Let's Pretend
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is on the US radio series, For the UK tv series see Let's Pretend (TV series).
Let's Pretend, created and directed by Nila Mack (1891-1953), was a long-run CBS radio series for children.
The forerunner of this program was The Adventures of Helen and Mary, scriipted by Yolanda Langworthy, which was broadcast on CBS Saturdays at noon and other late morning timeslots. The program began September 7, 1929, and after it had been airing for a year, Nila Mack took over as director. With Estelle Levy and Patricia Ryan in the title roles, the fairy tale series continued until March 17, 1934. Then the title changed to Let's Pretend, "radio's outstanding children's theater"
The Peabody Award-winning Let's Pretend began March 24, 1934, running for two decades before the final show on October 23, 1954. Adaptations included such classics and fairy tales as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Arabian Nights, Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin.
The show always began with a characteristic tune, sometimes with words, from its long time sponsor Cream of Wheat. George Bryan and Jackson Wheeler were the announcers.
Jean Hight became the program's director after Nila Mack's death in 1953.
