# David Young (radio producer/director)

David Roberts Young (November 4, 1911 – November 3, 1969) was an American director, producer and actor, in radio and on the stage, known as the longtime director of Family Theater.

## Early life and career

He attended Polytechnical Elementary and Junior High School in Pasadena, graduated from Coronado High School in 1929, and from the Pasadena Community Playhouse School of Theater in 1931.
In September 1936, Young was promoted from chief announcer to program director and production manager at Don Lee's KGB in San Diego, where he remained until March 1939, when he succeeded Z. Wayne Griffin as continuity editor for Lee's L.A. station, KHJ. In 1942, he was promoted to production manager for the entire Don Lee Network.
In 1947, Young replaced Mel Williamson as director on Family Theater. He continued in that capacity through May 1949, reappearing only sporadically and infrequently over the following five years.
Young's roles in other radio programs can be seen in the table below.
| Program | Year | Role(s) | Notes |
| KGB Drama Guild | 1935–1936, 1938 | Producer, director, actor | |
| The Life of Edison | 1935–1936 | Actor: Thomas Edison | Produced by Art Linkletter, written by Sid Fuller |
| Sycamore Street | 1937 | Producer (as Dave Young) | |
| Air Adventure | 1937 | Producer (as Dave Young) | |
| Man of the House | 1938 | Producer | |
| Hollywood Laff'n Swing Club | 1939 | Producer | |
| Adventures Ahead | 1939 | Narrator (as Dave Young) | |
| Radio Charades | 1941 | MC | |
| Music Depreciation | 1941-1945 | Producer/Host | |
| We Pay You | 1942–1943 | MC | |
| This Is the Hour | 1943 | Producer | |
| The Dick Haymes Show | 1945–1946 | Producer/director | |
| Surprise Party | 1946 | Producer | |
| Family Theater | 1947–1949, 1951, 1952 | Director | |
| The Joyful Hour | December 21, 1947 | Director | |
| The Triumphant Hour | March 28, 1948 | Director | |
| Daily News Oratorical Contest Winners | March 18, 1949 | Producer | "[S]pecial public service broadcast" aired by KFWB |
| Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar Ep. "The Horace Lockhart Matter" | August 1, 1951 | Director | |
| Escape Ep. "The Vessel of Wrath" | May 10, 1953 | Actor: The Head Boatsman | |
| Escape Ep. "Clear for Action" | June 14, 1953 | Actor: Unknown role | |
| Escape Ep. "The Open Boat" | July 19, 1953 | Actor: The Oiler | |
| Crime Classics Ep. "The Final Day of General Ketchum, And How He Died" | July 27, 1953 | Actor: Unknown role | |
| Suspense Ep. "Needle in the Haystack" | November 9, 1953 | Actor: Unknown role | |
| Suspense Ep. "Lili and the Colonel" | May 17, 1955 | Actor (as Dave Young): Unknown role | Original radio play by actor John Dehner |

## Television

On New Year's Day, 1940, Young and fellow KHJ staffer Eddie Albright co-hosted and narrated what was reported to be the first-ever live telecast of the Tournament of Roses Pageant on W6XAO. On June 27, 1949, Young produced West View Review, a star-studded 90-minute fund-raiser—hosted by Garry Moore and featuring, among others, Ella Fitzgerald, Kay Kyser, Benny Carter and Dorothy Dandridge—airing on KTLA, in support of a proposed like-named interracial hospital, to be constructed at 5334 South Main Street in Los Angeles.

## Miscellany

On February 15, 1939, Young was the guest speaker at the San Diego branch of the League of American Pen Women. His talk stressed the importance of playwrights keeping their characters clearly delineated and of always reading aloud one's own work beforehand to ensure that no dialogue prove unduly difficult to voice.

## Honors

In June 1949, at the 20th annual commencement exercises of the Pasadena Playhouse School, Ernest A. Batchelder, chairman of the school's board of directors, presented Young with the Fannie E. Morrison Award "for having achieved special distinction in his career in the world of theater." It was also noted that "his achievement in radio has been through his own persistence and hard work."

## Personal life and death

Young was married twice: from February 27, 1936 until their divorce in October 1966, to fellow thespian—and occasional co-star—Vivian M. Merrill, and from 1968 until his death, to Dorothy M. Dodge. The first marriage produced a daughter, Janis, and son, David Ross Young.
On November 3, 1969, one day before his 58th birthday, Young died of undisclosed causes in San Diego, California. The following year, David Ross Young, then a graduate student at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, dedicated his dissertation to his father's memory.