Today we will travel back 76 years to the dramatic anthology series, Academy Award Theater. Rather than adaptations of Oscar-winning films as the name implies, it instead features actors, actresses, techniques, and skills for those who have won or been nominated for the Academy Award. With this broader definition, any drama could be adapted for the show, as long as at least one oscar nominated performer was in the cast. In total, 39 episodes were produced in 1946 featuring actors in their original roles such as Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, and Gregory Peck just to name a few; however, today will not be one of those episodes, although I am sure we will get to those in the future.
Today we will feature a personal favorite: an adaptation of Pride of the Marines, which was nominated for the 1945 academy award for best written screenplay. One particular comment I will make about this story is its use of certain language that is now considered profane and racist. It is no different than any current HBO series from that same time period of war, so I have chosen not to censor the original content, but I just wanted to make you aware. It is certainly not excessive either.
Starring John Garfield who was nominated for best supporting actor in 1938, and Rosemary DeCamp, we will hear the story of Marine Al Smith, from his fighting in the battle in the Japanese theater in WWII, to his road back home. This is a story of romance and war, and can even be a tearjerker at times. So please sit back, relax, and travel back 76 years, to June 15th, 1946 and Academy Award Theater with Pride of The Marines.
