Based on the popular characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes began on coast-to-coast radio
from Monday October 20, 1930 until June 5, 1955. There were 574
broadcasts over the NBC, Mutual and ABC networks. The original
cast featured William Gillette as Holmes and Leigh Lovell as Dr.
Watson. The first sponsor was George Washington Coffee. The
announcer was Joseph Bell.

William Gillette

 
Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke

Patty Duke’s first major starring role was as Helen Keller in the
Broadway play The Miracle Worker, based on Helen Keller’s
autobiography The Story of My Life. The show, co-starring
Anne Bancroft and Patricia Neal, opened on October 19, 1959
and ran for nearly two years to July, 1962. Duke’s name was
placed above the title on the marquee midway through the
production run. The play was made into a film in 1962, for
which Duke received the Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actress at the age of 16. 

 
Claire Trevor with Edward G. Robinson


Ona Munson with Robinson in 1941

Big Town first aired on CBS from October 19, 1937 to June 25, 1952. Edward
G. Robinson had the lead role of crusading newspaper editor Steve Wilson
from 1937 till 1942. Clair Trevor played Wilson’s sidekick with Ona Munson
taking over the role in 1940. The show was written by ex-newspaperman
Jerry McGill. It was rated No. 1 among the r reporter-type drama series
on radio. Big Town w as also rated in the top 15 among all radio programs
broadcast and had a listenership of between 10 and 20 million people. Show
sponsors were Isronized Yeast, Bayer Asprin, and Lifeboy Soap.The original
announcer was Carlton KaDell (below). 

Carlton KaDell

The radio drama Big Town was later adapted to both film
and television as well as a comic book published by DC
Comics (shown above).

Bartlett Robinson

Perry Mason is a radio criminal serial based on the novels of Erle 
Stanley Gardner,and was broadcast on CBS Radio from October 18, 
1943 to December 30, 1955. The actors playing Mason changed
frequently during the shows run, beginning with Bartlett Robinson,
then Santos Ortega and Donald Briggs, before settling on John
Larkin, who portrayed the attorney until the end of the series
run. Della Street was played numerous actors including, Gertrude
Warner, Jan Miner, and Joan Alexander who was radio’s Lois Lane
on Superman. Sponsor of the show was General Foods, Tide.

Gertrude Warner with Santos Ortega (right) 

John Larkin

James Stewart

 Mr. Smith goes to Washington premiered in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., on October 17, 1939. The event was sponsored by the National Press Club  with 4,000 invited guests, including 45 senators. The Frank Capra film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning for Best Original Story.

Filming a scene with James Stewart

Frank Capra