| Genre | Religious drama |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | ABC |
| Starring | Warren Parker |
| Announcer | Norman Rose |
| Written by | Henry Denker |
| Directed by | Marx Loeb |
| Original release | January 26, 1947 – December 30, 1956 |
| Sponsored by | Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company |
The Greatest Story Ever Told is an American old-time radio religious drama. It was broadcast on ABC from January 26, 1947, until December 30, 1956.[1] Beginning July 25, 1948, the program was also broadcast via shortwave radio to 58 other countries by the World Wide Broadcasting Foundation.[2]
The Greatest Story Ever Told, the title of which was used for Fulton Oursler's 1949 book,[3] used dramatized sketches to depict events in the life of Jesus Christ.[4] As in the book, the words spoken by Jesus in the radio program came directly from the Bible.[1] The premiere episode was "Parable of the Good Samaritan".[5]
The program was sponsored by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company,[6] but it lacked commercials, having the sponsorship announced only at the end of each episode.[4] When the broadcast run ended, the affiliation between the program and Goodyear was described as "one of [the] longest institutional broadcast advertising campaigns".[7]
An interdenominational advisory board provided guidance for the show.[1]
- ^ a b c Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 296–297. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ "Aired on Shortwave" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 26, 1948. p. 75. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
- ^ Schudel, Matt (May 24, 2012). "Henry Denker, prolific playwright and novelist, dies at 99". The Washington Post. D.C., Washington. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ a b Reinehr, Robert C.; Swartz, Jon D. (2010). The A to Z of Old Time Radio. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 117. ISBN 9780810876163. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ "'Greatest Story Ever Told to Be New KWNO Feature". The Winona Republican-Herald. Minnesota, Winona. January 25, 1947. p. 7. Retrieved February 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cox, Jim (2013). Sold on Radio: Advertisers in the Golden Age of Broadcasting. McFarland. p. 258. ISBN 9780786451760. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ "closed circuit" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 19, 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search