Aunt Mary 1942 ep000 (Audition)
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1942 ep000 Promo
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 ep341 Bill Has Upset Peggy
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep342) Ben Questions Kitt
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep343) Peggy Borrows Car
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep344) Peggy To Trust Bill
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep345) Jessie Brings Kitt's Train Tickets
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep346) Bill And Kitt Talk
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep347) Ben Talks To David
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep348) Lefty's Anniversary
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep349) Lefty Visits David
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep350) Lefty Talks To Ben
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep351) Kitt Leaves Early
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep352) Driving To Stanton
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep353) Bill Wants Peggy To Hope
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep354) Ben Confronts Bill
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep355) Telegram To Paul Cromwell
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep356) Lisa Fenner Arrives
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep357) Jessie To Leave On Vacation
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep358) Kitt Learns About Lisa
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep359) Paul Questioned About Lisa
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep360) Peggy Meets Nicholas Dorn
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep361) Kitt Meets Lisa
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep362) Phone Call From Nicholas
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep363) Aunt Mary Meets Nicholas
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep364) Peggy Talks About Nicholas
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep365) Learns Jessie Went To California
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep366) Jessie Learns The Truth
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep367) Lisa Learns Kitt Is Pregnant
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep368) Kitt Lies About Her Marriage
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep369) Nick Meets Bill
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep370) Ben Learns Of Kitt's Pregnancy
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep371) Bill Confirms Jessie's Story
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep372) Ben Calls On Jessie
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep373) Nick And Peggy Talk Seriously
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep374) Peggy Snubs Bill
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep375) Dr Lewis Refuses To Help Ben
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep376) Ben Can't Get Kitt's Address
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep377) Ben Refuses To Marry Jessie
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep378) Aunt Mary Told
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep379) Ben Agrees To Marry Jessie
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep380) Kitt Irritated By Lisa
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep381) Lisa Worried About Kitt
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep382) Phone Call From Bill
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep383) Lisa's Dream
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep384) On The Way To Stanton
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep385) Jessie And Ben Married
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep386) Compromising Scene
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep387) Lisa Confronts Kitt
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep388) Talking To Jane About Peggy
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 ep389 Ben And Jessie Visit Kitt
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep390) Kitt's Accident
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep391) Worried About Kitt
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep392) Kitt Has Lost Her Baby
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep393) Lisa And Paul Talk
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep402) Lisa's Baby Born
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep403) Refuses To See Baby
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
1
comment
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep404) Lefty's Future
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep405) Agrees To Marriage
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep406) Plotting To Get The Baby
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep407) Adoption Problems
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 ep408 Dr Gordon Talks With Lisa
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 ep413 Wants Paul To Handle Baby Arrangements
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep414) Talking About Nick's Plans
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep415) Peggy Talks With Bill
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep416) Lefty And Nick Talk
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep417) Peggy Has An Answer For Nick
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep418) Paul Talks With Dr Gordon
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep419) Mrs. Kingsley Told
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep420) Paul Confronts Kitt
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep421) Lisa Returns From Hospital
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep422) Kitt Wants To See Lisa
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep423) Bill Offered Job
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep424) Lefty Learns Of Bill's New Job
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep425) Kitt Sees Lisa
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep426) Baby Can Travel In One Week
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep427) Ben Telephones Kitt
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep428) Peggy Talks To Lefty
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep429) Asks Lefty's Opinion
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep430) Aunt Mary Told Of Peggy's Decision
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep431) Aunt Mary And Peggy Disagree
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep432) Bill Talks To Jane
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep433) Lefty Angry At David
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep434) Bill Has Coffee With David
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep435) Talking About Date For Wedding
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep436) Bill Runs Into Nick And Peggy
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep437) Aunt Mary To Discourage Marriage
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep438) Wanting Kitt To Leave Soon
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep439) Paul Lies To Dr Gordon
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep440) Telegram Arrives
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep441) Arriving At Ben's House
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep442) Bill Thinks About His New Son
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep443) Bill Seen Leaving Ben's House
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep444) Bill Won't Stay At Ben's House
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep445) Bill Leaves Ben's House
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep446) Ben Argues With Bill
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep447) Jessie And Kitt Talk
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep448) Ben Returns Home
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep449) Bill Tells Aunt Mary About The Baby
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep450) Peggy Learns Of Bill's Plans
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1945 (ep451) Bill Tells Kitt He Doesn't Love Her
TeslaWirelessRadio
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
Aunt Mary 1942 ep000 (Audition)
3 months ago
54
Aside from the audition and promo, we begin with episode 341. No episodes prior to 341 are available.
Aunt Mary is a radio soap opera in the United States. Episodes were 15 minutes long, running Monday through Friday. The show began with regional broadcasts on the West Coast, but it eventually was distributed more widely.
Jane Morgan (not to be confused with singer Jane Morgan) starred as Aunt Mary. The actress is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Davis, Eve Arden's landlady on Our Miss Brooks.
Writers for the program were husband-and-wife team Leigh and Virginia Crosby. He "had been associated with the General Mills shows," and she "had been Irna Phillips's top writer." A 1949 article in Broadcasting added that Virginia Phillips' "credits include such top daytimes as The Guiding Light, Road of Life and Today's Children. Additional writers listed in another source were Gil Faust and Virginia Thacker. The program's director was George Fogle, who also directed the radio soap opera Ma Perkins for seven years.
Despite its modest beginning, Aunt Mary achieved and maintained a good level of popularity. An article in Broadcasting magazine, focusing on the program's celebration of its fifth anniversary, reported, "Since it first went on the air in February 1944, Aunt Mary has been in the top 15 in the daytime Hooperratings and has usually ranked among the first five programs, national and regional." (The C.E. Hooper Company provided ratings for radio programs much like the Nielsen Company has done for television in more recent years.) That same article cited anecdotal evidence of the program's popularity, reporting, "in one area where the program was discontinued, more than 400 letters were received within a week from listeners who wanted to know why it had been dropped and when it would return."
Sponsors
Despite the name of its genre ("soap opera"), Aunt Mary, like some other daytime serials, apparently was never sponsored by a soap company. When it began, it was a sustaining program. The initial sponsor was Los Angeles-based Ben Hur Products (later acquired by McCormick & Company), which promoted its coffee, tea and spices via the program. On Feb. 19, 1945, Safeway Stores, Inc. took over sponsorship. By 1948, Albers Brothers Milling Company had become the sponsor. When the show spread to eastern regions of the United States, Hudson Pulp & Paper Corp. sponsored broadcasts in New York City, Baltimore, Boston-Springfield and Philadelphia beginning Jan. 14, 1946.
Networks, schedule and distribution
Aunt Mary began on a small scale, carried "on 8 NBC California and Arizona stations (KFI, KMJ, KPO, KFSD, KTAR, KVOA, KGLU, KYZM) Monday-Friday, 10:30-10:45 a.m. (PWT)." Seven months later, Sept. 11, 1944, the program was moved to 3:45-4 p.m. (PWT) Monday-Friday. At that time, it was carried on "12 NBC Western stations." By the program's first anniversary, "20 NBC Pacific stations" broadcast Aunt Mary in that same weekday afternoon time slot. Wider distribution was in the works, however. An article in Broadcasting in 1945 reported that the "show also will be released via transcriptions on a list of stations in eastern centers...". Effective Jan. 14, 1946, eastern stations WOR, WBAL, WBZ, WBZA, and KYW began carrying Aunt Mary.
The serial went into even more markets beginning in 1948, after NBC bought it. The transaction was that network's first time "of acquiring rights to a daytime serial." NBC promoted the availability of Aunt Mary with a full-page ad in the May 17, 1948, issue of Broadcasting.[8] An item in the May 31 issue of Broadcasting that year noted:
Release of more than 600 transcribed quarter-hour episodes of "Aunt Mary," daytime serial on NBC Western Network is slated by network's radio-recording division. Series, sponsored by Albers Div. of Carnation Co., and bought in January from C. & F. Productions Inc., will be available as an NBC syndicated program in the U.S. and Canada, except in the area served by the Western NBC stations.
As late as March 1961 (17 years after the program's launch), Aunt Mary was still listed ("605 serials, five a week series") among the programs offered by R.C.A. Recorded Program Services, the syndication arm of NBC. Aunt Mary even had an international aspect. A story in the April 4, 1949, issue of Broadcasting reported that Aunt Mary "is also heard in Australia, where it is performed live by an Australian cast, using scripts sent from Hollywood."
Cast
In addition to Jane Morgan in the leading role, other cast members were as follows:
Role Actor/Actress
Jessie Ward Calvert Irene Tedrow
Lefty Larkin Fred Howard
Peggy Mead Jane Webb
Ben Calvert Pat McGeehan
Kit Calvert Josephine Gilbert
Bill Mead Jack Edwards
David Bowman Jay Novello
Dr. Lew Bracey C. Hames Ware
Announcer Vincent Pelletier
Announcer Marvin Miller
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