Screen Guild Players was the most glamorous charity program on the airwaves. The hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for the Motion Picture Relief Fund built and maintained the Motion Picture Country House, providing housing for former film stars who were suffering from health or financial problems. Eager to be seen contributing to the cause, Hollywood’s best and brightest flocked to the program. At first, it was primarily a variety show, with its first broadcast featuring Jack Benny, Joan Crawford and Judy Garland. Later, it became an anthology show extraordinaire where listeners heard Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier in “Private Lives”; James Cagney, Rita Hayworth, and Betty Grable in “Yankee Doodle Dandy”; Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Dinah Shore in “Holiday Inn”; Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in “Woman of the Year”; and Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca”. Of course, there were also fabulous performances by Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as well. Originally Performed on 02/09/1948 Starring Jimmy Cagney
