The Screen Guild Theater

The Screen Guild Theater
Jack Benny, George Murphy, Joan Crawford and Reginald Gardiner on the premiere of
The Screen Guild Theater (January 8, 1939)[1]
Other names
  • The Gulf Screen Guild Show
  • The Gulf Screen Guild Theater
  • The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater
  • The Camel Screen Guild Players
  • Stars in the Air
  • Hollywood Sound Stage
  • Hollywood On Stage
GenreAnthology drama
Running time
  • 30 minutes
  • 60 minutes (1950–51)
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Home station
  • CBS (1939–48)
  • NBC (1948–50)
  • ABC (1950–51)
  • CBS (1951–52)
Hosted by
Announcer
Written by
  • Bill Hampton
  • Harry Kronman
Directed byBill Lawrence
Produced byBill Lawrence
Original releaseJanuary 8, 1939 –
June 29, 1952
No. of series14
No. of episodes527
Audio formatMonaural sound

The Screen Guild Theater is a radio anthology series broadcast from 1939 until 1952 during the Golden Age of Radio. Leading Hollywood stars performed adaptations of popular motion pictures. Originating on CBS Radio, it aired under several different titles including The Gulf Screen Guild Show, The Gulf Screen Guild Theater, The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater and The Camel Screen Guild Players. Fees that would ordinarily have been paid to the stars and studios were instead donated to the Motion Picture Relief Fund, and were used for the construction and maintenance of the Motion Picture Country House.[2][3]

Dinah Shore and Gail Patrick in the CBS Radio studio at a rehearsal for "Belle of the Yukon" (February 12, 1945)[4]
  1. ^ "Gulf Screen Guild Show 1939-01-08 episode 1". archive.org. 2007-08-13. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Hollywood's Heart". Movie-Radio Guide. December 21, 1940. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Elliott, Jordan (Summer 2015). "Hooray for Hollywood!". Nostalgia Digest. 41 (3): 24–30.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Goldin Lady Esther was invoked but never defined (see the help page).