Barbara Weeks (October 27, 1906 - July 4, 1954) was an American actress and voice talent in the
Golden Age of Radio
The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment, entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcastin ...
. She was best known for her work in
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
s.
[Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 2''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 743.]
Early years
Weeks was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Weeks of Binghamton, New York.
[ ] Her parents were singers before her father started a music store.
"One of her ancestors, Mrs. Robert R. Jillson," was also an actress. Weeks attended the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...
.
[ ]
Radio
A caption in a 1937 newspaper reported that Weeks' "radio career started in ''Mickey at the Circus'' and ''Roadways to Romance''."
[ ] However, another source reported, "She made her radio debut as a vocalist on a Portland, Maine, station."
In June 1938, she had the lead role in an
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
broadcast of ''
Anna Christie
''Anna Christie'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this work. According to historian Paul Avrich, the orig ...
''.
Her only lead role in a continuing radio program occurred when she played the title character in ''
Her Honor, Nancy James
Her Honor, Nancy James is a radio soap operaSies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 04. in the United States. It was broadcast Monday - Friday on CBS October 3, 19 ...
'', which began on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
October 3, 1938, and continued through July 28, 1939.
[Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press. . Pp. 317-318.]
Weeks' roles as a regular cast member in radio programs included those listed in the table below.
Source: ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984'',
[Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 29, 149, 224, 361.] except as noted.
Weeks also appeared in episodes of other programs, including ''
Alias Jimmy Valentine'',
[ '']Philip Morris Playhouse
''Philip Morris Playhouse'' is a 30-minute old-time radio dramatic anthology series.Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . P. 214.
The program " nerally .. ...
'',[Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950''. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. Pp. 180, 187.] ''Mr. District Attorney'', ''Theatre Guild of the Air'', ''Mr. and Mrs. North'',[ ''The Good Will Hour'', '']Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories
''Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories'' is a 15-minute radio drama that aired January 18, 1937, to November 16, 1956, on CBS, sponsored by Spry shortening. The program was heard weekdays at 11:45 a.m. until 1946, when it moved to 12:15 p.m.
...
'', and ''Colgate Theatre of Romance''.
Stage
Before venturing into radio, Weeks "was winning praise with stock companies."[ After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she "put in several years of stage trouping."][ She appeared in at least five ]Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
productions between 1927 and 1936, including a revival of ''Lombardi Limited''.[
]
Name confusion
Weeks was often confused for fellow actress Barbara Weeks, who mainly worked in film. At one time, both lived in New York, which meant that "Barbara-in-radio frequently gets mail and telephone calls intended for Barbara-in-the-movies."[
]
Personal life
On November 26, 1938, Weeks married actor Carl Frank, who played her husband in ''Young Doctor Malone''. They also played husband and wife roles in ''Now and Forever -- A Love Story''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weeks, Barbara (radio actress)
American radio actresses
American stage actresses
20th-century American actresses
1906 births
1954 deaths