Maxwell House Show Boat
Encyclopedia
Maxwell House Show Boat was the top radio show in the United States
from 1933 to 1935. The program was sponsored by Maxwell House
coffee, and it aired on NBC Radio Thursday nights, 9 pm. The first show was broadcast in 1931.
Maxwell House Show Boat was inspired by the success of the Jerome Kern
-Oscar Hammerstein II
musical Show Boat
, which was based on the novel of the same name by Edna Ferber
. It became an instant classic when it opened in 1927 on Broadway. The radio program starred Charles Winninger
as Captain Henry, a role directly inspired by Winninger's stage performance as Cap'n Andy Hawks, owner of the showboat Cotton Blossom in the Kern-Hammerstein musical. (Otherwise, the Maxwell House program and the stage Show Boat had nothing to do with each other besides the fact that both had a Mississippi showboat
as a setting for the action.) In 1932, the year before Maxwell House Show Boat premiered, Winninger reprised his role as Cap'n Andy in the first stage revival of Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat, a role he would once again play in the 1936 film version of the musical
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1933 to 1935. The program was sponsored by Maxwell House
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. Introduced in 1892, it is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. For many years until the late 1980s it was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S. and is currently second behind...
coffee, and it aired on NBC Radio Thursday nights, 9 pm. The first show was broadcast in 1931.
Maxwell House Show Boat was inspired by the success of the Jerome Kern
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
-Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
musical Show Boat
Show Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
, which was based on the novel of the same name by Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were especially popular and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big , Show Boat , and Giant .-Early years:Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan,...
. It became an instant classic when it opened in 1927 on Broadway. The radio program starred Charles Winninger
Charles Winninger
Charles Winninger was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in drama.-Biography:He began as a vaudeville actor...
as Captain Henry, a role directly inspired by Winninger's stage performance as Cap'n Andy Hawks, owner of the showboat Cotton Blossom in the Kern-Hammerstein musical. (Otherwise, the Maxwell House program and the stage Show Boat had nothing to do with each other besides the fact that both had a Mississippi showboat
Showboat
A showboat, or show boat, was a form of theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers . A showboat was basically a barge that resembled a long, flat-roofed house, and in order to move down the river, it was pushed by a small tugboat...
as a setting for the action.) In 1932, the year before Maxwell House Show Boat premiered, Winninger reprised his role as Cap'n Andy in the first stage revival of Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat, a role he would once again play in the 1936 film version of the musical
Show Boat (1936 film)
Show Boat is a 1936 film based on the musical play by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II , which the team adapted from the novel by Edna Ferber....
.
Cast
- Lanny RossLanny RossLanny Ross was an American singer, pianist and songwriter.-Biography:Lancelot Patrick Ross was born in Seattle, Washington. He graduated from Yale University in 1928, where he was a member of Zeta Psi and Skull and Bones. He later studied classical vocal technique at the Juilliard School of...
, master of ceremonies - Charles WinningerCharles WinningerCharles Winninger was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in drama.-Biography:He began as a vaudeville actor...
- Annette HanshawAnnette HanshawCatherine Annette Hanshaw was born at her parents' residence in New York City on October 18, 1901. [Ed. While Annette sometimes gave her birth date as 1910, nephew Frank W. Hanshaw III confirms 1901 as the date on Annette's birth certificate.]-Biography:...
(1932-1934)