The Cinnamon Bear 🐻
After Thanksgiving, at the end of November 1937, John "Bud" Hiestand announced an upcoming Christmas radio program called the Cinnamon Bear.
The series was produced in the Hollywood studios of the Radio Transcription Company of America Ltd (Transco), under the direction of Lindsay MacHarrie, the production manager.
The wonderful Christmas series The Cinnamon Bear came about because over the years, Charles C Pile, President of Transco, received numerable requests through field managers and direct mail from radio stations, advertising agencies and sponsors, for a program series designed especially for pre-Christmas running.
Naturally, in the industry, they had received many, many ideas - some musical, some script shows, some serialized stories, and some individual episodes - but nothing came up to the right standards for what Mr Pile had in mind. Transco needed a series of 26, 15 minutes programs, specifically designed to be listened to six days a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
They wanted a series with all of the charm and whimsy of the Oz books and Alice in Wonderland. A series which would intrigue children, keep them listening from day to day, and at the same time a series which would be highly entertaining for adult listening too. It was a tall order, but they soon had a writer who loved the idea as much as them - Glan Heisch - who wrote the story and all of the songs in just six weeks, with the help of his wife.
The beloved adventure story begins with Judy and Jimmy Barton helping their mother with the Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving, but the big Silver Star which goes on top of their Christmas tree is missing!
Judy's mother thinks it might be in the attic, in a big old trunk, so the kids ask if they can go and look for the Silver Star - and that's where the fun begins! They meet Paddy O'Cinnamon - the Cinnamon Bear - in person!
I won't reveal how they meet, but Paddy O'Cinnamon leads the children through all their marvelous adventures in their quest for the star. Each adventure brings them a little closer to success, until they finally get some help from Santa Claus himself!
It’s a magical story and Joy and I love that we have all 26 episodes available for you to listen to on RUSC!
Happy listening my friends,
P.S. There's also the magical children's fantasy story, Jonathan Thomas and his Christmas On The Moon available on RUSC - a wonderful little series following in the tradition of Cinnamon Bear leading from Thanksgiving through to Christmas Eve.