Meet Corliss Archer
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Meet Corliss Archer, a show from radio's Golden Age, ran from January 7, 1943 to September 30, 1956. Although it was CBS's answer to NBC's popular A Date With Judy, it was also broadcast by NBC in 1948 as a summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show. From October 3, 1952 to June 26, 1953, it aired on ABC, finally returning to CBS. Despite the program's long run, less than 24 episodes are known to exist.
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[edit] Characters
Priscilla Lyon and later, Janet Waldo portrayed 15-year-old Corliss. Lugene Sanders also played Corliss briefly on radio and in the Meet Corliss Archer television show. Perpetually perky, breathless and well-intentioned, Corliss is nearly always at the side of her next-door neighbor and boyfriend, Dexter Franklin.
Dexter (Sam Edwards), Corliss' clumsy, nerdy boyfriend, is a sweet but constant bungler with a nasal voice. He is best remembered for his trademark phrase, "Holy cow!" and his braying call, "Heyyyy, Corrrrrliiiiiss!"--frequently delivered from the hedge separating their houses.
Harry Archer, Corliss' father, is a lawyer who tolerates Dexter only when he feels as if he might use the boy to prove the superiority of the male gender. He is gruff but gentle, and was played by both Fred Shields and Frank Martin. Janet Archer, Corliss' mother, was played by Irene Tedrow and Gloria Holden. She is calm and understanding with her daughter and her husband, both of whom sometimes try her patience.
Other frequent characters include Mildred Ames, a good friend of Corliss (played by Bebe Young and Barbara Whiting); Mildred's irritating younger brother, Raymond (Tommy Bernard, Kenny Godkin); and Corliss' rival, Betty Cameron (Delores Crane).
[edit] Scripts and stories
Meet Corliss Archer was written by F. Hugh Herbert, who first introduced the character and her friends in a magazine story, "A Private Affair," the first of a series of stories. '"Kiss and Tell" became a stage play and a 1945 movie starring Shirley Temple. The 1949 sequel, A Kiss For Corliss, was re-released in 1954.
[edit] Television
Like many other radio shows, Meet Corliss Archer made the leap to television with live performances in 1951 and 1952, and from 1954 to 1955, as a syndicated television show starring Ann Baker and Lugene Sanders. It was produced by Ziv Productions. Several episodes of the ZIV version are available on DVD.
[edit] Comics
Meet Corliss Archer was also a short-lived three-issue comic book in 1948, published by Fox Feature Syndicate.
