''Front Page Farrell'' is an American
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 earl ...
program that was broadcast on
Mutual from June 23, 1941 to March 13, 1942, and on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
from September 14, 1942, to March 26, 1954.
The episodes broadcast on Mutual originated at
WOR,
[ ] making the program the first live serial that Mutual broadcast from New York City.
Format
In its early years, ''Front Page Farrell'' was much like other
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 ...
s in that it focused on the domestic situations of a married couple, David and Sally Farrell. David Farrell was a newspaper reporter, and in the 1950s, the program's focus shifted more to his work, such as "hard-hitting tales of murder investigations as Farrell tracked cold-blooded killers."
Each of Farrell's investigations of crimes usually began on Monday and concluded on Friday,
[ which aided infrequent listeners.]
Episodes
Typical examples of ''Front Page Farrell'' cases (each solved within one week) included:
*"The Deep-Freezer Murder Case", in which a department store executive's body was found in a refrigeration unit.
*"The Fountain of Youth Murder Case", in which a former beauty queen was killed during a rejuvenation treatment.
*"The Blinding Light Murder Case", in which the owner of a modeling agency was murdered.
*"The Interrupted Wedding Murder Case", in which the father of the bride was murdered and a valuable wedding gift disappeared.[
]
Personnel
David Farrell was played by Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death'' (1947), ...
, Carleton G. Young, and Staats Cotsworth
Staats Cotsworth (February 17, 1908 – April 9, 1979) was an actor in old-time radio.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 64. He is ...
. Sally Farrell was portrayed by Virginia Dwyer and Florence Williams. Actors heard in supporting roles included Peter Capell
Peter Capell (3 September 1912 – 3 March 1986) was a German actor who was active on screen from 1945 until 1985. Apart from a lengthy film career, he appeared in many television series and mini-series. He appeared in many old time radio pr ...
, Frank Chase, Robert Donley, Katherine Emmet, Elspeth Eric
Elspeth Thexton Eric (September 15, 1907 – June 15, 1993) was an American actress in old-time radio, "usually cast as the other woman in soaps and serials".DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 ...
, Betty Garde
Katharine Elizabeth Garde (September 19, 1905 – December 25, 1989) was an American stage, radio, film and television actress.
Early years
Born in Philadelphia, Garde was starring in productions of South Philadelphia's Broadway Players by ...
, Ethel Intropide, Sylvia Leigh, Athena Lorde, James Monks, William Shelley, Eleanor Sherman, Vivian Smolen, George Sturgeon, James Van Dyk, Evelyn Varden, and Sammy Warner. Bill Bond, Larry Elliott, Ed Fleming, and Don Hancock were announcers.[
''Front Page Farrell'' was created and produced by the husband-and-wife team of 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 ...
. The theme was "You and I Know".
Sponsor
The American Home Products company sponsored ''Front Page Farrell'', promoting a variety of its products by rotating commercials. The products included Kolynos toothpaste and tooth powder, Anacin pain reliever, Kriptin antihistamine, Freezone corn remover, Heet liniment, Dristan and Primatene cold remedies, Preparation H hemorrhoid treatment, Neet hair remover, Infrarub balm, Black Flag insect repellent, Aerowax floor wax, Wizard room deodorizer, Sani-Flush toilet cleaner, and Easy-Off oven cleaner.[
]
References
{{Reflist
External links
Logs
Log of episodes of ''Front Page Farrell'' from radioGOLDINdex
Streaming
Episodes of ''Front Page Farrell'' from Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
1941 radio programme debuts
1954 radio programme endings
1940s American radio programs
1950s American radio programs
Mutual Broadcasting System programs
NBC radio programs
American radio soap operas
Works about journalists