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 of the series aired in prime time from 1949 to 1952 and in daytime from 1954 to 1955.

Radio

''One Man's Family'' debuted as a radio series on April 29, 1932, in Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco, moving to the full West Coast NBC network the following month, sponsored by Snowdrift and Wesson Oil. On May 17, 1933, it expanded to the full coast-to-coast NBC network as the first West Coast show heard regularly on the East Coast. The show was broadcast as a weekly half-hour series (1933-1950) ustained by Standard Brands from 1935 through 1949">Standard_Brands.html" ;"title="ustained by Standard Brands">ustained by Standard Brands from 1935 through 1949 then shifted to daily 15-minute installments, initially originating in the studios of San Francisco radio station KPO, NBC's flagship station for the West Coast, eventually moving to Los Angeles.Starr, Kevin. ''The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s ''. Oxford University Press, 1997.
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The program's nationwide expansion came after NBC executives began receiving letters from people in the eastern part of the United States saying that they were staying up until 1 a.m. to hear the broadcasts from the West Coast. The network conducted a trial series of broadcasts from Schenectady, and when an episode was omitted one night, "a flood of telephone calls swamped the switchboard". Going nationawide meant adding a broadcast at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time each Wednesday while the West Coast broadcasts continued as usual.

Characters and story

The series employed a literary device with episodes divided into books and chapters. Spanning 27 years, the program presented 136 books with 3,256 chapters. Storylines were set in the Sea Cliff, San Francisco">Sea Cliff area of San Francisco, California, an area familiar to San Franciscan Carlton E. Morse. The radio plotline centered on stockbroker Henry Barbour, his wife Fanny and their five children (chronologically: Paul, Hazel, the twins Clifford and Claudia, and Jack). The dialogue included many specific references to San Francisco, including the Golden Gate Bridge, which the Barbours could see from their rear living room window or their garden wall.

After 3,256 episodes, the radio series ceased production on April 24, 1959 (several sources give the date of May 8, 1959). ''One Man's Family'' was the longest-running serial drama in American radio broadcasting, edging out ''Ma Perkins'' (although Ma Perkins produced over twice as many episodes). Organist Paul Carson, who played the background music and the opening theme, "Destiny Waltz" (1932–41), composed the show's later theme, "Waltz Patrice" (aka "Patricia"). Among its other trademarks, episodes were introduced as if they were chapters from books.

Overseas

Two Australian versions of ''One Man's Family'' were broadcast in Australia in the late 1930s/early 1940s; in Sydney on 2CH and in Melbourne on 3XY. 3XY opened in 1935 and was originally a very low rating station, until the great popularity of ''One Man's Family'' changed its fortunes. The Melbourne version featured 3XY announcer Carl Bleazby (who later featured in the Australian Broadcasting Commission's popular TV series, Bellbird). By 1939, Doreen McKay was portraying Claudia in an Australian version.

Television

''One Man's Family'' had the rare distinction of airing both in prime time and daytime television. The first TV version (November 4, 1949 - June 21, 1952) ran in prime time once a week for a half-hour and reverted the stories back to the 1932 storylines. Hazel was a 28-year-old who yearned for marriage, Cliff and Claudia were students at Stanford University, and Jack was ten years old. The prime time version focused on Fanny's attempts to mediate between her old-world husband and her independent-minded children.

In 1965, General Foods offered to sponsor another version of ''One Man's Family'' on NBC, but NBC passed and picked up ''Days of Our Lives'' instead.

See also

*List of radio soaps
* List of longest-serving soap opera actors
* Michael Raffetto

References

Sources

*Walter P. Sheppard, ''One Man's Family: A History 1932 to 1959 and a Script Analysis 1932 to 1944'', University of Wisconsin, 1964 (doctoral dissertation; available through University Microfilms). "Some Notes on 'One Man's Family,'" article drawn from the dissertation, Journal of Broadcasting, Vol. XIV, No. 2 (Spring 1970).

Listen to

RadioLovers: ''One Man's Family'' (two episodes)

External links

Did You Know?
*

Meet the Barbours



"One Man's Family" short story, Radio and Television Mirror, April 1940, page 21

{{US radio soaps

1930s American radio programs
1932 radio programme debuts
1959 radio programme endings
1940s American radio programs
1950s American radio programs
1949 American television series debuts
1952 American television series endings
1954 American television series debuts
1955 American television series endings
American radio soap operas
American television soap operas
NBC original programming
Television series based on radio series
Black-and-white American television shows
American English-language television shows
NBC radio programs
Radio programs adapted into television shows
Radio programs about families
Television series about families
Television shows set in San Francisco