Comedy (1948 - 57)
Glamour photo circa 1936 of
Eve Arden signed
"For Bob, It's been a pleasure... Eve"
Eve Arden played the fun-loving but
sometimes frazzled English teacher at Madison High School, Our
Miss Brooks . Probably the most famous teacher ever on radio,
Connie Brooks was a wonderful combination of sincere and smart,
and Eve Arden played her perfectly. From the very beginning of
the radio run in 1948, Our Miss Brooks became a favorite
of women, high school kids and parents across the nation.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2008 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited.
 As she
taught English on the show, it made perfect sense that she had
the funny lines. Eve Arden's timing and delivery made her one
of the best radio and television comedians, and she's fondly remembered
by her many fans. Teachers across the country related to Our
Miss Brooks Arden received thousands of letters from teachers
relating their own frustrating experiences. She was even offered
teaching jobs, which she turned down. She did sometimes speak
at PTA meetings.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2008 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited
Teaching English was no cup of tea
for Our Miss Brooks . First on the list of characters was
Mr. Osgood Conklin, the principal.  Again, the casting of the show
was perfect, as Mr. Conklin was the great character actor Gale
Gordon (though initially Joe Forte). Those who heard the show
know Mr. Conklin was a perfect foil for the witty Miss Brooks.
He was the perfect type A, bossy and irascible character, like
Dagwood's boss and Archie's principal. Also a favorite was the
loveably goofy Walter Denton. The later star of TV's The Real
McCoys, Richard Crenna did Walter as a kid very much like Henry
Aldrich.
The fine radio actor Gerald Mohr (Philiip Marlowe)
played French teacher Jacque Monet, and a well-known movie idol
of the 1950's, Jeff Chandler, plays bashful biology teacher Mr.
Boynton, who was Miss Brook's love interest (though not consummated
in marriage.) Chandler was replaced by Robert Rockwell in 1951.
 Many of the cast including Arden,
Gordon, and Crenna took the show to TV where it won an Emmy, and
the radio show and TV show ran together for eight years of"prime
time" Our Miss Brooks. The series remains a first
class American radio comedy, and deserves to be heard and enjoyed
again and again. (Our Miss Brooks will pencil that as redundancy!
)
Other radio situation comedy shows
of this type are Life with Luigi,
The Mel Blanc Show, My
Favorite Husband, Ozzie and Harriet,
The Life of Riley, The
Aldrich Family, Easy Aces, Duffy's
Tavern, The Adventures of Maisie,
Father Knows Best and The
Great Gildersleeve.
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