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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ep470 Nick Wants To Talk To Peggy In Person ep471 Bill And Kitt Talk ep472 Bill Tells Kitt He Wants Custody Child 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

ep473 Aunt Mary And Peggy Talk About Bill 474 Peggy And Bill Meet To Talk 475 Peggy Tells Bill Of Her Marriage Plans 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

ep476 Ben Wants Kitt To File For Divorce ep477 Letter From Paul ep478 Nick Doesn't Break Engagement 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

ep479 Nick Wants To Postpone The Wedding ep480 Ben Offers Bill A Compromise ep481 Lefty Told Wedding Postponement 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

ep482 Aunt Mary Told Of Ben's Proposition 483 Jessie Suspicious Of Kitt's Motives 484 Nick And Bill Talk 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

ep584 Angus Talks To Bill ep585 Randy Defends Lily ep586 Aunt Mary Told Information *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

ep587 Lisa Told Of Lily's Plans 588 Lisa Can't Turn Lance Away 589 Lisa Admits Love For Lance *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

ep590 Lisa Urged To Claim Her Child 591 Lisa Has Dinner With Lance 592 Lisa Wrestles With Her Conscience *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

ep485 Lisa Regrets Giving Up Her Baby 486 Bill And Jane Talk 487 Bill Refuses Ben's Proposition 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

ep488 Paul Is Going To Wakefield 489 Bill Tells Aunt Mary Of His Decision 490 Paul Cromwell Phones 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

ep491 Peggy And Aunt Mary Talk 492 Peggy Wouldn't Want Raise Kitt's Child 493 Kitt Meets With Paul Cromwell 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

ep494 Paul Promises To Leave Town 495 Paul Learns The Truth 496 Paul Is Angry *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

ep497 Paul Demands To See Kitt 498 Showdown Between Paul And Kitt 499 Paul Intends To Tell Lisa The Truth *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

ep500 Paul Tells Lisa The Truth 501 Paul Is Worried About Lisa 502 Bill Sees The Baby *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

ep503 Lawyer Wants Bill To Accept Ben's Offer 504 Bill Has No Legal Grounds 505 Randy Is Home *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

506 Nick Fills Randy In 507 Kitt Tries To Phone Paul And Lisa 508 Lisa Sees Her Baby * 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

509 Lisa Asks Kitt For Her Son 510 Kitt Argues For The Child 511 Present For The Child * 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

512 Lisa Doesn't Take Her Child 513 Randy Goes To Save Lisa 514 Lisa Saved * 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

515 Worried About Lisa 516 Trying To Comfort Lisa 517 Lisa Mentions Kitt's Name * 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

518 Bill And Aunt Mary Talk 519 Lisa Admits Knowing Kitt 520 Wants To Contact Dell About Lisa * 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

ep521 Aunt Mary Sees Ben And The Baby 522 Aunt Mary Calls Dell About Lisa 523 Nick And Kitt Talk *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

ep524 Kitt Wants To Give Bill The Divorce 525 Kitt Will Give Bill The Divorce 527 Kitt Begs Bill Not To Try For Custody *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

ep528 Lisa Leaves Wakefield 529 Bill Tells Peggy Of The Divorce 530 Lisa Meets Dell And Lily *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

ep531 Lily Tries To Help Lisa 532 Peggy Admits Love For Bill 533 Lisa Receives Yellow Roses *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

ep534 Dell Will Try To Help Lisa 535 Kitt Asks David For Help 536 Kitt Talks To Her Lawyer *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

537 Peggy And Kitt Talk 538 Lily Defends Lisa 539 Lily Talks To Lance *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

540 Lance Appeals To Lisa 541 Lisa Refuses To Take Lance Back 542 Dell Learns Of Lisa's Decision *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

543 Bill Served With Divorce Papers 544 Bill Asks For A Date With Peggy 545 Aunt Mary Notices The Baby's Eyes *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

546 Kitt Questions Mrs. Thorndyke 547 Divorce Trial To Start Soon 548 Dell Urges Lisa To Tell Her Story *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 *

ep549 Ben And Jessie Argue 550 Dell Learns Lisa's Story 551 Bill Gets Divorce, But Without Custody *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. The 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

ep552 Kitt Wants To Leave Wakefield 553 Bill And Nick Talk 554 Aunt Mary Talks With Angus *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. The 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

ep555 Bill Invited To Dinner 556 Aunt Mary, Lefty And Randy Talk 557 Kitt Gives Advice To Nick *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. The 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

ep558 Peggy Couldn't Raise Kitt's Child 559 Peggy Agrees To Marry Nick 561 Peggy Asked To Wait Before Marrying *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. The 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

ep562 Dell And Lily Are Going To Wakefield 563 Lisa Worried About Dell Telling About Baby 564 Lily Meets Randy *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. The 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