''Backstage Wife'' is an American

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 ...

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 1940s. It was then taken over by Claire Niesen, who played Mary Noble for 14 years, until the end of the series. Mary's husband, Larry Noble, was portrayed by Ken Griffin, then James Meighan, and finally, Guy Sorel. The music was supplied by organist Chet Kingsbury.

Plot

Each episode opened with the announcer (

Pierre Andre Mohd Pierre Andre Nazarul Andre (born 17 March 1985) is a Malaysian actor, director and writer. His role as Reza in the 2005 film ''Gol & Gincu'' was his first major role. Since then, he has since appeared in other films and TV series, as wel ...

, Roger Krupp, Stuart V. Dawson) explaining: :Now, we present once again, ''Backstage Wife'', the story of Mary Noble, a little Iowa girl who married one of America's most handsome actors, Larry Noble, matinée idol of a million other women — the story of what it means to be the wife of a famous star. In 1946, when the program was in its 12th year, a newspaper article summarized the plot's status as follows: :When her husband joined the coast guard, Mary tried to carry on his work in the theatre, thereby establishing a reputation for herself as an actress. Now Larry has come home, and the two are encountering the difficulties of peacetime readjustment. By 1951, Larry had been charged with a murder that had happened backstage at a theater. Larry was found innocent, and the killer (described as having undergone a nervous breakdown) was committed to an institution, but not before splashing acid in the face of Mary, "possibly disfiguring her forever".

Production

The show 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 ...

, who produced many radio daytime drama series, including '' Amanda of Honeymoon Hill'', ''

Front Page Farrell ''Front Page Farrell'' is an American old-time radio program that was broadcast on Mutual from June 23, 1941 to March 13, 1942, and on NBC from September 14, 1942, to March 26, 1954. The episodes broadcast on Mutual originated at WOR, making th ...

'', '' John's Other Wife'', ''

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'', ''

Ma Perkins ''Ma Perkins'' (sometimes called ''Oxydol's Own Ma Perkins'') is an American radio soap opera that was heard on NBC from 1933 to 1949 and on CBS from 1942 to 1960. It was also broadcast in Canada, and Radio Luxembourg carried it in Europe. Th ...

'', ''Mr. Chameleon'', ''

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons ''Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons'' was one of radio's longest running shows, airing October 12, 1937 to April 19, 1955, continuing well into the television era. It was produced by Frank Hummert, Frank and Anne Hummert, who based it upon Robert ...

'' and '' Our Gal Sunday''. ''Backstage Wife'' debuted August 5, 1935, on the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. rad ...

, continued 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 ...

and concluded on January 2, 1959 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 Broa ...

. The sponsors included Dr. Lyons Tooth Powder and

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 he ...

Broadcast history

*August 5, 1935 – March 27, 1936, MBS, 9:45 a.m. ET *March 30–June 26, 1936, NBC Blue, 4:15 p.m. *1936–1938, NBC Blue, 11:15 a.m. *1938–July 1, 1955, NBC, 4 p.m. *July 4, 1955 – January 2, 1959, CBS, 12:15 p.m.

In popular culture

The program was parodied by

Bob and Ray Bob and Ray were an American comedy duo whose career spanned five decades, composed of comedians Bob Elliott (1923–2016) and Ray Goulding (1922–1990). The duo's format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such ...

as their continuing satirical soap opera, ''Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife'', serialized for such a long period of time that it became better known to many listeners than the show it lampooned. Ray Goulding played Mary Backstayge, playwright Gregg Marlowe, neighbor Calvin L. Hoogevin and other characters, while Bob Elliott portrayed Harry Backstayge and stage doorman Pop Beloved. In the ''

Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom set in a Nazi German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. It ran for 168 episodes (six seasons) from September 17, 1965, to April 4, 1971, on the CBS network, the longest broadcast ...

'' episode "The 43rd, A Moving Story", Hogan and Kinch find out from their secret radio that the bank is going to foreclose on ''Mary Noble, Backstage Wife''.

References

External links

''Time'': "Hummerts' Mill," January 23, 1939
* ''Backstage Wife'' on The Internet Archive (accessed August 19, 2021): collections o
84 episodes
an
204 episodes
{{US radio soaps American radio soap operas 1930s American radio programs 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs CBS Radio programs Mutual Broadcasting System programs NBC Blue Network radio programs NBC radio programs 1935 radio programme debuts 1959 radio programme endings