She wrote of Italy

THE ROMANCES 

When considering Kathleen Hite's 'romance' scripts, 
it is best to remember the incestuous in-house relationships 
between several CBS shows that shifted shape and title 
according to season. As a radio show with a loyal following, 
The Lux Radio Theatre was the one solid institution 
among all these programs; but during the summers, 
its core production staff might go on vacation and give way 
to other personnel, and it might take on other names 
such as Lux Summer Theatre or Lux Hour of Romance and Mystery, etc. 
(Ironically, it is during these periods that we see 
the names of actors and production crew familiar to us from Gunsmoke.) 
In comparison to the Lux Radio Theatre, the show Romance 
had a rather nebulous existence; it started in the early 1940s, 
ended in the late 50s, and in between it often served 
as a replacement show, although sometimes it evolved 
into a show unto itself. 
The one constant among all these programs was the production staff, 
including the actors and writers, employed by CBS. 
They were there whether a show was in a period of its history 
when it was meant to sell movies by rehashing them on radio 
using a shortened and simplified script, 
and featuring some of the original movie stars; 
or when it was independent of movies but used a famous movie actor 
to get a larger audience, or when it was a vehicle for the star; 
or when a show was original, with no connection to movies. 
Like the rest of the CBS radio writers, 
Kathleen Hite contributed either original scripts or adaptations. 
Often enough, scripts were used in one CBS show 
and used again later in another; for example, John Meston's 
original script Pagosa was first used on Romance in 1951 
(when it was Lux's summer replacement), 
again on Escape in 1952, 
and then again on Romance (when it was an independent show) in 1953. 
In Kathleen Hite's case, it would seem that her 'romance' scripts, 
either by her doing or that of the CBS mill, 
found their way either to Romance or to one of Lux's various incarnations, 
i.e. these programs in a large sense were interchangeable. 



October 28, 2005 



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