Agatha Christie's radio plays

   

BBC radio have produced over 70 full cast adaptations of Agatha Christie’s beloved crime stories, including Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Hercule Poirot is one of the most famous fictional characters of all time, known for his Belgian accent, waxed moustaches, perfectionism and “little grey cells”. Poirot would be the first to call himself a great man – he has never been known for his modesty – but with such success in his career, it is difficult to argue with him. Miss Marple doesn’t look like a detective. But looks can be deceiving… this apparently unassuming woman from the small village of St Mary Mead is surprisingly worldly and uses the fact people underestimate her to full advantage when investigating.

Agatha Christie's works have been adapted for radio numerous times, with BBC Radio being a prominent producer of these adaptations. These include full-cast dramas featuring characters like Hercules Poirot or Miss Marple.

John Moffatt notably portrayed Hercule Poirot in 25 BBC Radio productions, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1985 and 2007. These adaptations include full-cast dramatizations of Poirot novels and short stories, written by Michael Bakewell.

Miss Marple also features in radio adaptations, including "Miss Marple Tells a Story". The BBC Radio 4 series also includes a variety of other Christie adaptations, such as "The Pale Horse", "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", and "4.50 from Paddington". A series titled "Agatha Christie: Twelve Radio Mysteries" features twelve BBC Radio 4 dramatizations. 

BBC Radio 4 Extra offers an episode guide with various Agatha Christie dramas, including "The Sittaford Mystery" and "The Pale Horse". 

More info here.

Pete Kelly's Blues

Pete Kelly's Blues book cover

Pete Kelly's Blues was an American crime-musical radio drama which aired over NBC as an unsponsored summer replacement series on Wednesday nights. It was broadcast from July 4 through September 19, 1951.

It was the creation of Jack Webb. Webb got his start as a late night disc jockey playing Jazz records in San Francisco. His move to radio drama in a series of crime dramas based in San Francisco. In 1949 he found lasting fame when he created and starred in Dragnet. It is a little jarring during the first few minutes of Pete Kelly to hear Sgt. Joe Friday's voice looking for more than "Just the facts, Ma'am."

Webb was a life-long enthusiast of Dixieland Jazz, and with his well known insistence on realism in his productions, it isn't surprising the Pete Kelly's Blues would be filled with Jazz powerhouses. Cornet player Dick Cathcart became friends with Webb during WWII, and was his musical stand-in. Other members of the Big Seven were Matty Matlock on clarinet, brothers Ray and Moe Schneider on piano and trombone, Morty Corb on bass, and Bill Newman's guitar.

Pete Kelly is a jazz man who just wants the chance to play his kind of music. The world that he plays in isn't always the kindest, and the stories on this short lived show won't always end happily. "…it's about the blues; Pete Kelly's Blues."

The series was produced during three months, but inspired a 1955 film version of Pete Kelly's Blues, in which Jack Webb produced, directed and starred. It used many of the same musicians, including Cathcart, and Ella Fitzgerald was cast as Maggie Jackson. A  television version, still produced and directed by Webb but with William Reynolds in the lead, aired in 1959, using scripts originally written for the radio version.

Two albums were released, a soundtrack recording and Pete Kelly Lets His Hair Down, an instrumental album using the musicians from the series with songs arranged by tempo - "blue songs" and "red songs".

Jane Wyatt

Jane Waddington Wyatt was born in Mahwah, New Jersey, on August 12, 1910,  was a three-time Emmy Award-winning American film and television actress.

Wyatt was born in Campgaw (now part of Mahwah), Bergen County, New Jersey, but moved to New York City at three months old. Her father was Christopher Billop Wyatt Jr., a Wall Street investor, and her mother Euphemia Van Rensselaer Waddington, a theater critic for the Catholic World. She was educated at The Chapin School and then Barnard College. After two years, she dropped out and entered the Berkshire Playhouse in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where she performed for six months in various roles.

She had three siblings: Christopher III, Elizabeth, and Monica. She was also a distant cousin of Eleanor Roosevelt and the poet Harry Crosby, all of whom were descendants of Philip Livingston, one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Although one of her first suitors was John D. Rockefeller III, on November 9, 1935, Wyatt married investment broker Edgar Bethune Ward. The couple had met in the late 1920s, spending a weekend as guests of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park. They had three children and the marriage lasted until his death on November 8, 2000.

One of her first Broadway theater jobs was as an understudy to Rose Hobart in a production of Trade Winds. With favorable reviews on Broadway and known for her understated beauty, Wyatt moved from theater to film, where she played her most famous role at the time in the 1937 Frank Capra film, Lost Horizon, opposite Ronald Colman. Other notable films that same year included Gentleman's Agreement (opposite Gregory Peck), None but the Lonely Heart (with Cary Grant), and Boomerang (with Dana Andrews).

Her film career suffered due to her outspoken opposition to Senator Joseph McCarthy, a leading figure in the McCarthy era. Her career was temporarily damaged by her hosting a performance of the Bolshoi Ballet during World War II, despite having done so at the request of President Roosevelt. As a result, she returned to her theatrical roots in New York for a time, appearing in plays such as Lillian Hellman's The Autumn Garden, alongside Fredric March.
From 1954 to 1960, she co-starred with Robert Young in Father Knows Best, a TV series about the life of the Anderson family in Springfield, a Midwestern city. She won the Emmy for Best Actress three years in a row for this performance.

Jane Wyatt is known for her role as Margaret Anderson in the television series "Father Knows Best," but the series also began as a radio show in 1949. Additionally, Wyatt appeared on the radio show "Family Theatre," where she played a mother struggling to raise her children properly, in an episode titled "Violets for Courage."

In short, Jane Wyatt had a radio role, both with "Father Knows Best" and "Family Theatre."
The television version of "Father Knows Best" was based on a radio show that first aired in 1949, where Jane Wyatt played Margaret Anderson.

Wyatt was also a part of this show, appearing in the episode "Violets for Courage," where she played a mother facing trials over her children's upbringing, alongside Robert Ryan.

Wyatt died on October 20, 2006, in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, of natural causes at his home in Bel-Air, California, at the age of 96. His funeral was held at St. Martin of Tours Church in Brentwood, California.

Howard Duff

Howard Duff was born in Bremerton, Washington on November 23, 1913. His first film role was as a prisoner in Brute Force (1947). His notable films include The Naked City (1948), All My Sons (1948), Panic in the City (1968), In Search of America (1971), A Wedding (1978), and No Way Out (1987).

He appeared in numerous films with his first wife, actress and director Ida Lupino. One of Duff's last and best performances was as Dustin Hoffman's lawyer in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

On radio, Duff worked locally in Seattle-area theater until entering the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He was assigned to their radio service, and announced re-broadcasts prepared for the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). In this role, he served as the announcer for the drama Suspense, dated March 16, 1943. Duff's most memorable radio role was as Dashiell Hammett's private eye Sam Spade in The Adventures of Sam Spade (1946–1950). Due to accusations of Duff being a communist and with his TV and film career starting to take hold, he ultimately left the program in 1950 at the start of its final season; Stephen Dunne took over the voice role of Sam Spade.

On television, he had several roles, including an episode of the television series Climax! titled "Escape From Fear" in 1955. Duff also appeared alongside Ida Lupino on the CBS sitcom "Mr. Adams and Eve" from January 1957 to September 1958. From October 1960 to April 1961, Duff played the role of Willie Dante on the NBC adventure mystery series "Dante." In 1964, he guest-starred in the episode "Prodigy" on the NBC medical drama "The Eleventh Hour," alongside Jack Ging and Ralph Bellamy.

From September 1966 to January 1969, Duff played Detective Sergeant Sam Stone on the ABC series "Felony Squad," on which he worked with Dennis Cole. In the 1980s, he appeared in dramas such as "Flamingo Road" on NBC and "Knots Landing" and "Dallas," both on CBS.
Duff had a stormy relationship with actress Ava Gardner in the late 1940s. He married fellow actress Ida Lupino in 1951. They had one daughter, Bridget Duff, born on April 23, 1952. They separated in 1966 and divorced in 1984. He later married Judy Jenkinson.

Duff died in 1990, at the age of 76, of a heart attack in Santa Barbara, California. He was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family.

Elinor Donahue

Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue pn 2 April 19, 1937) is a retired American actress best known for playing Betty Anderson, the eldest daughter of Jim and Margaret Anderson, on the 1950s American sitcom Father Knows Best. Donahue was born in Tacoma, Washington, on April 19, 1937, to Doris Genevieve (née Gelbaugh) and Thomas William Donahue.

From the age of five, Donahue performed in films with dance choruses and was a ballet partner of Barrie Chase, future partner of Fred Astaire. She was a child actress in vaudeville and had several supporting roles in teen films, including Love Is Better Than Ever (1952), starring Elizabeth Taylor, and Tea for Two (1950), starring Doris Day. She played one of the daughters in Three Daring Daughters in 1948 and appeared as Mamie Van Doren's sister in Girls Town (1959).

Donahue rose to stardom for her role as the eldest daughter, Betty, in the family television series Father Knows Best, which aired from 1954 to 1960. Her co-stars were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray as her younger brother, James "Bud" Anderson Jr., and Lauren Chapin as her younger sister, Kathy. Donahue was a musical judge on ABC's Jukebox Jury (1953–54), and during the first season of Father Knows Best, she also appeared on The Ray Bolger Show, starring Ray Bolger as a singer-dancer. She later starred alongside James Best, Ann Doran, and J. Carrol Naish in the 1956 episode "The White Carnation" of the religious anthology series Crossroads. She guest-starred in an episode of U.S. Marshal. She also appeared as a newlywed in the episode of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show titled "The Newlyweds" which aired on April 2, 1956. She starred in the feature film Girls Town (1959 film), which she later described as "a horrible movie."

Donahue played Georgiana Balanger, the niece of George and Martha Wilson, in the 1960 Dennis the Menace episode "Dennis and the Wedding." Donahue also appeared alongside Marion Ross in a 1960 episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan. She played Miriam Welby on ABC's The Odd Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, and the evil Nurse Hunnicut on Days of Our Lives.

She was part of the main cast of the first season of CBS's The Andy Griffith Show as Ellie Walker, Andy's pharmacist in love with her. She was even mentioned in the opening credits before Don Knotts. After one season (1960–1961), Donahue asked for a release from her three-year contract.

In 1963, Donahue appeared in an episode of the short-lived NBC modern western series Redigo, opposite Richard Egan as rancher Jim Redigo. She then starred in another western series, Have Gun Will Travel, as Letty May in the episode "The Burning Tree."

In 1964, she appeared in the NBC series The Eleventh Hour, a medical drama about psychiatry starring Jack Ging and Ralph Bellamy, where she played the role of Melanie in the episode "The Secret in the Stone."

In 1966, she guest-starred on the television series A Man Called Shenandoah, episode 8, "Town on Fire."

In 1967, she made a guest appearance on Star Trek in the second-season episode "Metamorphosis," playing Commissioner Nancy Hedford.

Donahue played Sister Bertrille's (Sally Field) sister in three episodes of the ABC series The Flying Nun (1968–70).

She played Miriam Welby in 17 episodes of The Odd Couple (1972–75).
In 1977, she appeared in an episode of the ABC police series The Feather and Father Gang.
In 1978, Donahue starred in the NBC sitcom Please Stand By.
In 1979, she appeared on Diff'rent Strokes as Mr. Drummond's fiancée in the first season.
In 1981, Donahue appeared in an episode of One Day at a Time as Felicia, Alex's mother.
In 1984, she made an appearance as Mrs. Broderick, the mother of a drug-addicted teenager, in the final season of Happy Days.
In 1987, she played the mother of the title character in the short-lived Fox series The New Adventures of Beans Baxter.
In 1988, she appeared in an episode of Newhart ("Courtin' Disaster").
In 1989, she appeared in an episode of The Golden Girls as the new wife of Dorothy Zbornak's ex-husband, Stan.
In 1990, she played Bridget, a Beverly Hills clothing store manager, in the film Pretty Woman. Donahue played Gladys, the mother of Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott), in all 35 episodes of the sitcom Get a Life (1990–92), and had a recurring role as Rebecca Quinn on the CBS drama series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
In 1991, she played the "orphanage woman" in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.
In 1992, she voiced the mother in the Fox Kids animated series Eek! the Cat. In 1994, she made an appearance as Aunt Lillian in "The One Where Nana Dies Twice," an episode of Friends. She played Lorraine, Luther Van Dam's girlfriend, in the fifth season of Coach in the early 1990s.

In 1998, Donahue published a memoir titled "In the Kitchen with Elinor Donahue," in which she relived some of her Hollywood memories and provided over 150 of her recipes. 

In September 2010, Donahue appeared on The Young and the Restless as Judge Anderson, one of Nikki Newman's old friends and also the minister who will officiate at the wedding of Billy Abbott and Nikki's daughter, Victoria Newman. The wedding took place in front of the Abbotts' new house, which happened to be a replica of the Andersons' house from "Father Knows Best."

In 2015, Donahue played the role of Mrs. Chumley in the Judson Theatre Company's production of Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Harvey." Donahue called the role her "swan song."

Donahue was married three times. Her first husband was sound producer Richard Smith, whom she married in 1955. They had one son with him. They divorced in 1961. Her second marriage, to producer Harry Ackerman, who was 25 years her senior, took place in 1962 at the Court of Liberty. Ackerman was the adoptive father of her son from her first marriage, and he and Donahue had three children together. Ackerman died in 1991. As a tribute and resource for American television history, Donahue donated Ackerman's personal papers to the Rauner Library at Dartmouth College, her alma mater. In 1992, she married actor Lou Genevrino.

Ted Donaldson

 

Theodore D. "Ted" Donaldson (August 20, 1933 – March 1, 2023) was an American actor and child actor. Donaldson was best known for his roles as Bud Anderson in the radio version of Father Comes Home and as Cornelius "Neely" Nolan in the 1945 film A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

 

Donaldson was born Theodore D. Donaldson in Brooklyn, the son of Josephine Marion Plant and the singer and composer William John Donaldson. His mother died when he was four and a half months old. His stepmother was the radio organist and composer Muriel Pollock. He attended the Professional Children's School in New York City.

 

At the age of eight, he played Harlan in the Broadway production of Life With Father. In the same year, he was heard as Tiny Tim alongside Edmund Gwenn in a radio play adaptation of A Christmas Carol by the Wheatena Playhouse. In 1943, he appeared on Broadway in Sons and Soldiers alongside Gregory Peck at the Morosco Theatre.

In 1944, he made his film debut in Pinky and Curly as Arthur “Pinky” Thompson alongside Cary Grant; Grant called him ‘Teddy’ and attended Donaldson's 1949 high school graduation at the Beverly Hills Hotel with his wife Betsy Drake. In addition to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, he appeared in films such as Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1945), A Stranger Calls (1952), and a series of eight films starring the German Shepherd “Rusty”. From 1949 to 1954, he was heard as Bud Anderson, son of the character Jim Anderson, voiced by Robert Young, in the radio version of Father's the Best. When the program was broadcast on television, Donaldson turned down the role because he was already 21 years old at the time and did not want to be typecast; the on-camera role was taken by Billy Gray.

 

He later appeared in television series such as Front Row Center, Matinee Theatre and 1958's The Silent Service, his last role in front of the camera. After giving up acting in the late 1950s, he taught acting and worked in a Hollywood bookstore in the late 1970s.

Donaldson was a guest of honor at several TCM Classic Film Festivals, for example in 2016, when a restored version of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was shown to enthusiastic audiences. 

He died on March 1, 2023 at the age of 89 from injuries sustained in a fall.

Jean Thurston Vander Pyl

Jean Thurston Vander Pyl was born on October 11, 1919 and was an American voice actress. She is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Flintstones. In addition to Wilma Flintstone, she also provided the voices of Pebbles Flintstone; Rosie the robot maid from The Jetsons; Goldie, Lola Glamour, Nurse LaRue, and other characters in Top Cat; Winsome Witch on The Secret Squirrel Show; and Ogee on The Magilla Gorilla Show.

On radio, she participated in such programs as The Halls of Ivy (1950–52) and on Father Knows Best during the early 1950s, where she portrayed Margaret Anderson; the role was played on television by Jane Wyatt. Her husband, Carroll G. O'Meara, was a graduate of Stanford University who worked as a copywriter at KHJ radio in the mid-1930s and later became an advertising executive.

Vander Pyl was born in Philadelphia to John Howard and Kathleen Hale Vander Pyl. Her grandfather had come from the Netherlands. Her father was the district manager for Knit Underwear; her mother was from Tennessee. The two died within six months of each other in the early 1950s. By 1939, she was already working as a radio actress.

Vander Pyl made numerous TV appearances as an actress in programs such as Leave It to Beaver, The Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best, The Beverly Hillbillies, That Girl, and Petticoat Junction. She did the voices of Maw Rugg and her daughter Floral Rugg on a rural cartoon, The Hillbilly Bears and Winsome Witch; both shows were part of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show (1965–1967). Jean Vander Pyl was also the voice of Little Ogee on The Magilla Gorilla Show. In 1969, Vander Pyl guest-starred on the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode "Foul Play in Funland", playing Sarah Jenkins.

In the 1970s, she was the voice of Marge Huddles, the main character's wife on Where's Huddles?, in which she played a role similar to that of Wilma Flintstone and was reunited with her Flintstones cast members Alan Reed and Mel Blanc. She went on to voice Mrs. Finkerton on Inch High, Private Eye, and several female characters on Hong Kong Phooey, The Tom and Jerry Show, and Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels.

In the 1980s and 1990s, she did voices on Mister T, Snorks, and Yogi's Treasure Hunt, and also on The Flintstone Kids as Mrs. Slaghoople. She mostly reprised Wilma Flintstone on spin-off series and films such as The Flintstone Comedy Hour, The New Fred and Barney Show, The Flintstone Comedy Show, The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones, I Yabba-Dabba Do!, Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby, and A Flintstones Christmas Carol.

She married Carroll G. O'Meara on March 9, 1939; together they had three children. O'Meara died on February 18, 1962, at the age of 53. She then married her second husband Roger Wells DeWitt in 1963; the couple had one son. They remained married until DeWitt's death in 1992.

Vander Pyl died of lung cancer at her home in Dana Point, California, at the age of 79. Vander Pyl was buried in Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California.