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+ Beginning in 1942, NBC had reinaugurated its concept of the NBC University of The Air and its companion NBC Inter-American University of The Air. Throughout the mid-1940s NBC produced some twenty-five productions specifically designed to both educate and entertain. Indeed, many of those programs were incorporated into the curricula of high schools, colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. With the final episode of NBC University of The Air's production of The World's Great Novels in 1948, NBC reevaluated the NBC University of The Air concept and success over the past decade, determined to both continue the educational priorities of its NBC University concept, while at the same time developing further educational programming as equally entertaining as it was instructive. Indeed, NBC University Theater, after airing two 'semesters' and a 'Summer Schedule' of NBC University Theater, changed the title of NBC University Theater to simply, NBC Theater. As reported in Time Magazine, NBC executives felt that the presence of the word 'University' in the title of the program left the wrong impression with its listeners. Irrespective of the title change, NBC University Theater continued to maintain the same high standards and continued to expand the number of colleges offering college credit for listening to and studying the program's offerings from the initial three institutions to six educational institutions by the series' end. For the formal curricula offerings, NBC University Theater and NBC Theater referred to their regular season offerings as both 'seasons' and 'semesters', interchangeably. For the Summer seasons NBC University Theater referred to them as their 'Summer Schedules.' The University of Louisville, in Louisville, Kentucky was the first to collaborate with NBC Unversity in offering a formal 'College by Radio' course in 'American and British Fiction.' Other colleges and universities followed during the subsequent two years, as indicated in the sidebar at left. So successful were these programs that by the last season, some of the six participating institutions were offering a complete set of The Encyclopedia Britannica to students enrolled at each participating institution who submitted the most interesting paper during their coursework Click here to read more about NBC University Theater

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Please enjoy these 119 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
05.15.1949	nbc university theater (040) heart of darkness	+ "Heart Of Darkness". A well-written adventure in darkest Africa, and the sordid death of "Kurtz,...
05.08.1949	nbc university theater (039) the red badge of courage	+ "The Red Badge Of Courage". Graphic descriptions of the carnage found on Civil War battlefields, ...
05.01.1949	nbc university theater (038) the mayor of casterbridge	+NBC net, KUOW-FM, Seattle rebroadcast. "The Mayor Of Castorbridge". A well-crafted tale of a man's...
04.24.1949	nbc university theater (037) the way of all flesh	+ "The Way Of All Flesh". A satirical portrait of human nature, told through the eye-opening experi...
04.17.1949	nbc university theater (036) the adventures of huckleberry finn	+ "The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn". Mark Twain's classic of Huck and his pals Nigger Jim and To...
04.10.1949	nbc university theater (035) moby dick	+NBC net, WMAQ Chicago aircheck. "Moby Dick". The legend of the chase after the white whale.Moby Di...
04.03.1949	nbc university theater (034) jane eyre	+ "Jane Eyre". The classic of love between a wealthy nobleman and a plain woman, complicated by a s...
03.27.1949	nbc university theater (033) the history of henry esmond	+ "The History Of Henry Esmond, Esq.". The historical romance set in the time of King James.NBC Uni...
03.20.1949	nbc university theater (032) the marble faun	+ "The Marble Faun". An old fashioned romance. A "primitive spirit" enters the world of modern love...
03.13.1949	nbc university theater (031) the pickwick papers	+ "The Pickwick Papers". The famous trial of Mr. Pickwick, accused of breach of promise by Mrs. Bar...
03.06.1949	nbc university theater (030) tales of edgar allen poe	+ "Tales Of Edgar Allan Poe". Three short stories written by Edgar Allan Poe. "Nose-ology" ("A Comi...
02.27.1949	nbc university theater (029) heart of mid lothian	+ "The Heart Of Midlothian". A Scottish woman is sentenced to be hanged for the murder of her ille...
02.20.1949	nbc university theater (028) pride and prejudice	+NBC net, WMAQ, Chicago aircheck. "Pride and Prejudice". A romance of British class consciousness.
02.13.1949	nbc university theater (027) tom jones	+ "Tom Jones". The famous satire of lust, love and intrigue in olde England. The system cue has be...
02.06.1949	nbc university theater (026) gulliver's travels	+ "Gulliver's Travels". The travels of Gulliver through the land of Lilliput and other strange pla...
01.23.1949	nbc university theater (025) ministry of fear	+ "The Ministry Of Fear". Murder, mystery, and espionage during wartime London. A man tries to find...
01.16.1949	nbc university theater (024) all the king's men	+ "All The King's Men". Sustaining.All The Kings Men is a dramatic story of political intrigue set i...
01.09.1949	nbc university theater (023) the grapes of wrath	+ "The Grapes Of Wrath". The classic drama of the Depression, the Okies and their search for the pr...
01.02.1949	nbc university theater (022) main street	+ "Main Street". An intelligent, creative woman marries a boring physician in Gopher Prairie, Minn...
12.26.1948	nbc university theater (021) alice in wonderland	+ "Alice In Wonderland". Sustaining. NBC University Theater brings you a seasonal play in the holid...
12.12.1948	nbc university theater (020) after many a summer dies the swan	+ "After Many A Summer Dies The Swan". The famous portrait of a quest for eternal life in the uniqu...
12.05.1948	nbc university theater (019) three soldiers	+ "Three Soldiers". A well-done dramatization of the first world war and its dehumanizing cruelties...
11.28.1948	nbc university theater (018) a passage to india	+ "A Passage To India". The definitive novel of colonial India and the abuses of the British Raj. ...
11.21.1948	nbc university theater (017) short, happy life of francis macomber	+NBC net, KUOW-FM, Seattle rebroadcast. "The Short, Happy Life Of Francis Macomber". An American co...
11.14.1948	nbc university theater (016) of human bondage	+ NBC net, KUOW-FM, Seattle rebroadcast. "Of Human Bondage". A failed art student/physician learns ...

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This series featured dramatized novels by famous authors for college classes. Many American colleges accepted the series as a study tool, and provided pupils with credits. It was broadcast by NBC from 1948 to 1951 as a sustained program.

NBC UNIVERSITY THEATER