Wikipedia

Ed Byron

Ed Byron[1] (born Edward Armour Byron,[2] October 1905[3][4] - November 21, 1964) was an American radio and television producer — "a pioneer in radio dramatic production".[1]

Biography

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The oldest of three children born to Armour C. Byron and Cecilia Halloran,[3][4][5] Byron was a native of Newport, Kentucky and attended the University of Cincinnati.[6] He was a newspaper reporter for United Press before he began working in radio.[1]

He was a producer at WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the 1930s,[7] and while there he created Moon River, which radio historian John Dunning called "perhaps the best-known, best-loved, best-remembered local show of the network radio era."[8]

Byron became a freelancer in 1935.[9] He created the Mr. District Attorney radio program, which was later adapted for television.[7] He produced and directed the radio version and was one of its writers, but a clause in his contract with Phillips Lord, who owned the rights to the program, limited his on-air credit to co-author.[10]

Byron was called "a stickler for authenticity".[11] For example, when a character was shot in an episode, the ___location of the bullet wound was specified to the actor or actress because the ___location would have "a large influence on the victim's speech and general behavior".[11] Dunning described him as "a student of crime, with a library of 5,000 books on the subject".[8]: 464  Once a week for more than a decade he dressed like a working man and went to dangerous parts of the city, including rough bars, seeking ideas for stories from "thieves, lackeys, and off-duty cops".[8]: 464  He learned more about crime by reading five newspapers daily.[8]: 465 

He also produced the radio programs Pot o' Gold,[6] The Adventures of Christopher Wells,[12] Music by Gershwin,[8]: 471  and What's My Name?.[8]: 716 

During World War II Byron served in the U. S. Army, becoming a major.[7] He reported for duty on February 10, 1943, and was commissioned a captain.[13] When he was radio officer for General Douglas MacArthur he was one of the creators of Radio Guinea, which enabled MacArthur to broadcast during the war.[7]

Byron was president of the New York local of the Radio Directors Guild,[14] and by May 1947 he had become head of the national guild. In the latter role he produced "an unprecedented series of air shows costing about $400,000" to oppose passage of the Taft–Hartley Act.[15]

Byron went to work for NBC in 1960 as an account executive in the special program sales department.[1] He left there in the spring of 1964 to work at ABC on a project "for the restoration of top-grade radio drama".[16] The result was Theatre-Five.[1]

Personal life and death

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In 1931, Byron married Gertrude Dooley, an actress on WLW.[17] He married actress Maxine Jennings on May 17, 1940, in Warrenton, Virginia.[18] At the time of his death, he was married to the former Catherine McCune. He had two sons.[7] He died of cancer on November 21, 1964, in Veterans Hospital in West Haven, Connecticut, aged 59.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Edward A. Byron Dies; Pioneered In Radio Drama". Hartford Courant. United Press International. November 23, 1964. p. 20. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  2. ^ [ "Society"]. The Kansas City Star.
  3. ^ a b "Weds Kentucky Girl". The Cincinnati Post. January 10, 2023. p. 1. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Halloran a Grandpa". The Kentucky Post. p. 5. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDB2-585 : 3 February 2021), Armor C Byron, 1920.
  6. ^ a b "Ed Byron Rites Set, Produced Moon River". The Cincinnati Post. November 23, 1964. p. 24. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c d e "'Moon River' Creator Dies, Newport-Born Ed Byron". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 22, 1964. p. 3. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 467–468. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  9. ^ "Outsider Ed Byron on Y & R Audition". Variety. November 2, 1938. p. 30. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "'Mr. District Attorney'". Variety. July 8, 1942. p. 37. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Kay, E. (August 8, 1942). "New York". Movie-Radio Guide. pp. 10–11. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  12. ^ "Christopher Wells". Variety. October 1, 1947. p. 24. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "Ed Byron into Army". Variety. February 3, 1943. p. 27. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  14. ^ "Freelance Sweets to head Directors Guild" (PDF). Variety. May 21, 1947. p. 28. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  15. ^ "AFL's 400G Air Splurge to Fight Anti-Labor Bill" (PDF). Variety. May 7, 1947. p. 34. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  16. ^ "Ed Byron Helms ABC 'Operation Restoration' In Radio Drama Push". Variety. April 1, 1964. p. 64. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  17. ^ Heinl, Robert D. (April 26, 1931). "Dial Flashes". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 25. Retrieved April 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Brown, Wilson (June 8, 1940). "In New York". Movie and Radio Guide. p. 37. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
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