 The cast of Young Widder Brown with Florence Freeman (Ellen Brown) seated middle. Announcer George Ansbro is at top left. | |
| Genre | Daytime serial drama |
|---|---|
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | Mutual NBC |
| Starring | Florence Freeman Bud Collyer |
| Announcer | George Ansbro |
| Created by | Frank and Anne Hummert |
| Directed by | Martha Atwell |
| Produced by | Frank and Anne Hummert |
| Original release | 1938 – June 12, 1956 |
| Opening theme | "In the Gloaming" |
| Other themes | "Wonderful One" |
| Sponsored by | 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. Heard in the title role during the 18-year run were Florence Freeman (1938–54) and Wendy Drew (1954–56). Ellen Brown was romanced by Peter Turner (Bud Collyer) and Anthony Loring (Ned Wever). Ellen's children were Janey (Marilyn Erskine) and Mark (Tommy Donnelly).
Directors for the series included Martha Atwell, Richard Leonard and Ed Slattery. The announcer was George Ansbro.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.