The run
- Network
- Syndicated
- Years active
- 1940–1950
- Surviving broadcasts
- 45
- Genre
- detective
THEATRE ROYAL This fine British anthology series, features plays based on the best of literature, films and English theater. Produced in two series, Sir Lawrence Olivier and Sir Ralph Richardson serve as hosts, narrators and many times portray the leading roles. The program apparently was developed as a vehicle to capitalize on Olivier’s name and talent. His career spanned over 50 years and continues into the 21st century, as in 2004, 15 years after his death, he was starring as Dr. Totenkopf in a Hollywood fantasy film titled, Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow . This was accomplished by the producers who selected footage of Lord Olivier from various films and used to create a villainous leader of killer robots in the film. Jude Law, who stars in the film, said film-makers used Olivier because few other actors possessed his authority. Digitised by the Old Time Radio Researchers and streamed from the Internet Archive item “OTRR_Theatre_Royal_Singles”; these recordings are in the public domain.
Source collection
Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Rights
Public domain — no renewed US copyright
Cataloguing
Air dates and notes from the Archive item record
The shape of the run
What survives, year by year
0 dated broadcasts across 11 years on the air, with 11 years where nothing is known to survive. Brightness is transfer quality; empty cells are months lost to time.
Episodes
Start here
Listen to the run in order
Restored broadcasts from NaN, in original transmission order.
- 1. Theatre Royal 53-10-04 (01) Queen of Spades · Date unknown
- 2. Theatre Royal 53-11-07 (06) The Judgement · Date unknown
- 3. Theatre Royal 54-01-30 (18) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde · Date unknown
Theatre Royal 53-10-04 (01) Queen of Spades
Date unknown · 29 min
Broadcast on Syndicated. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Theatre Royal 53-11-07 (06) The Judgement
Date unknown · 29 min
Broadcast on Syndicated. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Theatre Royal 54-01-30 (18) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Date unknown · 29 min
Broadcast on Syndicated. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Theatre Royal 54-05-09 (32) Half an Hour
Date unknown · 26 min
Broadcast on Syndicated. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Theatre Royal 54-06-30 (39) My Uncle Toby
Date unknown · 28 min
Broadcast on Syndicated. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Theatre Royal 54-08-04 (44) The Overcoat
Date unknown · 28 min
Broadcast on Syndicated. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Theatre Royal 53-11-14 (07) The Purse
Date unknown · 29 min
Broadcast on Syndicated. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Theatre Royal 54-01-16 (16) Little Louise
Date unknown · 29 min
Broadcast on Syndicated. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Also on Syndicated
Syndicated in 1940–1950
Other series the network carried while Theatre Royal was on the air.
Same seasons
detective on the air then
Series in the same genre whose runs overlapped this one.
What it became
The private eye at the microphone
First-person narration, a case that walks in the door, and a city that talks back. Marlowe, Sam Spade and Johnny Dollar turned detection into a listening form.
Lineage is written by our editors, not inferred from listening data.
Descendants
Working in the tradition of Theatre Royal
Modern series carrying this form forward.
If you liked this
More to explore
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