Great Scenes from Great Plays was a radio series that adapted around twenty minutes' worth of scenes from a variety of plays, such as "Dark Victory", "Little Women", "A Tale of Two Cities", "What Every Woman Knows", "The Devil and Daniel Webster", "Young Mr. Lincoln", and "A Doll's House", among others. The show aimed to offer high-brow entertainment that wasn't in direct competition with the burgeoning medium of television, and featured a post-discussion of each episode that encouraged church attendance regardless of a specific denomination. The first episode starred Walter H. Hampden as Cyrano de Bergerac, who then hosted the remaining broadcasts, and the acting support was provided by the Episcopal Actors Guild, which included renowned actors such as Basil Rathbone, Beatrice Straight, Jane Cowl, Ann Seymore, Boris Karloff, and Joan Caulfield.

The show aired from 1 October 1948 until 25 February 1949, with a total of 22 episodes broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System on Fridays at 8pm. It was sponsored by the National Council of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The acting talent in the series featured stars like Jane Powell, Joan Caulfield, Henry Fonda, Gene Tierney, and Eddie Albert. While not one of the best-known series, the show remains a gem for serious listeners who crave programming with a message.

Sources: archive.org, otrcat.com