Strange As It Seems

Strange As It Seems was a radio program of strange and unusual tales about fantastic people and events, based on the daily syndicated newspaper cartoon panels of John Hix of the same name. The show began as a 15-minute radio program on March 22, 1935, and was broadcast over the Columbia Don Lee Coast radio network. It was sponsored by Ex-Lax and featured 2-3 segments of dramatized events in mini plays, with dramatic, fanfare music interspersed between the segments. The show was hosted by Gayne Whitman, produced and directed by Cyril Armbrister, and the music was composed and directed by Felix Mills.

The program had several runs over the years. It started with 3 shows per week, then changed to 2 shows per week in late 1935. In late 1936, the schedule changed again to Tuesday and Friday nights. In 1938, the show became a 15-minute once a week program, airing on Sunday afternoons.

It then had a run as a 30-minute network program on CBS from August 1939 to December 1940, sponsored by Palmolive Shave Cream and hosted by Alois Havrilla. The final run was in its original 15-minute format from November 1946 to April 1947, airing on Sunday nights.

The show featured bizarre and unusual stories, often based on the Strange As It Seems cartoon panels created by John Hix. Some examples include tales about a man who had to eat a book about democracy to avoid execution, a village in Austria that ate arsenic daily for good health, and the real truth behind Cinderella’s glass slipper.

The Stars

The main star of Strange As It Seems was the host, Gayne Whitman, who had previously been the announcer on the Strange As It Seems movie shorts from 1930-1934.

When the show had its 30-minute run on CBS in 1939-1940, it was hosted by Alois Havrilla, who had also been the announcer on the Stranger Than Fiction movie shorts.

Key Dates

• March 22, 1935: Strange As It Seems began as a 15-minute radio program on the Columbia Don Lee Coast radio network.
• Late September 1935: The show changed to 2 shows per week, dropping the Sunday show.
• Late September 1936: The schedule changed again to Tuesday and Friday nights.
• January 1938: The show became a 15-minute once a week program, airing on Sunday afternoons.
• August 17, 1939 - December 26, 1940: Strange As It Seems was a 30-minute network program on CBS, sponsored by Palmolive Shave Cream.
• November 10, 1946 - April 13, 1947: The show had one final run in its original 15-minute format, airing on Sunday nights.

Other Information

Strange As It Seems was based on the daily syndicated newspaper cartoon panels of the same name created by John Hix. The cartoons were distinguished by Hix’s standard that every published fact be verified by a minimum of three sources.

The radio program spawned a series of short films produced by Universal Pictures from 1930-1934, as well as a successor series called Stranger Than Fiction that ran from 1934-1942.

In addition to the radio program, Strange As It Seems also had a presence in other media, including books, comic books, and exhibits at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition and the 1939 New York World’s Fair.