Clara, Lu, 'n Em

Clara, Lu, 'n Em is a radio soap opera, which first aired on June 16, 1930, over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois.[1] The show was picked up by the NBC Blue radio network and premiered at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on January 27, 1931. Thus, it became the first nationally broadcast radio soap opera.[1] When Clara, Lu 'n Em was moved to a regular daytime time slot on February 15, 1932, it became the first networked daytime soap opera.[1]

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The first daytime serial drama-by-installment program, network or otherwise, is widely considered by scholars of the genre to be Painted Dreams, when it premiered in October 1930.[2][3]

Clara, Lu, 'n Em continued in various forms through the 1930s and early 1940s on the NBC Blue Network and CBS, finally airing as a syndicated series in 1945.[4]

Background

The series began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Rejection by several radio executives in Chicago led the trio to WGN. Program manager Henry Selinger was skeptical of their working without scripts, but their audition convinced him to let them perform without pay. They eventually began writing their own scripts and receiving pay.[5] Super Suds was a sponsor of the program as early as August 1930.[6]

NBC

As interest grew, they were sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and were heard evenings on the NBC Blue Network from January 27, 1931, to February 12, 1932, before moving to weekdays from February 15, 1932, to March 23, 1934. From March 26, 1934, to January 10, 1936, they ran on the NBC (Red) network. On June 26, 1936, they returned to the NBC Blue Network, doing a weekly evening series, with music by Ted Fio Rito. The 30-minute program was sponsored by Frigidaire dealers.[7]

Characters and hiatus

Story lines centered on three women who lived in a small-town duplex. Clara Roach and her family lived on one side of the duplex, Emma Krueger lived with her family on the other side. Widow Lulu Casey lived upstairs with her daughter Florabelle. When Carothers suddenly died January 8, 1937, at age 32, Starkey and King decided not to continue.[8]

Return on CBS

When the program returned with Starkey and King in 1942 on CBS, another of their Northwestern University friends, Harriet Allyn, portrayed Lu. The show ran three times a week during the daytime.

Syndicated version

In 1945 a syndicated version of the show had a brief run. Allyn continued in the cast as Em, along with Fran Allison as Clara and Dorothy Day as Lu.[4]

See also

References
  1. Cox, Jim (2005-11-15). Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6523-5.
  2. Cox, Jim (2005-11-15). Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6523-5.
  3. Cox, Jim (2003). Frank and Anne Hummert's radio factory: the programs and personalities of broadcasting's most prolific producers. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786416318.
  4. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 112-113. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-02-07. Clara Lu And Em, serial drama; radio's first soap opera.
  5. Ray, William (April 21, 1935). "Fate and Gossip Made Them a Fortune". Detroit Free Press. Michigan, Detroit. p. 72. Retrieved November 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "WGN (August 29, 1930)". Chicago Tribune. 1930-08-29. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  7. "Clara, Lu 'N' Em Start New Series On NBC-WFBC Tonight". The Greenville News. South Carolina, Greenville. June 26, 1936. p. 20. Retrieved November 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Thompson, Edgar A. (August 1, 1941). "Riding the Airwaves". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 2. Retrieved 7 April 2015.

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