Tennessee Jed is an American children's Western adventure radio program that was broadcast from May 14, 1945, through November 7, 1947. [1] It debuted on Mutual but for most of its time on the air it was on ABC. [2]
Jed Sloan, known as Tennessee Jed, [3] moved from the Civil War in the Old South to make a fresh start on the American frontier. Jed's marksmanship with his squirrel gun was highlighted in the opening of each episode. A voice said, "There he goes, Tennessee! Get Him!" [1] Then the sound effect of a gunshot was followed by, "Got him! Deeeeeeeeeaaaaaaad center!" [1] Jed also carried a pair of sixguns as he rode his horse, Smoky. Jed eventually began to capture outlaws on direct assignments from President Grant [1] Jed's Tennessee-hills background and his "native love for folk music and a natural musical ability" led to inclusion of music in the program as he accompanied himself on a guitar while singing familiar Western songs and sometimes "put dialogue to music". [4]
Character | Actor(s) |
---|---|
Tennessee Jed | Johnny Thomas Don MacLaughlin [3] |
Sheriff Jackson |
Jeff Chandler Humphrey Davis [3] |
Deputy | Court Benson Jim Boles [3] |
Masters (gambler) |
Raymond Edward Johnson [3] |
Supporting actors included John McGovern, George Petrie, and Barton Yarborough. Announcers included Benson, Layman Cameron, and Larry Elliott. [2]
Tennessee Jed was a late-afternoon program intended for a juvenile audience. It was on the Mutual network from May 14, 1945, through August 17, 1945. A longer run began on ABC on September 3, 1945. The show stayed on ABC until it ended on November 7, 1947. [2]
Paul DeFur was the producer, and Bill Hamilton was the director. Elton Britt sang the theme. [1] The writers were Ashley Buck, Howard Carraway, and Tom Taggert. [3] The program was initially broadcast via transcription, with live performances beginning in September 1945. [4]
Ward Baking Company was the primary sponsor of Tennessee Jed, promoting its Tip Top Bread. [1] Other companies sponsored the program in areas (such as the West Coast) in which Ward's products were not distributed. [5] Safeway was a major sponsor in the non-Ward areas. [4] An initial report about the cancellation of Tennessee Jed said that Ward was cutting its budget because of a shortage of grain. [6] The trade publication Sponsor noted an additional factor as it reported, "... also because there is a growing feeling among sponsors that unless a children's program reaches the mothers at the same time as the youngsters, advertising doesn't pay off. Jed hasn't been reaching them." [7]
In the fall of 1946, Ward and the sponsors of the other three programs in ABC's 5 to 6 p.m. Eastern Time slot joined in a promotional contest that the trade publication Billboard reported was "believed to be the first of its kind in radio". [8] The other programs and their sponsors were Terry and the Pirates ( Quaker Oats Company), Sky King (Derby Foods, Incorporated), and Jack Armstrong ( General Mills, Incorporated). [8] ABC contributed $15,000 for the promotion, and the sponsors combined to provide $30,000 for it. [9] In addition to promoting the contest on the air, ABC ran a one-third page ad about it in two syndicated newspaper comics sections. [10]
Each participant in the contest, which was limited to age 16 or younger, had to submit a letter completing (in 50 or fewer words) the sentence "I prefer (name of program) because ..." [10] Prizes were
Listeners submitted 298,694 entries in the contest. Winners were announced the week of January 13, 1947. [11] While the contest was in progress, the number of listeners for the four programs increased, but after it ended audiences for the shows returned to their previous numbers. [12]
Tennessee Jed is an American children's Western adventure radio program that was broadcast from May 14, 1945, through November 7, 1947. [1] It debuted on Mutual but for most of its time on the air it was on ABC. [2]
Jed Sloan, known as Tennessee Jed, [3] moved from the Civil War in the Old South to make a fresh start on the American frontier. Jed's marksmanship with his squirrel gun was highlighted in the opening of each episode. A voice said, "There he goes, Tennessee! Get Him!" [1] Then the sound effect of a gunshot was followed by, "Got him! Deeeeeeeeeaaaaaaad center!" [1] Jed also carried a pair of sixguns as he rode his horse, Smoky. Jed eventually began to capture outlaws on direct assignments from President Grant [1] Jed's Tennessee-hills background and his "native love for folk music and a natural musical ability" led to inclusion of music in the program as he accompanied himself on a guitar while singing familiar Western songs and sometimes "put dialogue to music". [4]
Character | Actor(s) |
---|---|
Tennessee Jed | Johnny Thomas Don MacLaughlin [3] |
Sheriff Jackson |
Jeff Chandler Humphrey Davis [3] |
Deputy | Court Benson Jim Boles [3] |
Masters (gambler) |
Raymond Edward Johnson [3] |
Supporting actors included John McGovern, George Petrie, and Barton Yarborough. Announcers included Benson, Layman Cameron, and Larry Elliott. [2]
Tennessee Jed was a late-afternoon program intended for a juvenile audience. It was on the Mutual network from May 14, 1945, through August 17, 1945. A longer run began on ABC on September 3, 1945. The show stayed on ABC until it ended on November 7, 1947. [2]
Paul DeFur was the producer, and Bill Hamilton was the director. Elton Britt sang the theme. [1] The writers were Ashley Buck, Howard Carraway, and Tom Taggert. [3] The program was initially broadcast via transcription, with live performances beginning in September 1945. [4]
Ward Baking Company was the primary sponsor of Tennessee Jed, promoting its Tip Top Bread. [1] Other companies sponsored the program in areas (such as the West Coast) in which Ward's products were not distributed. [5] Safeway was a major sponsor in the non-Ward areas. [4] An initial report about the cancellation of Tennessee Jed said that Ward was cutting its budget because of a shortage of grain. [6] The trade publication Sponsor noted an additional factor as it reported, "... also because there is a growing feeling among sponsors that unless a children's program reaches the mothers at the same time as the youngsters, advertising doesn't pay off. Jed hasn't been reaching them." [7]
In the fall of 1946, Ward and the sponsors of the other three programs in ABC's 5 to 6 p.m. Eastern Time slot joined in a promotional contest that the trade publication Billboard reported was "believed to be the first of its kind in radio". [8] The other programs and their sponsors were Terry and the Pirates ( Quaker Oats Company), Sky King (Derby Foods, Incorporated), and Jack Armstrong ( General Mills, Incorporated). [8] ABC contributed $15,000 for the promotion, and the sponsors combined to provide $30,000 for it. [9] In addition to promoting the contest on the air, ABC ran a one-third page ad about it in two syndicated newspaper comics sections. [10]
Each participant in the contest, which was limited to age 16 or younger, had to submit a letter completing (in 50 or fewer words) the sentence "I prefer (name of program) because ..." [10] Prizes were
Listeners submitted 298,694 entries in the contest. Winners were announced the week of January 13, 1947. [11] While the contest was in progress, the number of listeners for the four programs increased, but after it ended audiences for the shows returned to their previous numbers. [12]