Tommy Cook Archives - REPS SHOWCASE

“Good ol’ radio – I still think it’s the finest medium in show business” declared Tommy Cook to an interviewer documenting early radio. Of course we would have to agree with him. It was in 1939 that Tommy did his first radio show. It was a show for Arch Oboler, who Tommy considers the finest writer, producer, director in the history of the medium. Oboler had become famous in Chicago for the horror series Lights Out, a series he wrote and produced from 1936 to 1939 after taking over from Wyllis Cooper. “When Oboler left Lights Out he headed for California to produce programs of eloquent writings” said Cook who was about 8 or 9 years old when he got that first radio gig with Oboler in the series Arch Oboler’s Plays. A couple of month’s prior to his appearance on the show, Tommy’s mother had seen an article in a magazine announcing free auditions at NBC. His mom cut it out and mailed it in to NBC and shortly thereafter Tommy got an audition with the NBC Artists service, which was the network’s in house talent agency. When Oboler was casting one of the plays for his new series, the head of the Artists Service remembered Tommy and called him in to audition for Arch. Tommy was hired and he went on the air. Tommy believes that he ultimately got the role only because he had the youngest sounding voice. Oboler called him in again to audition for Arch Oboler’s Plays for the part of a German refugee boy. At the audition Tommy mimicked some German accent that he must have heard and once again Oboler gave him the role. “Evidently accents came easy to me” says Cook. From then on Oboler began using him regularly in small parts here and there until the series folded in March of 1940. However, in October of that same year, Everyman’s Theater premiered on NBC. This was a new sustaining series that Arch Oboler would write, produce and direct. It was on this new series that Tommy would receive his first starring role on radio. The play was titled Problem Papa and would feature the talents of Howard Duff and Mercedes McCambridge as his father and mother. Arch was originally planning on hiring a young actor back in Chicago in the role but was encouraged by Alla Nazimova ( a legendary Russian actress who had immigrated to the United States) to use Tommy instead. Ms. Nazimova had taken notice of Tommy when they had worked together previously in an Oboler radio play. Prior to this starring role on radio, Tommy had appeared as Little Beaver in the 12 part Republic movie serial The Adventures of Red Ryder. Interestingly enough this lead to his playing the role on radio when the series began broadcasting on the Blue Network in 1942. He would continue as Little Beaver for four years. Beginning in 1943 and continuing until 1946 he would also play Alexander in the Blondie radio show on CBS and in the mid 40s he was hired to play Junior on the Life of Riley taking over from Conrad Binyon. William Bendix starred as Riley with Paula Winslow as Peg. Sharon Douglas played Babs until Barbara Eiler assumed the role in 1947.

Tommy was quite a busy actor running from show to show back in those heydays of radio. It’s a situation not so very different from his experience at SHOWCASE each year. Being such a versatile actor, Tommy is very much in demand for SHOWCASE productions that are performed throughout the weekend. Every director at the event wants to cast Tommy who ends up booked back to back in several shows throughout the day. You can usually find him running from rehearsal to performance and back to rehearsal and so on. It’s so reminiscent of those bygone days of radio.

We’ll certainly be looking forward to seeing Tommy again when he returns to appear at the 2022 Showcase – October 20-23.

At first glance some readers may be led to believe that this article has some connection to the Leave it to Beaver TV series starring Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow. Understandably since Tony Dow ( who played Wally from the aforementioned TV series) is a featured guest at this year’s SHOWCASE. However, the Little Beaver in this article is a young Navajo boy who shared adventures with western hero Red Ryder and who was played on radio, at one time or another , by three of our special guests. Red Ryder began as a comic strip in 1938 but Republic Pictures bought the movie rights soon after. It was not long and there were Red Ryder comic books, a radio series and movie serials. Tommy Cook portrayed Little Beaver in the 12 chapter movie serial The Adventures of Red Ryder released in June of 1940. Tommy would follow the series to radio in the same role when Red Ryder appeared on the Blue Network in 1942 and later on Mutual. It’s status as a national program was short lived. From the fall of 1942 until the series ended in 1951, the program was heard only on the West Coast stations of the Mutual Don Lee Network (generally Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm Pacific Time). Tommy recalls taking several connecting buses across town to get from home to the studio. Although his parents were generally there to pick him up after the broadcast to drive him home. Franklin Breesee, who has made prior appearances at REPS SHOWCASE, was also cast in the part of Little Beaver, from 1942-1946, as an alternate to Tommy and also to Henry Blair when Henry assumed the role from 1944-1947. Tommy Cook and Frank Bresee have maintained a long friendship from their days on Red Ryder and continuing to the present day. Frank Bresee has spent many years of his adult life documenting those bygone days of radio and hosted the long running radio show Those Golden Days of Radio. “Speaking of radio”, Tommy says “Those were some great days. I don’t want to forget them.”

In 1947 young actor Johnny McGovern took over as Little Beaver and held the role until 1950. “I succeeded Johnny as Little Beaver on Red Ryder” recalls Anne Whitfield. “His voice changed! . . . so they cast me because my voice was not going to change.” Anne doesn’t remember how long she played the part but she doesn’t think it was for very long. ” They probably figured that the show was not going to last very long when they realized they had a kind of effeminate sounding Little Beaver” she muses. Sammy Ogg is credited as taking on the role until the series ended in 1951.

Posts

“Good Ol’ Radio. I Still Think It’s The Finest Medium In Show Business”

LEAVE IT TO LITTLE BEAVER

Tommy Cook, Johnny McGovern and Anne Whitfield . . . they all played Little Beaver . . . and will be appearing April 15-16-17 at the REPS SHOWCASE.