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When Radio Was Spotlight:
EVE ARDEN: OUR MISS BROOKS
by Jim Cox
She was the teacher you always wanted. And you may have felt indisputably slighted if she taught somebody else. Constance (Connie) Brooks, the most notable schoolmarm on the air waves during the golden epoch of broadcasting, didn’t set American public schools back on their heels by a century. Indeed, quite the opposite occurred. She elevated education to a plateau never before realized from a transmitter, figuratively bringing it light years ahead of its ethereal portrayals in the Dark Ages.
And right along with that accomplishment, actress Eve Arden—who embodied the captivating English teacher of mythical Madison High—offered incredible impetus to women everywhere. By raising awareness of their real-life performances, produced mostly in obscurity, she initiated a public appreciation of the fact that they contributed a whole lot that was worthwhile to the fabric of society. This transpired as Miss Brooks’ zany escapades took hilarious turns, winding toward predictable outcomes that nevertheless titillated both the studio audience and the millions who eavesdropped through their radios (and eventually, their televisions) in living rooms across the land. Between 1948 and 1957 (on radio) and 1952 and 1956 (on TV), Our Miss Brooks was a rowdy explosion of unrestrained delight—one of CBS’s most commonly acclaimed comedies.
Shirley Booth and Lucille Ball were originally approached about playing the wisecracking schoolmarm with the rapid comebacks and a penchant for landing in hot water. Booth wasn’t convinced, and Ball was under serious consideration for the forthcoming My Favorite Husband. The third time was the charm, after Paley himself courted Arden. She had built a reputation by performing on stage, in B-films, and some limited radio features. She wouldn’t have agreed to Paley’s request at all had he not allowed her to transcribe the projected nine-week summer series, as she had plans to travel away from the West Coast. The longstanding network edict against taping shows had recently been breached by Bing Crosby and Groucho Marx—so how could Paley resist? He accepted Arden’s terms and the new show debuted on July 19, 1948, becoming an overnight sensation.
Paley’s right arm, Frank Stanton, was soon telephoning Arden during her summer hiatus to report the good news—that they needed her back in Hollywood at season’s end to resume Our Miss Brooks before a weekly live audience. With only brief interruptions, the series continued airing for nine seasons. It also went to television with the radio cast during a quadrennial that primarily reprised old radio scripts. So successful was it on the small screen that in 1956 Warner Brothers released a feature-length theatrical motion picture based on the ethereal incarnations. Titled Our Miss Brooks, the film embraced the familiar radio-TV cast. Premiering when it did, in the latter years of the golden age radio, the sitcom outclassed its rivals in popularity, longevity and diversity of formats. It was categorically the quintessential comedy classic.
 Our Miss Brooks was the recipient of a handful of striking tributes, including a quartet of honors awarded to Eve Arden by a like number of periodicals. Among her accolades was a listeners’ poll appearing in the venerated fanzine Radio Mirror naming her the nation’s top-rated comedienne for 1948-49. Arden won a similar poll in 1949 when readers of Motion Picture Daily picked her as that year’s best comedienne.
For her efforts on the air, Arden received numerous teaching position offers, plus fan letters from educators. She was granted honorary membership in the National Education Association, and was recognized for “humanizing the American Teacher” by a state teachers college.
Eve Arden, nee Eunice Quedens, entered the world at Mill Valley, California on April 30, 1908. She quit school at 16 to join the renowned San Francisco touring stock company Henry Duffy Players. She debuted in theatrical films at the age of 25, followed by a period of indecisiveness during which she traveled back-and-forth between Hollywood and New York. In the Big Apple, she performed in stage productions and as a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl. After changing her mind several times, she ultimately settled on the West Coast and appeared in 65 films. She also found herself on radio in the mid 1940’s with the likes of Jack Haley and Danny Kaye.
Bill Paley subsequently offered her the role of Miss Brooks, her first aural lead. While her acceptance typecast her forever, it didn’t prevent her from starring in a brief CBS-TV series under her own moniker in 1957-58. Next, the namesake roles in touring companies of Hello, Dolly! and Auntie Mame were hers for the asking. Later, she co-headlined the NBC-TV comedy The Mothers-in-Law (1967-69). Arden died in Los Angeles on November 12, 1990.
©2012 Radio Spirits and Jim Cox. All rights reserved.
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