Pepper Young's Family
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 12:20 pm
On the Air: When this series moved to daytime, it occupied almost a dozen quarter-hour time periods on all four radio networks. For five seasons it was broadcast on dual networks. The drama attained the unthinkable in 1937-38, airing on three networks daily -- NBC Blue at 11:15 a.m. ET, MBS at 1:30 p.m. and NBC Red at 3:00 p.m. -- a feat no other regularly scheduled commercial series achieved. The soap opera's most enduring segment was at 3:30 p.m. on NBC (1938-56). The serial began as "Red Adams" Oct. 2, 1932 on NBC Blue Sunday at 10:30 p.m. It was last heard Jan. 2, 1959 on NBC at 3:45 p.m.
Larry (Pepper) Young: Curtis Arnall (1934-37), Lawson Zerbe (1937-45), Mason Adams (1945-59) ... Peggy Young: Elizabeth Wragge ... Mary Young: Marion Barney ... Sam Young: Bill Adams, Thomas Chalmers, Jack Roseleigh ... Linda Benton Young: Eunice Howard
Announcers: Martin Block, Alan Kent, Richard Stark
Theme Song: "Au Matin"
Premise: It took three name changes for this compelling little drama to get up to speed before turning into the extraordinary tale of life in a typical post-Depression home. When it emerged at last, it turned into one of the best-loved stories of American fiction. And it brought to the forefront one of the most inventive talents that serialdom ever discovered. Elaine Sterne Carrington's attention to authenticity and detail and her obsession with making her narratives believable met with favorable public reaction. Of the major creators of soap operas, she alone claimed to have dictated every word of every script bearing her name. "Pepper Young's Family" and its predecessor titles ["Red Adams," "Red Davis," "Forever Young"] aired for 27 years, rivaling other washboard weepers at the zenith of the longevity scale. Starting as a weekly nighttime frolic similar to "The Aldrich Family," this lighthearted tale of a teenage youth and his kin evolved over time into a serious melodrama. With less pathos and heartache than its counterparts, the serial had its darker moments too. Eventually the central character grew to manhood, becoming a responsible member of society. His family's exploits were so popular that the program was broadcast three times daily, the only soap opera ever to attain such exalted status.
Now it's your turn to reminisce...
Larry (Pepper) Young: Curtis Arnall (1934-37), Lawson Zerbe (1937-45), Mason Adams (1945-59) ... Peggy Young: Elizabeth Wragge ... Mary Young: Marion Barney ... Sam Young: Bill Adams, Thomas Chalmers, Jack Roseleigh ... Linda Benton Young: Eunice Howard
Announcers: Martin Block, Alan Kent, Richard Stark
Theme Song: "Au Matin"
Premise: It took three name changes for this compelling little drama to get up to speed before turning into the extraordinary tale of life in a typical post-Depression home. When it emerged at last, it turned into one of the best-loved stories of American fiction. And it brought to the forefront one of the most inventive talents that serialdom ever discovered. Elaine Sterne Carrington's attention to authenticity and detail and her obsession with making her narratives believable met with favorable public reaction. Of the major creators of soap operas, she alone claimed to have dictated every word of every script bearing her name. "Pepper Young's Family" and its predecessor titles ["Red Adams," "Red Davis," "Forever Young"] aired for 27 years, rivaling other washboard weepers at the zenith of the longevity scale. Starting as a weekly nighttime frolic similar to "The Aldrich Family," this lighthearted tale of a teenage youth and his kin evolved over time into a serious melodrama. With less pathos and heartache than its counterparts, the serial had its darker moments too. Eventually the central character grew to manhood, becoming a responsible member of society. His family's exploits were so popular that the program was broadcast three times daily, the only soap opera ever to attain such exalted status.
Now it's your turn to reminisce...