Martha Atwell (born Martha Nivin Atwell, September 12, 1900 – December 28, 1949) was an American radio director, known for her association with Frank and

Anne Hummert Anne Hummert (née Schumacher) (January 19, 1905 – July 5, 1996) was the leading co-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 Balt ...

Early life and career

Atwell was born in

Bellevue, Pennsylvania Bellevue is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 8,311 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The borough was incorporated in ...

, one of at least four children born to James R. Atwell and Bertha Nivin."Radio Writer Dead in Bath"
''New York Daily News''. December 29, 1949. p. 16. Retrieved June 3, 2023. After graduating from Bellevue High School, Atwell attended first Mt. Holyoke College and then the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

, where she became a member of the

Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota () is an international music fraternity. It was established in 1903 at the University School of Music in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sigma Alpha Iota is a member of the National Interfraternity Music Council and the Professional Frater ...

International Music Fraternity for Women. Graduating in 1922, she was awarded a scholarship to the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

. While at Eastman, Atwell portrayed the title character in an ambitious production of Maeterlink's ''Sister Beatrice, a Play in Three Acts'', staged by then-faculty member

Rouben Mamoulian Rouben Zachary Mamoulian (October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an Armenian-American film and theater director. Mamoulian's oeuvre includes sixteen films (four of which are Musical film, musicals) and seventeen Broadway theatre, Broadw ...

. It was Mamoulian who suggested that Atwell switch her focus from music to drama. Taking his advice to heart, she soon became Mamoulian's assistant, and subsequently the scenarist of the Eastman Theater. With the onset of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in 1929, Atwell moved to New York, where she was signed as a director by the

World Broadcasting System World Broadcasting System, Inc., was an American recording service for the radio industry founded in 1929 by Percy L. Deutsch (1885–1968), with key investors and creative artists (Walter) Gustave Haenschen and Milton Diamond (both of whom had wor ...

. Atwell directed episodes of a number of popular

radio serial Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

s. For the Hummerts, these include: * ''

Chaplain Jim ''Chaplain Jim'' is an American radio war drama that began on April 20, 1942, and ended on June 30, 1946. It began on the Blue Network and later moved to the Mutual Broadcasting System. Premise Based on true events, episodes featured the title ...

USA'' * ''

David Harum ''David Harum; A Story of American Life'' is a best-selling novel of 1898 by Edward Noyes Westcott. Literary significance and criticism Written by retired Syracuse, New York banker Edward Noyes Westcott, the work was rejected by six publish ...

'' * ''

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

'' * ''Lora Lawton'' * ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' * ''

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 ...

'' * ''

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 and Anne Hummert, who based it upon Robert W. Chambers' ...

'' * '' Mystery Theater'' For other producers, she oversaw production of episodes of ''The Editor's Daughter'', ''Hearts in Harmony'', and ''Linda's First Love''. Atwell rarely agreed to artists' special requests, running her productions according to the rules set down by the Hummerts. She was also noted for her insistence on punctuality. On the other hand,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

vice president James Davidson Taylor, speaking in 1946, recalled how "wonderfully kind and helpful" Atwell had been during his early days as an aspiring announcer/producer.

Personal life and death

Atwell never married. Her death appears to have been a suicide; she was discovered floating in a

bathtub A bathtub, also known simply as a bath or tub, is a container for holding water in which a person or another animal may Bathing, bathe. Most modern bathtubs are made of thermoformed Acrylic resin, acrylic, porcelain enamel, porcelain-enameled s ...

in her apartment.

References

1900 births 1949 deaths American radio directors Eastman School of Music alumni Mount Holyoke College alumni New England Conservatory alumni Sigma Alpha Iota Women radio directors 1949 suicides Suicides by drowning in the United States Deaths by drowning in New York (state) Suicides in New York City {{US-radio-bio-stub