Silver Theater, The

Silver Theater (sometimes written as Silver Theatre) was a radio dramatic anthology series in the United States. Originating in Hollywood, California, it was carried on CBS and on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. First broadcast on October 3, 1937, its last broadcast was August 17, 1947.

Originally, Silver Theater featured movie stars, primarily in original dramas and less often in adaptations of movies. Comedies were presented occasionally. In a reversal of the customary trend, some original dramas from Silver Theater were purchased for use in movies. In 1947, when the program was broadcast as a summer replacement series, radio stars—rather than those from movies—were used as leads.

The Stars

By its nature, Silver Theater had no regular cast. Different movie stars of the era were featured, as indicated in the sampling of episodes and stars listed below.

One continuing presence was that of the host, who was referred to as the “director” on the air. Conrad Nagel was the initial host, and John Loder replaced him in the early 1940s.

Many also performed in the Silver Theater, including Judy Garland, Carole Lombard, Ginger Rogers, Rosalind Russell, and Loretta Young.

Announcers over the program’s lifetime were John Conte, Dick Joy, Henry Charles, Roger Krupp, Jack Bailey, and Harry Bartell. Felix Mills directed the orchestra.

Key Dates

• Silver Theater first broadcast on October 3, 1937.
• Its last broadcast was on August 17, 1947. 

Other Information

The sponsor, International Silver Company, launched the program by inviting couples married 25 years or more to the CBS studio for the initial broadcast on October 3, 1937.

International Silver apparently chose well in selecting Silver Theater as a vehicle for advertising. The company’s satisfaction with increased sales was such that CBS ran a four-page advertisement in the March 1, 1940, issue of Broadcasting magazine touting the advertising’s effectiveness.

The ad quoted comments from International Silver: “After thirteen weeks on CBS: ‘We find we can paint a more alluring picture … by radio than with the printed page.’ …

After three years on CBS: ‘ substantial increase in sales for every year we have been on the air.’” As the ad continued, it noted that Silver Theater had become more popular over those three years and that “as the popularity of the program has increased, sales of 1847 Rogers Bros. have increased.”

Concurrently, the International Silver Company advertised their 1847 Rogers Bros. silverware with advertisements in LIFE magazine including product endorsements by Hollywood actresses.

Another brand of the company, International Sterling, also promoted the Silver Theater in LIFE magazine advertisements.

International Silver of Canada, a counterpart of Silver Theater's sponsor, had its own version of the program (Summer Silver Theatre) on the CBC in 1941. The program “bore little resemblance to its American counterpart” and lasted for only 10 episodes.