Elspeth Thexton Eric (September 15, 1907 – June 15, 1993) was an American actress in
old-time 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 medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early ...
, "usually cast as the other woman in soaps and serials".DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 90.
Early years
The daughter of a doctor, Elspeth Thexton Eric was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Bradford Academy and graduated from
Wellesley College
Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...
with a double major in economics and English literature. After hearing tales of woe about "girls who had tried to crash the great White Way and failed ... she enrolled in a business school and left word with her friends in New York to let her know when a job was to be had there."
She garnered some acting experience in summer stock theatre and moved back to New York, where she worked at various jobs for five years while she tried to find work as an actor. During those years, "She was a switchboard operator, waitress, governess, hostess in a cocktail lounge, publicity writer, model, cook, parlor maid, social secretary to a social secretary, stenographer and book saleswoman."
Radio
Eric's initial work on radio came in '' Big Sister'' and '' Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories''. Her roles on radio programs included those shown in the table below.
Other programs on which Eric appeared included ''The Haunting Hour'', ''
The FBI in Peace and War
''The FBI in Peace and War'' was a radio crime drama inspired by Frederick Lewis Collins' book of the same name.
The idea for the show came from Louis Pelletier who wrote many of the scripts. Among the show's other writers were Jack Finke, Ed Ada ...
'', ''
Abbott Mysteries
''Abbott Mysteries'' was a comedy-mystery radio program adapted from the novels of Frances CraneBuxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950''. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 4. (1896-1981). Initially a summer replace ...
'',Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 10. ''Ever Since Eve'', '' Front Page Farrell'', ''Quick as a Flash'', ''Rosemary'', ''Mommie and the Men'', ''
Inner Sanctum Mystery
''Inner Sanctum Mystery'', also known as ''Inner Sanctum'', is a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941, to October 5, 1952. It was created by producer Himan Brown and was based on the imprint (trade name), imprint given ...
'', ''
Bulldog Drummond
Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...
'', ''Manhattan at Midnight'', ''Green Valley, U.S.A.'', '' Gang Busters'', ''
21st Precinct
''21st Precinct'' (aka ''Twenty-First Precinct'' and ''Twenty First Precinct'') was a police drama broadcast on CBS radio from July 7, 1953, to July 26, 1956. It was initially a summer replacement for ''My Friend Irma''.
The program was produc ...
Mr. District Attorney
''Mr. District Attorney'' is a radio crime drama produced by Samuel Bischoff that aired on NBC and ABC from April 3, 1939 to June 13, 1952 (and in transcribed syndication through 1953). The series focused on a crusading district attorney initia ...
''.
Stage
Eric gained early acting experience with the Woodstock Summer Theatre. In 1932, she acted in the troupe at the Westchester Playhouse at
Mount Kisco, New York
Mount Kisco is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village and Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The town of Mount Kisco is coterminous municipality, coterminous with the vil ...
.
Her Broadway credits include ''The Live Wire'', ''Snafu'', ''Margin for Error'', ''Too Many Heroes'', and ''
Dead End
Dead End or dead end may refer to:
* Dead end (street), a street connected only at one end with other streets, called by many other official names, including ''cul-de-sac''.
Film and television
* ''The Dead End'' (1914 film), directed by David ...
''.
Television
Eric had the role of Lil Monte in the ''Road of Life'' soap opera, which was broadcast on TV and radio in 1955, with the same cast. She also appeared in "His Name Was Death," an episode of '' Robert Montgomery Presents'' (March 18, 1957), "Young Man Adam," an episode of '' Studio One'' (December 29, 1952), and "The Unfraid," an episode of ''
The Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet.
Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...
'' (November 23, 1952).
In a 1955 newspaper article, Eric indicated her preference for working in radio. "There are no ulcers in radio," she said. The reporter noted, "She reports her eight radio shows a week are easier than one a week on TV, and leave her more time to herself."
The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater
''The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater'' was an anthology radio drama series with Tom Bosley as host, which aired on the CBS Radio Network in 1977. Himan Brown, already producing the ''CBS Radio Mystery Theater'' for the network, added this ...
''. One of her scripts, "The Black Room," was published (in "novelized" form) in a book, along with two other stories from CBSRMT. ''Strange Tales From CBS Radio Mystery Theater'' was published in 1976 by Popular Library.
Death
Elspeth Eric died of cancer in Manhattan in 1993, aged 85.