asks comic Eddie Bracken to read Romeo’s part. His reading breaks up the audience. Bracken claims it "is the first time Shakespeare ever got a laugh." Murphy corrects him, saying, "No, that’s not quite true. There are many, many humorous passages." Murphy then asks the follow-up question, "Name the team that brought Shakespeare’s immortal lines to sound pictures." The lead actors Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer are correctly named by actor Erskine Johnson, another panelist. Of course, there were previous sound Shakespeare films, so the question and answer give a false impression. [With acknowledgment to Michael P. Jensen for the summary].

Series

Let’s Talk Hollywood

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Radio

Transmission details

25 Jul 1948 at 19:00 (Channel: NBC)

Duration

30 mins

Credits

Contributor

Celeste Holm; Eddie Bracken; Erksine Johnson; Francis X. Bushman; George Murphy

Additional Details

Production type

Other

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Shakespeare on film; Quiz shows

Production Company

Name

NBC

Archive

Name

Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division

Web

http://loc.gov/rr/record External site opens in new window

Phone

(202) 707-7833

Address

Recorded Sound Reference Centre
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Room LM-113
Washington, DC 20540

Online Retailer

Name

originaloldradio.com

Web

http://www.originaloldradio.com External site opens in new window

Address

PO Box 522
Berea
KY 40403-0522
USA