Family Theater

The Family Theater radio series came to light after a priest, Father Patrick Peyton, convinced the Mutual Broadcasting Company to let him broadcast a show that promoted family prayer. He was initially given a free half hour broadcasting slot on Mother’s Day, May 13, 1945.

Father Peyton successfully persuaded Bing Crosby, who was at the time coincidentally working in the role of a priest on The Bells of St. Mary’s, to appear on the show and give a talk about family and prayer. To lead families in praying a decade of the rosary Father Peyton poignantly asked the parents and sister of the five Sullivan brothers who all perished on the same ship during World War II.

Added to the fact that VE Day was declared by President Truman on May 8th and afterward he set a day of Thanksgiving for Mother’s Day, May 13 – and you have a recipe for the successful premiere of a family prayer show. Over 300 stations picked up the show which was pronounced a hit. This led Mutual Broadcasting Company to offer Father Peyton a weekly half-hour program on the condition that the series must be non-sectarian and would highlight Hollywood stars and programs that were well-written and produced.

In February of 1947 The Family Theater began with the program, Flight from Home, starring popular actors Jimmy Stewart, Loretta Young and Don Ameche. Among other stars to appear on Family Theater were Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Natalie Wood, Ronald Reagan, Shirley Temple and Bob Hope to name but a few.

Family Theater received fourteen awards during the years from 1947 to 1951 from magazines and newspapers, including the prestigious Best Radio Program of the Year.

When television appeared on the horizon in 1947, Peyton quickly caught on to its prospects. As the Family Theater series continued to be a hit, Father Peyton took time to produce three feature length blockbusters about the life of Christ. The episodes were filmed in Spain and included a cast of thousands.

Family Theater is credited with slogans that became quickly famous – The Family That Prays Together Stays Together andA World at Prayer is a World at Peace.

It’s wonderful that Father Parick Peyton, a poor Irish immigrant – not a Hollywood mogul -- was the creator of this highly successful show that aired for 22 years and gave beginning stars such as James Dean and George Lucas their first film credits. Father Peyton was lauded as a media pioneer of vision and helped produce more than 700 radio and television programs. Father Peyton passed away on June 3, 1992 and his cause for sainthood was announced on June 1, 2001.