Letter to Loretta
Encyclopedia
Letter to Loretta is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC
from 1953 to 1961 {Sundays, 10-10:30pm(et)} for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show, originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble
from 1953 through 1960 [the final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's "Listerine"], was hosted by Loretta Young
, who played the lead in various episodes.
The program, which earned her three Emmys, began with the premise that each drama was an answer to a question asked in her fan mail
; the program's original title was Letter to Loretta. The title was changed to The Loretta Young Show during the first season (as of February 14, 1954), and the "letter" concept was dropped altogether at the end of the second season. At this time, Young's health, which had deteriorated due to a heavy production schedule during the second season, required that there be a number of guest hosts and guest stars; her first appearance in the 1955-56 season
was for the Christmas show. From this point on, Young appeared in only about half of each season's shows as an actress and merely functioned as the program hostess for the remainder. This program, minus Young's introductions and summarized conclusions (Loretta insisted on their deletion due to her concern that the dresses she wore in those segments would "date" the program), was rerun in daytime by NBC as The Loretta Young Theater from October 1960 to December 1964, and then appeared, again without the introductions and conclusions, in syndication
through the 1970s. In 1992, selected episodes of the original series (with Loretta's opening and closing segments intact), authorized by Loretta herself and chosen from her personal collection of 16mm film prints, were released on home video, and eventually shown on cable television.
After the series ended, Young attempted a comeback on CBS in the 1962-1963 season in The New Loretta Young Show
, in which she played a free-lance writer
and the widow
ed mother of seven children. James Philbrook
, who appeared in five Letter to Loretta episodes, was cast as her magazine
publisher and romantic interest in the second series. Beverly Washburn
appeared four times on Letter to Loretta and was subsequently cast as Vickie Massey in The New Loretta Young Show.
from 1953 to 1961 {Sundays, 10-10:30pm(et)} for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show, originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble
from 1953 through 1960 [the final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's "Listerine"], was hosted by Loretta Young
, who played the lead in various episodes.
The program, which earned her three Emmys, began with the premise that each drama was an answer to a question asked in her fan mail
; the program's original title was Letter to Loretta. The title was changed to The Loretta Young Show during the first season (as of February 14, 1954), and the "letter" concept was dropped altogether at the end of the second season. At this time, Young's health, which had deteriorated due to a heavy production schedule during the second season, required that there be a number of guest hosts and guest stars; her first appearance in the 1955-56 season
was for the Christmas show. From this point on, Young appeared in only about half of each season's shows as an actress and merely functioned as the program hostess for the remainder. This program, minus Young's introductions and summarized conclusions (Loretta insisted on their deletion due to her concern that the dresses she wore in those segments would "date" the program), was rerun in daytime by NBC as The Loretta Young Theater from October 1960 to December 1964, and then appeared, again without the introductions and conclusions, in syndication
through the 1970s. In 1992, selected episodes of the original series (with Loretta's opening and closing segments intact), authorized by Loretta herself and chosen from her personal collection of 16mm film prints, were released on home video, and eventually shown on cable television.
After the series ended, Young attempted a comeback on CBS in the 1962-1963 season in The New Loretta Young Show
, in which she played a free-lance writer
and the widow
ed mother of seven children. James Philbrook
, who appeared in five Letter to Loretta episodes, was cast as her magazine
publisher and romantic interest in the second series. Beverly Washburn
appeared four times on Letter to Loretta and was subsequently cast as Vickie Massey in The New Loretta Young Show.
from 1953 to 1961 {Sundays, 10-10:30pm(et)} for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show, originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble
from 1953 through 1960 [the final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's "Listerine"], was hosted by Loretta Young
, who played the lead in various episodes.
The program, which earned her three Emmys, began with the premise that each drama was an answer to a question asked in her fan mail
; the program's original title was Letter to Loretta. The title was changed to The Loretta Young Show during the first season (as of February 14, 1954), and the "letter" concept was dropped altogether at the end of the second season. At this time, Young's health, which had deteriorated due to a heavy production schedule during the second season, required that there be a number of guest hosts and guest stars; her first appearance in the 1955-56 season
was for the Christmas show. From this point on, Young appeared in only about half of each season's shows as an actress and merely functioned as the program hostess for the remainder. This program, minus Young's introductions and summarized conclusions (Loretta insisted on their deletion due to her concern that the dresses she wore in those segments would "date" the program), was rerun in daytime by NBC as The Loretta Young Theater from October 1960 to December 1964, and then appeared, again without the introductions and conclusions, in syndication
through the 1970s. In 1992, selected episodes of the original series (with Loretta's opening and closing segments intact), authorized by Loretta herself and chosen from her personal collection of 16mm film prints, were released on home video, and eventually shown on cable television.
After the series ended, Young attempted a comeback on CBS in the 1962-1963 season in The New Loretta Young Show
, in which she played a free-lance writer
and the widow
ed mother of seven children. James Philbrook
, who appeared in five Letter to Loretta episodes, was cast as her magazine
publisher and romantic interest in the second series. Beverly Washburn
appeared four times on Letter to Loretta and was subsequently cast as Vickie Massey in The New Loretta Young Show.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from 1953 to 1961 {Sundays, 10-10:30pm(et)} for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show, originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
from 1953 through 1960 [the final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's "Listerine"], was hosted by Loretta Young
Loretta Young
Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
, who played the lead in various episodes.
The program, which earned her three Emmys, began with the premise that each drama was an answer to a question asked in her fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
; the program's original title was Letter to Loretta. The title was changed to The Loretta Young Show during the first season (as of February 14, 1954), and the "letter" concept was dropped altogether at the end of the second season. At this time, Young's health, which had deteriorated due to a heavy production schedule during the second season, required that there be a number of guest hosts and guest stars; her first appearance in the 1955-56 season
1955-56 United States network television schedule
The 1955–56 United States network television schedule was for the period that began in September 1955 and ran through March 1956.The $64,000 Question had debuted on CBS during summer 1955 and became the #1 program on U.S. television. The three networks "rushed to copy this latest hit format,...
was for the Christmas show. From this point on, Young appeared in only about half of each season's shows as an actress and merely functioned as the program hostess for the remainder. This program, minus Young's introductions and summarized conclusions (Loretta insisted on their deletion due to her concern that the dresses she wore in those segments would "date" the program), was rerun in daytime by NBC as The Loretta Young Theater from October 1960 to December 1964, and then appeared, again without the introductions and conclusions, in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
through the 1970s. In 1992, selected episodes of the original series (with Loretta's opening and closing segments intact), authorized by Loretta herself and chosen from her personal collection of 16mm film prints, were released on home video, and eventually shown on cable television.
After the series ended, Young attempted a comeback on CBS in the 1962-1963 season in The New Loretta Young Show
The New Loretta Young Show
The New Loretta Young Show, which aired for twenty-six weekly episodes on CBS television from September 24, 1962 to March 18, 1963, featured Loretta Young in a combination drama and situation comedy about a free-lance writer in suburban Connecticut named Christine Massey, the widowed mother of...
, in which she played a free-lance writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and the widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
ed mother of seven children. James Philbrook
James Philbrook
James Philbrook was an American actor who appeared in supporting roles in three short-lived television series between 1959 and 1963: The Islanders on ABC and The Investigators and The New Loretta Young Show, both on CBS...
, who appeared in five Letter to Loretta episodes, was cast as her magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
publisher and romantic interest in the second series. Beverly Washburn
Beverly Washburn
Beverly Washburn is an American actress who appeared as a young girl in NBC's The Loretta Young Show and as an older teenager in Loretta Young's 1962-1963 CBS family drama, The New Loretta Young Show...
appeared four times on Letter to Loretta and was subsequently cast as Vickie Massey in The New Loretta Young Show.
Guest stars
- Walter CoyWalter CoyWalter Darwin Coy was an American stage, radio, film, and, principally, television actor, originally from Great Falls, Montana. He was best known for narrating the NBC western anthology series, Frontier, which aired early Sunday evenings in the 1955-1956 season.-Career:Coy performed on Broadway...
, three times - Kim SpaldingKim SpaldingKim Spalding was an American actor who appeared on television and in film between 1950 and 1961.Spalding's first role was as an uncredited clerk in the 1950 film The Gunfighter, starring Gregory Peck as Jimmy Ringo. From 1950-1953, Spalding appeared in different roles in the western television...
, three times - Michael WinkelmanMichael WinkelmanMichael L. Winkelman was an American child actor best known for his role as Little Luke McCoy from 1957 to 1963 in 157 episodes of the situation comedy television series, The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan in the title role of Grandpa Amos McCoy, with Richard Crenna as Luke McCoy, older...
, twice
External links
Letter to Loretta (also known as The Loretta Young Show) is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from 1953 to 1961 {Sundays, 10-10:30pm(et)} for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show, originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
from 1953 through 1960 [the final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's "Listerine"], was hosted by Loretta Young
Loretta Young
Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
, who played the lead in various episodes.
The program, which earned her three Emmys, began with the premise that each drama was an answer to a question asked in her fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
; the program's original title was Letter to Loretta. The title was changed to The Loretta Young Show during the first season (as of February 14, 1954), and the "letter" concept was dropped altogether at the end of the second season. At this time, Young's health, which had deteriorated due to a heavy production schedule during the second season, required that there be a number of guest hosts and guest stars; her first appearance in the 1955-56 season
1955-56 United States network television schedule
The 1955–56 United States network television schedule was for the period that began in September 1955 and ran through March 1956.The $64,000 Question had debuted on CBS during summer 1955 and became the #1 program on U.S. television. The three networks "rushed to copy this latest hit format,...
was for the Christmas show. From this point on, Young appeared in only about half of each season's shows as an actress and merely functioned as the program hostess for the remainder. This program, minus Young's introductions and summarized conclusions (Loretta insisted on their deletion due to her concern that the dresses she wore in those segments would "date" the program), was rerun in daytime by NBC as The Loretta Young Theater from October 1960 to December 1964, and then appeared, again without the introductions and conclusions, in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
through the 1970s. In 1992, selected episodes of the original series (with Loretta's opening and closing segments intact), authorized by Loretta herself and chosen from her personal collection of 16mm film prints, were released on home video, and eventually shown on cable television.
After the series ended, Young attempted a comeback on CBS in the 1962-1963 season in The New Loretta Young Show
The New Loretta Young Show
The New Loretta Young Show, which aired for twenty-six weekly episodes on CBS television from September 24, 1962 to March 18, 1963, featured Loretta Young in a combination drama and situation comedy about a free-lance writer in suburban Connecticut named Christine Massey, the widowed mother of...
, in which she played a free-lance writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and the widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
ed mother of seven children. James Philbrook
James Philbrook
James Philbrook was an American actor who appeared in supporting roles in three short-lived television series between 1959 and 1963: The Islanders on ABC and The Investigators and The New Loretta Young Show, both on CBS...
, who appeared in five Letter to Loretta episodes, was cast as her magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
publisher and romantic interest in the second series. Beverly Washburn
Beverly Washburn
Beverly Washburn is an American actress who appeared as a young girl in NBC's The Loretta Young Show and as an older teenager in Loretta Young's 1962-1963 CBS family drama, The New Loretta Young Show...
appeared four times on Letter to Loretta and was subsequently cast as Vickie Massey in The New Loretta Young Show.
Guest stars
- Walter CoyWalter CoyWalter Darwin Coy was an American stage, radio, film, and, principally, television actor, originally from Great Falls, Montana. He was best known for narrating the NBC western anthology series, Frontier, which aired early Sunday evenings in the 1955-1956 season.-Career:Coy performed on Broadway...
, three times - Kim SpaldingKim SpaldingKim Spalding was an American actor who appeared on television and in film between 1950 and 1961.Spalding's first role was as an uncredited clerk in the 1950 film The Gunfighter, starring Gregory Peck as Jimmy Ringo. From 1950-1953, Spalding appeared in different roles in the western television...
, three times - Michael WinkelmanMichael WinkelmanMichael L. Winkelman was an American child actor best known for his role as Little Luke McCoy from 1957 to 1963 in 157 episodes of the situation comedy television series, The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan in the title role of Grandpa Amos McCoy, with Richard Crenna as Luke McCoy, older...
, twice
External links
Letter to Loretta (also known as The Loretta Young Show) is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from 1953 to 1961 {Sundays, 10-10:30pm(et)} for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show, originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
from 1953 through 1960 [the final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's "Listerine"], was hosted by Loretta Young
Loretta Young
Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
, who played the lead in various episodes.
The program, which earned her three Emmys, began with the premise that each drama was an answer to a question asked in her fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
; the program's original title was Letter to Loretta. The title was changed to The Loretta Young Show during the first season (as of February 14, 1954), and the "letter" concept was dropped altogether at the end of the second season. At this time, Young's health, which had deteriorated due to a heavy production schedule during the second season, required that there be a number of guest hosts and guest stars; her first appearance in the 1955-56 season
1955-56 United States network television schedule
The 1955–56 United States network television schedule was for the period that began in September 1955 and ran through March 1956.The $64,000 Question had debuted on CBS during summer 1955 and became the #1 program on U.S. television. The three networks "rushed to copy this latest hit format,...
was for the Christmas show. From this point on, Young appeared in only about half of each season's shows as an actress and merely functioned as the program hostess for the remainder. This program, minus Young's introductions and summarized conclusions (Loretta insisted on their deletion due to her concern that the dresses she wore in those segments would "date" the program), was rerun in daytime by NBC as The Loretta Young Theater from October 1960 to December 1964, and then appeared, again without the introductions and conclusions, in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
through the 1970s. In 1992, selected episodes of the original series (with Loretta's opening and closing segments intact), authorized by Loretta herself and chosen from her personal collection of 16mm film prints, were released on home video, and eventually shown on cable television.
After the series ended, Young attempted a comeback on CBS in the 1962-1963 season in The New Loretta Young Show
The New Loretta Young Show
The New Loretta Young Show, which aired for twenty-six weekly episodes on CBS television from September 24, 1962 to March 18, 1963, featured Loretta Young in a combination drama and situation comedy about a free-lance writer in suburban Connecticut named Christine Massey, the widowed mother of...
, in which she played a free-lance writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and the widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
ed mother of seven children. James Philbrook
James Philbrook
James Philbrook was an American actor who appeared in supporting roles in three short-lived television series between 1959 and 1963: The Islanders on ABC and The Investigators and The New Loretta Young Show, both on CBS...
, who appeared in five Letter to Loretta episodes, was cast as her magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
publisher and romantic interest in the second series. Beverly Washburn
Beverly Washburn
Beverly Washburn is an American actress who appeared as a young girl in NBC's The Loretta Young Show and as an older teenager in Loretta Young's 1962-1963 CBS family drama, The New Loretta Young Show...
appeared four times on Letter to Loretta and was subsequently cast as Vickie Massey in The New Loretta Young Show.
Guest stars
- Walter CoyWalter CoyWalter Darwin Coy was an American stage, radio, film, and, principally, television actor, originally from Great Falls, Montana. He was best known for narrating the NBC western anthology series, Frontier, which aired early Sunday evenings in the 1955-1956 season.-Career:Coy performed on Broadway...
, three times - Kim SpaldingKim SpaldingKim Spalding was an American actor who appeared on television and in film between 1950 and 1961.Spalding's first role was as an uncredited clerk in the 1950 film The Gunfighter, starring Gregory Peck as Jimmy Ringo. From 1950-1953, Spalding appeared in different roles in the western television...
, three times - Michael WinkelmanMichael WinkelmanMichael L. Winkelman was an American child actor best known for his role as Little Luke McCoy from 1957 to 1963 in 157 episodes of the situation comedy television series, The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan in the title role of Grandpa Amos McCoy, with Richard Crenna as Luke McCoy, older...
, twice