The Soap Opera is considered a “Woman’s Genre”, not only because housewives are the primary audience, but because the form was invented and perfected by women in the man’s world of network broadcasting. These women included Anne Hummert, who teamed with her husband Frank to become one of the most prolific producers of Soaps; Elaine Sterne Carrington, who penned Pepper Young’s Family, When a  Girl Marries, and Rosemary; and Sandra Michael, of Against the Storm and Lone Journey. Perhaps the most important and influential of these “Mother’s of the Soap Opera” is Irna Phillips.

Phillips’ own life had many of the elements that would later make her Soap Operas so popular. She was the youngest of ten children, her father passed away when she was 8, leaving her mother alone to raise the children. She claimed to have been a lonely and sickly child, stuck in hand-me-down clothes and making up long and involved stories for her dolls to live out. At the tender age of 19 she found herself pregnant, abandoned by her boyfriend, and eventually the mother of a still-born baby. She sought training as an actress, but was told by her teachers that she was too plain to have any real success. She taught for a time, and found herself working for WGN, Chicago. In addition to voice-over work, she did some acting and writing for daytime talk shows.

A station executive tasked Phillips with writing a story “about a family.” The result was Painted Dreams, thought to be the first daytime serial drama (Soap Opera.) Phillips was the head writer and actress on the program, which featured Mother Moynihan, widowed matriarch of a large Irish-American family. Mother Moynihan was based on Phillips’ own mother’s struggles. When she wanted to try to take Painted Dreams to a national audience a dispute over ownership of the program arose.

While the dispute was being settled (Painted Dreams eventually became property of CBS) Phillips approached cross-town rival station with Today’s Children, which was mostly a repackaging of Painted Dreams, (Mother Moynihan became Mother Moran.) The series ran from 1933 through the end of 1937. When Phillips’ mother passed away, Irna felt she had lost the inspiration to go on with the series. However by this time she had another project ready to begin. Woman in White would be the first serial drama that dealt with the internal workings of a major hospital. Phillips’ protégé, Agnes Nixon, has suggested that her mentor’s fascination with hospitals had to do with her hypochondria.

Perhaps Phillips’ greatest legacy is The Guiding Light, which began on radio in 1937. The program would last through the transition to television, and when it was finally cancelled in 2009, it was the longest running program in broadcasting history. The story and characters were again inspired from Phillips’ own life. During troubled times, she received spiritual comfort from the broadcast sermons of Preston Bradley, founder of the People’s Church in Chicago. The beginnings of The Guiding Light centered on the work of Rev John Ruthledge, who kept a lamp burning in his study so his flock knew he would be available to help with their many problems.

Irna Phillips is said to have had a unique writing process. In contrast to the high level of control and formulaic technique used by Anne Hummert, Phillips would “act out” her stories in front of a secretary, who would make notes and generate the scripts.

Irna Phillips other Soap Operas include The Road of Life, Young Doctor Malone, The Brighter Day, and long running television Soaps As the World Turns and Another World.

That brings us to our big collection of Rare Soap Operas. Old Time Radio Catalog has scoured the collection to find the best Tear Jerkers from the era of Dish-Pan Romance. A lot of the profit that the Networks made during the Golden Age of Radio came from the Day Time Serials, and listening to them demonstrates that they are probably better entertainment than you would like to think they are. Here are some prime examples:

Bachelor’s Children, began on WGN-Chicago in 1935 and ran through 1946. When Dr. Bob was serving in the military his Sergeant had taken care of him through a difficult time. Later the Sergeant’s dying request is that Dr Bob become guardian of his two young daughters. Eventually Dr Bob falls in love with Ruth Ann, and his good friend Sam Ryder falls for twin sister, Janet. The show was originally sponsored by Old Dutch Cleanser, then on NBC by Colgate and eventually Wonder Bread.

David Harum (1936-1951) was a radio serial based on an 1898 novel by Edward Noyes Westcott. The novel inspired a movie starring Will Rogers in 1934 which lead to the radio program. Harum was a “horse trader” who developed some rather lose business ethics. Harum followed his own version of the Golden Rule: “Do unto the other feller the way he’d like to do to you, an’ do it fust.”

The Guiding Light was a well loved program created by “the Mother of the Radio Soap Opera”, Irna Phillips. Running for more than 70 years on Radio and Television, the program is easily the longest running drama in broadcast history. The series was originally inspired by the radio sermons of Preston Bradley, which brought Phillips spiritual comfort during a difficult time in her life. The Guiding Light referred to a lamp that the Rev John Rutledge left burning in his study as a signal that he was available to help members of his flock.

The Marriage ran from 1953 through 1954, and featured the talents of Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, the great Broadway actors who were married in real life. The show brought to life the marriage of the Marriots. Liz had been a buyer for a popular New York department store and now must come to grips with being a house wife, and Ben is an up and coming hotshot New York lawyer.

Portia Faces Life told the story of a lady lawyer in a small town that fights crime, injustice, and civic corruption. Along with crusading journalist Walter Manning, Portia Blake tries to find the criminals that murdered her husband. Eventually we find out that her beloved husband isn’t really dead! The series ran from April 1940 until June 1951. General Mills remained the sponsor for the entire run.

Rosemary was created by Elaine Carrington, who also penned Pepper Young’s Family. Rosemary Dawson works to support her mother and younger sister. In time she falls in love and marries journalist Bill Roberts. But Bill has amnesia from the war. Who knows what will come up from his past? Could there have been another wife and daughter?

Vicks’ Romantic Bachelor tried a slightly different approach to reaching the housewife. Rather than centering the show on a contrived drama, The Romantic Bachelor would woo the housewife songs and romance. The Bachelor would tell stories of the beautiful women that became the object of his affection, and manage to remind Mothers of the wonders of Vick’s Vapor-Rub.

Love is in the air over at OTRCAT.com! They’ve been hanging Paper Cupids everywhere and have been busy listening to some old Rare Soap Operas. If anything can  get you in a Romantic Mood it’s the Sob-fest after listening to the Heartaches and Treachery of Soaps from the Golden Age of Radio all afternoon. (Do you hear the organ music

Of course nothing would make OTRCAT happier than sharing a big chunk of his collection with some of his friends. It will give him something to email his friends about (What will Mindy Lou  do when she finds out that her lover is really the long lost son of old Doctor Young?)  While I  go through another box of tissues, please take a look at some of the shows now available:

The Road of Life is another creation of the “Mother of the Soap Opera”, Irna Phillips. It is the story of handsome Dr Jim Brent and his pretty wife Jocelyn. Also figuring prominently is Jocelyn’s wealthy but dysfunctional family, the Overton’s of Merrimac.

Bright Horizon was only the second successful Soap Opera spinoff. It came from the Lillian Laugerty created Big Sister.Beginning in 1941, actress Alice Frost, who also had the title role of Ruth Evans Wayne on Big Sisterappeared for a short while on Bright Horizon to help insure the series successful launch. The show was sponsored by Swan Soap.

The Career of Alice Blair (1939-1940) was a short running Soap sponsored by a cold crème manufacturer. Alice left her small town home to seek her career with handsome publisher Richard Newman. Alice’s life becomes filled with intrigue and scandal, but she dedicates herself to paying off the family debt back home and her devotion to her boss.

Doctor Paul (1940-1945) “radio’s wonderful story of adult love” sponsored by Dutch Mill American Cheese. The show would be briefly revived in syndication in 1953. Dr. Paul was a small town doctor who is dedicated to his patients, but becomes embroiled in the scheme and loves that swirl around him. The show is full of the schemes of the Dr.’s wife and a woman who loves the Dr. from afar.

The Life of Mary Southern (1934-1938) Mary struggles to raise her children and keep her husband living on the straight and narrow.

Pepper Young’s Family (1932-1959) was the first radio soap from creator Elaine Stern Carrington. The show starred young Burgess Meredith as a high school athlete whose family went through many trials. The show went through several title changes with the demands of sponsors. Sponsorship went from Beechnut Gum to Proctor and Gamble’s Camay Soap.

The radio version of Earle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason was a much more action packed show than the TV version starring Raymond Burr. Airing from 1943 through 1955, the show was set to make the transition to TV when creative disagreements between Gardner and CBS arose. CBS went forward witht the project, which became the long running TV soap, The Edge of Night.CBS and Gardner eventually patched up their differences, and Perry Masoncame to TV, with a recurring plot every week- Perry would defend an innocent person of murder charges, but Perry dramatically proves the guilt of another character.

The Right to Happinesswas created by Irna Phillips as a spinoff of The Guiding Light. The show ran from 1939 until it was cancelled on “The day the Radio Soap Opera Died,” Nov 25, 1960. The Past was a recurring character on the show, reminding heroine Carolyn Allen of the mistakes and tragedies in her life. Carolyn would go through 4 marriages and a jail sentence inorder to find her Right to Happiness.

This Life Is Mine tells the story of teacher Eden Channing and her family on the home front during WWII. Her family faces the uncertainty of Modern times with differing points of view, but always Eden stands up for good and virtue and the love of her man.

When a Girl Marries came from the creator of Pepper Young’s Family, Elaine Carrington. The series premiered on May 29, 1939 and ran into 1951, playing over CBS, NBC, and finally ABC. The show was promoted as “a tender, human story of young married life.” The plot followed the lives of Harry Davis and his lovely bride, Joan Field Davis. There would be numerous conflicts between Harry’s impoverished background and the high society family that Joan grew up in.

Anne’s father believed that it was a waste of money to educate a girl, so she finances her own education as a College Correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. After her graduation her journalistic career took her to Paris where she married John Ashenhurst, who would at one time be the youngest editor of a major US daily newspaper. When the couple returned to the US and settled in Chicago Anne was unable to find work in journalism, so she took a position as assistant to advertising executive Frank Hummert. Anne quickly rose through the ranks of the ad agency and was made a vice president, with a salary of nearly $100,000 at the age of 28. Together Frank and Anne would make their mark in the new genre being developed by pioneer Irna Phillips, the Soap Opera.

Their first success would be Just Plain Bill, the continuing story of a barber who marries well above his station. Other successes quickly followed, many of which had very long runs. Mary Noble,Backstage Wife told the story of a small town girl who moves to the big city, falls in love and marries a prominent actor who is “the matinee idol of a million other women.” Deceit, jealousy, avarice and amnesia all become part of Mary’s life as she is forced to compete with the jezebels and hussies that have designs on her husband. Beginning in 1933, Ma Perkins would have a run of 27 years. Ma lived in the small town of Rushville Center. There her family owned a small lumber yard, which supported Ma’s family, but was also the center of many deceits as relatives and towns people tried to take advantage of Ma’s simple kindness. Early in the drama Ma was combative and spiteful, but through the years she became a kind hearted sage and the conscience of the community.
After working with Frank for five years, Anne’s marriage ended in divorce about the time Frank’s wife passed away. In 1935 they were married, apparently happily for their many years together, although Frank was two decades her senior. After marrying the moved to New York and began Air Features Inc, which would become a kind of factory for radio drama. Anne would write the concepts for their many shows, then the ideas would be turned over to “dialoguers” who would fill out the scripts. Frank had a talent for finding and keeping happy clients for their shows. Anne maintained an incredible work load, outlining all of the plot developments for their various programs. Through the McCarthy years it was noted that Air Features Inc refused to fire good writers who had been blacklisted.

In addition to their Daytime Soap Operas, the Hummerts produced a number of musical programs and Crime/Mystery shows. At one point their output had 18 separate serials on the air, 90 episodes a week.

The Hummert shows include Amanda of Honeymoon Hill, Judy and Jane, Little Orphan Annie, The American Album of Familiar Music, Young Widder Brown, Stella Dallas, Manhattan Merry Go Round, Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, Frontpage Farrell, Inspector Thorne, The Romance of Helen Trent, Hearthstone of the Death Squad, and The American Melody Hour.

Starting in the Chicago market, stations soon began developing programming for these stay at home women. Initially this took the form of Variety and News/Information programming, but very soon the Daytime Radio Serial format came into being.

Early serials from the Chicago area included Clara, Lu, and Em, the product of three sorority sisters from Northwestern University who initially worked for free; Painted Dreams from Soap Opera Pioneer Irna Phillips (Phillips would create many of the most beloved Soaps of the Radio and Television Age, including The Guiding Light and As the World Turns,) as well as Just Plain Bill and Ma Perkins created by prolific radio producers, Anne and Frank Hummert.

The term Soap Opera has always carried sexist and classist baggage. It has always been a “Women’s Genre,” not only marketing towards housewives, but often it was programming created by and for women. The pace of Radio Soap Opera was often deliberately slowed so the busy housewife could follow while doing her household chores and not worry about missing anything important. The Soap in Soap Opera refers to the cleaning and beauty products that were advertised by the serials. Procter and Gamble, Lever Brothers, and Colgate-Palmolive sponsored and produced Soap Operas.

The Operatic tradition implied in the name should not be discounted. The programs usually tried to be about “everyday” families and problems, but the plot devices and conventions of the Radio Soap Operas took great flights of fancy. There was the escapism of hearing tales of glamorous characters. Often life and death situations occurred in hospital dramas or shows based around the legal profession. Amnesia became a plot device well out of proportion to its occurrence in medical records. Deceit, jealousy, family and financial crisis, even murder became part of the Soap World.

The stereo-type of the housewife allowing the dishes to stack up in the sink while the kids run amuck as she indulges her addiction to Soap Opera stories may or may not be justified. However there is no denying that even today it is great fun to listen and experience these charming and addictive dramas.

The radio crime-adventure serial followed the ‘champion of the people’ and was originally a 15-minute nightly program. In this broadcast, Mr. DA (Dwight Weist) goes after protection racketeers (Jay Jostyn as one of the bad guys.)

Later that summer (June of 1939), the program went to a half-hour weekly format and aired through 1952.

Please enjoy the first broadcast of this series entitled “The Restaurant Killers.”

Please enjoy this sample episode of the radio serial — in this episode #3916, Rupert Barlow is being blackmailed by Claudia Vincent after she shot at him twice!