From Monday-3-August-1964 thru Friday-30-July-1965, the ABC Radio Network had a weeknight radio drama called "Theater Five". It was produced and originated out of New York City, so you heard all of the "New York" regular radio (and TV drama, mostly now "soap") voices and names, such as those who were heard in the 1950s on some CBS and NBC Radio dramas (and ABC Radio and Mutual as well), especially NBC Radio's "X-Minus-One", CBS Radio's "CBS Radio Workshop" (on those weeks that it was produced and originated out of NY, as it alternated each week between CBS NY and CBS Hollywood), and in the 1960-62 timeframe when CBS Radio's "SUSPENSE" and "Johnny Dollar" radio dramas moved production out of Hollywood and over to New York.

Also only two years earlier, in Sept.1962 (the last broadacasts being Sunday 30-Sept-1962), was when CBS Radio's SUSPENSE radio drama left the air after 20+ years, and JOHNNY DOLLAR was cancelled as well after some 14+ seasons on the network.

Mutual would come out with "Zero Hour" in the early 1970s (for several months), and NBC Radio would rerun some late 1950s "X-Minus-One" as well, but it wasn't until Jan.1974 when CBS Radio would start "CBS Radio Mystery Theater", out of New York, with a lot of the same voices heard on earlier NY radio dramas including ABC Radio's 1964/65 "Theater Five".

I *THINK* that Mutual's "Zero Hour" circa 1973 was produced in Hollywood, but I'd have to check some other files and records.

ANYHOW...

DOES ANYONE KNOW... if ABC Radio's "Theater Five" radio drama of 1964/65, which was recorded in advance (i.e., not performed live), was a NETWORK FEED down the lines (this was prior to 1-Jan-1968, so there wouldn't have been any "conflicts" with the four news/info program packages), or if ABC Radio instead "syndicated" 12" vinyl/wax discs (or tape reels) to its affiliates (and other alternate stations) which optioned to carry the program???

AND, if it was indeed a network feed, when did it feed down the ABC Radio Network lines leased from AT&T?

I'd read that the program (feed? syndicated?) ran a total of 25 (actually 24) minutes, with commercials and other inserted stuff (PSAs, promos, etc). This would leave 5-more minutes in that half-hour for an ABC Radio "News at :55" newscast (if Theater Five ran from :30 to :54), or some five-minute ABC Radio sports or feature broadcast from :25 to :29/:30, if "Theater Five" was fed down the network from :00 to :24.

I have heard a few of these "Theater Five" programs from various "Old Time Radio" sources, and every time I've heard them, there were NO commercials included. The programs did have theme songs and all announcements (including perennial ABC announcer Fred Foy, who announced for "The Lone Ranger" in the 1950s when ABC Radio had the masked man)... but what I have heard only ran about 19 minutes, meaning that there would have been approximately five minutes of commercials. In the late 1950s/60s, the "max" of commercials/PSAs/Promos that could be inserted into a 24-min FEED of CBS Radio's Sunday afternoon radio dramas (Suspense, Johnny Dollar, Gunsmoke, etc. although even then sometimes the program ran 29-mins) could be up to five minutes, meaning that actual program and theme and credits would be only about 19 min's if you didn't include commercials.

Also, every time I've heard "Theater Five", it never sounds like it was something taped "off the network line". It was produced in NY City, and if it indeed was a network feed, any copies taped off the network line (or a local station) well outside of NYCity would have a certain amount (to very intense) "Network Sound" of those humming 5-kc bandwidth AT&T audio lines for network radio (and TV audio)...

I have heard CBS Radio Mystery Theater ep's taped off a station (or network line point) well outside of NYCity, and the SOUND like a "network". Similarly, any Suspense/Johnny Dollar/etc. CBS radio ep's taped well outside of Hollywood (when still originated out of Hollywood) or taped well outside of NYCity (1960-62 time frame) most certainly have "that network sound".

But I have never heard a tape of Theater Five which was filled with "Network sound". Nor have I heard any episodes with original commercials. I did hear one which after the "teaser" and theme song had Fred Foy say "Our drama will begin after this message", but the tape then went right into the first real "act".

Could Theater-Five possibly have been something intended only for LOCAL sale?

I've read that there were 260 episodes produced during its 12-month run on ABC Radio from Aug.1964 to July-1965, weeknights ONLY. This does match-up with the calendar for Aug.1964 thru July-1965, weeknights only, with no pre-emptions.

THANKS for ANY added information regarding ABC Radio's "Theater Five" radio drama of 1964/65!

Mark J. Cuccia
mcuccia@tulane.edu
New Orleans LA

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