Our Miss Brooks podcast

Our Miss Brooks

Old time radio comedy
from archive.org

Our Miss Brooks was a hit on radio from the outset; within eight months of its launch as a regular series, the show landed several honors, including four for Eve Arden, who won polls in four individual publications of the time. Arden had actually been the third choice to play the title role. Harry Ackerman, at the time CBS's West Coast director of programming, wanted Shirley Booth for the part, but as he told historian Gerald Nachman many years later, he realized Booth was too focused on the underpaid downside of public school teaching at the time to have fun with the role.

Lucille Ball was believed to be the next choice, but she was already committed to My Favorite Husband and didn't audition. Then CBS chairman Bill Paley, who was friendly with Arden, persuaded her to audition for the part. With a slightly rewritten audition script---Osgood Conklin, for example, was originally written as a school board president but was now written as the incoming new Madison principal---Arden agreed to give the newly-revamped show a try.

Produced by Larry Berns and written by director Al Lewis, Our Miss Brooks premiered on CBS July 19, 1948. According to radio critic John Crosby, her lines were very "feline" in dialogue scenes with principal Conklin and would-be boyfriend Boynton, with sharp, witty comebacks. The interplay between the cast---blustery Conklin, nebbishy Denton, accommodating Harriet, absentminded Mrs. Davis, clueless Boynton, scheming Miss Enright---also received positive reviews.

Arden won a radio listeners' poll by Radio Mirror magazine as the top ranking comedienne of 1948-1949, receiving her award at the end of an Our Miss Brooks broadcast that March. "I'm certainly going to try in the coming months to merit the honor you've bestowed upon me, because I understand that if I win this (award) two years in a row, I get to keep Mr. Boynton," she joked. But she was also a hit with the critics; a winter 1949 poll of newspaper and magazine radio editors taken by Motion Picture Daily named her the year's best radio comedienne.

For its entire radio life, the show was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive-Peet, promoting Palmolive soap, Lustre Creme shampoo and Toni hair care products. The radio series continued until 1957, a year after its television life ended.

Lack of Coal at Madison High (5.9Mb)
Halloween (5.3Mb)
An_American Tragedy (3Mb)
Audition Shirley Booth (27.9Mb)
Mothers Day (3.8Mb)
Audition Eve Arden (13.8Mb)
First Day (27.4Mb)
Weekend At Crystal Lake (5.4Mb)
Surprise Party (6.7Mb)
Clay City Football Game (6.6Mb)
Connie The Work Horse (6.9Mb)
Babysitting for Three (27Mb)
Model School Teacher (6.9Mb)
Sunnydale Finishing School (6.5Mb)
Weighing Machine (26.9Mb)
Magic Christmas Tree (8.1Mb)
Old Clothes For Party (7Mb)
Broken Furnace (5.9Mb)
Student Government Day (6Mb)
Head Of English Department (7.1Mb)
Custodian Of Student Funds (6.7Mb)
Missing Electric Heater (7.7Mb)
Stretch The Basketball Star (6.9Mb)
The Frog (6.6Mb)
Stretch Has A Problem (8.5Mb)
The Hair Do (6.6Mb)
Cafeteria Boycott (6.9Mb)
Poetry Mix-Up (8.3Mb)
Clay City English Teacher (6.7Mb)
April Fool's Day (6.6Mb)
Mr Conklin's Wake Up Plan (27Mb)
Easter Outfit (8.4Mb)
Dress Code (27Mb)
Walter Vs Stretch Grudge Match (8.3Mb)
Mister Boynton's Parents (6.8Mb)
Friday the 13th (27Mb)
Peanuts The Great Dane (6.5Mb)
Arguments, Arguments (6.5Mb)
Keys To The School (6.9Mb)
Wishing Well Dance (8.3Mb)
Taxidermist (27Mb)
July 4th Trip to Eagle Springs (27Mb)
Telegram For Mrs Davis (8.5Mb)
Carelessness Code (7Mb)
Mrs Davis Cookies (6.9Mb)
Connie's New Job Offer (27Mb)
Heat Wave (8.5Mb)
The English Test (7.7Mb)
Weekend At Crystal Lake (5.7Mb)
Head Of The Board (8.4Mb)
Faculty Cheer Leader (6.9Mb)
Taking The Rap For Mr Boynton (6.7Mb)
Rival Football (6.6Mb)
Mr Leblanche Needs 50 Dollars (27Mb)
School Safety Advisor (6.8Mb)
Exchanging Gifts (6.7Mb)
Halloween Party (6.1Mb)
Elephant Mascot (6.7Mb)
The Party Line (6.7Mb)
Thanksgiving Weekend (6.7Mb)
Weighing Machine (8.5Mb)
Game At Clay City (6.9Mb)
Department Store Contest (8.3Mb)
Magic Christmas Tree (8.7Mb)
Babysitting on New Year's Eve (27.1Mb)
Board Of Education Day (8.5Mb)
Cure That Habit (6.9Mb)
Professorship at State U (27Mb)
School On Saturday (6.7Mb)
Miss Enright's Dinner (27Mb)
Valentine's Day Date (6.6Mb)
Stretch Is In Love (6.5Mb)
Letter From The Education Board (6.5Mb)
The Burglar (6.7Mb)
The Auction (8.5Mb)
Baseball Uniforms (8.8Mb)
Free TV from Sherry's (27Mb)
Easter Egg Dye (6.8Mb)
Tape Recorder (27Mb)
School Band (8.7Mb)
Boynton's Barbecue (8.7Mb)
Boynton's Parents (8.6Mb)
Rare Black Orchid (27Mb)
Reckless Driving (27.9Mb)
Rumors (7Mb)
Elopement With Walter (6.7Mb)
Bronco Dismissed (8.5Mb)
Measles (6.8Mb)
Radio Bombay (6.8Mb)
The Bookie (6.7Mb)
Stretch Is in Love Again (6.6Mb)
The Dancer (6.9Mb)
Indian Burial Ground (27Mb)
Teachers Convention (27Mb)
Thanksgiving Turkey (7Mb)
Woman Driver (6.6Mb)
Music Festival (7.1Mb)
A Suit For Charity (6.8Mb)
Magic Christmas Tree (27Mb)
Christmas Gift Returns (27Mb)
Puppy Love and Mr Barlow (27.1Mb)
Business Course (27Mb)
Going Skiing (6.7Mb)
Overseas Job (27Mb)
Tex Barton Basketball Star (8.5Mb)
Miss Enright's Birthday Party (25.7Mb)
Boynton's Land Deal (5.4Mb)
Another Day Another Dress (27Mb)
Mr Conklin's Induction Notice incomplete (3.8Mb)
New School TV Set (27.1Mb)
Bargain Hats for Mother's Day (8.8Mb)
The English Test (24.7Mb)
The First Aid Course JC (28.2Mb)
Connie Tries To Forget Mr Boynton (5.7Mb)
Connie Wins a Man's Suit JC (22.6Mb)
New School Bus JC (23.6Mb)
Minerva's Kittens JC (24Mb)
Cosmopolitan Magazine (13.6Mb)
Poison Ivy (24.7Mb)
Plaque for Mr Conklin (23.8Mb)
Mr Boynton's Barbecue (25.8Mb)
Boynton the Gigolo (23.5Mb)
Mr Conklin's Car Pool (23.6Mb)
Convict (25Mb)
The Moving Van (23.5Mb)
The Butcher (23.4Mb)
Former Student Visits (23.5Mb)
Conklin the Bachelor (9.2Mb)
Christmas Gift Mix-up (23.4Mb)
Miss Brooks Writes about a Hobo (23.7Mb)
Hobbies (21.9Mb)
Selling the House Next Door (23.4Mb)
Foreign Teachers (23.5Mb)
Four Fiances (22.7Mb)
Foreign Teachers (5.9Mb)
Cow in the Closet - AFRS (3.2Mb)
Mr Lathrop Returns to School (24.1Mb)
Conklin Threatens to Abolish Football (23.8Mb)
Bartering with Chief Thundercloud (22.7Mb)
Photo Feud (17.9Mb)
Stretch is in Love Again (22.6Mb)
The Switchboard Operator (23.2Mb)
Movies at School (22.2Mb)
Take Him or Leave Him (6.7Mb)
Miss Brooks Takes over Spring Garden (4Mb)
Cat Burglars (6.7Mb)
Male Superiority (11.2Mb)
Pen Pal Project (23.5Mb)
Mr Travis' 3 Acre Lot (23.4Mb)
Project X (5.2Mb)
The School Board's Psycholoogist (21.7Mb)
Mr Boynton's Moustache (22.5Mb)
An American Tragedy (23.2Mb)
Tears For Mister Boynton (6.7Mb)
Magazine Articles (27Mb)
Cow in the Closet (26.7Mb)
Miss Brooks Takes Over Spring Garden (4Mb)
Orphan Twins (27.2Mb)
Stretch is Accused of Professionalism (23.2Mb)
Spring Garden (21.9Mb)
Taxi Fare (27.1Mb)
Marriage By Proxy (23.9Mb)
Deacon Jones (26.9Mb)
Bye Bye Boynton (5.7Mb)
Planning a Trip to Europe (27Mb)
Non Fraternization Policy (27Mb)
Marriage Madness (10.1Mb)
Cat Burglars (6.7Mb)
Sneaky Peekers (5Mb)
Teacher's Convention (27Mb)
Couch Potato (5.7Mb)
Summer Vacation (9.9Mb)
Helping Hands (8.3Mb)
House Trailer (5.8Mb)
Friendship (17.8Mb)
French Sadie Hawkins Day (18.7Mb)
Outpost Road incomplete (16.4Mb)
Saving the School Newspaper (18.1Mb)
Christmas Clothing Drive (17.4Mb)
The Magic Christmas Tree (7.1Mb)
Mr Conklin Loses His Hearing (5.2Mb)
School on Saturday (22.6Mb)
The Auction (22.7Mb)
Mr Conklin's Statue (22.6Mb)
Mash Notes to Harriet (16.9Mb)
New Girl in Town (18.1Mb)
The Dinner Party (17.8Mb)
Head of the English Dept (26.7Mb)
Stretch Has a Problem (25.7Mb)

MP3 files hosted by archive.org.

Fourble

Our Miss Brooks