| Show name | Young Widder Brown |
|---|---|
| Format | Daytime serial drama |
| Runtime | 15 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Syndicates | Mutual NBC |
| Starring | Florence Freeman Bud Collyer |
| Announcer | George Ansbro |
| Creator | Frank and Anne Hummert |
| Director | Martha Atwell |
| Producer | Frank and Anne Hummert |
| First aired | 1938 |
| Last aired | June 12, 1956 |
| Open theme | "In the Gloaming" |
| Othertheme | "Wonderful One" |
| Sponsor | Sterling Drugs |
Young Widder Brown was a daytime radio drama series broadcast on NBC from 1938 to 1956.[1] Sponsored by Sterling Drugs and Bayer Aspirin,[2] it daily examined the life of "attractive Ellen Brown, with two fatherless children to support."
The convoluted storyline focused on the efforts of Ellen, in her early thirties, to bring up her two children in the small town of Simpsonville, West Virginia, where she supported herself by running a tearoom, despite continual tragedies in her life.[3] (Another source refers to Simpsonville as "a small Midwestern town.")[2]
Produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, this soap opera series opened with the theme music "In the Gloaming" as rendered by organist John Winters.[citation needed] Heard in the title role during the 18-year run were Florence Freeman[4] (1938–54) and Wendy Drew (1954–56). Ellen Brown was romanced by Peter Turner (Bud Collyer)[citation needed] and Anthony Loring (Ned Wever). Ellen's children were Janey (Marilyn Erskine)[4] and Mark (Tommy Donnelly).[citation needed] Supporting actors included Bess McCammon, Joan Tompkins, and Kay Strozzi.[4]
Directors for the series included Martha Atwell, Richard Leonard and Ed Slattery. The announcer was George Ansbro.
The program was broadcast Monday-Friday at 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 361.
- ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 778.
- ^ Cox, Jim (2008). "Young Widder Brown: The Age-Old Conflict". The Great Radio Soap Operas. McFarland & Co. pp. 286–298. ISBN 978-0-7864-3865-5.
- ^ Aitchison, Marion (June 3, 1946). "Radio Programs". The Miami Herald. p. 15 B. Retrieved March 26, 2025. – via Newspapers.com