The Old Gold Comedy Theatre (or, as it was announced on air, "Comedy Theatre") was an anthology series heard on NBC Blue from October 29, 1944 to June 10, 1945. Like many 1940s anthologies (like Academy Award Theater, Lux Radio Theater and Screen Directors' Playhouse) it featured adaptations of popular films, truncated to fit a half-hour timeslot.
What makes The Old Gold Comedy Theatre stand apart is that it only featured adaptations of comedy films and it was hosted by the legendary Hollywood silent film comedian Harold Lloyd, who hadn't been involved in radio until the series launched (it's listed on some websites as Harold Lloyd Comedy Theatre). Lloyd would appear at the intro, half-way point (participating in the commercial) and at the close, engaging in banter with the program's guest stars. They even adapted one of his films, "The Milky Way" (February 18, 1945).
Many of the adapted films were popular choices on radio, like "Bachelor Mother," "My Favorite Wife" and "June Moon" but there are some great less-common comedy stories like "The Lady Eve" and "Vivacious Lady." My personal favourite is "True to Life" (November 12, 1944) with Dick Powell.
You can hear the Old Time Radio Researchers' collection of Old Gold Comedy Theatre episodes with the YouTube playlist below:
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