1947–1953 · CBS

Let's Pretend

The fairy tale, performed by children, for twenty-four years

Nila Mack's rule was that children's parts were played by children, and that a fairy tale should be performed as seriously as a Shakespeare. For twenty-four years the CBS company came in on Saturday mornings and did exactly that — Bluebeard, Rumpelstiltskin, the Snow Queen — with a full orchestra and no winking at the adults in the room. It won every award American broadcasting had, and it is the reason a whole generation of American actors learned to work a microphone before they turned twelve.

74 broadcasts · 10 years held · New York

Surviving broadcasts of the CBS Saturday morning series, sponsored for most of its run by Cream of Wheat. Recordings held by the Internet Archive.