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Get ready with those belly rolls, because Henry is in for another bout of chaos!

The show began when Rudy Vallee saw it as a play and encouraged Clifford Goldsmith, the writer, to perform it on The Rudy Vallee Show. After rave reviews, The Aldrich Family went on to perform for 39 weeks on The Kate Smith Hour.In 1939, it became so popular that The Aldrich Family took their own prime time slot on Sunday evenings. The show was a big success. By 1941, it rated in the top ten with Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Fibber McGee and Molly.

In the show, Ezra Stone starred as 16-year old Henry Aldrich, also known as "Penrod of the '40s." In his 13 years, Henry Aldrich had more disasters, chaos, and craziness than a closet full of squirrels let loose in a glass house. Henry accidentally managed to create hilariously disastrous situations out of anything he could get his hands on, whether it be a telephone or a flat tire.

See also: Meet Corlis Archer, A Date with Judy and My Son Jeep.

The Aldrich Family was a teenage sitcom that featured "America's favorite teenager" Henry Aldrich, portrayed by Ezra Stone (until 1942), Norman Tokar (1942-1943), Dickie Jones(1943-1944), Raymond Ives (1944-1945), and Bobby Ellis (1952, both in radio and television). Debuting as a replacement for Jack Benny's Show, the series started airing on July 2, 1939. Months later, it moved to another timeslot and remained there until the show ended in April 19, 1953. During the show's first two years, it was one of the highest-rating radio shows, alongside Fibber McGee and Molly, Jack Benny, and Bob Hope.

The series was best known for its opening exchange between Henry and his mother, which goes as "Henreeeee! Aldrich!" to which the teen responded, "Com-ing, Mother!" Click here to read more about Aldrich Family

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Please enjoy these 133 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
01.22.1942	aldrich family (129) girlfriend	+ Sponsored by: Postum, Log Cabin Syrup. Henry has forgotten to bring home the ginger ale...or has ...
01.29.1942	aldrich family (130) henry's secret admirer	+ Sponsored by: Postum. Henry receives a letter from a girl in Abbott City. Is she a secret admirer...
04.02.1942	april fools joke runs amok	+ Sponsored by: Postum. An April's fool joke runs amok. Henry is feeling like the luckiest boy in t...
06.11.1942	aldrich family (149) is henry's date with gladys for dinner	+ Sponsored by: Jell-O (Meredith Willson and His Talking People). Henry's girlfriend Kathleen is co...
06.18.1942	aldrich family (150) selling christmas cards	+ Sponsored by: Postum, Jell-O. Where are Henry's Christmas Cards? He and Homer plan to sell the ca...
02.11.1943	aldrich family (180) valentine's day party	+ Sponsored by: Postum. Henry and his sister Mary have both scheduled Valentine's Day parties. In f...
02.25.1943	aldrich family (182) homer's love note goes to henry's teacher	+ , AFRS rebroadcast. Henry's in love with his Latin teacher? But what about Kathleen and Muriel an...
03.11.1943	aldrich family (184) legal trouble	+ Sponsored by: Postum. Why are Henry and Homer late for school each morning? What have they done t...
04.01.1943	aldrich family (187) selling war bonds in a snow storm	+ Sponsored by: Postum. Henry and Homer are out selling war bonds...in a snowstorm....with a cow! T...
04.15.1943	aldrich family (189) props for school play	+ Sponsored by: Postum. Henry's been appointed the prop man for the school play. This, of course, l...
10.07.1943	aldrich family (206) everyone sleeps over aka moving day	+ Sponsored by: Postum. Henry and Homer are bored, so Henry goes to fly a kite with his father...mu...
01.27.1944	movie star	+ Sponsored by: Postum. Henry Aldrich has gotten a job as a caddy. He's going to be another, "Gener...
01.27.1944	aldrich family (222) movie star	+ Sponsored by: Postum. Henry Aldrich has gotten a job as a caddy. He's going to be another, "Gener...
03.02.1944	aldrich family (227) homer's piano recital	+ , AFRS rebroadcast. Homer's player-piano performance leads to a solo piano recital scheduled for ...
03.09.1944	aldrich family (228) warmest day in march	+ While Mr. Aldrich tries to figure his income tax, Mary's sleigh ride party has been ruined by ver...
04.13.1944	aldrich family (233) close that door	+ Program #60. , AFRS rebroadcast. Mrs. Aldrich's efforts to get Henry to close the door behind him...
04.20.1944	aldrich family (234) sam and henry both await calls	+ Program #61. , AFRS rebroadcast. Maddening confusion results when Henry awaits an important pho...
04.27.1944	aldrich family (235) henry trades a baseball	+ Program #62. , AFRS rebroadcast. Homer and Henry get into trouble when they trade a baseball for ...
05.11.1944	aldrich family (237) baby sitting or movies	+ Program #64. , AFRS rebroadcast. Henry and Homer are stuck with young Willie on their way to a da...
06.29.1944	aldrich family (244) bracelet for kathleen	+ , AFRS rebroadcast. Henry has bought a bracelet for Kathleen's birthday. The script was subsequen...
09.15.1944	aldrich family (250) homer is popular aka everyone is asking homer for a date	+ Program #73. CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Poor Homer! Henry and almost everybody else is...
11.24.1944	aldrich family (260) mrs aldrich returns a bicycle	+ CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Because "you're only young once," Mrs. Aldrich returns a bi...
01.12.1945	aldrich family (267) henry sends candy to two girls	+ CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Mr. Aldrich has sent flowers to Mrs. Aldrich. Henry sends c...
01.25.1945	too much chocolate	+ CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. The Aldrich family is trying to get to church on Sunday, bu...
11.16.1945	aldrich family (310) costume party	+ Sponsored by: Grape-Nuts, Grape-Nuts Flakes, Log Cabin Syrup. There's going to be a masquerade pa...

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A big favorite. The best part for me is Jackie Kelk as Homer...so funny.

Frank

so much has mebeen lost to syndication.

John

As much as I try to like this show, I really couldn't get into it like other OTR sit-coms. I think it is because Henry addressed his parents as Mother and Father, and that sounded too formal and unnatural to me.

Scott

Going to have to find the movies

Chris

A big favorite. The best part for me is Jackie Kelk as Homer...so funny.

Frank

HenRYYYYYYYY!!!!!! Henry Aldrich!! (Coming, Mother.) Love it!

Frank

The Aldrich Family was silly stuff, but Stone and Kelk were so incredibly talented. They truly captured adolescent angst and always seemed to have a good reason for causing the chaos they reated every week. House Jameson was also a great straight man.c

Kenneth

Betty Field is great in the early show as Henry's girlfriend. She was a beautiful and very talented actress.

Frank

My favorite OTR show... It's surprising

James

I was fortunate to see Ezra Stone do a live re-creation of the show. Fantastic.

Bob

I love this show. It fascinates me to see the faces and place them with the characters. Henry and Homer look totally different than I imagine.

Melyssa

it is one of my favorites

Steven

I love Aldrich Family

Malyssa

I listened to it it wasn't too bad. I just couldn't listen to too many shows in a row.

Chris

Its pretty adolescent but enjoyable. Very similar to Archie Andrews

Andy

I started listening to the Aldrich Family jusst the other night. Pretty good. smile emoticon

Dennis

The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy (1939-1953), was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' well-remembered weekly opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called.

Jim

This situation comedy was a long- lasting radio, movie and TV series. The radio series was broadcast on NBC and CBS (1939-1953), mostly starring Ezra Stone as Henry Aldrich except 1942-1943 when Stone was serving in the Army during WWII. Stone was replaced by Bobby Ellis (1952-1953).

ALDRICH FAMILY