“The Hour of St. Francis” is a radio program that began in December of 1946 and continued through the 1950s. The program was distributed through syndication. A radio station would receive transcription discs of episodes. Each fifteen minute episode presented a dramatic story — often a “modern day parable” which looked at a moral issue or a particular virtue. “The Hour, sponsored by the Third Order of St. Francis, is founded on the belief that sound Catholic teaching and religious inspiration can be combined with entertainment.” (The Sign, December 1949, p. 31)
It was the project of Fr. Hugh Noonan, O.F.M., of St. Joseph’s Church in Los Angeles. He wanted stories that tackled practical problems of modern men and women.
According to the article in The Sign, the programs were financed on a budget of $22,000 a year, which was a rather small budget for a radio show. A “series” of shows meant 39 or 40, and each year a new “series” was produced. “[The money] is raised through a tax of less than fifty cents a year per member of the Third Order Fraternities, supplemented by contributions of the Franciscans of the First Order and the Franciscan Missionary Union.” (ibid.)
The article also mentions the positive impact the show has had on people. “Letters from listeners tell the story of its value. An alcoholic is lifted from the brink of despair; a Catholic vows never to miss Mass again in his life; a young man bedridden and without religious contacts finds his way into the Church.” (ibid.)
Approximately 400 episodes were produces of the program. A few of these are in circulation among Old Time Radio Collectors.
A list of some episodes in circulation.
Some episodes are available through this website, but it requires registration.
Franciscan University of Steubenville, in Steubenville, Ohio, has approximately 28 16″ transcription disks of the radio program, including the entire first series of programs. They have not been transferred to any other media, and there is no player to play them with at the library.
I have a few later episodes on reel to reel tape, and I have transferred some of them to MP3 files. A few of these episodes might be found online, but most are not in circulation.
The copyright to the program is held by the Franciscan Friars of California – Province of St. Barbara. The programs may have fallen into public domain due to a lack of action on the part of the Franciscans, but this is not certain. At present, it seems they have no interest in doing anything with the shows.
The quality of the shows varies, but some are real gems. Perhaps someday they will be available to the public — legally, that is. St. Francis, pray for us.
(Note: Here I only deal with the radio show. The “Hour” became a half-hour TV program in the 1960’s, and its history is also quite obscure. I have not seen any of the episodes of the TV show available anywhere.)
Hello Father,
It’s very interesting to discover that The Hour of St. Francis was a radio program, because I recall seeing one or more videos produced under the aegis of The Hour of St. Francis when I was a youngster in grade school in the 1960s. (We called them “filmstrips” in those days, of course.) As with the radio show, the films were about 15 minutes and they each focused on a specific moral issue. The one I remember best was a dark story involving a teenage boy’s interest in pornography and the lustful (and ultimately tragic) actions it caused. It starred the character actor Paul Picerni (probably best known for The Untouchables TV series) as a police detective.
I wonder if you have any information on these films. If the radio shows are not available, I suppose it’s a longshot that the films might be, but you never know.
Thanks.
I am looking for the Hour of St. Francis production of “The Third Devil”. Is it possibly still in print or on video and is there any way I can get ahold of it? A former soldier told me that it touched his life deeply and wants to find a copy. If so, please contact me at pvicalvi@centurytel.net
Just found this gem of a website while doing ancestry research on my Uncle-Fr Hugh Noonan. I have an original script from Danny Thomas for the radio hour which I treasure. Fr Hugh was indeed a special man and my personal hero. He was kind, sweet, gentle and supplemented his show by networking with the Catholic Hollywood tv and movie stars of the time. He was quite convincing when asking for donations for his causes.