Hollywood Hotel (radio program)

For other uses, see Hollywood Hotel (disambiguation).
Hollywood Hotel
GenreDrama/Variety
Running time1 hour
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
SyndicatesCBS
Hosted byLouella Parsons
William Powell
StarringDick Powell
Fred MacMurray
AnnouncerKen Niles
Written byWyllis Cooper
John McClain
Directed byGeorge MacGarrett
William A. Bacher
F.G. Ibbett
Brewster Morgan
Original releaseOctober 5, 1934 –
December 2, 1938
Opening themeBlue Moon
Sponsored byCampbell Soup Company

Hollywood Hotel is an American radio program that was broadcast in the 1930s. It featured Hollywood stars in dramatized versions of then-current movies and "helped to make Hollywood an origination point for major radio programs."[1] Radio historian John Dunning called the program, sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, "the most glamorous show of its time."[2] The program was the inspiration for the 1937 Warner Brothers movie of the same title, which featured Louella Parsons as herself.[3]

The instigator of the program was gossip columnist Louella Parsons, whose column was distributed by the Hearst Syndicate.[4] Dunning wrote that she "promoted the concept and became the driving force behind the success of Hollywood Hotel."[5]

At the time Hollywood Hotel was launched, Parsons had no peers in Hollywood. In 1937, columnist Jimmy Fidler wrote, "Louella Parsons has broadened her domination of filmland to include radio, and woe be to those who dare to flout her authority."[6]

Hollywood Hotel's popularity even spread beyond the United States. On January 28, 1938, all stations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation began carrying it.[7] It was also broadcast in Australia. A June 11, 1938, ad in a Sydney newspaper said, "In America, 'Hollywood Hotel' entertains millions of listeners, and now, from 2UE, it is winning a big audience who appreciate smart, snappy entertainment. Hear it every Thursday night at 8:15."[8]

  1. ^ Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 113.
  2. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 323–324. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  3. ^ "Hollywood Hotel" on TCM.com
  4. ^ Elliott, Jordan (Summer 2015). "Hooray for Hollywood!". Nostalgia Digest. 41 (3): 24–30.
  5. ^ Dunning, John. (1976). Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925-1976. Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-932616-2. P.282-283.
  6. ^ Fidler, Jimmy (July 1937). "Behind the Hollywood Front". Radio Mirror. 8 (3): 23. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  7. ^ "'Hotel' to Go Over Canadian Stations". Motion Picture Daily. January 19, 1938. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  8. ^ "classified advertisement". The World's News. June 11, 1938. Retrieved 20 April 2014.