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]
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]
- ^ a b c Cox, Jim (2005-11-15). "Clara, Lu,'n Em". Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas. Scarecrow Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-8108-6523-5.
- ^ Cox, Jim (2005-11-15). "Painted Dreams". Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas. Scarecrow Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-8108-6523-5.
- ^ Cox, Jim (2003). Frank and Anne Hummert's radio factory: the programs and personalities of broadcasting's most prolific producers. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786416318.
- ^ 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.