Radio Soap Opera Discussion

[Reverend Ruthledge]

I'm not sure if Ned was played by Ed Prentiss at that point. 

Jonathan got a job in Los Angeles. He would come back to Chicago periodically and on one of these visits, after Tim had died, he asked Clare to marry him and she went off to Los Angeles with him. They didn't stay in the story long. They were gone before a year of the new story. It was said that Jonathan and Clare moved away for another job. I think Irna was really trying to find her way with the story until she settled on the Bauers. The transition characters from the old show (Jonathan, Clare, Ned) were quickly forgotten to focus on Ray's family and then they were quickly forgotten when the focus became the Bauers. But then she settled on them and they became the focus for the next few decades. And every time Irna changed the focus of the show, there would be a new minister. Reverend Keeler replaced Charles Matthews when the focus was switched to the Bauers. 

You are right that by 1944, the old story was largely forgotten. The focus became mostly on Clare Marshall and those in her orbit. Some of the old characters stayed around to varying degrees (Mrs. Kransky, Mrs. O'Hearn, Pete Manno, perhaps a few others). However, they only came on occasionally. Perhaps Ned and Mary were on the show that late although I don't have any episodes with them. I have a lot of gaps from that time period. It seems the focus of the show was less on Five Points and more on Chicago (Five Points was a suburb of Chicago). I think the years of 1943-1946 were good but also what I consider a weak point of the series. It was the transition period from the original show to what it would become with "The New Guiding Light". It was kind of all over the place. Rose, Ellis, Torchy and a most of the original characters seem to have stopped around 1943 when that transition time began. I'm not sure how it was handled. It will take me a while to get to that time period. I have very little from around that time period so it will take me a while to get to those answers on how that particular transition was handled. I have more answers on how the transition to "The New Guiding Light" was handled. 

The last name was just coincidence. They weren't related. 

With two cancellations, probably a lot of struggle with the suits, and struggling with ratings, I think Irna was just trying out different things to find the right formula. Even though I'm a huge fan of the Bauer family saga, the first five years of the show are my personal favorite. Although I can see why it might have struggled in the ratings. It was more a philosophical show, like another favorite of mine Against the Storm, and it wasn't probably the crowd-pleaser that shows like Ma Perkins were. It was not the plot-heavy, Perils of Pauline type of radio soap opera that so many women seemed to like at that time. Even during the time that the show was focused mostly on one woman (Clare Marshall), it was still slow-moving, thought provoking and character-driven. 

[dc11786]

I've listened to a few more episodes of "Radio Playhouse."

Most noteable revelations:

In "Face of Love," there was a rather shocking revelation; Kate's late husband Tom Wakefield had been left impotent from his drug addiction. The reveal acts as a sorta ABC Afterschool Special as Kate drops this tidbit to her 19-year-old niece, Nancy. In addition, I think it sets up Kate as a virgin even though she was married, which might be a way of explaining Kate's relationship with Tony Cushing. Kate doesn't seem ready to commit to Tony and cannot seem to fully connect with David. 

In "To Have and To Hold," I had missed completely that Richard and Suzanne Holland had departed the series, most likely to commit to "General Hospital." The Hollands used script writers so I just assumed Dornheim was handling the scripts, but the Hollands haven't been credited for a bit. I jumped ahead and in February, Mary Dornheim is still the only writer listed and Michael Storm has replaced Bill Redfield as Marsh. I cannot imagine Bert and Dr. Larry Wolek as a couple, but I am excited to see it play out. 

In another surprise casting, something I had suspected (due to her distinct voice) was true: Morgan Fairchild is appearing as Ann, Caroline's daughter by her first daughter. This pre-dates her appearance as the lead on "Face of Love." I'll be curious to see if Ann sticks around with Fairchild in the part because Ann has been introduced as a possible spoiler to the Kurt / Lynn romance. It is also clarified that River Run, the family home, belongs to Caroline and Ann as Caroline's late husband was a succesfful businessman. This is an interesting development that has slowly unfolded over the course of the last few episodes, though I suspect it might be a rewrite by Dornheim. Either way, I don't hate it. 

It's a shame these didn't continue for a few years. I would love to have as many episodes as CBS Radio Mystery Theatre has from this same period of time. 

[DRW50]

@dc11786 Thanks. Always enjoy reading these updates. And yes, the idea of Michael Storm and Charita Bauer as partners is a jolt.

[Paul Raven]

@Reverend Ruthledge Belated thanks for TGL update. Interesting that Irna was prepared to make sweeping changes in the radio format but then kept the Bauers for years. I think her approach to TV soaps differed from radio. Maybe she felt TV viewers were more attached to the characters.

[Reverend Ruthledge]

You're welcome, Paul. As I always say, it's a pleasure to be able to share my knowledge with the other five people in the world who care about the subject of soaps' golden years. 

[vetsoapfan]

ROTF!

And it's a pleasure to be one of those five people!

Knowing I am not alone in my obsession is a relief!

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