Second Husband
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''Second Husband'' is a
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 ...
in the United States.Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920–1950''. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 209. The program told " e dramatic story of Brenda Cummings and the problems that arise within her family when she marries Grant Cummings, her second husband."Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . Pp. 234–235. Widow Brenda's marriage to wealthy Grant Cummings produced problems on two levels—her son and daughter didn't want to accept Grant as their new father, and Brenda wanted a career as a movie actress, which Grant opposed.Cox, Jim (2005). ''Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas''. Scarecrow Press, Inc. . Pp. 200–201. ''Second Husband'' was one of 35 radio series – many of them soap operas – produced by the husband-and-wife team 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 ...
from 1931 through 1960.Sterling, Christopher H. (ed.) (2004). ''Encyclopedia of Radio''. Fitzroy Dearborn. . P. The conflict regarding Brenda Cummings' desire for a career in movies resembled the situation of Mary Noble in another Hummert program, ''
Backstage Wife ''Backstage Wife'' is an American soap opera radio program that details the travails of Mary Noble, a girl from a small town in Iowa who came to New York seeking her future. Personnel Vivian Fridell had the title role from 1935 until the early 194 ...
''.


Star

Helen Menken Helen Menken (née Meinken; December 12, 1901 – March 27, 1966) was an American stage actress. Early years Menken was born in New York City to a German-French father, Frederick Meinken, and an Irish-born mother, Mary Madden. Her parents were ...
, who was the first actress to play Brenda Cummings, was a veteran of Broadway plays when the show began. She first appeared in a Broadway production at age 3 and was in another when she was 5. Menken progressed to more substantial roles by the time she was a teenager and " rough the mid-1920s, she presented a string of powerful performances in challenging dramas." Thus, a newspaper article about ''Second Husband'' advised readers: "The series will afford Miss Menken the opportunity of displaying her versatility and acting genius and will enable you radio dialers to hear one of the theater's brilliant actresses in a gripping role." A 1939 magazine article about ''Second Husband'' described Menken as "a perfectionist, which probably accounts for the fact that she is one of the few stars of stage or screen who has been able to make and retain an equal success on the air." Menken's personal life mirrored her role in the program to an extent, because when the show aired she was married to her second husband. Thus, her real-life experience sometimes affected her work on ''Second Husband''. As an example, she told one reporter, "It wasn't until after my second wedding that I realized what I had missed in not wearing a lovely, flowing, white wedding gown." After acknowledging her sentimental nature, she continued: "When my wedding scene ... came into the script, I went out and bought a beautiful wedding gown. And I was married over the air in it. The way I had always wanted to be married in real life. It was beautiful." The star's stage experience might also have influenced how the program was broadcast. That same article noted, "Broadcasting ''Second Husband'' is almost like putting on a regular stage play, with the curtain rising at the beginning of the show and falling at its end, and all the actors taking curtain calls in response to applause."


Cross-marketing with magazine

Cross-marketing, in which each of two entities promotes the other's product or service, was used to the mutual benefit of radio programs and magazines in the era of old-time radio. Radio historian Elena Razlogova wrote: "The networks and magazines perfected the cross-marketing common among department stores, newspapers, movies, pulps, slicks and comic strips in this period
he 1930s He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
Editors and program producers synchronized print and on-air tie-ins.Razlogova, Elena (2011). ''The Listener's Voice: Early Radio and the American Public''. University of Pennsylvania Press. . P. 65. ''Second Husband'' and ''Radio and Television Mirror'' magazine exemplified such cross-marketing. The magazine's January 1940 issue carried the first installment of a serial titled "Second Husband." A headline deck on the story's opening spread introduced the serial as follows: "Beginning in intimate diary form, the vivid story of a young mother who thought it was no crime to love and marry again – based on the popular radio serial of the same name." People at the magazine and the program coordinated promotion of efforts related to the tie-ins. Razlogova cited one example, when the magazine printed a full-page portrait of Brenda Cummings that was promoted on the radio show, "giving the listener no opportunity to miss either event." She added, "Thanks to such precisely orchestrated campaigns, radio shows boosted their ratings while fan magazines jacked up their circulation."


Broadcast schedule

*Sterling's products advertised on ''Second Husband'' were primarily Bayer Aspirin, Dr. Lyons Tooth Powder and Phillips' Milk of Magnesia.


Cast

Cast members were as follows: Others in the cast were
Lois Hall Lois Grace Hall (August 22, 1926 – December 21, 2006) was an American actress. Early years Hall was born on August 22, 1926, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the daughter of Lois Grace (née Lambert), a teacher, and Ralph Stewart Hall, a business ...
, James Meighan, Colleen Ward,
Virginia Dwyer Virginia Dwyer Gorman (December 19, 1919 – August 20, 2012) was an actress known for her roles in several daytime soap operas. From 1954 to 1962, she had roles on at least five daytime programs, including ''The Road of Life'', ''The Secret Sto ...
, Nancy Bashein, John Thomas, Skippy Homeier,
Peter Donald Peter Donald (June 6, 1918 – April 20, 1979) was a British-born actor who worked in American radio and television. He has been called "one of radio's great dialecticians."Cox, Jim (2007). ''Radio Speakers: Narrators, News Junkies, Sports Jockey ...
and Stefan Schnabel. The orchestra leader was Vic Arden.


References


External links


"Second Husband" story (based on the radio program) in the January 1940 issue of ''Radio and Television Mirror'' magazine
{{US radio soaps 1930s American radio programs 1940s American radio programs American radio soap operas NBC radio programs NBC Blue Network radio programs CBS Radio programs