time to "promote its salt product ... instead of Grape Nuts". The show was a top-ten ratings hit within two years of its birth (in 1941, the show carried a 33.4 Crossley rating, landing it solidly alongside Jack Benny and Bob Hope). Earning $3000 a week, Goldsmith was the highest paid writer in radio, and his show became a prototype for the teen-oriented situation comedies that followed on radio and television. Stone kept the lead role until 1942, when he entered the Army for World War II. Norman Tokar succeeded Stone as Henry for two seasons. Best known for his later work directing the television hit Leave It to Beaver – whose approach of telling its stories from the vantage point of a child may have been inspired by the similar implication in many Aldrich episodes – Tokar also helped write many of the Aldrich episodes. On The Aldrich Family, Tokar was followed by Dickie Jones (1943–44) and Raymond Ives (1944–45), before Stone returned to his signature role. Bobby Ellis became the last Henry Aldrich in 1952. This series is now in the public domain and is available for download on the Internet Archive.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/AldrichFamily|title=The Aldrich Family|website=Internet Archive|accessdate=May 3, 2014}}</ref> Family and friends Henry's parents, Sam and Alice, were portrayed by House Jameson and Katharine Raht, his sister Mary was played by Charita Bauer among others, and his usual girlfriend, Kathleen Anderson, was voiced by Mary Shipp. The role of Henry's best friend, Homer Brown, was played by Jackie Kelk (as well as Jack Grimes, Michael O'Day and John Fiedler). Homer's parents were Arthur Vinton and Agnes Moorehead, among others. Eddie Bracken appeared in the earlier shows as friend Dizzy Stevens. The show's announcers included Harry Von Zell, Dan Seymour and Dwight Weist. The Aldrich Family lived at 117 Elm Street in Centerville, USA (state unknown, though loosely based on Goldsmith's own hometown of Centerville, New York). Henry and his friend Homer attend Central High School with an assortment of other friends. Henry's father Sam is a lawyer and his mother Alice is a homemaker. His older sister Mary is mentioned to be away at college in some episodes, and lives at home with the family in others. Also living in Centerville is Mrs. Aldrich's sister, Henry and Mary's Aunt Harriet. Henry has had a variety of pets, including dogs named Smoothie and Tauser, and pigeons and rabbits which he