August 12, 1940 – Scarlett in Demand for Radio – Old Time Radio

August 12th in Radio History – Free MP3 Files

August 12, 1940
Pittsburgh Press

Scarlett in Demand for Radio

But There’s a Big Catch in Producer’s Plan

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By Si Steinhauser

That Scarlett O’Hara quest is here again.  And so is a hunt for a sponsor willing to part with enough dough to pay for a radio serialized form of “Gone With the Wind.”  First must come the sponsor, then radio’s “Scarlett.”

The man behind the scene is Ed Wolf, discoverer of Mary Small, creator of Hilltop House, the O’Neills and other radio successes.  His is the same Ed Wolf who as manager of the Vincent Lopez orchestra made it the first in the land and kept it there for many a year.

Ed has the inside on broadcast rights for the famous movie which smashed boxoffice records from coast-to-coast and promises to do the same trick when it returns in 1941 at popular prices.

All he needs is a sponsor.  Finding a suitable Scarlett for radio would be no trick.  We could name one right off, little Janice Gilbert, juvenile star of a half dozen network shows, and one of radio’s leading cry babies.  Her dad is Ed Wolf.  His brother is the famous song composer, Wolf Gilbert.  And there you have all of the names.

Ann Elstner, who became famous as “Cracker Gaddis” of Moonshine and Honeysuckle would be another candidate for the cast.

Now if Ed finds a sponsor for Margaret Mitchell’s novel he’ll get radio by the cars with his hunt for Scarlett.

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