Radio Reader's Digest


Radio Reader's Digest adapted stories from Reader's Digest magazine for broadcast as radio dramas. Each half-hour episode brought one story to life, ranging from biographies to crime stories to humor. The show included appearances by some of the most notable figures of the day, such as Shirley Booth, Babe Ruth, and William Powell.

In an interesting twist, Reader's Digest magazine was not directly involved in the program; it simply provided the stories. In our media-saturated time, few can understand the place that Reader's Digest once held in American homes; for the cost of a single subscription, it allowed its subscribers to sample articles and stories in abridged form from a range of other publications.

Radio Reader's Digest ran from 1942 to 1948. Campbell's Soup was its original sponsor, but Hallmark Cards sponsored it the bulk of its run, before replacing it with Hallmark Playhouse.

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Series description provided by Frank Bell.