''Kitty Foyle'' is an American

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 ...

and television soap opera originally aired during the 1940s and 1950s that was based on the 1940 film of the same name starring

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

. ''Kitty Foyle'' was created by soap opera mogul

Irna Phillips Irna Phillips (July 1, 1901 – December 23, 1973) was an American scriptwriter, screenwriter, casting agent and actress. She is best remembered for pioneering a format of the daytime soap opera in the United States geared specifically toward wo ...

of ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' fame and produced by daytime radio monarchs

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

and

Anne Hummert Anne Hummert (née Schumacher) (January 19, 1905 – July 5, 1996) was the leading creator of daytime radio serials or soap opera dramas during the 1930s and 1940s, responsible for more than three dozen series. Biography She was born in Baltimore ...

of '' Helen Trent'' recognition. The program originally starred Julie Stevens in the title role of Kitty Foyle on radio. On television, the title role was portrayed by Kathleen Murray. Each episode primarily focused on Foyle's ongoing relationship with a doctor in the neighborhood, (played on radio by

Bud Collyer Bud Collyer (born Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., June 18, 1908 – September 8, 1969) was an American radio actor and announcer and game show host who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars. He is best remembered for ...

and on television by William Redfield), and the relationship between her and her father. Each episode also usually involved a flashback and was set in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. The radio version of ''Kitty Foyle'' ran on

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 ...

's daytime schedule from October 5, 1942–June 9, 1944. NBC Television aired the show during the afternoons from January 13–June 27, 1958.

Radio program

''Kitty Foyle'' originally began on the radio. The program evolved from a segment on the short-lived radio program ''Stories America Loves'' which only ran a year 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 ...

. The first ''Kitty Foyle'' segment was broadcast in June 1942. However, the program had further origin to a 1939 best-selling novel written by

Christopher Morley Christopher Darlington Morley (May 5, 1890 – March 28, 1957) was an American journalist, novelist, essayist and poet. He also produced stage productions for a few years and gave college lectures.''Online Literature'' Biography Morley was bo ...

. The novel became the premise for the popular 1940 film of the same name starring

. The film also resulted in a popular dress of the 1940s. The program was created by soap opera mogul

and was produced by daytime radio monarchs

and

. The program starred future '' Helen Trent'', (another Hummert production), star Julie Stevens in the title role of Kitty Foyle.

, who was the voice of

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

at the time, portrayed the role of Wyn Strafford,Historical Dictionary, p. 61A to Z, p. 61 the love interest of Kitty Foyle. Also apart of the Foyle family were Mark Smith and Victor Thorley who portrayed Kitty's father Pop Foyle and her brother Ed Foyle, respectively. Sportscaster

Mel Allen Mel Allen (born Melvin Allen Israel; February 14, 1913 – June 16, 1996) was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, ...

served as the announcer. The soap opera was broadcast from October 5, 1942 to June 9, 1944 on

CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...

. The program was sponsored by

General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...

.Historical Dictionary, p. 86A to Z, p. 86

History

Christopher Morley's '' Kitty Foyle''

In 1939,

wrote and published a novel also titled '' Kitty Foyle''. The plot of the novel tells the story of a white-collar girl who falls in love with a young socialite, despite the objections of his family. Contemporary Authors noted: "Central to the story is protagonist Kitty's affair with the affluent Wyn Strafford. Critics heatedly debated Morley's sexual sensationalism," notably her out-of-wedlock pregnancy and abortion. The story is told by Kitty in the first person. A sociologist suggests that "Kitty, in her observations of the mores and behavior patterns of the upper class acts as the anthropological alter ego of Morley, viewing the upper class from the outside." The book was a bestseller in 1939 and 1940.

1940 film

Formation

=Irna Phillips

= In 1941,

, creator of the popular soap opera ''

'', first proposed the idea of a serialized version of the award-winning film released a year earlier to

Lady Esther Lady Esther was the trademark of a cosmetic manufacturing company founded by German-born Syma Cohen and her siblings in Chicago in 1913 and operated as Lady Esther Company. It was incorporated in Illinois in 1922 and became America's top selling b ...

cosmetics. Unfortunately, Lady Esther rejected but

soon would except.

=General Mills, the Hummerts and ''Stories America Loves''

= By the early 1940s,

had been looking for a way to break into radio. Their first big break came in 1941 when the company became the official sponsor of ''The Lone Ranger'' radio program. But within months after landing sponsorship of ''The Lone Ranger'', the company were approached with the idea of a radio program that took popular novels of the time (past or present) and make serialized productions of them. The program was entitled ''Stories America Loves''. ''Stories America Loves'' premiered on CBS October 6, 1941. The program didn't get very much attention until June 1942 when the program began to broadcast segments of the novel ''Kitty Foyle''. The segments became so popular in fact that the rotating story concept of the program was abandonedA to Z, p. 215 and by the fall of 1942, the serial ''Kitty Foyle'' took over the daytime timeslot of its predecessor. Frank and Anne Hummert would become the producers of the new program. ''Stories'' ended its run on October 16, 1942. ''Kitty Foyle'' made its radio debut on October 5, 1942. The program premiered to relatively good ratings but soon would drop in the ratings. The program lasted two seasons and ended its run on June 9, 1944.

Television serial

On January 13, 1958, ''Kitty Foyle'' premiered on

Television. Under new direction and an all new cast, the show went underway. When it premiered, ''Kitty Foyle'' was NBC's first thirty-minute soap opera. At the time, 15 minutes was the standard for a televised daytime soap opera. The televised version of ''Kitty Foyle'' starred up-and-coming actress Kathleen Murray in the title role of Irish secretary Kitty Foyle. The program also starred actor William Redfield as Foyle's love interest Wyn Strafford and character actors

Bob Hastings Robert Francis Hastings (April 18, 1925 – June 30, 2014) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Lt. Elroy Carpenter on ''McHale's Navy'' and voicing Commissioner James Gordon in the DC Animated Universe. Early life Hast ...

and

Ralph Dunn Ralph Dunn (May 23, 1900 – February 19, 1968) was an American film, television, and stage actor. Early years Dunn was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania. His father was a veterinarian for the U.S. Army during World War I, and his mother ...

in the roles of her brother Ed and father 'Pop' Foyle, respectively. Also in the cast were

Judy Lewis Judy Lewis (born Judith Young; November 6, 1935 – November 25, 2011) was an American actress, writer, producer, and therapist. She was the secret biological daughter of actors Loretta Young and Clark Gable. Early life Lewis was born on Nov ...

Les Damon Lester Joseph Damon (March 31, 1908 – July 21, 1962) was an American character actor best known for his nearly 30 years performing on radio. Out of all his appearances on radio, Damon was best remembered for his roles as Nick Charles on ' ...

and a very young

Patty Duke Anna Marie "Patty" Duke (December 14, 1946 – March 29, 2016) was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her acting career, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Aw ...

. The series was produced by Charles Irving.

Carlton E. Morse Carlton Errol Morse (June 4, 1901 - May 24, 1993) was a Louisiana-born producer/journalist best known for his creation of the radio serial ''One Man's Family'', which debuted in 1932 and ran until 1959 as one of the most popular as well as long-r ...

, writer for radio's ''

One Man's Family ''One Man's Family'' is an American radio soap opera, heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted dramatic serial in the history of American radio. Television versions ...

'', served as head writer of the series.Kitty Foyle Thread
/ref> Hal Cooper was the director of the series and the series was packaged and distributed by Henry Jaffee Enterprises. The television version of ''Kitty Foyle'' did not go well with viewers. The story seemed tailor-made for the daytime serial market, but it wasn't. Perhaps the story was too familiar, or perhaps once the basic story was told, there was nothing else to say about Kitty and her problems. the Other sources speculate that one reason it was not successful was that the main character, Kitty Foyle, was not introduced until five weeks into the program. The serial only lasted five months and ended its network television run on June 27, 1958.

Cast and characters

On radio

Main cast

* Julie Stevens as Kitty Foyle *

The Great Radio Soap Operas, p. 69 as Dr. Wynnewood 'Wyn' Strafford VI *Mark Smith as 'Pop' Foyle *Victor Thorley as Ed Foyle

Supporting cast

Amanda Randolph Amanda E. Randolph (September 2, 1896 – August 24, 1967) was an American actress, singer and musician. She was the first African-American performer to star in a regularly scheduled network television show, appearing in DuMont's ''The Laytons' ...

On television

Main

*Kathleen Murray as Kitty Foyle * William Redfield as Dr. Wynnewood 'Wyn' Strafford VI *

as 'Pop' Foyle *

as Ed Foyle

Supporting

Kay Medford Margaret Kathleen Regan (September 14, 1919 – April 10, 1980), better known as Kay Medford, was an American actress. For her performance as Rose Brice in the musical '' Funny Girl'' and the film adaptation of the same name, she was nominated ...

as Sophie Foyle *Larry Robinson as Mac Foyle *

as Molly Scharf *

as Rosie Rittenhouse *Marie Worsham as Stacy Lee Balla

Broadcast history

On the radio, ''Kitty Foyle'' could be heard every weekday for 15 minutes from 1942 to 1944 beginning at 10:15 a.m. over

. On television, the program could be seen every weekday for thirty minutes beginning at 2:30 pm on

References

External links

* {{US radio soaps 1940s American radio programs 1942 radio programme debuts 1943 radio programme endings 1958 American television series debuts 1958 American television series endings Radio programs based on films American radio soap operas American television soap operas NBC original programming Black-and-white American television shows CBS Radio programs English-language television shows Television series created by Irna Phillips