ALTER EGO
[RADIO-SCRIPT]
Arch Oboler’s radio play of opposing personalities housed in one body achieved a prominence
beyond its initial broadcast on Lights Out in 1936.
Interestingly—and perhaps indicative of the short shrift given radio by many entertainment
historians—no Davis biography even mentions “Alter Ego”—except for Whitney Stine’s Mother
Goddam, which directly quotes the actress in acknowledging that she “received more acclaim
publicly from two of [Oboler’s] plays than from many of my films. One was titled Alter Ego…the
other was Beloved Friend… [In Alter Ego] I played two characters—and with only the use of my
voice this was a tremendous challenge.”
The instant fame of the broadcast made it fair game for spoof, as Jack Haley did two weeks later.
Oboler was rather disingenuous about explaining the use of the script on his series in 1939.
[Capital Times, 6/18/39] “Arch Oboler, in five years on radio you have smashed idols and defied
sacred taboos… You violated the rules and sinned in translating a thoroughly-documented
scientific case history into vital human drama. The actress was Hollywood’s inimitable Bette
Davis and your radio vehicle was ‘Alter Ego.’ (This was chosen the prize radio play of 1938.)”
For the 1947 holiday season Benny released an commercial record album containing six of his
best routines including “Schizophrenia,” which was described in advertisements: “an adaptation
of a radio drama by Arch Oboler called ‘Alter Ego’ splits Jack into two Bennys.”
[Time, September 3, 1945] “Bewitched is a double-personality melodrama with double-medium
antecedents. Directed by radio’s Arch Oboler, who adapted it from his own ‘best original air
drama of 1938,’ the picture both gains and loses by its crossbreeding… By giving the inner voice
(and numerous subsidiary mental voices) unusual expressiveness, Arch Oboler has, at best,
achieved cinema’s first really effective use of internal monologue. At worst, he goes so far with the
trick of building intensity through reiteration that it recalls Fred Allen’s parody of Norman
Corwin…”]
Variant titles: “Another World,” “The Voice Within Me.”
PERSONNEL: Bill Bacher (producer—1938, Texaco Star Theater), David Broekman (music—1938, Texaco Star Theater),
Arch Oboler (scriptwriter—1936, Lights Out; scriptwriter, director—1939, Arch Oboler’s Plays; producer—1941, Bundles
for Britain), Max Reinhardt (director—1938, Texaco Star Theater).
CAST [1938, Texaco Star Theater]: Bette Davis, et al.
CAST [1939, Arch Oboler’s Plays]: John Brown, Betty Garde, Frank Lovejoy, Gilbert Mack, Arnold Moss, Hester
Sondergaard.
CAST [1945, The Philco Radio Hall of Fame]: Mercedes McCambridge, Ann Shepherd.
EXTANT RECORDINGS: “Alter Ego” [audition recording] (Texaco Star Theater, 9/28/38), “Alter Ego” (Texaco Star
Theater, 10/5/38), “Alter Ego” (Arch Oboler’s Plays, 7/29/39), “Alter Ego” (The Philco Radio Hall of Fame, 4/22/45).
[CHRONOLOGY]
LIGHTS OUT (WMAQ, CHICAGO)
[Wednesday—11:30 PM-12:00 MIDNIGHT]
November 18, 1936 “Alter Ego”
[“…A woman with a dual personality, whose lifelong struggle with the
negative side in her character ends in defeat as she is led by a strong
inner force to commit a horrible crime for which she is sentenced to be
electrocuted, is the central character…”]
TEXACO STAR THEATER (KNX, HOLLYWOOD)
[Wednesday—
October 5, 1938 “Alter Ego” [EXTANT RECORDING]
[“Featured in the sketch with Miss Davis will be Adolphe Menjou, regular
emcee of the program, and members of the Max Reinhardt Workshop…”]
THE WONDER SHOW (
[
October 2?, 1938 [“Alter Ego” spoof] [EXTANT RECORDING]
ARCH OBOLER’S PLAYS (WEAF, NEW YORK)
[???day—9:30-10:00 PM]
July 29, 1939 “Alter Ego” [EXTANT RECORDING]
BUNDLES FOR BRITAIN (KECA, LOS ANGELES)
[Wednesday—
January 1, 1941 “Schizophrenia”
“A group of Hollywood’s leading actors, actresses, comedians and singers
will combine their talents in a special New Year’s Day broadcast on NBC
to present a full hour of fun and nonsense on behalf of the Bundles for
Britain committee. Arch Oboler, leading radio script writer and producer,
will write and produce Wednesday’s broadcast… Jack Benny will present
his interpretation of Bette Davis’ version of Oboler’s version of ‘Alter
Ego.’ Miss Davis will be on hand to introduce Benny to the radio
audience…”]
INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES (WJZ, NEW YORK)
[Sunday—8:30-9:00 PM]
May 9, 1943 “One Must Die”
[“…jarring tale of a girl with a schizophrenic personality who is torn
between the forces of good and evil as a result of her psychosis… Anne
Seymour stars as the girl’s better nature with Lesley Woods as the evil
personality…”]
THE PHILCO RADIO HALL OF FAME (WJZ, NEW YORK)
[
April 22, 1945 “Alter Ego” [EXTANT RECORDING]
[SOURCES]
Stine, Whitney. Mother Goddam.
[GALLERY]
Bette Davis