''Valiant Lady'' is an American
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
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 ...
that was broadcast on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
,
CBS, and
NBC at various times from March 7, 1938, through August 23, 1946, and later between October 8, 1951, and February 19, 1952.
[Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press. . Pp. 692-694.]
Characteristics
Episodes of ''Valiant Lady'' were introduced with the summary: "... the story of a woman and her brilliant but unstable husband -- the story of her struggle to keep his feet firmly planted on the pathway to success." The main character was "an actress who relinquishes her career to marry Truman Scott, a noted plastic surgeon."
[Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 346.] Because "Truman was extremely jealous and unstable," the story centered on "efforts to guide his life."
[
A 1946 article in the trade publication '']Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...
'' noted:
Joan Blaine
Joan Blaine (April 20, 1900 - April 18, 1949) was an American actress best known for her work in soap operas on old-time radio.
Early years
Blaine was born April 20, ca. 1900 Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Birt ...
, the program's star for most of its time on the air, wrote in a 1942 '' Pittsburgh Press'' article:
In a 1943 article in ''The Milwaukee Journal
The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...
'', Blaine commented that ''Valiant Lady'' "deals with current issues — all substantial contemporary material."
Origin
''Valiant Lady'' was created by Frank 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 ...
. 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 ...
test-marketed the program on WGN in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, beginning January 3, 1938. An article in a trade publication noted that the tentative title ''Magnificent Lady'' had been changed to the permanent title ''Valiant Lady''. Initial cast members were Joan Blaine, Francis X. Bushman
Francis Xavier Bushman (January 10, 1883 – August 23, 1966) was an American film actor and director. His career as a matinee idol started in 1911 in the silent film ''His Friend's Wife.'' He gained a large female following and was one of the ...
, Sally Agnes Smith and Olan Soule. The author was Sandra Michaels.
Networks
Beginning March 7, 1938,[ ] after two months of testing on WGN, ''Valiant Lady'' was moved to CBS to be broadcast "five mornings weekly," replacing ''Hollywood in Person''[ The 15-minute program continued to originate in Chicago.][
On May 30, 1938, General Mills moved ''Valiant Lady'' and four other programs from CBS to NBC. By that time, ''Valiant Lady'' was originating from ]New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. General Mills ended its sponsorship of the ''Valiant Lady'' and ''Light of the World'' effective August 23, 1946, citing "government restrictions on wheat and labor difficulties"; the programs advertised Gold Medal Flour and Cheerios, respectively.[
]
Personnel
Joan Blaine was the star, playing "an actress with a wide assortment of personal problems"[ who gave up her acting career to care for her injured father.][Reinehr, Robert C. and Swartz, Jon D. (2008). ''The A to Z of Old-Time Radio''. Scarecrow Press, Inc. . P. 269.] The character's name is given in various 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 ...
reference works as Joan Blake,[Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 714.] Joan Barrett,[ Joan Scott,][Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930-1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . Pp. 277-278.] and Joan Hargrave-Scott.[Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950''. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 249.] Blaine's importance to the program was such that she received "billing up front before the title."[Dunning, John. (1976). ''Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925-1976''. Prentice-Hall, Inc. . P. 628.]
The program's characters and the actors and actresses who played them are as follows. (Source[ except as noted.)
Others who acted in the program over the years included Vivian Holt, Sue Reed, Richard Sanders,][Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1942). ''The 1942 Radio Annual''. Radio Daily Corp. P. 759.] Florence Malone,[ Barbara Lee,][ Arthur Elmer, Gilbert Mack,][Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1941). ''The 1941 Radio Annual''. Radio Daily Corp. Pp. 715, 717.] Roy Fant, Ray Morgan, Louise Larabee, Jackson Beck, Howard St. John, George Herman, and Aileen Poe.[Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1944). ''The 1944 Radio Annual''. Radio Daily Corp. Pp. 731, 737, 739, 742, 747, 753.]
Announcers were Art Millet[Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1940). ''The 1940 Radio Annual''. Radio Daily Corp. Pp. 712, 740, 764.] and Dwight Weist, and the organists were Jesse CrawfordRoy Lockwood
Roy Lockwood, (8 June 1907 to 25 April 2002) was a pioneering British film, television and radio director. His work included directing the radio soap opera ''Valiant Lady''.Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950''. Th ...
, Ernest Ricca, and Rikel Kent. Writers were Sandra Michael, Ruth Borden,[ Addy Richton, Lynn Stone, Lawrence Klee, and Howard Teichman.]
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Episodic log of ''Valiant Lady'' from Calfkiller Old Time Radio
* ttp://www.radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=Valiant+Lady Episodic log of ''Valiant Lady'' from radioGOLDINdex
American radio soap operas
1938 radio programme debuts
1946 radio programme endings
1951 radio programme debuts
1952 radio programme endings
1940s American radio programs
1930s American radio programs
CBS Radio programs
Programs