Raymond Knight | |
|---|---|
 Raymond Knight broadcasting on The Cuckoo Hour in 1931. | |
| Born | February 12, 1899 Salem, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | February 12, 1953 (aged 54) |
| Education | Boston University Harvard University Yale University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer |
Raymond Knight (February 12, 1899 – February 12, 1953) was an American actor, comedian and comedy writer, best known as a pioneer in satirical humor for network radio.
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Knight studied law at Boston University and passed the Massachusetts bar, but he returned to school to study theater and writing at Harvard's 47 Workshop, followed by more studies at Yale.[1] In 1927, he performed in the Broadway musical revue The Manhatters.
Knight was writing continuity and commercials for NBC in 1929, when NBC programmer Bertha Brainard asked him to devise "something cuckoo" for the Blue Network. He responded with the zany The Cuckoo Hour, aka The KUKU Hour, as a showcase for his comedy. One of his characters on the series was Professor Ambrose J. Weems, who ran a radio station where he would give his views on current events and chat with his sidekick, Mrs. Pennyfeather.[1][2]
Radio historian Billy Jack Long described the unique aspects of Knight's satirical series:
Knight replaced Aline and Peter Dixon when he took over the children's series, Wheatenaville Sketches, sponsored by Wheatena. On this program, Knight portrayed editor Billy Batchelor, running a small town newspaper founded by his uncle. Wheatenaville Sketches and The Cuckoo Hour were both important influences on comedian Bob Elliott, who attended Knight's show with his parents and later became friends with Knight.[4]
In 1935 Knight contributed sketches to At Home Abroad, a revue with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz about a bored couple who flee America and go on a musical world tour. The original Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 19, 1935, and ran for 198 performances. The cast included Beatrice Lillie, Ethel Waters, Eleanor Powell, Reginald Gardiner and Eddie Foy Jr. This was the first Broadway musical directed by Vincente Minnellii.
Knight's play Run Sheep Run opened on Broadway in 1938 with a cast that included William Bendix and Dick Van Patten. The comedy closed after 12 days.
In 1941, he created and scripted the radio serial, A House in the Country, about city couple Joan and Bruce attempting to adapt to country life. It aired on the Blue Network weekday mornings from October 6, 1941, to October 28, 1942. Knight took the role of a shopkeeper on the program.[citation needed]
During World War II, Knight was the national production manager for ABC. He was a contributor to Woman's Day and other magazines. In the early 1950s, he wrote for Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding's Bob and Ray show. In 1953, he died on his birthday, February 12.[5] In 1954, Bob Elliott married Knight's widow, Lee (they had three children together, including Chris Elliott),[5] creating a comedic lineage that spans across three centuries and four generations, from Raymond Knight and Bob Elliott to Chris Elliott and his daughter, Abby Elliott.[citation needed]
Raymond Knight's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6130 Hollywood Boulevard.[6]
