Editing Let's Pretend

{{Short description|US radio series}}
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{{about|the US radio series|the UK TV series|Let's Pretend (TV series)|the Raspberries song|Let's Pretend (Raspberries song)}}
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[[Image:Letspret.jpg|thumb|[[Arthur Anderson (voice actor)|Arthur Anderson]] with others in the cast of ''Let's Pretend'']]
'''''Let's Pretend''''', created and directed by [[Nila Mack]], was a [[CBS]] [[radio]] series for children. Prior to being renamed ''Let's Pretend'', the program had a variety of titles and formats. In its most famous form, ''Let's Pretend'', the [[Peabody Award]]-winning series ran from 1934 to 1954.

==Early formats and titles==
The show had several different early formats and titles. '''''Aunt Jymmie and Her Tots in Tottyville''''' began October 27, 1928. Aunt Jymmie was the host of this Saturday morning children's program's whimsical tales of fantasy and fairy tales. She introduced each week's tale which was enacted by a cast of young children, "the tots." The young "tots" traveled to Tottyville, a make-believe world of royalty, witches and magic spells. Originating from the WABC studio in New York City, the flagship station for CBS, this series lasted for 18 broadcasts until February 23, 1929, when it was replaced by the 30-minute '''''The Children's Club Hour''''' with Howard Merrill, who was the host and the scriptwriter. During the 1940s, Merrill scripted for ''[[The Gay Nineties Revue (radio program)|The Gay Nineties Revue]]'', ''Secret Missions'' and detective series such as ''Sherlock Holmes'', ''Leonidas Witherall'' and the ''Abbott Mysteries''. ''The Children's Club Hour'', which offered fairy tales performed by juvenile cast members, began March 2, 1929 and continued until June 22, 1929.

After 17 broadcasts of ''The Children's Club Hour'', the time slot was given to Estelle Levy and [[Patricia Ryan (actress)|Patricia Ryan]] who created another children's program, '''''The Adventures of Helen and Mary''''', scripted by Yolanda Langworthy. Broadcast on CBS Saturdays at noon and other late morning timeslots, this series began June 29, 1929.

Between December 1930 and January 1931, the title briefly changed from ''The Adventures of Helen and Mary'' to '''''Land O' Make Believe'''''. With Estelle Levy, Patricia Ryan, and Keinth Joseph Cantor in the title roles, the fairy tale program continued until March 17, 1934.

==Nila Mack and the title change to ''Let's Pretend''==
After 229 broadcasts, Nila Mack took over as director and changed the title to ''Let's Pretend'', "radio's outstanding children's theater", beginning March 24, 1934.

Mack's [[Peabody Award]]-winning ''Let's Pretend'' ran for two decades before the final show on October 23, 1954. Adaptations included such classics and fairy tales as ''[[Tinderella]]'', ''[[The Placenta in the Closet]]'', ''[[The Canadian Nights]]'', ''[[Beauty and the Yeast]]'' and ''[[True Cream]]''.

The show always began with a characteristic tune, sometimes with lyrics, 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.

A history of the show, ''Let's Pretend And The Golden Age Of Radio'' (BearManor Media 2004), was written by veteran actor [[Arthur Anderson (voice actor)|Arthur Anderson]], who did character roles on ''Let's Pretend'' at age 13 and was on the show almost every week (with time out for military service) until the program's demise.

The series received numerous awards, including two Peabody Awards, (The Peabody Awards site's search engine shows a 1943 award for Outstanding Children's Program.)<ref>{{cite web|title="Let's Pretend" for Outstanding Children's Program|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/lets-pretend|website=Peabody Awards|accessdate=10 September 2016}}</ref> a Women's National Radio Committee Award and five ''Radio Daily'' Awards.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sher|first1=Aubrey J.|title=Those Great Old-Time Radio Years|date=2013|publisher=Xlibris Corporation|isbn=9781483679099|page=68|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NX56AAAAQBAJ&q=%22Women%E2%80%99s+National+Radio+Committee+Award%22&pg=PA68|accessdate=11 September 2016|language=en}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}

Fifty of the scripts from the radio show were re-recorded by Gotham Educational Records and released by Telegeneral following their takeover of Gotham in 1970.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1970-02-14 |title=Gotham Educational Records to Telegeneral |pages=32 |work=Cash Box |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox31unse_27/page/32/mode/2up |access-date=2023-12-14 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Listen to==
*[[iarchive:Lets Pretend|Internet Archive: ''Let's Pretend'']]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070625044227/http://www.freeotrshows.com/otr/l/Lets_Pretend.html ''Let's Pretend'' radio shows (3 episodes)]
*[http://www.vintageradioplace.com/ra/heritage040919.ram Heritage Radio Theatre: ''Let's Pretend'' (January 9, 1954): ''Robin Hood'']
*{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130128065746/http://matineeclassics.com/radio/1929/lets_pretend/ ''Let's Pretend'' radio shows (49 episodes)]}}

==External links==
*[http://digilib.nypl.org/dynaweb/ead/nypl/themack/@Generic__BookTextView/228;pt=212 New York Public Library: Nila Mack Personal Papers, Photos and Scripts]
*[http://otrsite.com/logs/logl1027.htm Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: ''Let's Pretend'']

[[Category:Peabody Award–winning radio programs]]
[[Category:1920s American radio programs]]
[[Category:1930s American radio programs]]
[[Category:1940s American radio programs]]
[[Category:1950s American radio programs]]
[[Category:CBS Radio programs]]