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+Hallmark Playhouse first aired in 1948, and was hosted by distinguished author & writer James Hilton. Hallmark, meaning Hallmark Greeting Cards, was serious about producing radio drama at the highest level. And they certainly delivered! Using scripts or stories that were for the most part already known to the public, the got the best actors, scripters, and used the highest production values to produce this series. Each episode lasted 30 minutes, and again they used quality material to begin with, such as "A Man Called Peter" and "Around The World in 80 Days". After a few years the narration job fell to someone you may have heard of before....Lionel Barrymore. It was rumored that the sponsors felt that too many of the literary works of James Hilton were used in the show. In the early 1950s came out, TV carried on with the show, running it as "Hallmark Hall Of Fame", which turned out to be very popular, long running, and the first color TV show to be broadcast. Hallmark Playhouse used a good variety of genres for it's scripts, making this a show you can listen to for hours. Click here to read more about Hallmark Playhouse


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Please enjoy these 78 old time radio episodes:

Air Date Title Synopsis Rating
 09.16.1948 goodbye mr chips

+ "Goodbye, Mr. Chips". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. The beautiful story of a staid schoolmaster a...
 06.02.1949 i like it here

+ "I Like It Here". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. Last show of the season. Fine story of a naturali...
 03.31.1949 immortal wife

+ "Immortal Wife". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. The story of John Fremont, explorer, soldier and p...
 04.12.1951 joy street

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "Joy Street". Sponsored by: Hallmark. In 1951 Joy Street w...
 04.21.1949 kitty foyle

+ "Kitty Foyle". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. The story of the-girl-from-Philadelphia's wrong side...
 11.17.1949 letter to mr priest

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "A Letter To Mr. Priest". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. The...
 01.06.1949 mcclouds folly

+ "MacLeod's Folly". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A wandering ex-newspaperman breaks a boss' grip ...
 03.01.1951 monsieur beaucaire

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "Monsieur Beaucaire". Sponsored by: Hallmark. Do you someti...
 04.07.1949 morning glory

+ "Morning Glory". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A kooky girl from Vermont arrives on Broadway to b...
 05.05.1949 mother

+ "Mother". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. There is unusually fine acting in this well-written story...
 10.21.1948 mrs parkington

+ "Mrs. Parkington". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A woman rises from poverty in Nevada to a positi...
 06.17.1948 mrs union station

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "Mrs. Union Station". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A comed...
 11.18.1948 my financial career

+ "My Financial Career". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A story about a man who hated banks...obviou...
 11.04.1948 my friend flicka

+ "My Friend Flicka". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. The well-known story of a young boy's love for ...
 10.06.1949 national velvet

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "National Velvet". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. The famous...
 10.28.1948 ohallorans luck

+ "O'Halloran's Luck". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. Charming, well-written story about a railroad ...
 12.02.1948 old man minick

+ "Old Man Mannick". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A heart-warming, well-acted story about an aged ...
 04.14.1949 one foot in heaven

+ "One Foot In Heaven". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A pastor arrives in a rural parsonage filled ...
 03.17.1949 our own kind

+ "Our Own Kind". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A wonderful Irish story of an old man who cannot re...
 01.20.1949 parnassus on wheels

+ "Parnassus On Wheels". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. the popular novel of the strange wandering B...
 07.01.1948 penny serenade

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "Penny Serenade". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A weepy mel...
 03.30.1950 pioneer preacher

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "Pioneer Preacher". Sponsored by: Hallmark. Pioneer Preache...
 07.08.1948 pride and prejudice

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "Pride and Prejudice". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. The cl...
 02.17.1949 random harvest

+ "Random Harvest". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. A well-written love story involving an amnesiac. ...
 04.05.1951 rest and be thankful

+ KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri aircheck. "Rest and Be Thankful". Sponsored by: Hallmark.

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Featuring the second series sponsored by Hallmark Greeting Cards. This series was broadcast by CBS from 1948 to 1954. For the first series sponsored by Hallmark, see Radio Reader's Digest which is in this catalog.

HALLMARK PLAYHOUSE (THE HALLMARK HALL OF F

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HALLMARK PLAYHOUSE
1949 marked the year that Hallmark redesigned their logo to the more commonly recognized logo above, including Hallmark's 'hallmark'--its now-ubiquitous, five-pointed crown.
Hallmark briefly drew the ire of AFRA with its Meet the Navy productions of 1942 and 1943.
Hallmark Cards of the era prominently featured the works of both Grandma Moses and Norman Rockwell.
When Grandma Moses turned 88 on September 7, 1948, Norman Rockwell helped mark the occasion by helping deliver a gigantic birthday cake to Grandma Moses' home.
Grandma Moses blows at the candles on the huge birthday cake decorated with elements of her signature paintings.
Note the illustration above, used in Hallmark's print media advertising for the Fall season of 1949. It's from the Life spread on Grandma Moses' 88th birthday. (Click for full-size, two-page spread)
Compare the two-page ad above with the Norman Rockwell-themed Life spread for Christmas 1949 (Click above for full-size ad)
Billboard announcement of the renewal of Hallmark Playhouse for the Fall of 1948
In 1951, Hallmark began producing its Hallmark Hall of Fame over both Radio (CBS--1953) and Television (NBC--1951) (Click for full-size ad)
Radio listing from Albuquerque Journal of December 25, 1947
Billboard's review of the June 17, 1948 production of Hallmark Playhouse
Billboard's review of the Sep 6, 1951 production of Hallmark Playhouse
Caption: Chairmaster Lyn Murray had a definite yearning to be a doctor, and play around with test tubes (1938)
Lyn Murray, ca. 1948
Lyn Murray, ca. 1978
Lionel Barrymore circa 1921
HALLMARK PLAYHOUSE
6_Great_Mohawk_Features_that_Mean_Quicker_Sales
Actress Irene Dunne
RICHARD TODD (1919 – 2009) star in A Man called Peter
National Velvet
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