Front Page Farrell

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Front Page Farrell
Virginia Dwyer 1941.jpg
Virginia Dwyer portrayed Sally Farrell in Front Page Farrell.
Running time15 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Home station WOR
Syndicates Mutual
NBC
Starring Richard Widmark
Carleton G. Young
Staats Cotsworth
Virginia Dwyer
Florence Williams
AnnouncerBill Bond
Larry Elliott
Ed Fleming
Don Hancock
Written byAlvin Boretz
Harold Gast
Box Saxon
Robert J. Shaw
Directed byJohn Buckwalter
Arthur Hanna
Frank Hummert
Richard Leonard
Ed Slattery
Bill Sweets
Blair Walliser
Original releaseJune 23, 1941 (1941-06-23) –
March 26, 1954 (1954-03-26)
Opening theme"You and I Know"
Sponsored byAmerican Home Products

Front Page Farrell is an American old-time radio program that was broadcast on Mutual from June 23, 1941 to March 13, 1942, and on NBC from September 14, 1942, to March 26, 1954. [1] The episodes broadcast on Mutual originated at WOR, [2] making the program the first live serial that Mutual broadcast from New York City. [3]

Contents

Format

In its early years, Front Page Farrell was much like other soap operas in that it focused on the domestic situations of a married couple, David and Sally Farrell. David Farrell was a newspaper reporter, and in the 1950s, the program's focus shifted more to his work, such as "hard-hitting tales of murder investigations as Farrell tracked cold-blooded killers." [4] Each of Farrell's investigations of crimes usually began on Monday and concluded on Friday, [4] which aided infrequent listeners. [5]

Episodes

Typical examples of Front Page Farrell cases (each solved within one week) included:

Personnel

David Farrell was played by Richard Widmark, Carleton G. Young, and Staats Cotsworth. Sally Farrell was portrayed by Virginia Dwyer and Florence Williams. Actors heard in supporting roles included Peter Capell, Frank Chase, Robert Donley, Katherine Emmet, Elspeth Eric, Betty Garde, Ethel Intropide, Sylvia Leigh, Athena Lorde, James Monks, William Shelley, Eleanor Sherman, Vivian Smolen, George Sturgeon, James Van Dyk, Evelyn Varden, and Sammy Warner. Bill Bond, Larry Elliott, Ed Fleming, and Don Hancock were announcers. [3]

Front Page Farrell was created and produced by the husband-and-wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert. The theme was "You and I Know". [3]

Directors included John Buckwalter, Arthur Hanna, Frank Hummert, Richard Leonard, Ed Slattery, Bill Sweets, and Blair Walliser. Writers were Alvin Boretz, Harold Gast, Box Saxon, and Robert J. Shaw. [3]

The American Home Products company sponsored Front Page Farrell, promoting a variety of its products by rotating commercials. The products included Kolynos toothpaste and tooth powder, Anacin pain reliever, Kriptin antihistamine, Freezone corn remover, Heet liniment, Dristan and Primatene cold remedies, Preparation H hemorrhoid treatment, Neet hair remover, Infrarub balm, Black Flag insect repellent, Aerowax floor wax, Wizard room deodorizer, Sani-Flush toilet cleaner, and Easy-Off oven cleaner. [5]

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References

  1. ↑ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 273. ISBN   978-0-19-507678-3 . Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  2. ↑ Edgar, Edward E. (June 22, 1941). "Studio Static". Daily Press. Virginia, Newport News. p. 7-C. Retrieved December 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cox, Jim (2010). Radio Crime Fighters: More Than 300 Programs from the Golden Age. McFarland. pp. 114–116. ISBN   9781476612270 . Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 Cox, Jim (2009). The A to Z of American Radio Soap Operas. Scarecrow Press. p. 83. ISBN   9780810863491 . Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Cox, Jim (2008). The Great Radio Soap Operas. McFarland. pp. 52–59. ISBN   9781476604145 . Retrieved 5 December 2017.

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