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The Aldrich Family

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The Aldrich Family was a popular radio teenage situation comedy from 1939 through 1953.

In 1941 the program carried a 33.4 Crossley which placed it solidly in the top ten alongside Jack Benny and Bob Hope. First heard as a summer replacement for Jack Benny, it began on Sunday, July 2, 1939 on NBC, where it ran until October 1, 1939.

The program was then given its own time slot, Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m., where it was sponsored by Jell-O. It ran in this slot from October 10, 1939 until May 28, 1940. It then moved to Thursdays, from July 4, 1940 until July 20, 1944.

In 1944, after a brief hiatus, it moved to CBS, where it ran on Fridays from September 1, 1944 until August 30, 1946 with sponsors Grape Nuts and Jell-O.

The final move was back to NBC for two runs: from September 05, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and then its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays.

Ezra Stone originated the role on stage and was even heard playing the role in several appearances on both Rudy Vallee and Kate Smith's programs. Ezra originated the role on radio until he left for service in the Army and then the role fell to Norman Tokar (1942-1943), Dickie Jones (1943-1944), and Raymond Ives (from mid 1945 until November 1945).

Ezra Stone then resumed his roles until 1952 when Bobby Ellis took over the role as the final Henry. Supporting players heard were Agnes Moorehead, Mary Shipp, House Jameson, Katharine Raht, Jackie Kelk, and Jack Grimes. Among the announcers heard was Harry Von Zell and Dwight Weist.