Radio Soap Opera Discussion

[slick jones]

Gilman's updated profile will be up son. Just typing her up for Hoppers

[DRW50]

Thanks so much @slick jones

[victoria foxton]

@slick jonesThanks! Eric.

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[Paul Raven]

KITTY KEENE, INC.
(1937-41, CBS, Mutual)
15-minute episodes
Premiere: September 1937
Final episode: April 1941
Writers: Walter K. Norman, Gunnar Hjerstedt
Starring Beverly Younger (later Gail Henshaw and Fran Carlon) as KITTY KEENE

The star of the show, though, was KITTY KEENE,  an “ex-Ziegfeld Follies gal” who started her own detective business. Of course, since this was a soap, it took her umpteen weeks to solve each crime, but they weren’t just “lady stuff”–she regularly faced off against kidnapers, blackmailers and murderers.

Kitty still beautiful, is the mother of a charming daughter, Jill, and the wife of Charles Williams, former newspaperman. Jill is married to Bob Jones, lieutenant of detectives. The daughter is a mother too. Tiny Miss Jones is Kit, Junior.

Star of the show is Gail Henshaw, a young actress who forgot to count 10 during a quarrel with her fiance two years ago. Gail handed Robert Hughes her engagement ring - and the mitten - and headed for Chicago by plane. Gail was still in a huff when she landed, so, without even unpacking she marched over to NBC studios in the Merchandise Mart to ask for a lob. A few months later she was Kitty Keene. The scrap? That came out all right, too. Hughes lingeied in New York a month after Gail left;then he took a tip from Young Lochinvar, reversed Young L's route and headed west. Miss Henshaw became Mrs. Robert Hughes on Christmas Eve, 1938. Gail is that rara avis, a native New Yorker; she was born in Gotham August 8, 1912. She attended St. Agatha elementary and high school, went to Wellesley for a couple of years and then switched to the American Academy of Dramatic art, from which she graudated in 1933. At Wellesley Gail not only starred in dramatics, she directed campus plays, was in the choir, gave a hand to the crew and played basketball. Back in 1936, Gail was in stock in New York when a fellow player begged her to help him out on a hurry -up replacement in a dramatic presentation on a local station. She stayed two years, graduating to the networks.

Current episodes in the serial deal with Kitty's problems as manager of "The Modern Woman ", a job which has estranged her unemployed husband and driven him to New York a n d consolation in the charms of Norma Vernack, a Javanese dancer. Further complications are stirred up by Kitty's decision to move to an elaborate apartment "on the other side of town" and taking the young Joneses with her. The move goes to Jill's head and Bob finds he doesn't fit in. A friend of Kitty's employer, adds to the situation by showing an interest in Kitty.

The show is produced for the agency by Frank Dane, director and character actor who created the role of detective "Never -Fail" Hendricks for the Story of Mary Marlin. Dan Donaldson announces the serial and Clinton Stanley does production for NBC.

[Paul Raven]

In March 1947 Irna Phillips took out a full page to acknowledge and thank her writers of the 3 soaps featured in The General Mills Hour on NBC.

They were

Virginia Cooke 'Today's Children' 2pm

Herb Futran 'Woman in White' 2.15pm

Art Gladd 'Masquerade' 2.30 pm

Irna called herself 'plottist and supervisor'

While in the same issue the Hummerts had a full page announcing the premiere of 'Katie's Daughter' on NBC at 10am., proclaiming they now had 18 shows on the air, 14 of them soaps.

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by Paul Raven

[Paul Raven]

RADIO DAILY REVIEWS JANUARY 1938

“ THE  WOMAN  IN  WHITE”
Pillsbury
WJZ — NBC-Red,  Monday  through Friday,  10:45-11  a.m.
Hutchinson  Adv’g  Co.
AIMED  AT  WOMAN  INTEREST,  NEW SERIAL  SOUNDS  LIKE  IT  HAS  SWELL POSSIBILITIES.
This  is  the  new  serial  for  which Irna  Phillips,  author,  decided  to  give up  writing  her  popular  “Today’s Children.”  Whether  decision  was  a wise  one  could  not  be  adequately  determined by  the  first  broadcast  yesterday, as  the  newcomer  barely  acquired its  sea  legs  in  the  initial  airing.
With  a hospital  background,  new script  is  well  written  and  there  is plenty  of  scope  for  it.  Surrounding the  “woman  in  white,”  one  of  those sympathetic,  understanding  and  inspirational characters  who  helps folks  around  her  to  work  out  their difficulties,  is  an  ambitious  young doctor,  played  by  Macdonald  Carey; a nurse,  portrayed  by  Ruth  Bailey; a student  nurse,  played  by  Toni  Gilman, and  her  brother,  acted  by  Willard Farnum.
Cast  is  thoroughly  capable  and Miss  Phillips  knows  her  script  writing.

 

“ ATTORNEY-AT-LAW”
with  Jim  Ameche S.  C.  Johnson  & Son  Inc.
WJZ — NBC-Blue,  Monday  through Friday,  10:30-10:45  a.m.
Needham,  Louis  & Brorby  Inc.

DRAMATIC  SERIAL  WITH  LAW-OFFICE BACKGROUND  MAKES  INTERESTING START.
With  Jim  Ameche  and  Frances Carlon  heading  the  cast,  this  new daytime  serial  has  a couple  of  good points  in  its  favor  right  there.  In addition,  locale  of  the  action,  a young  lawyer’s  office,  offers  plenty of  opportunities  to  drum  up  incidents, complications  and  dramatic highlights.
Ameche  plays  the  title  part  of  a young  attorney,  Terry  Regan,  who is  more  interested  in  furthering  justice than  in  fat  fees  for  his  work. Initial  situation  dealt  with  a mother who  had  signed  away  rights  to  her child  and  later  regretted  the  act,  so the  lawyer  is  called  in  to  fight  for the  return  of  the  little  girl,  who’s  be ng mistreated  by  her  foster  parents.
In  the  supporting  cast  are  June Meredith,  Lucy  Gilman,  Fred  Sullivan and  Grace  Lockwood.  Carl  Wester is  creator  of  the  production.

“ MARGOT  OF CASTLEWOOD”
Quaker  Oats
WJZ — NBC-Blue,  Monday  through Friday,  10-10: 15  a.m.
Lord  & Thomas
SURE-FIRE  SERIAL  STUFF  WITH  TOP- NOTCH  CAST  AND  ACE  SCRIPT.
As  the  new  half  of  the  double-fea- ture Quaker  Oats  morning  show  on CBS,  this  new  serial  by  Les  Weinrott  is  the  type  of  stuff  that  always proves  popular.  The  girl  in  the  case, Margot  Carver,  is  a modern  girl  who wants  to  break  away  from  her  uppish old-line  American  family  to make  a career  on  her  own.  So  she decides  to  go  to  Hollywood.  Plenty of  excitement  and  adventure  is  thereby promised  the  listeners.
Script  is  an  expert  job  and  all  its values  are  elicited  by  the  crisp  acting of  an  excellent  cast  including  Barbara Luddy  in  the  title  role,  Charles Carroll  as  co-star,  Francis  X.  Bushman and  Miss  Thelma  Owen

[Paul Raven]

Variety May 1940

[Paul Raven]

Variety May 1947

[DRW50]

Brief glimpse of a radio soap here - not entirely sure which. It's about 6 minutes in.

@jam6242 @dc11786 @Paul Raven @vetsoapfan @slick jones

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Edited June 27, 2023 by DRW50

[jam6242]

Don't know the show but the actress might be Gertrude Warner.

[DRW50]

Thanks. 

There's so much in the radio soap world I wish I knew more of...it's amazing you and others have found all that you have found.

[slick jones]

SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE
LES DAMON - ACTOR ON THE MOVE
By Elizabeth McLeod

If there's a single common stereotype of radio actors, it's their versatility. Even half a century after the end of the "old time radio" era, the image persists of the busy but anonymous actor hustling from studio to studio -- on foot, in taxicabs, on a bicycle -- racing all day long from this program to that program, from this role to that role, pausing only to gulp a cup of coffee and bolt down a lunch-counter sandwich between performances.

It's an appealing image, the hustling, unsung professional as the backbone of an entire entertainment medium. And unlike a lot of legends, a lot of stereotypes, there's a lot of truth to it. There really were actors and actresses like that, especially in New York and Chicago, for many years the primary home bases to radio drama. Even after the infusion of Hollywood talent changed the complexion of big time radio in the late 1930s, the East Coast and the Midwest remained essential points for the creation of dramatic programs. And among the actors who lived that fast-moving microphone-to-microphone way of life was a rich-voiced gentleman named Les Damon.
 

Les Damon is best remembered for his detective roles during the 1940s and early 1950s, but he didn't spend all his time on the air on the back end of a revolver. He was a versatile player in all manner of radio dramas dating back to the 1930s -- a career that drew him in as it did so many other young hopefuls with theatrical aspirations during the slow years of the Great Depression. Born in Rhode Island in 1908, young Lester Damon began his stage career with the most rigorous apprenticeship possible, touring with a regional stock company. Every night a different stage, every night a different role, every night a different audience -- and every night a chance to hone his developing skills. In some productions Damon was a leading man, in others he tackled character roles, and by the time he made his way to England to continue his apprenticeship there, he was a thoroughly seasoned actor
But there were plenty of thoroughly seasoned stage actors in circulation when Les Damon returned to the United States, and like so many other hopefuls, he gravitated to radio as a day job. He landed in Chicago in 1938 when his stock company folded, and fortuitously found himself at the very heart of daytime radio production. His dependability and versatility got him on the roster at Air Features, Inc, the production company run by the reigning monarchs of daytime radio, Frank and Anne Hummert, who churned out an impressive percentage of the daily soap opera schedule. Les Damon became a frequent voice in Hummert soaps of the late thirties, usually playing either sympathetic go-getters or stern authority figures, in series running the gamut from The Romance of Helen Trent to Houseboat Hannah. Damon would remain a Hummert favorite through the early forties, while also branching out into non-Hummert serials such as The Right To Happiness, Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories, and Portia Faces Life. Hustling from studio to studio, moving from Chicago to New York as circumstances required, Les Damon became the prototype of the radio actor on the go...

 

 

As the 1940's dawned, Damon also found his way into more prestigious roles in nighttime programs. By this point the biggest dramatic showcases had moved to Hollywood, but there were still plenty of nighttime dramas originating in New York, and with every actor who followed the lure of the dollar westward, that meant that much less competition for those actors remaining in the East. Les Damon was among those hustling for those New York based roles, and he landed his most prominent part yet in 1941, when producer Himan Brown cast him as the suave criminologist Nick Charles in The Adventures of The Thin Man. Here, Damon stepped into the highly polished shoes of the movie Nick, William Powell, and managed to capture the charm of the screen actor's version of the role without stooping to slavish impersonation. And his performance was greatly helped by actress Claudia Morgan as wife Nora, a fully acceptable substitute for Myrna Loy.

The Adventures of The Thin Man caught public attention in those last months before the U.S. joined the war, for the sparkling personalities of its leading actors as well as for the obvious affection Nick and Nora shared over the air -- the program was notorious for its "squeaky kisses," the enthusiastic expressions of affection the lead characters exchanged in nearly every episode. It was Les Damon's breakthrough role, but Uncle Sam had other plans in mind for the busy actor. In 1943, Damon received his official Greeting, and entered the Army Air Force -- where, after a period of active service in the air, he ended up on the staff of the India-Burma Network, a sixteen-station outlet of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Technical Sergeant Damon wrapped up his war service at the IBN outlet in Bhamo, Burma announcing live spots between transcribed rebroadcasts of stateside programs, along with news broadcasts, interviews, and other assorted local features.

•  

Damon returned home in 1946, reclaiming the role of Nick Charles from Les Tremayne, who along with David Gothard had filled the part in his absence, but he only remained in the part for one more season before moving on to his next job. He had plenty of work to do in these postwar years -- the New York soaps were as busy as ever, and there were plenty of nighttime roles. Damon freelanced over the next few years, turning up in programs ranging from the prestigious Cavalcade of America, where he was practically a regular, to the sudsy The Second Mrs. Burton. Then, in 1950, he landed his second major detective role -- taking over as ladies' man-private eye Michael Waring, better known as The Falcon.

The kisses weren't quite as squeaky as they'd been during his Thin Man days, but Waring was every bit the suave romantic as Nick Charles had been. Damon replaced Les Tremayne once again in taking on the part -- the two actors had been blessed with extremely similar voices -- but Damon quickly made the role his own, starring in the series for more than two years. The Falcon was, in most respects, a slicker series than The Thin Man had been, and Damon turned in a highly polished performance as Mike Waring, even when dealing with the "integrated commercials" featured by sponsor Kraft Foods (during which Waring would drop everything to discuss the state of his current case with lunchroom proprietor Ed Herlihy, who seemed far more interested in talking about Miracle Whip).

After leaving The Falcon in 1953, Les Damon still wasn't finished with radio. He reunited with Claudia Morgan in 1955 for an extremely Thin Man-esque comedy-mystery series called The Adventures Of The Abbots, complete with squeaky kisses and an earnest attempt to recapture the chemistry of a decade earlier. And he moved into a new genre, establishing himself as a regular member of the stock company at NBC's adult science fiction showcase X Minus One. But, like most radio actors during this period, Damon also had his eye on television. Blessed with generic good looks (without coming across as too handsome), Damon moved easily into the new medium. He took on roles in the television version of The Guiding Light, and new serials such as Search For Tomorrow, The Edge of Night, and As The World Turns. He even appeared in occasional character parts with Jackie Gleason, in both the comedian's regular variety series and its legendary spinoff The Honeymooners.

Like so many actors of his generation, Les Damon never really stopped working. He was still busy, still active, still taking on new roles when he died of heart failure at the age of 54. Damon passed away just two months before the symbolic end of the Old Time Radio era itself -- a man who had symbolized the hard-working professionals who had made that era happen.

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by slick jones

[Paul Raven]

Great article and a nice tribute. 54 is so young. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Paul Raven]

LA Evening Citizen News 27 November 1946

Except for tying together four CBS daytime serials into one hour of entertainment doing the same with an equal number of NBC Stones and the two hour long "Hours of Stars" (CBSi there is little else new scheduled for Thanksgiving Day. Even these do not seem to carry out the spirit with which the Pilgrim Fathers set aside a day on which to give thanks “To express the current mood of the country arising from the public’s bewilderment about present problems and its fear of the future'' is the announced theme for the CBS and the NBC hour "The programs” publicity says will try to allay those fears by showing that the first step toward a better world is one which each individual can take''

The central character in "Big Sister" “Ma Perkins" "Young Dr Malone" and "Road of Life" ( KNX 10 to 11 am) will be Sam (Arnold Robertson) a retired railroad man who runs away from a home for the aged.

“Life Can Be Beautiful'' "Ma Perkins" "Pepper Young's Family” and "The Right to Happiness" (KFI at noon to 1 pm as a unit will have three new characters  to be played by Parker Fennelly, Mary Patton and John Larkin. Charles Paul pianist organist and conductor has composed a score which a full orchestra will play 

[Paul Raven]

Against The Storm:                    NBC:  Oct 16, 1939 to Dec 25, 1942.(167 Weeks)  

                                                        Mutual: Apr 25, 1949 to Oct 21, 1949.  (26 Weeks)  
Ivory Flakes                                  ABC: Oct 1, 1951 to June 27, 1952.  (39 Weeks)
                                                     Totals: 232 Weeks - 1,160 Episodes  Broadcast    

 

Oakland Tribune 9 September 1949

Old Favorite Returning to Radio Lanes by JOHN CROSBY . 

 When "Against the Storm" returned to the air in April after a lapse of seven years, it "was welcomed like the Queen Elizabeth by a roster of dignitaries (the president of the Mutual Broadcasting- System, Carl Sandburg, Ralph Edwards, who was its first announcer) as well as an uncountable multitude of housewives.

' Sandra Michael, the author, who loathes the term soap opera, likes to refer to her own daytime serial  as a radio novel. That's an apt and not over weaning description. "Against the Storm is certainly several miles above other soap operas and, for that matter, several hundred yards above most drugstore fiction. Miss Michael took her program off the air in 1942 after she tried and failed to get it extended to half an hour. Having won her point, "Against the Storm" is back, half an hour a day in a format which gives her characters a little more elbow room. Why anyone should want to write a half hour show live days a week roughly the equivalent of a novel a month is Miss Michael's own business.

The story is laid on the campus of Harper College, and its central figures are old Professor Allen, his wife, 'his housekeeper, his two daughters, his friends, and his few enemies. The professor, to take them up in order, is a benign old campus liberal who has been lighting the Philistines on the campus faculty for 30 odd years and usually winning. He was, for example, opposed to putting all that money in a new football stadium. Wanted to sink it into scholarships, marking him clearly as a subversive. His humor is pedantic, but not enough to worry you. "You remember what Lowell said, There is no use in arguing with the inevitable. The only argument with the east wind is to put on your overcoat .' He also harbors an unreasonable passion for jonquils. His close friend is Professor Waldo Greenstreet, easily my favorite character in this campus saga, a bachelor whose enthusiasms run to tropical fish and a cat named Raymon, and who spouts appropriate poetry on almost any provocation. He worries occasionally about playing handball with Professor Blounder. Ideologically Blounder is clearly out of sympathy with him but, on the other hand, he plays a whale of a game of handball.

As for the villains of the piece the principal one is Professor Small, the head of Harper college, a "stuffy old party" who keeps his eyes on the trustees at all times. Has there ever been a sympathetic college president? There are a number of other characters Liz Porter, an ex actress, who speaks in a Lizabeth Scott or neo-Bankhead gutteral; Penny, a waspish old sentimentalist, who is Professor Allen's housekeeper, Julian, an atomic physicist but I haven't space to go into all of them in detail.

With a half hour to play around in, Miss Michael can develop her characters a little more thoroughly. build her situations a good deal more tightly and avoid thank God the excess of narration that disfigures so much soap opera. Her narrator; incidentally, takes the job a little too seriously, sounding a little like Milton Cross setting the stage for. the third act of Othello.You won't find any cliff-hanging in the ordinary sense, but there is a reasonable amount of uncertainty at the end of each episode to keep the housewife stirred up a bit until the next day.

While avoiding a great many soap cliches. Miss Michael hasn't succeeded in sidestepping all of them by a long shot. Right now, the action revolves primarily around Siri, Professor Allen's younger daughter, who clearly made a bad mistake marrying Hal instead of the reliable old Julian. Hal's mother seems intent at the moment on breaking up the marriage, a real old opera chestnut if Iever I heard one. Hal is quite a heel and I don't think he'll last the course, which may be just as well. Harper College is franklyy pretty weak in the romance department. Otherwise though, in its characterization, dialogue, and plot, us a pretty nice place to have around on the daytime air.