THE WONDER SHOW

 1938-1939

“The Wonder Show” radio program was so named because it was sponsored by Wonder Bread, which at the time was made by Continental Baking Company, who also made Hostess Cakes. 

Wonder Bread is a brand of bread which originated in the United States in 1921 and was one of the first to be sold pre-sliced nationwide in 1930. This led to the popular phrase “the greatest thing since sliced bread”. The brand is currently owned by Flowers Foods in the United States. 

Before becoming “The Wonder Show” it was previously known as “Log Cabin Jamboree”, sponsored by Log Cabin Syrup. Like “The Wonder Show” “Log Cabin Jamboree” was helmed by Jack Haley, but without his ‘wonder woman’ Lucille Ball and ‘Wonderful’ announcer Gale Gordon.  

It began broadcasting on Friday, October 14, 1938, at 7:30pm and aired its final broadcast on April 7, 1939. 

It was hosted by Jack Haley, best remembered as the Tin Man in the The Wizard of Oz. Two weeks after “The Wonder Show” went on the air, Fox told Haley they were loaning him out to MGM, who needed a last-minute replacement for Buddy Ebsen in The Wizard of Oz. Ebsen, originally cast as the Tin Man, had been hospitalized with an allergic reaction to the aluminum-based make-up, and Metro was forced to replace him. For the next several months, Haley found himself filming an epic MGM fantasy musical by day, and working with his radio writers by night. He finished his scenes in the film in mid-January 1939 and celebrated by incorporating a Wizard of Oz sketch into the January 20th episode (#15) of “The Wonder Show.” 

“That was quite a winter. By the time we did the show Friday night, I was physically exhausted. Emotionally, however, I was very satisfied. I loved doing that radio show.”

Regular cast included singer Virginia Verrill (above with Haley and Lucy), Lucille Ball, comedian Artie Auerbach, and Ted Fio Rita and His Orchestra. Gale Gordon was the announcer. While many believed that Gordon and Ball’s association only went back as far as 1948, “The Wonder Show” deepens that relationship by a decade.   

Lucy spent much of 1937-38 radio season as a regular on Phil Baker’s “Gulf Headliner” series on CBS.

Lucy reportedly enjoyed doing “The Wonder Show”. She credited it, along with her other early radio appearances, for helping her with her acting career. 

”[Radio] gave me a name in the trade as a good feminine foil. I could flip a comedy line, which a lot of actresses couldn’t do. In radio I couldn’t depend upon props or costumes or makeup; I had to rely on timing and tone of voice for comic effects, and this was invaluable training.“ 

At the time Gordon was 32 years old, recently married and had just starting to grow his trademark mustache. He was in such demand that he often did two or more radio shows in a day. 

"Luckily, the studios were nestled along Sunset Boulevard or in a nearby theater, so we could shuttle rather quickly back and forth from one broadcast to another.”

During the first episode of “The Wonder Show”, Haley spoke briefly about his current movie release, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, starring Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, and Ethel Merman. He also mentioned Lucy’s RKO films Room Service, The Affairs of Annabel, and Having Wonderful Time. 

Other weekly guests included Dizzy Dean, Joan Bennett, Reginald Gardiner, and Oliver Hardy.   

EPISODES 

• Episode #1 – October 14, 1938 – “Pepe Sacola Haley, Jewel Thief” [Premiere; introduces a series of weekly Haley Family Album sketches] 
• Episode #2 – October 21, 1938 – “Pony Bill Haley” [A forum entitled “Should a woman have a career?” Lucille Ball explored this theme on “I Love Lucy” in “Job Switching.”]
• Episode #3 – October 28, 1938 – “Little Lord Fauntleroy Haley" [pre-empted in some areas for an address by President Roosevelt]
• Episode #4 – November 4, 1938 – “Gaucho Haley”
• Episode #5 – November 11, 1938 – “Julius Caesar Haley”
• Episode #6 – November 18, 1938 – “Elephant Boy Haley”
• Episode #7 – November 25, 1938 – “Sergeant O’Haley of the Northwest Mounted Police”
• Episode #8 – December 2, 1938 – “The Hatfields and The McHaleys”
• Episode #9 – December 9, 1938 – “Super Detective ‘Wonder’ Haley – The Secrets of the French Police or Where Did They Get Those Post Cards?”
• Episode #10 – December 16, 1938 – “Colonel Jack Haley and Sea Cookie”
• Episode #11 – December 23, 1938 – “Super Sleuth ‘Wonder’ Haley – Murder in the Sweater Department or Much Ado About Knitting” [The subtitle “Much Ado About Knitting” was later used on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Writes A Play”] 
• Episode #12 – December 30, 1938 – “Francois Villon Haley, The Pugnacious Poet of Paris”
• Episode #13 – January 6, 1939 – “Captain Haley of the Marines”
• Episode #14 – January 13, 1939 – “Haunted House” [Friday the 13th]
• Episode #15 – January 20, 1939 – “Jack Haley the Clown: The Murder of the Bearded Lady”
• Episode #16 – January 27, 1939 – “Jesse James Haley”
• Episode #17 – February 3, 1939 – “The Czar of Russia” 
• Episode #18 – February 10, 1939 – “Gone With the American Revolution” [Lind Hayes, impersonator, imitates the voices of Lionel Barrymore, Gary Cooper, Fred Allen and others.]
• Episode #19 – February 17, 1939 [Lucille Ball introduces a new character; Jack Haley’s tough, sassy little niece, a sort of “Dead End Girl”.]  
• Episode #20 – February 24, 1939 – “The Amazing Dr Jitterbug or A Scar Is Born” [A hunting lodge-themed episode]
• Episode #21 – March 3, 1939 –  “The Amazing Dr Jitterbug or A Scar Is Born” [Chicago Cubs baseball player Dizzy Dean guest stars]
• Episode #22 – March 10, 1939 – [Actress Joan Bennett guest stars]
• Episode #23 – March 17, 1939 – [Comedian Hugh Herbert guest stars]
• Episode #24 – March 24, 1939 – “Paul Revere Haley” [Actor Reginald Gardiner guest stars; Lucille Ball later played Mrs. Paul Revere on “The Jack Benny Program” in 1964.]
• Episode #25 – March 31, 1939 –“On the Trail of the Lonesome Crime” [Oliver Hardy guest stars. On a 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show” Gale Gordon – as Mr. Mooney – was hypnotized into being Oliver Hardy to Lucy’s Stan Laurel.]
• Episode #26 – April 7, 1939 – “Local Boy Makes Good” [series finale]

On March 29, 1938, Ed Sullivan’s newspaper column announced that Artie Auerbach would be marrying young actress Cleo Manning (later Cleo Morgan then Smith). Manning made her screen debut being kissed by Clark Gable in the 1941 film Honky Tonk. Cleo Manning’s cousin, Lucille Ball, interceded in the marriage, because Manning was not of age. They were at the license bureau when Ball persuaded them to wait. Auerbach and Manning were married at a later date. Cleo was producer of “Here’s Lucy” and “Lucy in London”. 

Also in 1938, Lucy’s friend and fellow film actress Ann Sothern was also promoting Wonder Bread. Sothern was appearing in a Wonder Bread-sponsored radio show titled “Pretty Kitty Kelly” on CBS. 

After “The Wonder Show” finished on April 7, 1939, Lucy was still cranking out films doing more than 25 screen appearances before being cast as Liz Cooper in radio’s “My Favorite Husband” (also starring Gale Gordon), the series that led to “I Love Lucy” and her place in television history. Although she initially wanted to take Gordon with her to television as a regular, his schedule and salary demands made it impossible so William Frawley was cast instead. Although he made several guest appearances on Ball’s shows, it wasn’t until 1963 that the two became a team again.  

[The author is indebted to The Digital Deli Too for their “Wonder Show” web page as well as Thomas J. Watson’s Lucy Fan webpage about “The Wonder Show.”]