''Just Plain Bill'' was a 1931-1955 15-minute American radio drama program heard on CBS Radio and

NBC Radio The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (also known as the NBC Red Network from 1927 to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in continuous operation from 1926 through 1999. Along with the NBC Blue Network, it wa ...

. It was "a story of people just like people we all know." The program began on CBS on September 19, 1932. It was originally broadcast at night, but on October 16, 1933, CBS added a daytime version. Night broadcasts ended in 1935, leaving only the daytime program thereafter until the show ended on September 30, 1955. It told the story of Bill Davidson ( Arthur Hughes), a barber in the town of Hartville, and his daughter Nancy (Ruth Russell). Bill often became involved in helping his friends and neighbors when he wasn't cutting hair. Davidson was seldom directly affected by the problems in which he became involved, but he wanted to help people — especially Nancy — when they faced difficulties. The show was created by Frank and Anne Hummert, who produced many radio daytime drama series, including '' Amanda of Honeymoon Hill'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Front Page Farrell'', '' John's Other Wife'', ''

Little Orphan Annie ''Little Orphan Annie'' was a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and print syndication#Comic strip syndication, syndicated by the Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James ...

'', ''

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. T ...

'', '' Mr. Chameleon'', '' Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons'', ''

Our Gal Sunday ''Our Gal Sunday'' is an American soap opera produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, network broadcast via CBS from March 29, 1937, to January 2, 1959, starring Dorothy Lowell and, after Lowell's 1944 death, Vivian Smolen in the title role. Th ...

'' and ''

Young Widder Brown ''Young Widder Brown'' was a daytime radio drama series broadcast on NBC from 1938 to 1956.Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 361. Sponsored by Sterling Drugs ...

''. Music was by Hal Brown (1865–1942), who played harmonica and whistled the ''Just Plain Bill'' opening theme, "Darling Nellie Gray". The closing theme was " Polly Wolly Doodle."

Don Pardo Dominick George "Don" Pardo Jr. (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenur ...

was the program's announcer towards the end of the series, which came to an end on September 30, 1955.

Personnel

Characters in ''Just Plain Bill'' and the actors who portrayed them included those shown in the table below. Announcers included Andre Baruch, Fielden Farrington, Ed Herlihy, and Roger Krupp.

Cultural references

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

short '' Goofs and Saddles''

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

's character is known as "Just Plain Bill." The April 24, 1949 episode of ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 19 ...

'' has Jack shopping for a new car, passing up such dealers as

Madman Muntz Earl William "Madman" Muntz (January 3, 1914 – June 21, 1987) was an American businessman and engineer who sold and promoted cars and consumer electronics in the United States from the 1930s until his death in 1987. He was a pioneer in televi ...

and Psychiatric Sam in favor of "Just Plain Bill." This episode was remade on February 24, 1952. Bill was played by

Jim Backus James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom ''Gilligan's Island,'' the father of James Dean's character in '' Rebel Without a Cause, ...

in the original, and

Joseph Kearns Joseph Sherrard Kearns (February 12, 1907 – February 17, 1962) was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson ("Mr. Wilson") on the CBS television series '' Dennis the Menace'' from 1959 until his death in 1962. He ...

in the remake. The January 14, 1950 episode of ''The Bob Hope Show'' has Hope, with guest star Bing Crosby, performing a soap opera parody called "Just Plain Bing." The 1965

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical short '' Fast and Furry-ous''. In each film, the cunning, d ...

cartoon "Just Plane Beep" has the coyote using an airplane to help him catch the Road Runner. In the ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

'' episode " Major Fred C. Dobbs," Hawkeye tape-records an encounter between Frank Burns and Hot Lips in the latter's tent, then plays it back for Frank in the guise of "my favorite armed forces soap opera, ''Just Plain MacArthur.''" The comedy team

Bob and Ray Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) *Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II *Bob the ...

parodied the show in their sketch "Just Fancy Dan."

Listen to

''Just Plain Bill''

References

External links

"Soaps on Radio" by Terry G.G. Salomonson
{{US radio soaps 1930s American radio programs 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs American radio soap operas CBS Radio programs NBC Blue Network radio programs NBC radio programs

Personnel

Sponsors

Cultural references

Listen to

See also

References

External links