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Ed Prentiss

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Ed Prentiss
Ed Prentiss is pictured in his role
of Ned in the radio soap opera
The Guiding Light.
Born
Paul Edward Prentiss

September 9, 1909[a][unreliable source?]
Chicago, Illinois
DiedMarch 18, 1992 (1992-03-19) (aged 82)
Alma materUniversity of Iowa
OccupationActor
SpouseIvah Davidson (1941-?)
Children1 son

Ed Prentiss (September 9, 1909[1][unreliable source?] – March 18, 1992) was an actor in the era of old-time radio.[2] He was perhaps best known for portraying the title role on the radio version of Captain Midnight.

Early years

Prentiss was born Paul Edward Prentiss[3] in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He attended the University of Iowa.[4]

Radio

Radio historian Jim Harmon noted, in his book The Great Radio Heroes, "Ed Prentiss was not the first actor to play Captain Midnight, contrary to some published reports."[5] After Bill Bouchey had the role in the program's second season, Prentiss auditioned for the third season, got the part, and continued as Captain Midnight for seven years.[5]

On The Guiding Light soap opera, Prentiss played Ned (a "neglected youth") and was the program's "omniscient host."[6] Beginning in 1943, Prentiss was narrator for an hour-long block consisting of three soap operas: Today's Children, The Guiding Light and Woman in White. The three programs had interconnecting story lines, with Prentiss's narration "introducing each program segment and linking all three together."[7]

Prentiss's other roles on radio programs included those shown in the table below.

Program Role
Armstrong of the SBI Announcer[8]
The First Nighter Program Host[8]: 118 
Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy Announcer[8]: 167 
Johnny Lujack of Notre Dame Lujack's sidekick[8]: 178 
Silver Eagle Narrator[8]: 304 
Sweet River Minister [8]: 324 
A Tale of Today Michael Denby[9]

Prentiss had his own syndicated program, This Is The Story. An ad for the 15-minute program described it as follows: "Ed Prentiss, America's greatest story teller ... offers true and unusual tales, each with a surprisingly different ending."[10]

He also was a regular on Arnold Grimm's Daughter,[11] Painted Dreams, Bud Barton,[12] The Romance of Helen Trent, Springtime and Harvest[13] and Holland Housewarming.[8]: 153 

Film

Prentiss appeared in Westbound (1959)[14] and The FBI Story (1959).[15]

Television

Prentiss played Dr. Snyder on As the World Turns.[16] He was one of the hosts of Action Autographs,[17] was the host for Majority Rules.[17]: 643  and played Edward Elliott on Morning Star.[17]: 716  He also was the announcer for That's O'Toole.[18] He also played roles in various TV Westerns of the late 1950s-early '60s, often as a sheriff. He is easily recognized by his voice, as well as his physical appearance.

Personal life

Prentiss married Ivah Davidson on November 21, 1941.[19] They had a son, born September 14, 1943.[20]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1960 Man on a String Adrian Benson
1960 The Crowded Sky Joseph Bruce aka J.B. Uncredited
1960 Sunrise at Campobello Barker Uncredited
1961 A Fever in the Blood Convention Chairman Uncredited
1961 Ada Clergyman at Legislative Meeting Uncredited
1961 The Children's Hour Head of Hospital Uncredited
1961 Lover Come Back Zachary, Ad Council Member Uncredited
1961 The Outsider Speaker Uncredited
1963 A Gathering of Eagles Duty Controller
1963 Wall of Noise Paddock Steward Uncredited
1964 One Man's Way Mr. Boardman
1964 Kisses for My President Max Kloch Uncredited
1964 Quick, Before It Melts Dentist in Antarctica Uncredited
1967 Eight on the Lam Minister Uncredited
1968 Project X Hicks
1971 The Barefoot Executive Harry - Justice Dept. Man
1971 The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker Mr. Franklin

Notes

  1. ^ Find a Grave gives his year of birth as 1908.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Ed Prentiss at Find a Grave
  2. ^ a b DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 219.
  3. ^ "Louis Johnson to Discuss Defense". Belvidere Daily Republican. Illinois, Belvidere. July 9, 1940. p. 13. Retrieved August 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Studio Notes". The Evening News. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. April 15, 1940. p. 24. Retrieved August 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b Harmon, Jim (2001). The Great Radio Heroes, rev. ed (Revised ed.). McFarland. p. 183. ISBN 9780786483655. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  6. ^ Loviglio, Jason (2005). Radio's Intimate Public: Network Broadcasting and Mass-mediated Democracy. U of Minnesota Press. p. 82. ISBN 9780816642342. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  7. ^ Allen, Robert Clyde (1985). Speaking of Soap Operas. UNC Press Books. p. 162. ISBN 9780807841297. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 27.
  9. ^ "What Do You Want to Know?". Radio Mirror. 10 (2): 69. June 1938. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  10. ^ "(Snader Telescriptions Sales, Inc. ad)". Sponsor. 6 (5): 95. March 10, 1952. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  11. ^ "What Do You Want to Know?". Radio Mirror. 10 (3): 54. July 1938. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Henry Aldrich on the Radio Tonight". Belvidere Daily Republican. Illinois, Belvidere. July 11, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved August 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  13. ^ Ferris, Earle (December 9, 1939). "Right out of the Air". The Edinburg Daily Courier. Indiana, Edinburg. p. 3. Retrieved August 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2012). Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d ed (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 390. ISBN 9780786463725. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  15. ^ Mavis, Paul (2011). The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 through 1999. McFarland. p. 100. ISBN 9780786449156. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  16. ^ "As the World Turns". TV Radio Mirror. 47 (5): 44. April 1957. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  17. ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 50.
  18. ^ "Television Reviews: That's O'Toole". Variety. March 16, 1949. p. 84. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Behind the Mike". Broadcasting. December 1, 1941. p. 36. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  20. ^ "(untitled brief)". Broadcasting. September 27, 1943. p. 44.


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