At the beginning of Commercial Radio, daytime broadcasting was treated like a commercial wasteland with no money to be made. After all, Radio was family entertainment and during the day Dad was at work and the kids were in school. Put the effort into winning the prime-time when the whole family was home to listen to the big stars, just play some music and public service programming during the day.
However, it was not very long before someone realized that housewives were at home during the day and they depended upon their radios to keep them company. Not only were housewives a dependable audience, but it also turns out that they did most of the shopping for the family. The first industry to come to grips with this economic reality was the manufacturers of household cleaning and beauty supplies, so the entertainment form that their marketers came up with was the Soap Opera.
Soap Operas were (and are) notoriously heavy on the melodrama. This helped lead to some unfortunate stereotypes about Soap Opera listeners. There is a popular image of a housewife ignoring the kids and her other household duties, tuning everything out so she could pay attention to her "stories". At best, she might be crying while up to her elbows in dish-suds, but the minute her show went off the air she would be on the phone or gossiping over the backyard fence with other Soap Opera junkies, discussing the events in the show.
The serial nature of the Soaps could be addicting, which is exactly the reason their creators choose the format. The discussions which the housewives were having may have appeared to be gossip, but the fact is that Soap Opera storylines brought up some important issues, issues which went beyond simple entertainment. What was it like to make ends meet during tough times? (Something very relatable to Depression-Era listeners.) What was it like for a woman entering the job market? How does a woman keep her family safe and secure in uncertain modern times? These were issues raised at the backyard fence discussions which may not have come up if not for the Soaps.
- Aunt Jenny's Real-Life Stories, May 6, 1946, CBS. Eric confronts Joad about the lies that have been told to Matilda, and Dr. Allen relieves some of Matilda's worries. Plus, Aunt Jenny tells us the secret to Spry Oatmeal Muffins.
- American Family Robinson, 1934, World Broadcasting System syndication for the National Association of Manufacturers. Presented as a mid-Thirties "slice-of-life" in Centerville. Father Luke is the editor of the Centerville Herald, mother Myra has an active social life, and kids Betty and Bob have the typical teenaged adventures. What makes the Family Robinson unique is that they are decidedly against President Roosevelt's "New Deal", following the N.A.M.'s contention that the policies are anti-business.
- Hilltop House, July 20, 1953, CBS, sponsored by Miles Laboratories. A rare surviving episode from a classic tear-jerker. First broadcast in 1937, the show would go through a spin-off and two reboots before succumbing to pressure from daytime TV. The stories revolve around the trials of Bess Johnson, a worker at the Hilltop House Orphanage who must balance caring for her charges, greedy officials, and her own need for romantic love. Keep a hankie near the kitchen sink, or you'll be crying into a sink of dirty dishes!
- Life Can Be Beautiful, 1938 to 1954, NBC. For more than a decade and a half, housewives tuned into "Elsie Bebee" to follow the adventures of Chichi, at first a girl-on-the-run who depends upon the kindness of strangers who grows up to become a loving wife and pillar of the community, just not all at once or at the same time. Despite its melodramatic tone, the show was more philosophical than others in the genre.
- Lora Lawton, NBC January 16, 1946. The continuing story of the conflict between love and riches. An influential woman has invited Peter to a party where his estranged Lora will be taking pictures. What will happen when husband and wife meet?
- Mama Bloom's Brood, 1934, Broadcasters Program Syndicate, Bruce Eells Syndication. Playing on the success of the ethnic humor displayed on Ruth Berg's The Goldbergs. The Blooms maintain the stereotypes but are much more light-hearted as the family embarks on a series-long car trip to Hollywood.
- Portia Faces Life, June 7, 1944, NBC, sponsored by Post Cereals. Running from 1940 to 1954, this is the story of widowed attorney Portia Blake who fights that corruption in the small town of Parkersburg which killed her husband. The episode included deals with Nazis and includes news reports of the D-Day invasion.
- Rosemary, June 26, 1946, NBC, sponsored by Ivory Snow Flakes. Rosemary was a secretary who supported her mother and younger sister and eventually married journalist Bill Roberts. Bill was a hero in the War but came home with amnesia. In this episode, he recaptures part of his memories, of his first wife, Audrey, but he still cannot remember Rosemary.
- The Story of Mary Marlin, 1934 to 1952, NBC, CBS, Blue Network, ABC, various sponsors including Kleenex, Proctor and Gamble, Tenderleaf Teas, and others. Mary was an Iowa housewife whose attorney husband cheated on her. She forgave him and he ran for the US Senate. After moving to Washington (and giving birth to little Davey) their lives are filled with intrigue, impropriety, glamor, scandal, scheming women, treacherous men, and a few bouts of amnesia.
- The Woman in White: June 7, 1944, CBS, sponsored by Betty Crocker Vegetable Soup. Based on one of the first soap operas created by Irna Phillips, who went on to create The Guiding Light and As the World Turns. It was the first soap opera to focus on the inner workings of a major hospital and the loves and trials of pretty young nurses.
- Your Family and Mine, September 21, 1939, CBS, sponsored by Sealtest. Woody was in an airplane crash in Paris and is confined to the hospital where Judy is devoted to treating him, even though he does not remember her. Meanwhile, Steve is determined to win Judy away, if he can.
Comments
Post a Comment