Himan Brown
American radio producer, actor, and director
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Himan Brown
American radio producer, actor, and director
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Himan Brown , (born July 21, 1910, New York, N.Y.—died June 4, 2010, New York City), American radio producer, actor, and director who pioneered early radio drama, notably the use of sound effects such as the distinct train whistle of Grand Central Station (1937–54) and the eerie creaking door on Inner Sanctum Mysteries(1941–52). While simultaneously attending Brooklyn College (B.A., 1931) and Brooklyn Law School (LL.B., 1931), Brown used his acting skills and knowledge of Yiddish to pitch (1927) two radio programs. He worked with radio entrepreneur and actress Gertrude Berg to sell (1929) her show, The Rise of the Goldbergs, but he was fired from his acting role on the program after six months. Brown worked on thousands of other radio broadcasts, producing and directing such series as Dick Tracy (1934–48), The Adventures of the Thin Man (1941–50), and Bulldog Drummond (1941–54). Even after the emergence of television, Brown worked primarily in radio, notably with CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1974–82), which broadcast on about 350 stations and earned a Peabody Award (1975). He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990 and earned an American Broadcast Pioneer Award in 1997.
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