Hilltop House (radio drama)

Last updated
Hilltop House
Other namesThe Story of Bess Johnson
GenreSoap opera
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Syndicates CBS
Mutual
NBC
Starring Bess Johnson
Grace Matthews
Jan Miner
Vera Allen
Announcer Frank Gallop
Written byAddy Richton and Lynn Stone (writing jointly as Adelaide Marston)
Directed byCarlo De Angelo
Jack Rubin
Produced byEdwin Wolfe
Original releaseNovember 1, 1937 (1937-11-01) –
July 30, 1957 (1957-07-30)
Opening theme Brahms Lullaby
Ending themeBrahms Lullaby

Hilltop House is an American old-time radio soap opera. It debuted on November 1, 1937, was replaced by a spinoff, then was re-launched twice, with its final episode coming on July 30, 1957. [1]

Contents

Versions

Hilltop House is dedicated to the women of America ... the story of a woman who must choose between love and the career of raising other women's children. — Epigraph of program. [2] : 73 

Radio historian Jim Cox wrote in his book, The Great Radio Soap Operas, "Listeners — most of them mothers themselves — related to the tenderness with which this tireless servant went about her tasks." [2] A review of the program's premiere episode included the comment, "Both the script and the writing stood out as well above the average serial." [3]

Hilltop House (1937 - 1941)

Hilltop House's stories centered on Bess Johnson and the struggles that she faced as the person in charge of Hilltop House Orphanage. [4] Children were integral to the plots, and the stories usually dealt with the youngsters' interactions with adults. Financial problems and conflicts between the staff and members of the orphanage's board of directors also arose frequently. [5] Sponsored by Palmolive soap, this version was broadcast on both CBS and Mutual beginning on November 1, 1937. It left Mutual in 1938 but remained on CBS until March 28, 1941. [1]

The Story of Bess Johnson (1941 - 1942)

In 1941, Hilltop House was replaced by a spinoff, The Story of Bess Johnson. The on-air premise for the change was that bigoted officials had dismissed Johnson from her position at the orphanage, and the new program would focus on Johnson as she looked for a new job and faced new dramatic developments. [6] The story behind the scenes was that the sponsor, Palmolive soap, changed advertising firms, and the new agency decided to reduce production costs by reducing the quality of the program. That led producer Edwin Wolfe to take Hilltop House off the air, whereupon the new advertising agency replaced it with The Story of Bess Johnson. Johnson left Hilltop House on a Friday, and on the following Monday she became superintendent [2] of Mount Holly School for Girls. [7] Kleenex tissues was the sponsor. When it debuted on March 31, 1941, the spinoff was broadcast on both NBC and CBS. At some point, it left CBS, and it ended on NBC on September 25, 1942. [2]

In 1941, Eleanor Roosevelt participated in an episode of The Story of Bess Johnson. The plot had Roosevelt visiting Mount Holly School to "talk about many of the complexities now confronting the young women of America." [8]

Hilltop House (1948 - 1955)

On May 17, 1948, Miles Laboratories brought Hilltop House back to CBS. The orphanage was now headed by superintendent Grace Dolben, with Julie Erickson as her assistant. The program ran for seven years, with Pharmaco, Inc., replacing Miles as sponsor for the last year. [2] It ended on July 1, 1955. [1]

Hilltop House (1956 - 1957)

After about a year's absence, Hilltop House returned for one more run on radio, debuting on September 3, 1956, on NBC. [1] This time it faced competition from growing audiences for television, compounded by the shift of local radio stations away from soap operas. [2] The show left the air on July 30, 1957. [1]

Personnel

The table below shows characters in the three versions of Hilltop House and its spinoff, The Story of Bess Johnson.

CharacterActor
Bess Johnson Bess Johnson [2]
Julie Erickson Grace Matthews
Jan Miner [2]
Grace DolbenVera Allen [2]
Dr. Robby Clark Carleton Young [1]
Paul HutchinsonAlfred Swenson
Jack Roseleigh [1]
Thelma GidleyIrene Hubbard [1]
Jerry AdairJimmy Donnelly [1]
Jean Adair Janice Gilbert [1]
David BartonJohn Moore [1]
Captain John BarryDavid Gothard [1]
Dr. Jeff BrowningRobert Haag [1]
Reed NixonPhil Sterling [1]
Terry WallaceJanet (Janie) Alexander [9]
Philip WallaceCasey Allen [9]
Betty TaylorAlice Yourman [9]
Henry TaylorCarl Frank [9]
Marion WallaceRuth Yorke [9]
Aunt Marie Kate McComb [9]
Judge LennoxBill Adams [9]
Frank Klobber Jay Jostyn [10]
Roy Barry Jerry Tucker [10]
Steve CourtlandJoe Curtin [10]
Mrs. Wendell Lucille Wall [11]
Miss LudlowGladys Thornton [11]
Ralph WendellLarry Newton [11]
NealDick Wigginton [11]

Frank Gallop was the announcer. The producer was Edwin Wolfe, while the directors were Carlo De Angelo and Jack Rubin. Addy Richton and Lynn Stone (writing jointly as Adelaide Marston) wrote the scripts. Chester Kingsbury provided the music. [2] : 71 

Related Research Articles

<i>The Brighter Day</i> American TV series or program

The Brighter Day is an American daytime soap opera which aired on CBS from January 4, 1954, to September 28, 1962. Originally created for NBC Radio by Irna Phillips in 1948, the radio and television versions ran simultaneously from 1954–1956. Set in New Hope, Wisconsin, the series revolved around Reverend Richard Dennis and his four children, Althea, Patsy, Babby and Grayling.

The year 1941 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.

Just Plain Bill was a 1932-1955 15-minute American radio drama program heard on CBS Radio and NBC Radio. It was "a story of people just like people we all know."

<i>Bachelors Children</i> 1935-1946 domestic daytime drama broadcast

Bachelor's Children is a domestic daytime drama broadcast that originated on Chicago's WGN in 1935–36, continuing on CBS and NBC until September 27, 1946.

Hidden Faces is an American soap opera that aired on NBC from December 30, 1968 to June 27, 1969. The series was created by Irving Vendig, who also created the serial The Edge of Night. The serial focused on a law firm that was dealing with a high profile murder case throughout its 127-episode run; the main romantic angle had the firm's senior partner, Arthur Adams, becoming involved with client Kate Logan, a female surgeon accused of murder, which Adams and partner Nick Turner acquitted her of. Charles Fisher was the producer of the program, which was an in-house NBC production.

<i>When a Girl Marries</i> American radio soap opera (1939–1957)

When a Girl Marries is an American daytime radio drama that was broadcast on three major radio networks from 1939 to 1957. Created by Elaine Sterne Carrington, it was the highest rated soap opera during the mid-1940s.

<i>Clara, Lu, n Em</i>

Clara, Lu, 'n Em is a radio soap opera, which first aired on June 16, 1930, over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. The show was picked up by the NBC Blue radio network and premiered at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on January 27, 1931. Thus, it became the first nationally broadcast radio soap opera. When Clara, Lu 'n Em was moved to a regular daytime time slot on February 15, 1932, it became the first networked daytime soap opera.

<i>Big Sister</i> (radio series) 1936-1952 radio drama series

Big Sister was a daytime radio drama series created by Lillian Lauferty and broadcast on CBS from September 14, 1936, to December 26, 1952. It was sponsored by Lever Brothers for Rinso until 1946 when Procter & Gamble became the sponsor.

Palmolive Beauty Box Theater was an American radio program that featured an operetta or other musical each week from April 24, 1934, to October 6, 1937. It was sponsored by Palmolive soap and produced by Bill Bacher.

Kitty Foyle is an American old-time radio and television soap opera originally aired during the 1940s and 1950s that was based on the 1940 film of the same name starring Ginger Rogers. Kitty Foyle was created by soap opera mogul Irna Phillips of Guiding Light fame and produced by daytime radio monarchs Frank and Anne Hummert of Helen Trent recognition. The program originally starred Julie Stevens in the title role of Kitty Foyle on radio. On television, the title role was portrayed by Kathleen Murray.

Edward Frank Hummert, Jr., professionally known as Frank Hummert and sometimes credited as E. Frank Hummert, was an American advertising agent originally but was best known for writing/producing episodes of nearly 100 daytime/primetime radio dramas and soap opera serials between the 1930s and the 1950s.

<i>Joyce Jordan, M.D.</i> Radio soap opera

Joyce Jordan, M.D. is a 1938-1955 radio soap opera in the United States. It was broadcast on ABC, CBS and NBC at various times during the era of old-time radio.

Bright Horizon is an old-time radio soap opera in the United States. It was broadcast on CBS from August 25, 1941 to July 6, 1945. The program initially had an alternate title, The Story of Michael West.

Claudia and David is an American old-time radio drama. One version was broadcast on CBS July 4, 1941 – September 26, 1941 and another was syndicated in 1947.

<i>David Harum</i> (radio program) Radio soap opera

David Harum is an American old-time radio soap opera. It was broadcast on CBS, Mutual, and NBC. It ran from January 27, 1936, to January 5, 1951.

<i>Front Page Farrell</i> 1940s-50s US radio program

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. The episodes broadcast on Mutual originated at WOR, making the program the first live serial that Mutual broadcast from New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Readick</span> American actor

Bob Readick, also known professionally as Bobby Readick, was an American voice and film actor, best known for a run as the voice of "Johnny Dollar" in the CBS radio series Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in the early 1960s.

Bess Johnson was an American actress best known for her work on old-time radio. During her time on the air, "she was the highest paid daytime radio artist."

<i>This Is Nora Drake</i> American old-time radio soap opera

This Is Nora Drake is an American old-time radio soap opera. It was broadcast from October 27, 1947, to January 2, 1959, first on NBC and later on CBS. Beginning in May 1948, it was also carried on CFRB in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<i>The Story of Mary Marlin</i> American soap opera radio program

The Story of Mary Marlin is an American soap opera radio program. It was broadcast from October 3, 1934, until April 12, 1945, and returned from September 24, 1951, until April 11, 1952. After 1937 it was among the highest-rated soap operas. A version was also broadcast in Australia in 1959-1960.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 320. ISBN   978-0-19-507678-3 . Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Cox, Jim (2015). "Hilltop House". The Great Radio Soap Operas. McFarland. pp. 71–76. ISBN   9781476604145 . Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  3. ↑ "Program Reviews: 'Hilltop House'" (PDF). Radio Daily. November 2, 1937. p. 5. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  4. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 151. ISBN   978-0-7864-4513-4.
  5. ↑ Cox, Jim (2005). Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas. Scarecrow Press. p. 101. ISBN   9780810865235 . Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "'The Story of Bess Johnson Replaces 'Hilltop House', WHP". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. March 29, 1941. p. 25. Retrieved December 14, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. ↑ "All New Story Of Bess Johnson". The Times. Louisiana, Shreveport. May 21, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved December 15, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  8. ↑ "Mrs. Roosevelt Visits 'Story of Bess Johnson'". The Des Moines Register. Iowa, Des Moines. June 12, 1941. p. 6. Retrieved December 15, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "(cast list)". TV Radio Mirror. 42 (3): 60. August 1954. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 "Thursday's Highlights" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. 14 (6): 50. October 1940. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "(cast list)". Radio-TV Mirror. 39 (6): 64. May 1953. Retrieved 17 December 2018.

Logs

Streaming

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.