Elliott Lewis (1918-1990) was known as Mr. Radio. He was probably the most prolific and talented radio performer of the so-called Golden Age of Radio. Lewis began his career in the 1930s as an actor on shows like the Christmas classic Cinnamon Bear. By 1940 Lewis was appearing in 22 shows a week, a record he broke during World War II as a Staff Sergeant with the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) when he was involved with 120 shows a week.
By the 1950s Lewis moved more toward writing and directing, notably he was the director of Suspense from 1951-1954. In 1953 Lewis told Time Magazine that the greatest advancement in television was bigger screens "so people could see how bad the shows were."
In 1954 Lewis began working in television as a director of the dramatic anthology Climax! he created the first film version of James Bond with his hour long adaption of Casino Royale starring Barry Nelson! By 1960 Lewis had moved to television as director of Lucille Ball Show, Petticoat Junction and many other shows.
Elliott Lewis remained true to his roots in radio as writer, director and actor on the Mutal Radio Theater in the 1980s. At the same time he was an executive consultant on Remington Steele. In the late 80s Lewis retired to Gleneden Beach, OR where he died of a heart attack in 1990.
Elliott Lewis is one of my favorite radio talents and I will present several episodes from his career over time. Tonight I want to start with his comedy work. My favorite role that Lewis played was on the Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show, a spin-off from the jack benny Show.
Lewis began with the show in 1946 in the character of Frank Remley, the guitar player in Phil Harris' band. The character was mentioned many times on the Jack Benny Show but rarely portrayed until Phil Harris' show. He stayed with Phil and Alice for the run of the show through 1953. Midway through the run Lewis dropped the name of Frank Remley and the character became Elliott Lewis.
Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show October 23, 1953 How to Repair a Living Room is one of my favorite episodes and is a good example of the zany comedy that this show featured.
