"And the Oscar goes to..."

Academy Award , one of the more prestigious Hollywood radio programs, premiered on March 30, 1946. The series presented recreations of films that had been nominated for or won - you guessed it - the Academy Award. Humphrey Bogart, Ginger Rogers, Gregory Peck, and Lana Turner were just some of the stars who appeared at the microphone to recreate their screen roles in Jezebel , Stagecoach , Young Mr. Lincoln , and more. Ultimately, that Oscar-prestige helped to spell a premature end for the series, as the cost for licensing the mentions of the Academy Awards (combined with the big salaries for the Hollywood stars) proved prohibitive for a long run. The program came to an end after only 39 episodes, despite being a hit with audiences. We've heard a few big screen adaptations from Academy Award on the podcast: "The Maltese Falcon," featuring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet recreating their roles in Dashiell Hammett's detective drama; and a pair from Alfred Hitchcock - "Shadow of a Doubt" with Joseph Cotten in his screen role as "Uncle Charlie" and "Foreign Correspondent," with Cotten filling in for Joel McCrea as an American reporter who uncovers a deadly conspiracy in Europe.