Aunt Mary
Mother's Day got me to thinking about some of the characters of old time radio. Who do you think of as a motherly figure from shows you've heard over the years?
My immediate thought was of the title character from the series Aunt Mary, a radio soap opera that aired during the 1940s.
I had better warn you though, if you're a fan of soap operas but haven't yet heard any of the shows, you'll end up hooked with the series! Joy's the one who loves a good soap, but as I have listened along with her, I've become quite a fan myself!
In fact, I'd consider Aunt Mary to be one of the best examples of radio soap operas, as it features pretty much every dramatic plot you would expect of a soap - and a lot more besides! Love triangles, long-buried secrets, betrayal, lies, jealousy all woven intricately alongside warm friendships, romance, chivalry, and a little comedy too.
Aunt Mary was the title character, a warm, motherly lady, who is the heart of the community - but who equally shouldn't be trifled with! She was played by Jane Morgan, who you might recognise as the voice of Our Miss Brooks nosy landlady, Mrs Davis. Also in the show were Jane Webb, who played Mary’s niece Peggy and Fred Howard as the mysterious Lefty Larkin.
Each episode lasted around fifteen minutes, and there were around six hundred episodes throughout its decade long run, aired five days a week. It was one of the most listened-to morning shows across the country.
On RUSC we currently have around 350 episodes live so far, with four new episodes added every week. I don't think you'll manage to listen to them all before Mother's day this weekend, but those and the remaining 250 episodes we have in the RUSC archives will certainly keep you busy for a long time after!
In the meantime, Joy and I have also put together a special page of Mother's Day shows for you on RUSC to celebrate the day. Do you have any special plans for yourself or your own Mother this weekend? I'm hoping our boys have something fun planned for Joy!
If you can, be sure to let your mother know how special she is this Mother's Day, and if you're a Mom yourself, this coming Sunday, don't feel guilty about putting your feet up. Sit back and enjoy the shows Joy and I have put together for you on RUSC to celebrate the day.
Here's the link:- Mother's Day Shows
Joy and I hope that all of our wonderful friends of RUSC will enjoy a very Happy Mother's Day!
Happy listening my friends,
P.S. Share any of these shows, this week only, and whoever you share with will also get a whole week's free access to the RUSC Old Time Radio website! Simply click on the "Share this show with a friend" link for each show, fill out their details and a short message from you, and Joy and I will do the rest!