Life of Mary Sothern, The

The Life of Mary Sothern was a long-running soap opera - there were at least three hundred episodes broadcast during the 1930s - and follows the daily ups and downs of Mary, a wife and mother, who worked hard for her family.

One of the nation's first radio soap operas, Mary Sothern was played by Minabelle Abbott Hutchins, who won the role in 1935 after auditioning alongside twenty-five other women.

She had begun her career at the Crosley radio station, WLW, as a secretary for the general manager, John Clark, but in her spare time, she was a singer and became a hillbilly character named Sara Wayne on radio. 

It was likely this experience that enabled her to win the title role - although she had also been offered the starring role in the first soap opera in the U.S.A - Ma Perkins. She turned it down for the starring role in the first romantic soap opera instead ... The Life of Mary Sothern, and the rest (as they say) is history!

"The human story of a woman, in an unsettled and changing world, seeks peace, happiness and security for herself and for her children."

The Life of Mary Sothern Intro

The story begins with Mary, a young widow, charming and attractive, struggling against overwhelming odds, to build a life for herself and her children in Craig's Falls, after the shock of her husband's death. 

She feels instinctively, that she will find contentment only by breaking completely with the past, and although her income has gone, she has refused offers of marriage and security, declaring that she will find a job and support her children. 

In the city of Craig's Falls, the people are trying to help her to gain this independence, but not without lots of dramas...

Other stars in the cast included Linda Carlon, Betty Caine, Jack Zoller, Joseph Julian, Leon Janney, Florence Golden, Bess McCammon, Rikel Kent and Jay Jostyn. The announcer was Ken Roberts.

I have been adding an episode each day to RUSC, and there are almost 250 episodes available - plenty to keep you hooked to the story for a while - I hope you enjoy them!

Happy listening my friends,