Old Gold Comedy Theatre
Harold Lloyd
Old Gold Comedy Theatre - Listen to Episodes Below
The Old Gold Comedy Theatre was an anthology series broadcast on NBC during one single season: 1944 to 1945. The show was hosted by Harold Lloyd and featured some of the biggest names in Hollywood who often reproduced roles from original Hollywood comedies.
The Old Gold Comedy Theatre was designed as comedy's answer to the popular Lux Radio Theatre -- a prestige show which ran for many years and was originally hosted by Hollywood legend Cecil B. DeMille.
Old Gold sought a similar host and tagged Preston Sturges with the job. He declined, but recommended silent film legend Harold Lloyd, who accepted.
The series only lasted one year - just 32 broadcasts. Fortunately for us, Mister Lloyd maintained 29 episodes in the format in which they were originally broadcast -- 78 RPM discs. One additional episode was found with the Armed Forces Radio Service. Two episodes are still missing.
If there is one problem with the show, it is this: It is difficult to reduce a 90 minute movie script to a half hour radio play that is to be presented in three acts.
Other than that, some of the scripts are very funny and the actors are among Hollywood's finest of the era.