Backstage Wife

Last updated
Backstage Wife
Vivian Fridell Backstage Wife 1942.jpg
Vivian Fridell portrayed Mary Noble on Backstage Wife in the 1930s and early 1940s
Other namesMary Noble, Backstage Wife
GenreDaytime serial drama
Running time15 minutes
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
Syndicates MBS
Blue
CBS
StarringVivian Fridell
Ken Griffin
AnnouncerPierre Andre
Created byFrank and Anne Hummert
Original releaseAugust 5, 1935 –
January 2, 1959
Audio formatMono
Opening theme"Stay As Sweet As You Are" [1]
Sponsored byDouble Danderine
Dr. Lyon's Tooth Powder
Ironized Yeast
Mulsified Cocoanut Oil Shampoo
Procter & Gamble

Backstage Wife is an American soap opera radio program that details the travails of Mary Noble, a girl from a small town in Iowa who came to New York seeking her future.

Contents

Personnel

Vivian Fridell had the title role from 1935 until the early 1940s. It was then taken over by Claire Niesen, who played Mary Noble for 14 years, until the end of the series. [2] Mary's husband, Larry Noble, was portrayed by Ken Griffin, then James Meighan, and finally, Guy Sorel. The music was supplied by organist Chet Kingsbury.

Plot

Each episode opened with the announcer (Pierre Andre, Roger Krupp, Stuart V. Dawson) explaining:

Now, we present once again, Backstage Wife, the story of Mary Noble, a little Iowa girl who married one of America's most handsome actors, Larry Noble, matinée idol of a million other women — the story of what it means to be the wife of a famous star.

In 1946, when the program was in its 12th year, a newspaper article summarized the plot's status as follows:

When her husband joined the Coast Guard, Mary tried to carry on his work in the theatre, thereby establishing a reputation for herself as an actress. Now Larry has come home, and the two are encountering the difficulties of peacetime readjustment. [3]

By 1951, Larry had been charged with a murder that had happened backstage at a theater. Larry was found innocent, and the killer (described as having undergone a nervous breakdown) was committed to an institution, but not before splashing acid in the face of Mary, "possibly disfiguring her forever". [4]

Production

The show was created by Frank and Anne Hummert, who produced many radio daytime drama series, including Amanda of Honeymoon Hill , Front Page Farrell , John's Other Wife , Little Orphan Annie , Ma Perkins , Mr. Chameleon , Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons and Our Gal Sunday . [5]

Backstage Wife debuted August 5, 1935, on the Mutual Broadcasting System, continued on NBC Radio and concluded on January 2, 1959 on CBS Radio. The sponsors included Dr. Lyons Tooth Powder and Procter & Gamble.

Broadcast history

The program was parodied by Bob and Ray as their continuing satirical soap opera, Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife, serialized for such a long period of time that it became better known to many listeners than the show it lampooned. Ray Goulding played Mary Backstayge, playwright Gregg Marlowe, neighbor Calvin L. Hoogevin and other characters, while Bob Elliott portrayed Harry Backstayge and stage doorman Pop Beloved.

In the Hogan's Heroes episode "The 43rd, A Moving Story", Hogan and Kinch find out from their secret radio that the bank is going to foreclose on Mary Noble, Backstage Wife.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Ma Perkins</i> American radio soap opera

Ma Perkins is an American radio soap opera that was heard on NBC from 1933 to 1949 and on CBS from 1942 to 1960. It was also broadcast in Canada, and Radio Luxembourg carried it in Europe.

<i>The Romance of Helen Trent</i>

The Romance of Helen Trent was a radio soap opera which aired on CBS from October 30, 1933 to June 24, 1960 for a total of 7,222 episodes. The show was created by Frank and Anne Hummert, who were among the most prolific producers during the radio soap era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Hummert</span> American radio soap opera writer

Anne Hummert was the leading creator of daytime radio serials or soap opera dramas during the 1930s and 1940s, responsible for more than three dozen series.

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."

Amanda of Honeymoon Hill is a 15-minute daily radio soap opera produced by Frank and Anne Hummert. Broadway actress Joy Hathaway had the title role, sometimes described as "the beauty of flaming red hair." The series was broadcast from February 5, 1940, until April 26, 1946, initially on the Blue Network at 3:15 p.m. until August 1942. It then moved to CBS, airing at 10:30 a.m. until 1943 when it was heard at 11 a.m.

<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>Lorenzo Jones</i> American daytime radio series

Lorenzo Jones was a daytime radio series which aired on NBC in different timeslots over an 18-year span.

<i>Our Gal Sunday</i> American soap opera

Our Gal Sunday is an American soap opera produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, network broadcast via CBS from March 29, 1937, to January 2, 1959, starring Dorothy Lowell and, after Lowell's 1944 death, Vivian Smolen in the title role.

Second Husband is an American radio soap opera that aired from 1936 to 1946.

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.

Betty and Bob is a radio soap opera. The soap opera follows the lives of Betty and Bob Drake. Betty was a secretary who falls madly in love with her boss, bachelor Bob Drake. The two wed and each day, the subject matter dealt with everything from love to hate, jealousy to divorce, murder to betrayal, and collusion to insanity.

Skippy was an American children's radio serial based on the popularity of the comic strip Skippy. It was broadcast on CBS Radio from January 11, 1932 to March 29, 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Wragge</span> American actress

Elizabeth Wragge was an actress who appeared on more than 10,000 old-time radio programs in addition to working in other media. She was sometimes billed as Elizabeth Wragge.

<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.

<i>Johns Other Wife</i> American old-time radio soap opera

John's Other Wife is an American old-time radio soap opera. It was broadcast on NBC-Red from September 14, 1936, until March 1940. In that month it moved to NBC-Blue, where it ran until March 20, 1942.

<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.

<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.

Arnold Grimm's Daughter is an American radio soap opera that was broadcast from July 5, 1937, until June 26, 1942, first on CBS and later on NBC.

Mr. Chameleon is a detective fiction radio drama created by Frank Hummert and produced by Frank and Anne Hummert. It ran on CBS Radio from July 14, 1948, to 1951 or 1953. The series starred Karl Swenson as a New York police detective who is a master of disguise, and who assumes a new identity in each episode in order to catch a criminal. The listening audience is always aware of who Mr. Chameleon is, no matter in which disguise he appears. According to the series' opening voice-over, "Chameleon" is not a nickname or pseudonym but the character's actual surname, one which he has tried to live up to since childhood. His motto is, "The innocent must be protected and the guilty must be punished." The theme song is John Jacob Loeb and Paul Francis Webster's "Masquerade".

References

  1. ↑ Fairfax, Arthur (December 28, 1940). "Mr. Fairfax Replies" (PDF). Movie Radio Guide. 10 (12): 43. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "Radio's 'Mary Noble' Dies in California". The Decatur Daily Review. October 6, 1963. p. 4. Retrieved October 9, 2015– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. ↑ "Radio Guide". Altoona Tribune. March 26, 1946. p. 11. Retrieved April 2, 2015– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. ↑ Crosby, John (February 9, 1951). "Soapland Discovers Homicide Commodithy". Arizona Republic. Arizona, Phoenix. p. 28. Retrieved September 9, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Cox, Jim (2008). "Backstage Wife: The Perfectly Named Serial Heroine". The Great Radio Soap Operas. McFarland & Co. pp. 15–28. ISBN   978-0-7864-3865-5 . Retrieved 2023-04-18.
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.