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 ...
broadcast on
NBC Radio
The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first t ...
from October 2, 1944 to March 23, 1945, and 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 ...
from March 26, 1945 to July 1, 1955. Starring Betty Winkler as Rosemary Dawson Roberts, the program's only sponsor was
Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...
dishwashing liquid
Dishwashing liquid (or washing-up liquid in British English), also known as dishwashing soap, dish detergent, and dish soap is a detergent used to assist in dishwashing. It is usually a highly-foaming mixture of surfactants with low skin irr ...
,
Camay
Camay is an American brand of bar soap owned by Unilever. It was introduced in 1926 by Procter & Gamble and was marketed as a "white, pure soap for women," as many soaps of the time were colored to mask impurities. Camay's slogan for many yea ...
soap,
Dash
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
and
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide t ...
laundry detergent
Laundry detergent is a type of detergent (cleaning agent) used for cleaning dirty laundry (clothes). Laundry detergent is manufactured in powder (washing powder) and liquid form.
While powdered and liquid detergents hold roughly equal share o ...
s and
Prell
Prell is a viscous, pearl-green shampoo and conditioner product manufactured by Scott's Liquid Gold-Inc through their Neoteric Cosmetics subsidiary.
History
Prell was introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1947. The original formula was a clear gree ...
shampoo. The series was created by Elaine Carrington, who had previously created ''
Pepper Young's Family
''Pepper Young's Family'' is a daytime drama series, with various format and title changes during its long run from 1932 to 1959. It was created and written by short story author and playwright Elaine Sterne Carrington.
History
With Burgess Mered ...
'' (1932-1959) and ''
When a Girl Marries
''When a Girl Marries'' is an American daytime radio drama that was broadcast on three major radio networks from 1939 to 1957. Created by Elaine Sterne Carrington (who also was responsible for ''Pepper Young's Family'' and ''Rosemary''), it was th ...
'' (1939-1957).
Characters and story
When the program began, it focused on 20-year-old secretary Rosemary Dawson (Winkler), who supports her mother (
Marion Barney
Marion Barney (1879 - 1968) was an American character actress known for her long association with the radio programs of Elaine Sterne Carrington.
A native of San Francisco, Barney attended the University of California, Berkeley, at the same time ...
) and younger sister Patti (Jone Allison). Rosemary marries journalist Bill Roberts (George Keane), a war veteran and amnesiac who later remembers his first wife Audrey (Allison) and daughter Jessica (Joan Lazer) but forgets his present with Rosemary. The show also included Rosemary's best friend Joyce Miller (
Mary Jane Higby
Mary Jane Higby (May 29, 1909 - February 1, 1986)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 129. was an American actress in the era of old- ...
), lawyer Peter Harvey (Lawson Zerbe), and Dr. Jim Cotter (Bill Adams).
Cast
Winkler and Keane met doing ''Rosemary'' and married. When Keane was forced to leave the program due to illness, Winkler left as well, and they were replaced by
Robert Readick
Robert Readick (November 28, 1925 – May 27, 1985), also known professionally as Bob Readick or Bobby Readick, was an American voice and film actor, best known for a run as the voice of "Johnny Dollar" in the CBS radio series ''Yours Truly, J ...
and Virginia Kaye in the roles. Most of the other characters were also portrayed by multiple actors, including Patsy Campbell as Patti; Lesley Woods and
Joan Alexander
Joan Alexander (born Louise Abrass; April 16, 1915 – May 21, 2009) ''
''Rosemary'' was complimented for its "realistic approach to life" despite its use of plot devices like amnesia, and the program got "generally higher marks" from critics than its competition.