Family Theater
Encyclopedia
Family Theater was a dramatic anthology radio show which aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System
in the United States
from February 13, 1947 to September 11, 1957.
, a film and radio studio extension of the Family Rosary Crusade
founded by the Holy Cross Priest
, Father Patrick Peyton, CSC
, as a way to promote family prayer
. The motto of the these Holy Cross Family Ministries is, "The family that prays together, stays together."
The program had no commercial sponsor, yet Father Peyton, CSC arranged for many of Hollywood's stars in film
and radio at the time to appear. In its ten-year run, well-known actors and actresses, including James Stewart
, Bob Hope
, Lucille Ball
, Raymond Burr
, Jane Wyatt
, Charlton Heston
, Bing Crosby
, Jack Benny
, Gene Kelly
, William Shatner and Chuck Connors
, appeared as announcers, narrators or stars.
A total of 540 episodes were produced. The program featured not only religious stories but half-hour adaptations of literary works such as A Tale of Two Cities
, Moby-Dick
and Don Quixote.
, and the spelling of the title was altered (Family Theatre). On TV, it was extended to one hour. Father Peyton also hosted the TV version, which ran for seven years.
One of the TV episodes was Hill Number One, famous for featuring an early appearance by James Dean
(as John the Apostle
- not John the Baptist
, as is commonly thought). It combined a World War II
story with the story of the Crucifixion
of Christ
and has recently been released on DVD
.
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from February 13, 1947 to September 11, 1957.
Production background
The show was produced by Family Theater ProductionsFamily Theater Productions
Family Theater Productions is a film, television and radio production company founded by Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, a priest of the Congregation of the Holy Cross...
, a film and radio studio extension of the Family Rosary Crusade
Family Rosary Crusade
Family Rosary Crusade is a worldwide campaign that eventually became a Roman Catholic movement founded by Reverend Father Patrick Peyton, CSC. The endeavor came to be as a personal mission to undertake the promotion of the praying of the family Rosary by families as a means to bind families together...
founded by the Holy Cross Priest
Congregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
, Father Patrick Peyton, CSC
Patrick Peyton
Reverend Father Patrick Peyton, CSC was an Irish-born Roman Catholic priest, devout promoter of the works & inspirations of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is the founder of the post-World War II prayer movement called, "Family Rosary Crusade"...
, as a way to promote family prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
. The motto of the these Holy Cross Family Ministries is, "The family that prays together, stays together."
The program had no commercial sponsor, yet Father Peyton, CSC arranged for many of Hollywood's stars in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and radio at the time to appear. In its ten-year run, well-known actors and actresses, including James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
, Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
, Jane Wyatt
Jane Wyatt
Jane Waddington Wyatt was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as the housewife and mother on the television comedy Father Knows Best, and as Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock on the science fiction television series Star Trek...
, Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
, Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
, William Shatner and Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....
, appeared as announcers, narrators or stars.
A total of 540 episodes were produced. The program featured not only religious stories but half-hour adaptations of literary works such as A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
, Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
and Don Quixote.
Television
In 1951, while the radio version was still on the air, Family Theater moved to televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and the spelling of the title was altered (Family Theatre). On TV, it was extended to one hour. Father Peyton also hosted the TV version, which ran for seven years.
One of the TV episodes was Hill Number One, famous for featuring an early appearance by James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
(as John the Apostle
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
- not John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, as is commonly thought). It combined a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
story with the story of the Crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
and has recently been released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.