Lewis made his radio debut in 1936, at the age of 18. While Lewis was a student at Los Angeles CIty College,
True Eames Boardman noticed him in a college play and invited him to read four lines in a biography of
Simon Bolivar that Boardman was producing for
Sunday Workshop. Another of his early roles was as Mr. Presto the Magician, on the transcription series
The Cinnamon Bear (1937). In 1939, he became the host of
Knickerbocker Playhouse. As an actor, Lewis was in high demand on
radio, and he displayed a talent for everything from
comedy to
melodrama. He gave voice to the bitter Harvard-educated Soundman on the 1940–41 series of
Burns and Allen and several characters (Rudy the radio detective, the quick-tempered delivery man, and Joe Bagley) on the 1947–48 series, many characters on
The Jack Benny Radio Show (including the thuggish "Mooley", and cowboy star "Rodney Dangerfield"), a variety of characters on the
Parkyakarkus show, and
Rex Stout's roguish private eye
Archie Goodwin, playing opposite
Francis X. Bushman in
The Amazing Nero Wolfe (1945).
The Clock,
Columbia Presents Corwin, He disliked hearing his own voice. In an era that preceded
tape recording, that meant working with
transcriptions on glass discs, which could easily be broken. He left the Army on February 1, 1946, following three and a half years of service.
Jeanine Roose, who portrayed Alice Jr. on the program, described Lewis as a "totally extroverted wild man," adding, "He and Phil would play off each other all the time; they had such good rapport and a genuine liking for each other." Lewis said that, though he mostly played dramatic roles, he wished he could be a baggy-pants comic. The name "Frankie Remley" belonged to Harris's guitarist on
The Jack Benny Program, on which Harris was a cast member. Frankie Remley taught Lewis to play a few guitar chords and allowed Lewis, who, like Remley, was left handed, to use Remley's left-handed guitar for one episode. Recordings of the shows indicate, however, that the Remley character was still used at least as late as April 12, 1952, (in the episode "Alice's Easter Dress") while "Elliott Lewis" was being used for the character in the November 23, 1952, episode ("Chloe the Golddigger"). Harris left Benny's show at the end of the 1951–52 season, and the Frankie Remley name was changed in the first episode of the 1952–53 season of the
Harris-Faye Show (October 5, 1952), "Hotel Harris", in which the character claimed "Frankie Remley" was just his stage name, and he now wanted to go by his given name of "Elliott Lewis". According to Lewis, the name change happened after lawyers convinced the real Remley to seek payment for the use of his name. Lawyers for both sides fought it out, until Harris, in frustration, decided to just call the character "Elliott Lewis". Lewis observed, "Frankie Remley" is a funny-sounding name, but "Elliott Lewis" is not. One noteworthy undertaking is his adaptation of
William Shakespeare's
Othello on
Suspense in 1953. Lewis adapted, acted in, produced, and directed; his wife,
Cathy, played
Desdemona. He received positive notice for episodes like "The Death of Barbara Allen". Lewis said he disagreed with studio executives and sponsors who, he said, would ask for changes to a script shortly before a show was to record. On his desk was a mug with a question printed that Lewis had heard from
Fred Allen: "Where were you when the page was blank?" He would turn to face people who entered his office requesting many changes to scripts. In 1946, Lewis and 26 other veterans who had worked in the AFRS joined forces to form Command Radio Productions for the creation of both transcribed and live radio programs. Lewis was second vice president of the company, which had offices in Hollywood and New York City. Lewis remarked to
Shirley Gordon of
Radio Life: "Writing's fun. You can do it at home in your pajamas. You don't have to get dressed up and go some place." He wrote episodes of many radio shows, including
Suspense ("Can't We Be Friends?" and "My Dear Niece"),
The Whistler ("Accident According to Plan), and
Twelve Players. Lewis was against adapting movies for radio. "Material written for one medium shouldn't be used on an other. How can a story planned for 90 minutes of sight dimension be told in 21 minutes of sound?" He also believed that many movie stars were not suited for the work because they were uncomfortable performing for radio. Both Lewises believed in name billing for all radio performers. "We think the listeners want to know whom they are hearing on their radios, and if radio isn't willing to 'build up' its own people, it is only hurting itself." == Films and records ==