Jackie Kelk

Jackie Kelk was born on August 6, 1923 and was an American radio actor and comedian, best known for playing Homer Brown in the series The Aldrich Family, as well as for being the original voice of Jimmy Olsen in The Adventures of Superman.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, as a child in the early 1930s, he was part of the cast of a series that imitated those of The Gang, and called Penrod, playing the role of "Georgie Bassett." "Penrod" was a production based on the books by Booth Tarkington.

In the theater field, in 1935 he acted on the Broadway circuit in Jubilee, a musical in which Montgomery Clift and Mary Boland also performed.

In the early 1940s, Kelk was Pete in the radio serial Mother of Mine. In addition, between 1940 and 1947 he voiced Jimmy Olsen in another radio series, The Adventures of Superman, and was also Homer, the best friend of Henry Aldrich, in the radio comedy The Aldrich Family.

On the small screen he starred in the sitcom Young Mr. Bobbin, produced by NBC, in addition to working on several other series, including Leave it to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show.

Kelk died in 2002 in Rancho Mirage, California, from a lung infection. He was buried in Lakeview Cemetery in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Terry and the Pirates

Based on the comic strip of the same name, Terry and the Pirates was a radio serial created in 1934 by Milton Caniff. With storylines of action, high adventure and foreign intrigue, the popular radio series entralled listeners from 1937 through 1948. With scripts by Albert Barker, George Lowther and others, the program's directors included Cyril Armbrister, Wylie Adams and Marty Andrews. 

The central character, Terry Lee, was portrayed at various times by Jackie Kelk, Cliff Carpenter, Owen Jordan and Bill Fein. Terry's buddy Pat Ryan was played by Bud Collyer, Warner Anderson, Bob Griffin and Larry Alexander. Others in Terry's Far East entourage were Flip Corkin (Ted de Corsia), Elita (Gerta Rozan), Burma (Frances Chaney), Hotshot Charlie (Cameron Andrews) and Connie the coolie (Cliff Norton, John Gibson, Peter Donald). Throughout the Orient, they encountered plenty of evildoers, including the Dragon Lady (Agnes Moorehead, Adelaide Klein, Marion Sweet), in such adventurous episodes as "Pirate Gold Detector Ring," "Deadly Current," "The Mechanical Eye" and "The Dragon Lady Strikes Back." When the late afternoon series began, it was heard at 5:15pm, three times a week, sponsored by Dari-Rich, airing on NBC's Red network from November 1, 1937 to June 1, 1938. 

It switched to NBC Blue on September 26, 1938, continuing until March 22, 1939. Absent from the airwaves for over two years, it returned shortly before the Pearl Harbor attack, heard in the midwest on the Chicago Tribune's WGN. That series, sponsored by Libby's, aired five days a week from October 16, 1941 to May 29, 1942. With increasing popularity during the WWII years, the show next took off at a fast pace on ABC Blue, airing daily for 15 minutes on weekday afternoons beginning February 1, 1943. The Quaker Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice "shot from guns" commercials often had a patriotic pitch. Douglas Browning was the announcer during the mid-1940s. After 1945, with no wartime villains for Terry and his pals to fight, ratings began to drop in the post-WWII period until the final episode on June 30, 1948.

George Edwards

George Edwards was born Henry Parks on March 11,1886 in Kent Town South Australia. From an early age his passion was acting and the theatre. He had the knack of mimicry and the story goes that in his early teens he was able to convince an angry neighbour to return a ball by using George's fathers' voice. 

As soon as he could he left school and spent all his time and money purchasing theatrical items such as makeup etc as well as going to the theatre. Also he joined an amateur theatrical group and was in many plays. By 18 he had made a name for himself in amateur  theatre as a mimic. However, his health "broke down" so his father booked him a passage to England. 

It was in England that he got his first professional job working for the famous impresario of British theatre, George Edwards. He did theatre all over England  as well as Music Hall, for he was also an accomplished dancer and singer. His career did not seem to reach the heights that would come later, as he moved from straight theatre, vaudeville to becoming a dancing instructor.  

It was during this period that he changed his name from Harold Parks to George Edwards at the behest of Edward Branscombe who was putting together an up market act did not want anyone who was associated with low brow music hall type acts. So Harold changed his name to the name of the famous English impresario.

The facts about this period are in question, as the biography's that are about for him were either written by George himself or his brother. Nothing bad seems to have happened. It is known that he was married twice and that his second wife died after an illness, It seems that George took this very hard and had to go to Germany to "take the waters" whether this meant, if we read between the lines, he hit the bottle is not really known. 

If we read Richards Lane's book or Sumner Locke Elliot's article in the Bulletin, which the former is in part was based upon, it would seem that in the years prior to 1931/2, George was on the skids and the story goes that he played pie nights and the Showboat a venue that was regarded as the pits for any performer. 

Around 1931, it seems, he advertised for a partner and this is where he met Nell Stirling. They became a double act. From here, his fortunes seemed to change.  In 1931 George appeared on the ABC in a Saturday variety show doing a ten minute stint . He also, with Nell, performed in department stores.

George was offered to produce a popular play at the time for 2GB, the Ghost Train. He had a budget of 70 pounds and was to provide the cast, the scriptwriter et all. At first George thought it too difficult but astute Nell saw an opportunity and agreed to do it. They hired an aspiring, but as yet untested, scriptwriter by the name of Maurice Francis and to save money Nell talked George into doing four or so roles. 

George was initially horrified, as he thought that people would see his as just a stunt to save money. He agreed on condition that what they were doing would not be mentioned. 

However, at the end of the show the announcer listed the parts that George played and the rest is history. Rather than being castigated, the public was enthralled that one person could play so many parts. Soon George had sponsors for his shows and of these there were many. 

He soon was working with 2GB and their, George and Nell's workload grew astonishingly. They had a morning show Darby and Joan, a children's session David and Dawn early evening, then a show such as Westward Ho between 6 and 7 pm, then an 8.oopm series of Inspector Scott or The Laughing Cavalier and to top things off another show around 10.00pm such as Notable British Plays.  Thus was 5 days a week. On the weekend there would be a special Darby and Joan evening version and on Sunday George and Co would do a play at 8.00pm. His popularity was not only limited to Sydney but Nationally as well. 

In the mid thirties he signed a contract with EMI Columbia at Homebush and now he had recording facilities. He also changed over to Station 2GB, where he would remain until his death. All shows were now recorded and his life eased a little, but in most of the show he produced he took many roles. 
 
In 1937 he started what many would consider to be the definitive Australian show Dad and Dave. Here George played many a part and would ply Dad until his death in 1953. By this time the George Edwards Productions held over 50000 episodes in its inventory. 
 
In the early years, say to 1942, George would be in most of his productions, after that he let up a little and took up his other interest of horses, opening his own stable, but with little success. He and Nell had a girl, Carolyn, in 1941, but the marriage was a little unsteady when in 1948 Nell and George was divorced with Nell taking over the reigns at George Edwards Productions She allowed George only one role and that was Dad in Dad and Dave which as previously mentioned he continued to play until his death. 

Frankenstein

Produced by George Edwards, Frankenstein was a radio series adapted from Mary Shelley’s novel The Modern Prometheus. The story was about Baron Victor Frankenstein, a genius yet mad scientist who thinks that he can create a living man from dead bodies. In total, 13 episodes were recorded until its end in 1932.

Shelley's original story is the inspiration for a thirteen-part 1938 serial from the branch of Transco Syndications. Karloff is featured in air trailers for Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein, and House of Frankenstein, and plays the Monster opposite Santa Claus on It's Time to Smile. Suspense, The Weird Circle, and The Witch's Tale all present versions of the original story.

Mary Shelley created the book on a rainy afternoon in 1816 in Geneva, where she was staying with her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, their friend Lord Byron and Lord Byron's physician, John Polidori. The group, trapped indoors by the inclement weather, passed the time telling and writing ghost stories. The ideas for both Frankenstein, and Polidori's The Vampyre, which was published in 1819, were both born that day.

Although serving as the basis for the Western horror story and the inspiration for numerous movies in the 20th century, the book Frankenstein is much more than pop fiction. The story explores philosophical themes and challenges Romantic ideals about the beauty and goodness of nature.

Mary Shelley led a life nearly as tumultuous as the monster she created. The daughter of free-thinking philosopher William Godwin and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, she lost her mother days after her birth. She clashed with her stepmother and was sent to Scotland to live with foster parents during her early teens, then eloped with the married poet Shelley when she was 17. After Shelley’s wife committed suicide in December of 1816, the couple married but spent much of their time abroad, fleeing Shelley’s creditors. Mary Shelley gave birth to five children, but only one lived to adulthood. 

Mary was only 24 years old when Shelley drowned in a sailing accident; she went on to edit two volumes of his works. Aside from her earnings from writing, she lived on a small stipend from her father-in-law, Lord Shelley, until her surviving son inherited his fortune and title in 1844. She died at the age of 53.