While there are many facts, trivia, news, controversy … scandal? that could be mentioned about the History of the Academy Award aka The Oscars, we here at “A Day in the Life Of …” want to turn our attention to a horse of a different color, or, in short: The Academy Award Theater. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha … Ahem … Hold your applause please.

Tonight's show features:

The Academy Award Theater was created in 1946, airing on CBS, with the idea of movie stars recreating their Academy Award roles for the Program or, like other “movie to radio” type Programs, using a different major movie stars to play the Character.

Not to be confused with other Programs that were doing the same sort of thing years before, such as the Lux Radio Theater, Screen Guild Theater, Hollywood Star Time (which in 1946 followed the pattern more after Lux Radio Theater) where you could hear Drama’s and Comedies, anywhere between “The Constant Nymph”, in which Charles Boyer recreated his role, to “My Favorite Wife” as broadcasted with Leading Male Actor, Robert Montgomery (in place of it’s originator, Cary Grant, who played “faithful” ole’ “saint” Nick in the 1940 film) – “Hello darling. Really, you’ve been a terribly long time."

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To kick things off on the first broadcast was Bette Davis in her Academy Award winning role in “Jezebel”. Soon other Academy Award winning Actors and Movies
would be heard on the program with a Cast that could all hold their own in good company: as with Cary Grant -- “Hiya Monkey face.”, in “Suspicion”; the once
ole’ Pig-Latin “in the money” singer Ginger Rogers, recreating her role in and
as “Kitty Foyle”; Jack Benny’s neighbor: “but Ronnie, your Oscar?” -- “It might as well leave with the rest of my things“, Ronald Coleman, in his role in “Lost Horizon”, Humphrey Bogart back in the office with the “Maltese Falcon” where it
seems he had a little help from his on-screen counter partners Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet …reminding you, don’t bother making a sucker out of Sam Spade, “I don’t care who loves who, I won’t play the sap for you.”

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Each individual Program ran an estimated 30 minutes, with the first Episode broadcasting a personal welcome from movie actor/radio veteran Jean Hersholt (President of the Academy of Motion Picture  Arts and Sciences at the time) to the Academy Award Theater Program Sponsor, E. R. Squibb Co.
 
The Academy Award Theater ran between March 30, 1946 until December 18, 1948, with 39 Episodes to its credit. Including (but not limited to): Shadow Of A Doubt: “Oh Uncle Charlie, your hurting me ...", "My Sister Eileen", "My Man Godfrey", "Enchanted Cottage", "Foreign Correspondent", "Vivacious Lady", "Keys Of Kingdom", "Snow White And Seven Dwarfs", and "Hold Back the Dawn": “The trap was set. She never had a chance …”