We gave a bare mention of this July 15, 1937, program in Jimmy Stewart on the Air because so little is known about it. Here’s an update on what we have been able to piece together from various newspaper clippings.
First, although Bing Crosby hosted the show during the regular season, comedian Bob Burns was the master of ceremonies for the summer version. One of the more comprehensive newspaper previews was found in the Wisconsin State Journal, Madison WI:
From this, we can determine the guests on the program, which included: Jose Iturbi, Dorothy McNulty, and Fortunio Bonanova. We also see that Johnny Trotter and his Orchestra (known later as John Scott Trotter) and the Paul Taylor Choristers were on hand to add music to the program. At least one newspaper, The Hanover Evening Sun, Hanover, PA, got South American born Bonanova’s first name wrong:
The appearance was also announced in the July 12, 1937, edition of Radio Daily:
Exactly what Stewart contributed to the program is unknown. The film, Seventh Heaven had been released a few months previous to this appearance, so it is possible that he talked about the film, but this cannot be confirmed.
A review of the show in the July 19th edition of Radio Daily did little to identify Stewart’s contribution to the program:
Within a year, Dorothy McNulty would change her name and become quite famous. She became Penny Singleton and starred in many Blondie films with Arthur Lake. They would also have their own radio show. Below is a photo from the January 1937, edition of Hollywood magazine showing McNulty, William Powell and Myrna Loy having their picture snapped by photographer Jimmy Stewart on the set of The Thin Man Returns.
Iturbi was a guest on many programs and usually played a piece or two on the piano. He more than likely did the same here.
As mentioned in this preview from The Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo, IN, Bonanova was known as the “Clark gable of South America.”
Besides acting, Bonanova was also a singer and the Arcadia Tribune, Arcadia, CA, listed one of the songs he would sing on the show:
