Backstage Wife
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 12:25 pm
On the Air: Aug. 5, 1935-Mar. 27, 1936, MBS, 9:45 a.m. ET; Mar. 30-June 26, 1936, NBC Blue, 4:15 p.m.; 1936-38, NBC Blue, 11:15 a.m.; 1938-July 1, 1955, NBC, 4 p.m.; July 4, 1955-Jan. 2, 1959, CBS, 12:15 p.m.
Mary Noble: Vivian Fridell (1935-45), Claire Niesen (1945-59) ... Larry Noble: Ken Griffin (1935-45), James Meighan (1945-51), Guy Sorel (1951-59) ... Larry Noble, Jr.: Wilda Hinkel (child impersonator) ... Maude Marlowe: Henrietta Tedro, Ethel Wilson ... Tom Bryson: Frank Dane, Mandel Kramer, Charles Webster
Announcers: Edward Allen, Pierre Andre, Sandy Becker, Ford Bond, Bob Brown, Harry Clark, Stuart Dawson, Roger Krupp
Theme Song: "Stay as Sweet as You Are"; "The Rose of Tralee"
Epigraph: "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, matinee idol of a million other women -- the story of what it means to be the wife of a famous star."
Premise: One of the numerous success stories of the prolific serial creators Frank and Anne Hummert, Backstage Wife ultimately made the rounds of all four networks. The series embodied a Hummert motif: taking a fragile but persistent heroine of humble origin, wedding her into status, prosperity or both, then delivering her into contemptible situations in which she must fend off an endless procession of demented females hell-bent on capturing her mate for themselves -- at the risk of bodily injury to her. Mary Noble, an office clerk from the Midwest, married notoriety in Broadway matinee idol Larry Noble, "dream sweetheart of a million other women." For 23 years she fought bravely, defending her happiness against a perpetual parade of resolute damsels. And in the meantime, a melange of unbalanced men was just as committed to separating the Nobles for their own trysts with Mary. After two decades -- retaining a single NBC quarter-hour for 17 consecutive seasons -- that network gave Wife the boot. But because the drama sustained such a strong following, CBS extended its life an additional three years.
A personal confession: In my days of aspiring to become a network performer, I often thought how great it would be to capture either the role held by James Meighan or Ford Bond, both on this same drama in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They, and especially John Larkin (from his days as Perry Mason) became my idols -- and were legends to me. Did anyone else have similar experiences about radio personalities? Or did any of you ever have a desire to be in network radio?
Mary Noble: Vivian Fridell (1935-45), Claire Niesen (1945-59) ... Larry Noble: Ken Griffin (1935-45), James Meighan (1945-51), Guy Sorel (1951-59) ... Larry Noble, Jr.: Wilda Hinkel (child impersonator) ... Maude Marlowe: Henrietta Tedro, Ethel Wilson ... Tom Bryson: Frank Dane, Mandel Kramer, Charles Webster
Announcers: Edward Allen, Pierre Andre, Sandy Becker, Ford Bond, Bob Brown, Harry Clark, Stuart Dawson, Roger Krupp
Theme Song: "Stay as Sweet as You Are"; "The Rose of Tralee"
Epigraph: "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, matinee idol of a million other women -- the story of what it means to be the wife of a famous star."
Premise: One of the numerous success stories of the prolific serial creators Frank and Anne Hummert, Backstage Wife ultimately made the rounds of all four networks. The series embodied a Hummert motif: taking a fragile but persistent heroine of humble origin, wedding her into status, prosperity or both, then delivering her into contemptible situations in which she must fend off an endless procession of demented females hell-bent on capturing her mate for themselves -- at the risk of bodily injury to her. Mary Noble, an office clerk from the Midwest, married notoriety in Broadway matinee idol Larry Noble, "dream sweetheart of a million other women." For 23 years she fought bravely, defending her happiness against a perpetual parade of resolute damsels. And in the meantime, a melange of unbalanced men was just as committed to separating the Nobles for their own trysts with Mary. After two decades -- retaining a single NBC quarter-hour for 17 consecutive seasons -- that network gave Wife the boot. But because the drama sustained such a strong following, CBS extended its life an additional three years.
A personal confession: In my days of aspiring to become a network performer, I often thought how great it would be to capture either the role held by James Meighan or Ford Bond, both on this same drama in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They, and especially John Larkin (from his days as Perry Mason) became my idols -- and were legends to me. Did anyone else have similar experiences about radio personalities? Or did any of you ever have a desire to be in network radio?