Lux Radio Theater: A Most Unique Hollywood Prop

Many years ago, when I was in California, I was given a tour of Frank Bresee's house. Frank was a producer, actor, announcer and board game designer. Among his collection was a Hollywood prop known to historians as "The Oh S--t Bar." I was in awe of that prop. It was historical in nature. And I told Frank, "If you ever want to part with that, drop me a line." He gave me some reassurance that he would drop me a line. But years later it was donated to a museum and now being preserved. Good for him.

Never heard of the prop? Well, you are about to get a two-minute crash course on this unique prop. 

For two decades (1930s to the 1950s) one of the highest rated radio programs was The Lux Radio Theater. The weekly program had a huge budget. Practically everyone in Hollywood appeared on the program at one time or another. Adaptations of big screen movies were presented -- many with the original screen cast reprising their roles. But with high prestige came a sense of panic -- many of the Hollywood stars inadvertently grabbed the mike stand during the broadcast. This reaction could be carried over the radio broadcast. So someone on the technical side decided to create a bar that would keep the actors from grabbing the mike. Soon after, the microphones were arranged to be hung from above. The bar continued to give celebrities something to hold on to while at the same time, kept them the proper distance from the microphone.

When I say everyone in Hollywood, that is an understatement. Lana Turner, Clark Gable, Edward G. Robinson, Debra Paget, Bette Davis, Wallace Beery, Van Heflin, Donna Reed, James Stewart, Henry Fonda... you name them, they were on the program. Which means almost everyone in Hollywood touched that prop.

When I returned to Hollywood to attend a SPERDVAC convention, a reenactment on stage for an episode of The Lux Radio Theater was performed on stage. The producers of that event arranged for the museum to loan them "The Oh S--t Bar" so they could feature it on stage. After the performance, and the dinner banquet, people rose from their chairs, applauded, and then adjourned to the hotel bar or chatted amongst themselves. I, on the other hand, went over to the bar (then placed in the corner off stage) to have my photo taken with the prop. I was amazed that when the event was over, no one had gone over to take a photo of the prop. Not surprisingly, my action must have been observed. A minute after I had my photo taken with the prop, there was a small line of people who gathered to have their photo taken with the same. 

The photo of me holding the prop is from that event. The photos that followed are with various celebrities and the same prop in the photos. 

Barbara Hale, Al Jolson, and William Demarest

Victor Mature

Barbara Stanwyck

Bette Davis and Glenn Ford

Joan Fontaine and Burt Lancaster

Cary Grant

Charlton Heston

Fred MacMurray

Glenn Ford

Greer Garson

Cary Grant

Joan Crawford

Kirk Douglas

Margaret O'Brien

Richard Conte

Veronica Lake

William Powell and Myrna Loy

   

The Day Lou Costello Cried on Radio

The date was November 4, 1943. Lou Costello was rehearsing at the studios of NBC with the cast and crew, including Bud Abbott, Mel Blanc, Ken Niles and the beautiful Lana Turner, when an emissary of NBC walked in and gave Costello the shocking news that his one-year-old son had drowned at their Van Nuys home. Lou Costello, Jr., nicknamed "Butch," escaped his playpen, crawled to the swimming pool and fell in. Costello immediately sped from the studio to his home while a pulmotor squad worked futiley to bring back a spark of life to the youngster.

As Costello later recalled in 1954: “Racing into the yard, [my wife] ran to the swimming pool and found the child floating face-down in water a foot and one-half deep. She pulled him from the water and screamed for help.” Neighbors rushed over when they heard the screams and firefighters and medics worked over the boy for more than an hour before Dr. Vincent Kovner pronounced him dead. The baby drowned two days shy of his first birthday.

Driving home from the studio Costello was in denial, convinced that his son was still alive, because he was playing with his baby boy only hours prior. He even told the infant, nicknamed “Butch,” that he would hear his father over the radio speaker that evening. The comedian arrived at his home just as the firefighters were leaving, and discovered the news was true.

Meanwhile, at the studio, producer Martin Gosch and Costello’s partner, Bud Abbott, started making calls for a substitute. Everyone, cast and crew, understood that Costello could not bear up under such grief and go through with a slapstick comedy show. Contact was made with Mickey Rooney, who was on a golf course at the time. After learning the news Rooney tossed aside the clubs, sped to his car and raced to the NBC studio, under the impression that the broadcast time was 5:30 instead of 7:00. He arrived shortly after five and began looking over the script. Even when Costello arrived at the studio, reportedly 25 minutes before airtime, Rooney took a chair with other members of the cast and followed every line in the script, sitting on standby in case Costello needed to be replaced. (During the afternoon Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante and Red Skelton heard the sad news and offered to take over for Costello.)

In the tradition of the theatre, "the show must go on," was deeply ingrained in Costello through his long years in show business, and most rationalized that was the motivation running through his mind. Even in his great grief he must have steeled himself against quitting, as the spirit of the trouper would call it. It was less than an hour before the Camel sign-in when Bud Abbott was called to the phone. It was Costello, telling him he would be there to go through with the show. He arrived at the studio a half-hour later and went through a final reading of his script. When Ken Niles signed in the show, Costello was in front of the mike, smoking a cigar and fidgeting with his script to contain his heartbreak.

None in the studio audience that overflowed onto the stage was aware of what Costello was going through. He gave no outward evidence of his great loss, ad-libbing quips and carrying on in the same old Costello way. The crowd howled at his gags, but as he read the last line and tossed his script to a WAVE in the front row, Abbott brought a hush to what had been a bedlam. Lou Costello broke down with tears moments before the closing commercial and supposedly rushed off the stage.

Following the announcer's closing commercial, Bud Abbott stepped up to the mike to explain to the audience: “Ladies and gentlemen. Now that our program is over and we have done our best to entertain you, I would like take a moment to pay tribute to my best friend and to a man who has more courage than I have ever seen displayed in the theater. Tonight the old expression ‘The show must go on’ was brought home to all of us on this program. More clearly than ever before. Just a short time before our broadcast started, Lou Costello was told that his baby, one year old tomorrow, had died. In the face of the greatest tragedy which can come to any man, Lou Costello went on tonight so that you, the radio audience, would not be disappointed. There is nothing more that I can say except that I know you, all of you, [will] join me in expressing our deepest sympathy to a great trouper.” Ken Niles then signed off with network identification, 40 seconds overtime.

If Bud Abbott had not apprised the audience of the tragedy that befell his partner three hours before broadcast, it is doubtful whether the average radio listener would have even suspected that there had been anything amiss about the show or its principals. Costello lost his place and ad-libbed a little more often than was his habit. What the nationwide audience was not aware was the sobs that were audible through the audience as the people left the auditorium following a three-minute silent tribute. Asked if Costello at any time had shown signs of cracking, Gosch replied to a reporter, “It was the greatest display of courage I’ve ever seen. Lou took it like the great trouper he is.” At one point in the script where Costello read, “I feel sad today,” there were dewy eyes on the stage. He closed it quickly with “I broke up with my girl today.” A less stoic performer would have asked for other lines.

It was the second misfortune to overtake that particular broadcast. The day before the broadcast, Veronica Lake, who had been booked as guest star, had to cancel on account of illness. Lana Turner was substituted. The actress, unable to suppress her own grief over Costello’s loss, read her lines woodenly and hardly above a whisper. In the audience were 25 convalescents from rheumatic fever with their nurses, brought there from the naval hospital at Corona as special guests of Lou Costello. He insisted that the party he had planned for them after the show be carried through, even though he could not attend.

Whether Costello, under the circumstances, should have appeared on the radio broadcast is a moot point. The cast went through the entire script but once and there was no opportunity for a dress rehearsal or final timing. For years a recording of the November 4, 1943, broadcast has been sought after by fans of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, not widely available to collectors for decades. Of recent, transcription discs were found and that very recording is now making the rounds among collectors. Some might consider the recording morbid but nothing could be further from the truth. Only at the close of the broadcast when Bud Abbott delivers his closing speech does it become apparent that the broadcast was monumental – now historical.

I have often said that collecting and listening to old-time radio is only a tip of the iceberg. Reading up on the history of vintage radio programs can -- many times -- be more fascinating than the recordings themselves. This particular Abbott and Costello broadcast is no exception.

Listening to the recording today I pose a few theories: At the close of the broadcast, when Bud Abbott steps out to address the audience, you can hear a reaction from those in attendance during the second sentence... before he even mentions the death of Costello's little son. I wonder if, when Abbott stepped out to address the audience, that was the moment Costello broke down and had to walk off the stage -- not after he concluded his final line. Else, why would the audience react at that moment? What would they have been reacting over?

Regarding the reason why Costello wanted to perform during a time of grievance, the comedian was off the air for nine months as a result of rheumatic fever (hence why he set up a party after the broadcast for rheumatic fever victims). It may be possible, because this was the first broadcast of the season and the first broadcast since he was back to health, that he felt a necessity to commit to the radio mike. Costello however, many years later, recalled bouncing his little boy on his knee earlier in the day and telling Butch that he would hear his father on the radio... and wanted to keep that promise.

Bette Davis and The Hollywood Canteen

The Hollywood Canteen book

The Hollywood Canteen was the jewel in the crown of World War II Hollywood. From 1942 to 1945, over three million servicemen came through its doors on their way to fight in the Pacific -- some never to return. There, in a converted barn in the heart of Hollywood, soldiers were fed, entertained by and danced with some of the biggest stars in the world. The Canteen was free to all servicemen or women, regardless of race, inviting them to jive to the music of Kay Kyser and Harry James, laugh at Bob Hope’s jokes, be handed sandwiches by Rita Hayworth, or dance with Hedy Lamarr. Knowing they were so appreciated, the soldiers were armed with the kinds of hope and encouragement that would help them win a war.

Lisa Mitchell and Bruce Torrence co-wrote a book about this tremendous morale booster, titled appropriately, The Hollywood Canteen: Where the Greatest Generation Danced with the Most Beautiful Girls in the World. When Bear Manor Media sent me a box of books, with the request of doing a book review, this one caught my eye and I quickly took it with me to the beach as recreational reading. I devoured every page in two days (a feat easily accomplished with any book this size when you have 14 hours each day to read and relax). Here, Mitchell and Torrence did not disappoint my expectations and they cover every aspect you could conceive about the Hollywood play land.

Bette Davis at the Canteen

Bette Davis and John Garfield co-created The Hollywood Canteen, inspired by Garfield’s visit to the Stage Door Canteen in New York City. Two-time Academy Award winner Bette Davis agreed to become the Canteen’s chairman after hearing of Garfield’s concept to be run solely by members of Hollywood’s show business community. Davis contacted the studio moguls, celebrities throughout the Sunshine State, and quickly established a fundraiser to raise the money needed to operate the Canteen.

The book documents all business meetings of order, the policies every volunteer had to adhere to (including the avoidance of meeting the soldiers off hours), and a major struggle with the Hollywood Victory Committee whose purpose was to provide a way for actors and actresses to contribute to the war effort through bond drives and various venues to boost the morale of the troops, waiving established union rules regarding usual compensations and procedures. Bette Davis was granted permission to call actors and actresses directly instead of having to put each request through the Committee. Months after the Canteen was established, Davis was summoned to a meeting of the Victory Committee where she was told that the Canteen could no longer call celebrities directly. She explained the minutes of the meeting that granted her permission and the necessary reason why last-minute phone calls were often necessary to fill a void in the Canteen, but the Committee lost the minutes of that meeting. With no other option than to shut the Canteen down, Davis boldly threatened to shut down the Canteen, advise the 42 guilds and unions who were part of the founding of the Canteen, and send a statement to the press if their minds were not made up “by tomorrow morning.” As only Bette Davis could, she turned and left the room. Everyone on the Committee knew that the mighty Bette Davis meant business. At six o’clock the next morning, Davis received a call telling her that the Committee, which had met all night, agreed to let the Canteen continue calling stars directly.

Cary Grant entertains the troops.

The day-to-day inner workings of The Hollywood Canteen is also documented. Fifty percent of the Canteen’s food and supplies were donated by 35 benevolent companies in Southern California. The rest was paid courtesy of fundraisers. Each month the soldiers consumed an estimated 4,000 loaves of bread, 400 pounds of butter, 1,500 pounds of coffee, 25,000 pints of milk, 30,000 gallons of punch… and the list goes on and on. Chef Milani, who gave cooking instructions to housewives on his weekly radio program, was in charge of the kitchen. But because of rationing, which the Office of Price Administrations (OPA) instituted after the start of the war, certain food products were in short supply. As meat was a rationed item and Chef Milani knew he had to have enough to serve the soldiers, he went to the OPA and begged for their help. When nothing came of his pleading, the energetic chef shot a telegram to President Roosevelt. “…The Hollywood Canteen will not be able to provide the necessary amount of meat for the servicemen unless we are able to secure an allotment exception permit immediately. Will you please help us secure this permit by directing this wire to the proper authorities with your O.K.? God bless you.” He signed it simply, “Chef Milani.” Almost immediately, the Hollywood Canteen had all the meat it needed.

Hollywood Canteen staff member ID Card

Every volunteer had to be fingerprinted (courtesy of the FBI) and a membership card issued to each volunteer. A photo of such a card is included in the book. The book also delves into the legal issues such as one woman who sued the Canteen because of a spinal injury during a jitterbug dance. When the Stage Door Canteen in New York City believed the Hollywood Canteen stole their idea, and believed it was unfair to lure Hollywood stars because of the location, their jealousy resulted in a minor potential lawsuit that was quickly resolved. Such behind-the-scenes stories are always fascinating to read.

The Andrews Sisters entertain the troops.

The race issue was shelved out the door when Bette Davis quickly took a stand against racial intolerance. When a few soldiers were going out the door because Negros were not segregated to their own tables, she took the mike and diplomatically explained the policy of the Hollywood Canteen. “The blacks got the same bullets as the whites did and therefore should have the same treatment,” Davis explained. Yet the Canteen was mindful of social relationships between Negroes and whites that had long been held through custom and habit. For the most part, blacks danced with blacks, whites danced with whites. If an incident occurred, the band was instructed to play “The Star-Spangled Banner.” This practice was done only twice in all the years the Canteen operated. It was agreed that everyone, white or black, enjoyed the entertainment of Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.

What the celebrities did for the soldiers, including performances and autographs, is beyond description within a minor review such as this. But chapter after chapter there are stories of Marlene Dietrich kissing all the soldiers on V-J Day, Paulette Goddard dancing on the floor, Eddie Cantor dressing up as Santa Claus on Christmas… even the radio broadcasts are covered (including photos of Bob Hope and Orson Welles before the radio microphone). 

1944 movie poster from Warner Brothers

Some Hollywood celebrities suffered as a result of their volunteer work. Actress Gene Tierney showed up at the Canteen one night during the first month of a pregnancy. A few days later she discovered her face covered with red spots. The doctor diagnosed the problem as German measles. Little was known then about the connections between German measles in early pregnancy and the damage to an unborn child’s nervous system. Tierney’s daughter, Daria, was born deaf and suffered visual impairment. About a year after Daria’s birth, Tierney was at a tennis party when a young woman came up and introduced herself. She was in the women’s branch of the Marines, and had met Tierney, she said, at the Canteen. She inquired whether or not Tierney contracted German measles while working at the Canteen. It seems the woman had left her camp where there was an outbreak of German measles. “I broke quarantine to come to the Canteen to meet the stars. Everyone told me I shouldn’t, but I just had to go. And you were my favorite.” Tierney did not say anything of the tragedy that had occurred. But, she wrote, after that, she did not care if she “was ever again anyone’s favorite actress. I have long since stopped blaming the lady Marine for what happened to us. But Daria was, of course, a war baby, born in 1943... Daria was my war effort.”

1944 movie poster

The 1944 Warner Bros. movie, Hollywood Canteen, was also documented. A percentage of the profits of ticket sales was donated to the Canteen, plus a flat fee for the use of the name. Yet, as a result of a minor dispute with the Screen Actors Guild, production was shut down after three weeks. From Warners’ standpoint, prorating actors’ salaries to make such a star-studded picture (there were dozens and dozens of celebrities) seemed the only way to afford it. The Guild felt otherwise. The issue was eventually resolved six months later and the film went back before the cameras (some scenes re-shot as a result of revised casting). The chapter about the movie helps establish the difference between the fictional screen portrayal and the real version.  

The best part of the book comes from the photo collection of Bruce Torrence. Letters and Certificates of Appreciation from Bette Davis are reprinted. Construction of the Canteen, photos of soldiers lining up outside, celebrities having fun entertaining the troops, celebrities in the kitchen… so many photos they take up half the book. Kate Smith, Frank Sinatra, Paulette Goddard, Hedy Lamarr, Linda Darnell, Mickey Rooney, Danny Kaye, Irene Dunne, Olivia de Havilland, S.Z. Sakall, Sydney Greenstreet, Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Deanna Durbin, Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Kay Kyser, Leopold Stokowski, Spencer Tracy, Ann Miller, Ronald Colman, Herbert Marshall, Basil Rathbone, Roddy McDowell, Jane Russell, Faye Emerson, Red Skelton, The Quiz Kids, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Tommy Dorsey, Merle Oberson, Dinah Shore, Claudette Colbert, Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford, The Andrews Sisters, Rudy Vallee, Bob Hope… it is virtually a who’s who among Hollywood in candid photos (no publicity shots here). It’s fascinating to learn that Basil Rathbone’s wife was a volunteer for almost every day the Canteen was in operation. A Hall of Fame wall with Clark Gable’s picture in military uniform recognized his service overseas. Even Bob Hope’s monologue promoting the Hollywood Canteen, from his October 13, 1942, radio broadcast, just ten days before the Canteen opened, is reprinted.

Bob Hope and Bette Davis look over the Hall of Honor.

“…Here I am doing the first broadcast from the Hollywood Canteen. This really is a marvelous place. Any enlisted man can come here. Be entertained by the top Hollywood talent. Get free food served by Hollywood beauties. Dance with girls like Hedy Lamarr or Lana Turner. And then go back to camp and be used to heat the barracks.”

If you love old Hollywood movies, the history of WWII, or find the subject matter interesting, this is a book I highly recommend. You will not be disappointed. Thanks to authors Lisa Mitchell and Bruce Torrence, a missing gap in both the history of Hollywood and WWII has been filled. I only wish a lot more books were published like this.

Among the many celebrities who donated their services at the Hollywood Canteen were:

Bud Abbott & Lou Costello June Allyson Don Ameche Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson The Andrews Sisters Dana Andrews Eve Arden Louis Armstrong Jean Arthur Fred Astaire Mary Astor Lauren Bacall Lucille Ball Tallulah Bankhead Theda Bara Lynn Bari Diana Barrymore Ethel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore Count Basie Anne Baxter Louise Beavers Wallace Beery William Bendix Constance Bennett Joan Bennett Jack Benny Edgar Bergen Ingrid Bergman Milton Berle Mel Blanc Ann Blyth Humphrey Bogart Ray Bolger Beulah Bondi William Boyd Charles Boyer Clara Bow Walter Brennan Fanny Brice Joe E. Brown Les Brown George Burns & Gracie Allen Spring Byington James Cagney Cab Calloway Rod Cameron Eddie Cantor Judy Canova Kitty Carlisle Jack Carson Adriana Caselotti Charlie Chaplin Marguerite Chapman Cyd Charisse Charles Coburn Claudette Colbert Jerry Colonna Ronald Colman Perry Como Chester Conklin Gary Cooper Joseph Cotten Noël Coward James Craig Bing Crosby Joan Crawford George Cukor Xavier Cugat Cass Daley Dorothy Dandridge Linda Darnell Bette Davis Doris Day Yvonne De Carlo Gloria DeHaven

Delores Del Rio William Demarest Olivia De Havilland Cecil B. DeMille Marlene Dietrich Walt Disney Jimmy Dorsey Tommy Dorsey Irene Dunne Jimmy Durante Deanna Durbin Nelson Eddy Duke Ellington Faye Emerson Dale Evans Jinx Falkenburg Alice Faye Louise Fazenda Gracie Fields Barry Fitzgerald Errol Flynn Kay Francis Jane Frazee Joan Fontaine Susanna Foster Eva Gabor Ava Gardner Judy Garland Greer Garson Lillian Gish James Gleason Betty Grable Cary Grant Kathryn Grayson Sydney Greenstreet Paulette Goddard Samuel Goldwyn Benny Goodman Jack Haley Margaret Hamilton Phil Harris Moss Hart Helen Hayes Dick Haymes Susan Hayward Rita Hayworth Sonja Henie Paul Henreid Katharine Hepburn Darla Hood Bob Hope Hedda Hopper Lena Horne Edward Everett Horton Ruth Hussey Betty Hutton Harry James Gloria Jean Van Johnson Al Jolson Jennifer Jones Marcia Mae Jones Boris Karloff Danny Kaye Buster Keaton Ruby Keeler Evelyn Keyes Andrea King Gene Krupa Kay Kyser Alan Ladd Bert Lahr Elsa Lanchester Angela Lansbury Veronica Lake  Hedy Lamarr

Dorothy Lamour Carole Landis Frances Langford Angela Lansbury Charles Laughton Peter Lawford Gertrude Lawrence Peggy Lee Pinky Lee Mervyn LeRoy Vivien Leigh Joan Leslie Ted Lewis Beatrice Lillie Mary Livingston June Lockhart Anita Loos Peter Lorre Myrna Loy Keye Luke Bela Lugosi Ida Lupino Diana Lynn Marie McDonald Jeanette MacDonald Fred MacMurray Irene Manning The Marx Brothers Herbert Marshall Victor Mature Elsa Maxwell Louis B. Mayer Hattie McDaniel Roddy McDowall Frank McHugh Victor McLaglen Butterfly McQueen Lauritz Melchior] Adolphe Menjou Una Merkel Ray Milland Ann Miller Glenn Miller Carmen Miranda Robert Mitchum Maria Montez Jackie Moran Dennis Morgan Ken Murray The Nicholas Brothers Ramon Novarro Jack Oakie Margaret O’Brien Virginia O’Brien Donald O’Connor Maureen O’Hara Oona O’Neill Maureen O’Sullivan Merle Oberon Eugene Pallette Eleanor Parker Louella Parsons John Payne Gregory Peck Mary Pickford Walter Pidgeon Cole Porter Dick Powell Eleanor Powell Jane Powell William Powell

Anthony Quinn George Raft Claude Rains Basil Rathbone Martha Raye Donna Reed Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Edward G. Robinson Ginger Rogers Roy Rogers Cesar Romero Mickey Rooney Jane Russell Rosalind Russell Ann Rutherford Peggy Ryan S.Z. Sakall Olga San Juan Ann Savage Hazel Scott Lizabeth Scott Randolph Scott Toni Seven Norma Shearer Ann Sheridan Dinah Shore Sylvia Sidney Phil Silvers Ginny Simms Frank Sinatra Red Skelton Alexis Smith Kate Smith Ann Sothern Jo Stafford Barbara Stanwyck Craig Stevens Leopold Stokowski Lewis Stone Gloria Swanson Elizabeth Taylor Shirley Temple Danny Thomas Gene Tierney Lawrence Tibbett Martha Tilton Claire Trevor Sophie Tucker Lana Turner Spencer Tracy Gloria Vanderbilt Beryl Wallace Nancy Walker Ethel Waters John Wayne Clifton Webb Virginia Weidler Johnny Weissmuller Orson Welles Mae West Alice White Paul Whiteman Margaret Whiting Esther Williams Chill Wills Marie Wilson Jane Withers Teresa Wright Anna May Wong Jane Wyman Rudy Vallee Lupe Vélez Loretta Young Robert Young Darryl F. Zanuck Vera Zorina