Leslie Howard Radio Star

[Leslie Howard appearing
on CBS Radio, c. 1930's]

Leslie Howard was not only a theater and film star but a star of radio as well. He appeared five times on NBC's the Rudy Vallee Hour (once with Merle Oberon in A Minuet), with Bing Crosby on Kraft Music Hall, The Magic Key of RCA in Galsworthy's Justice, Your Hit Parade, on the BBC in Hamlet, on CBS in their 1937 summer series, Columbia Presents Shakespeare, in their production of Much Ado About Nothing, CBS's The Silver Theatre in A Study in Triangles, and The Gulf Screen Guild Theater in Never In this World with Kay Francis and Virginia Weidler, and many productions on Lux Radio Theatre including Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlett Pimpernel. Olivia de Havilland, whose French accent was very convincing, appeared as Marguerite St. Just. The two had just completed work on Gone With The Wind in 1939. Cecil B. DeMille, who produced the radio program, introduces the show with high praise for Leslie Howard. Howard also appeared on Eddie Cantor's Texaco Town late in 1936 and into 1937. It took the two of them six months and three appearances together before Howard finally delivered the punch line in the skit, "The Three Rubbers." Howard also had his own radio show in 1935 - 1936, Leslie Howard's Matinee.

[Cecil B. DeMille, host of
Lux Radio Theatre (1936 - 1945)]

To listen to one of Leslie Howard's radio appearances, click on this link:

Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland in Lux Radio Theatre's The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1939

[A studio audience gathers prior to a live production at
Hollywood's Lux Radio Playhouse, located one block
south of Hollywood and Vine at 1615 North Vine Street]

[Lux Ratio Theatre with Leslie Howard and
Helen Chandler at the microphone performing
Berkeley Square, December 9, 1934]

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