Remember WENN

1 9 9 6 – 1 9 9 8 (USA)
56 x 30 minute episodes

This comedy/drama series from cable channel American Movie Classics (AMC) was set in the Pittsburgh radio station WENN during the late 1930s and early 40s – the Golden Age of Radio.

WENN was an independent station. The staff was small and overworked, and stories followed their efforts to produce programs for the station on a shoestring.

Young Betty Roberts (Amanda Naughton) won an essay-writing competition, the prize being an internship at WENN.

The awe-struck young writer was wide-eyed seeing the magic of radio being performed behind the scenes, with the same actors playing so many roles in their ongoing series Valiant Journey.

Mackie Bloom (Christopher Murney) was the “man of 1,000 voices” who could segue from Shakespearean roles to folksy cracker-barrel rubes.

Other regular characters included station manager Victor Comstock (John Bedford Lloyd); feuding married radio stars, icy primadonna Hilary Booth (Melinda Mullins) and her philandering husband Jeffrey Singer (Hugh O’Gorman); the station’s receptionist Gertie (Margaret Hall); singer/organist Eugenia Bremer (Mary Stout) and Mr Foley, the multi-talented sound engineer (Tom Beckett).

The series captured the look of pre-World War II Technicolor films. The sets and costumes had the period authenticity of a quality British TV series.

After four episodes aired on a bimonthly basis, Remember WENN went off the air before being relaunched as a weekly series in early May 1996.

Guest stars included Molly Ringwald and Howard Rollins.

Victor Comstock
John Bedford Lloyd
Mackie Bloom
Christopher Murney
Betty Roberts
Amanda Naughton
Maple La Marsh
Carol Lee Carmello
CJ McHugh
CJ Barnes
Hilary Booth
Melinda Mullins
Jeffrey Singer
Hugh O’Gorman
Gertrude Reece
Margaret Hall
Eugenia Bremer
Mary Stout
Mr Foley
Tom Beckett
Celia Mellon
Dina Waters
Rollie Pruitt
Jonathan Freeman
Lester
David Pursley