Emphasizing Broadway productions, the subsequent series ran over CBS for twenty-six installments, only to jump to NBC on September 11, 1951.
[6] Philip Morris Playhouse evolved from an earlier radio program, Johnny Presents, which featured both music and a dramatic segment in each episode.
In 1939, the segments were separated to create two programs, a musical show featuring Johnny Green on NBC and the drama-oriented Philip Morris Playhouse on CBS.
[3] A newspaper article published when the show resumed in 1948 summarized its format as it replaced a giveaway show, saying, "Instead of a carload full of prizes, the listeners will get big-name Hollywood and Broadway stars in a weekly series based mostly on original scripts of a crime-mystery nature with a strong psychological element.
Sylvia Sidney, Claude Rains, Eddie Cantor, Tallulah Bankhead, Burgess Meredith, Maureen O'Sullivan, Lana Turner, Joan Bennett, Franchot Tone, Raymond Massey, Pat O'Brien, Brian Donlevy and George Raft are but a sample of the overall list.
For most of the program's run, that director was William Spier, who a 1949 magazine article said "is generally rated radio's top-notch creator of suspense-type dramas.
One history of old-time radio commented: "When a nationally known company sponsored a show, they were not only paying the bills, they were putting their image and reputation on the line.
For three seasons, the Philip Morris Intercollegiate Acting Competition gave each winning student a role in one episode and $250 for the performance.
Kent Smith was the host for the program, which one reference source said "was hastily ordered by sponsor Philip Morris after its first offering in that time slot, Pentagon Confidential, was blasted by the critics."