The Aldrich Family

The Aldrich Family,a popular radio teenagesituation comedy(July 2, 1939 – April 19, 1953),was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-ry-y-y-y!Hen-ryAl-drich! ", and he responded with a breaking adolescent voice,"Com-ing, Mother! "

The creation of playwrightClifford Goldsmith,Henry Aldrich began onBroadwayas a minor character in Goldsmith's playWhat a Life.Produced and directed byGeorge Abbott,What a Liferan for 538 performances (April 13, 1938 to July 8, 1939). The Broadway cast includedEddie Bracken,Betty FieldandButterfly McQueen.The actor who brought Henry to life on stage was 20-year-oldEzra Stone,who was billed near the bottom as the 20th actor in the cast. Stone was also employed as the play's production assistant.

Timemagazinefound the play "short on plot" but noted:

Chief amusement centres in Henry Aldrich (Ezra Stone), a cross betweenPenrodandWillie Baxter,who attends classes mainly in the principal's office. With a talent for head-on collisions, always ingenious, never crafty, always there with an answer, never with the right one, brash, bouncing, rumpled, rattled, rueful by turns, Henry grows into that rare thing on the stage—a person...

Radio

Jackie Kelk (left) as Homer Brown and Ezra Stone as Henry Aldrich on the air, 1947.

Kelk with Dick Jones, who played Henry from 1943 to 1944.

WhenRudy Valleesaw the play, he asked Goldsmith to adapt it into some sketches for his radio program, and this was followed in 1938 by a 39-week run of a sketch comedy series onThe Kate Smith Hourwith Stone continuing in the role of Henry. Smith's director, Bob Welsh, is credited with the creation of the "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee!Hen-reeAl-drich! "opening, which eventually became one of the most famous signature sounds in radio.

After finding an audience with Smith's listeners,The Aldrich Familywas launched in its own series as a summer replacement program for Jack Benny inNBC's Sunday night lineup, July 2, 1939, and it stayed there until October 1, 1939, when it moved to Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., sponsored byGeneral Foods's popular gelatin dessertJell-O,which also sponsored Jack Benny at the time. The Aldriches ran in that slot from October 10, 1939 until May 28, 1940, moving to Thursdays, from July 4, 1940 until July 20, 1944. After a brief hiatus, the show moved toCBS,running on Fridays from September 1, 1944 until August 30, 1946 with sponsorsGrape Nutsand Jell-O before moving back to NBC from September 5, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and, then, as aSustaining programin its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays.

Beginning on July 5, 1946, the program ran for 10 weeks on Friday nights as a summer replacement forKate Smith Sings.The sponsor, General Foods, used the time to "promote its salt product... instead of Grape Nuts".

The show was a top-ten ratings hit within two years of its birth (in 1941, the show carried a 33.4 Crossley rating, landing it solidly alongsideJack BennyandBob Hope). Earning $3000 a week, Goldsmith was the highest paid writer in radio, and his show became a prototype for the teen-oriented situation comedies that followed on radio andtelevision.

Stone kept the lead role until 1942, when he entered the Army forWorld War II.Norman Tokarsucceeded Stone as Henry for two seasons. Best known for his later work directing the television hitLeave It to Beaver– whose approach of telling its stories from the vantage point of a child may have been inspired by the similar implication in manyAldrichepisodes – Tokar also helped write many of theAldrichepisodes. OnThe Aldrich Family,Tokar was followed byDickie Jones(1943–44) and Raymond Ives (1944–45), before Stone returned to his signature role.Bobby Ellisbecame the last Henry Aldrich in 1952.

This series is now in the public domain and is available for download on theInternet Archive.

Family and friends

Henry's parents, Sam and Alice, were portrayed byHouse Jamesonand Katharine Raht, his sister Mary was played byCharita Baueramong others, and his usual girlfriend, Kathleen Anderson, was voiced by Mary Shipp. The role of Henry's best friend,Homer Brown,was played byJackie Kelk(as well asJack Grimes,Michael O'Day andJohn Fiedler). Homer's parents were Arthur Vinton andAgnes Moorehead,among others.Eddie Brackenappeared in the earlier shows as friend Dizzy Stevens. The show's announcers includedHarry Von Zell,Dan SeymourandDwight Weist.

The Aldrich Family lived at 117 Elm Street in Centerville, USA (state unknown, though loosely based on Goldsmith's own hometown ofCenterville, New York). Henry and his friend Homer attend Central High School with an assortment of other friends. Henry's father Sam is a lawyer and his mother Alice is a homemaker. His older sister Mary is mentioned to be away at college in some episodes, and lives at home with the family in others. Also living in Centerville is Mrs. Aldrich's sister, Henry and Mary's Aunt Harriet. Henry has had a variety of pets, including dogs named Smoothie and Tauser, and pigeons and rabbits which he was raising in his attic, but no pet is mentioned regularly throughout the series.

Henry Aldrich was an endearingly bumbling kid growing awkwardly into adolescence, andThe Aldrich Familyoften revolved around Henry's misadventures with his friends and girls.

Recognition

In 1942, the Sam Aldrich character was named "radio's outstanding father" by the National Father's Day Committee.

Partial list of episodes

• "Crowded Bathroom" (Rudy Vallee short) (07/27/1938)
• "More of the Life of Henry Aldrich" (Rudy Vallee short) (07/11/1938)
• "Henry's Engagement" (10/10/1939)
• "Girl Trouble" (aka "Blind Date" ) (10/17/1939)
• "Ice Fishing for Fruitcake" (1940)
• "School Picnic" (1940)
• "Raising Pigeons & Rabbits – Part I" (02/20/1940)
• "Raising Pigeons & Rabbits– Part II" (02/27/1940)
• "Coupon Craze" (04/23/1940)
• "Model Airplane Race" (04/30/1940)
• "The Lost Watch" (09/12/1940)
• "Halloween Pranks" (10/31/1940)
• "Mother's Day Dinner" (05/07/1940)
• "Cross Country Race" (06/11/1940)
• "Pen Pal" (01/26/1941)
• "The Lost Letter" (10/23/1941)
• "Mrs. Aldrich Has an Attitude" (01/22/1942)
• "Henry's Secret Admirer" (01/29/1942)
• "Selling Christmas Cards" (06/18/1942)
• "Valentine's Day Party" (02/11/1943)
• "Love Note to Teacher" (02/23/1943)
• "Legal Trouble" (03/11/1943)
• "Selling War Bonds" (04/01/1943)
• "Props for the School Play" (04/15/1943)
• "Waste Paper Drive" (1944)
• "The Generous Gentleman" (aka "Movie Star" ) (01/27/1944)
• "Homer's Piano Recital" (03/02/1944)
• "Warmest Day in March" (03/09/1944)
• "April Fools Day" (04/01/1944)
• "Close That Door" (04/13/1944)
• "Awaiting Phone Calls" (04/20/1944)
• "Replacing Box of Chocolates" (04/27/1944)
• "Babysitting or Movies?" (05/11/1944)
• "Bracelet for Kathleen" (06/29/1944)
• "Homer is Popular" (09/15/1944)
• "McCall's Bicycle" (11/02/1944; script re-performed on 04/26/1953)
• "Henry Sends Candy to Two Girls" (01/12/1945)
• "Church and Chocolate" (1/25/1945)
• "Costume Party" (11/16/1945)
• "Dinner Jacket Mix-up" (03/08/1946)
• "Mary Has Joe Graham Over" (09/26/1946)
• "Cancer Special" (11/30/1946)
• "Birthday Pipe for Mr. Aldrich" (03/13/1947)
• "Dinner Date with Gladys" (02/21/1948)
• "Date with Helen Forbes" (05/13/1948)
• "Painting the Garage" (06/24/1948)
• "Homer's Party" (09/16/1948)
• "Rotating Weekly Parties" (09/30/1948)
• "Everybody Sleeps Over" (10/?/1948)
• "Mary's New Job" (aka "Is Mary Getting Married?" ) (10/07/1948)
• "Babysitting for Stevie" (10/21/1948)
• "The Great Wiener Roast" (10/24/1948)

Films

Eleven Henry AldrichB movieswere made byParamount Picturesbetween 1939 and 1944:

Henry Aldrich – Boy Scout(1944)

• What a Life(1939)
• Life with Henry(1941)
• Henry Aldrich for President(1941)
• Henry Aldrich, Editor(1942)
• Henry and Dizzy(1942)
• Henry Aldrich Swings It(1943)
• Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour(1943)
• Henry Aldrich Haunts a House(1943)
• Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout(1944)
• Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid(1944)
• Henry Aldrich's Little Secret(1944)

The first two films – theBrackettandWilderscriptedWhat a Life(1939), followed byLife with Henry(1941) – featuredJackie Cooperin the title role. In the remaining nine films,Jimmy Lydonportrayed Henry Aldrich.Olive BlakeneyandJohn Litelplayed Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich, whileCharles Smithand Joan Mortimer played Basil "Dizzy" Stevens and Elise Towers.

Television

Main article:The Aldrich Family (television series)

Jackie Kelk, who played Homer Brown on the radio show, and Mary Malone as Mary Aldrich in the television program, 1951.

On October 2, 1949, the program premiered onNBCwhile continuing to air on the radio with a primarily different cast. Over the course of its nearly four-year run on television, Henry was portrayed by five different actors: Robert Casey, Richard Tyler, Henry Girard,Kenneth Nelson,and Bobby Ellis, the only one to participate in the radio production as well. Other characters – including Mrs. Aldrich, Henry's sister Mary, and his best friend Homer Brown – were portrayed by multiple actors as well, a practice not uncommon in radio but unusual for television, where cast changes are more noticeable.

The program garnered some adverse publicity when film and radio veteranJean Muirwas signed to play Mrs. Aldrich in the second season, which was to begin on August 27, 1950. Shortly before Muir's scheduled premiere,right-winggroups accused the actress of being aCommunistsympathizer (her name appeared inRed Channels,a pamphlet listing the names of performers allegedly involved inleft-wingactivities), andGeneral Foods,the show's sponsor, cancelled the first episode of the new season, replacing her withNancy Carrolla week later, when the series returned on September 3. Muir went on to defend herself before aCongressional committee,but her career never recovered from the charges. After General Foods ended their sponsorship in the spring of 1951,Campbell Soup Companybecame the new sponsor when the series moved from Sundays to Friday nights that fall. The final episode was broadcast on May 29, 1953, slightly more than a month after the radio series came to an end.

The cast of the television series includedMarcia Hendersonas Kathleen Anderson.

The series finished at #15 in theNielsen ratingsfor the 1950–1951 season.

The comedy troupeFiresign Theatreparodied the show with the sketch in "Don't Crush That Dwarf Hand Me the Pliers".

Comics

AHenry Aldrichcomic book published byDell Comicslasted 22 issues from 1950 to 1954.

Listen to

• Radio Lovers: The Aldrich Family
• "Aldrich Family on Way Back When"
• 97 episodes of "The Aldrich Family" from the Internet Archive.
• Zoot Radio, Free The Aldrich Family radio show downloads

External links

• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs:The Aldrich Family
• The Aldrich FamilyatIMDb
• CBC Radio's "Nazi Eyes On Canada" (1942),starring House Jameson and Katharine Raht of "The Aldrich Family"
• Caroline Francke Scripts collectionat theUniversity of Maryland libraries.A collection of scripts for The Aldrich Family radio program.
• Henry Aldrichcomic booksat theDigital Comic Museum