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Young Love is a 30-minute American radio situation comedy that was broadcast on CBS from July 4, 1949, through May 13, 1950.^[1]

Premise

Janet Shaw and James E. Lewis Jr. were secretly married students at a college that prohibited undergraduate marriages.^[2] They were wed by a justice of the peace, celebrating afterward with soft drinks and peanut-butter sandwiches at a drug store.^[3] Because of the secrecy of their relationship, James lived in a fraternity house, and Janet lived in a girls' dormitory, which added to "the usual problems of newlywed couples".^[2] The two usually saw each other on a bench beside a lake on the campus.^[1] One exception to the secrecy was Professor Mitch, a member of the college faculty who was James's best man in the wedding.^[2] Other characters heard regularly on the program were Dean Ferguson, a "crusty" administrator at Midwestern University and Molly Belle, Janet's roommate.^[1]

Cast

Janet Shaw - Janet Waldo^[1]
Jimmy Lewis - Jimmy Lydon^[1]
Dean Ferguson - Herb Btterfield^[1]
Molly Belle - Shirley Mitchell^[1]
Professor Mitch - John Hiestand^[2]

Other actors heard on the program included Jerry Hausner and Hal March. Roy Rowan was the announcer,^[1] and Wilbur Hatch led the orchestra. The Judd Conlon Choristers ("a bop-style vocal group with plenty of zip") provided music between scenes.^[3]

Production

Jerry Lawrence and Bob Lee developed the concept for the series, which they also wrote, produced, and directed.^[2] Many of the situations depicted on the program came from real-life experiences of Lee and Waldo (who were married at the time of the program).^[4] Aspects of the series's campus were taken from Ohio State (Lawrence's alma mater) and Ohio Wesleyan (Lee's alma mater).^[2]

The series began as the summer replacement for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts^[2] on Mondays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Initially it was sustaining;^[3] Ford Motors began sponsoring the program in November 1949.^[1] Beginning on January 7, 1950, it was moved to Saturdays at 7 p.m., E.T., replacing Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.^[5]

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Billboard summarized Young Love as "a happy blend of commercial schmaltz, slick production work, and bright scripting."^[3] The review complimented the pace of the script and the two stars' delivery, but it said, "sometimes the comedy punch lines were at odds with the story."^[3]

The trade publication Variety called the program "a particularly charming show which should provide considerable divertissement to a hot summer's evening."^[6] It complimented the performances of Lydon and Waldo and noted that Hiestand, in his role, "provides an ironic contrast" to the two stars.^[6] Lawrence and Lee also received praise for their writing, directing, and producing. The review concluded, "All departments have been filled with good taste and proper regard for timing and structure."^[6]

Media critic John Crosby wrote that the program's concept "is durable and, far as I know, original for radio."^[7] He speculated that the show was intended to provide Waldo "something to grow into" after she had portrayed the approximately 14-year-old title character in Meet Corliss Archer.^[7] However, he wrote, "She still sounds quite a lot like 14."^[7] Similarly, although at one point, the young husband on the show said, "I'm not Henry Aldrich. I've got the thoughts and emotions of a mature man," Crosby wrote, "Jimmy doesn't behave much differently from Henry Aldrich."^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 735. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "'Young Love' Is New CBS Comedy". Press of Atlantic City. June 14, 199. p. 18. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Bundy, June (July 23, 1949). "Young Love". Billboard. p. 14. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
^ "Janet Waldo Gained Her Break Opposite Crosby". Dayton Daily News. June 12, 1949. p. 25. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Radio, Video: C. B. S. Color System Tests to Start Jan. 2 Here and in Capital". The New York Times. December 23, 1949. p. 36. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Young Love". Variety. July 6, 1949. p. 30. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Crosby, John (July 24, 1949). "In Place of Godfrey: Love". Detroit Free Press. p. 18. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.