Collection Summary 

Title
Lux Radio Theatre Scripts

Dates
1934-1955

Collection ID
SPC MSS 009

Creator
Lux Radio Theatre

Quantity
16.25 linear feet (138 volumes)

Repository
Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries

Language
Materials in English   

Detailed Collection Information

Historical Note

The Lux Radio Theatre, later known as Lux Presents Hollywood, began broadcasting in New York on NBC in October 1934. The program first aired on Sunday afternoons on the NBC Blue Network but shortly moved to Monday evenings on CBS Radio where it stayed until 1954. Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences. The series became the most popular dramatic anthology series on radio and during the program's height of popularity was heard regularly by 30 million listeners. The Lever Brothers moved production of the show from New York to Hollywood in 1936. Cecil B. DeMille took over as the host on June 1, 1936, continuing until January 22, 1945. Celebrity guest hosts like Leslie Howard and Edward Arnold would fill in for DeMille in his absence. After DeMille left the show in January 1954, William Keighley and Irving Cummings served as host. The series went off the radio in June 1955, but continued on television as the Lux Video Theatre through most of the 1950s.

Description of Collection

Collection of radio theater scripts in 138 bound volumes, spanning the 1930s to the 1950s. The scripts, with stage directions, cover a variety of genres ranging from comedy and drama to Westerns, mysteries and romance. The productions are adaptations of novels, plays, and Hollywood movies.

Patron Information

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Temple University’s online library catalog: https://librarysearch.temple.edu/catalog/991029673349703811

Research Access

Collection is open for research.

Collections Stored Off-Site

This collection may be housed off-site at the Library Depository, and require up to two business days to retrieve. Please review the finding aid and be prepared to identify specific materials to be retrieved. Contact the Special Collections Research Center in advance of your visit, so that materials may be relocated to the reading room for research.

Publication and Copyright Information

The Lux Radio Theatre Scripts are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The creator/donor has not assigned their rights to Temple University Libraries.  Other creators’ intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to them or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.  

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Lux Radio Theatre Scripts, SPC MSS 009, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donated by J. Walter Thompson Agency to RTF Department, date unknown.

Index Terms

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in Temple University’s electronic catalog:

Corporate Names:

Lux Radio Theatre

Subjects:

Radio plays

Radio adaptations

Material Types:

Radio scripts