Hilltop House (radio drama)

Hilltop House is an American old-time radio soap opera. It debuted on November 1, 1937, was replaced by a spinoff, then was re-launched twice, with its final episode coming on July 30, 1957.[1]

Hilltop House
Other namesThe Story of Bess Johnson
GenreSoap opera
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
SyndicatesCBS
Mutual
NBC
StarringBess Johnson
Grace Matthews
Jan Miner
Vera Allen
AnnouncerFrank Gallop
Written byAddy Richton and Lynn Stone (writing jointly as Adelaide Marston)
Directed byCarlo De Angelo
Jack Rubin
Produced byEdwin Wolfe
Original releaseNovember 1, 1937 (1937-11-01) –
July 30, 1957 (1957-07-30)
Opening themeBrahms Lullaby
Ending themeBrahms Lullaby

Versions

Hilltop House is dedicated to the women of America ... the story of a woman who must choose between love and the career of raising other women's children. — Epigraph of program.[2]: 73 

Radio historian Jim Cox wrote in his book, The Great Radio Soap Operas, "Listeners — most of them mothers themselves — related to the tenderness with which this tireless servant went about her tasks."[2] A review of the program's premiere episode included the comment, "Both the script and the writing stood out as well above the average serial."[3]

Hilltop House (1937 - 1941)

Hilltop House's stories centered on Bess Johnson and the struggles that she faced as the person in charge of Hilltop House Orphanage.[4] Children were integral to the plots, and the stories usually dealt with the youngsters' interactions with adults. Financial problems and conflicts between the staff and members of the orphanage's board of directors also arose frequently.[5] Sponsored by Palmolive soap, this version was broadcast on both CBS and Mutual beginning on November 1, 1937. It left Mutual in 1938 but remained on CBS until March 28, 1941.[1]

The Story of Bess Johnson (1941 - 1942)

In 1941, Hilltop House was replaced by a spinoff, The Story of Bess Johnson. The on-air premise for the change was that bigoted officials had dismissed Johnson from her position at the orphanage, and the new program would focus on Johnson as she looked for a new job and faced new dramatic developments.[6] The story behind the scenes was that the sponsor, Palmolive soap, changed advertising firms, and the new agency decided to reduce production costs by reducing the quality of the program. That led producer Edwin Wolfe to take Hilltop House off the air, whereupon the new advertising agency replaced it with The Story of Bess Johnson. Johnson left Hilltop House on a Friday, and on the following Monday she became superintendent[2] of Mount Holly School for Girls.[7] Kleenex tissues was the sponsor. When it debuted on March 31, 1941, the spinoff was broadcast on both NBC and CBS. At some point, it left CBS, and it ended on NBC on September 25, 1942.[2]

In 1941, Eleanor Roosevelt participated in an episode of The Story of Bess Johnson. The plot had Roosevelt visiting Mount Holly School to "talk about many of the complexities now confronting the young women of America."[8]

Hilltop House (1948 - 1955)

On May 17, 1948, Miles Laboratories brought Hilltop House back to CBS. The orphanage was now headed by superintendent Grace Dolben, with Julie Erickson as her assistant. The program ran for seven years, with Pharmaco, Inc., replacing Miles as sponsor for the last year.[2] It ended on July 1, 1955.[1]

Hilltop House (1956 - 1957)

After about a year's absence, Hilltop House returned for one more run on radio, debuting on September 3, 1956, on NBC.[1] This time it faced competition from growing audiences for television, compounded by the shift of local radio stations away from soap operas.[2] The show left the air on July 30, 1957.[1]

Personnel

The table below shows characters in the three versions of Hilltop House and its spinoff, The Story of Bess Johnson.

CharacterActor
Bess JohnsonBess Johnson[2]
Julie EricksonGrace Matthews
Jan Miner[2]
Grace DolbenVera Allen[2]
Dr. Robby ClarkCarleton Young[1]
Paul HutchinsonAlfred Swenson
Jack Roseleigh[1]
Thelma GidleyIrene Hubbard[1]
Jerry AdairJimmy Donnelly[1]
Jean AdairJanice Gilbert[1]
David BartonJohn Moore[1]
Captain John BarryDavid Gothard[1]
Dr. Jeff BrowningRobert Haag[1]
Reed NixonPhil Sterling[1]
Terry WallaceJanet (Janie) Alexander[9]
Philip WallaceCasey Allen[9]
Betty TaylorAlice Yourman[9]
Henry TaylorCarl Frank[9]
Marion WallaceRuth Yorke[9]
Aunt MarieKate McComb[9]
Judge LennoxBill Adams[9]
Frank KlobberJay Jostyn[10]
Roy BarryJerry Tucker[10]
Steve CourtlandJoe Curtin[10]
Mrs. WendellLucille Wall[11]
Miss LudlowGladys Thornton[11]
Ralph WendellLarry Newton[11]
NealDick Wigginton[11]

Frank Gallop was the announcer. The producer was Edwin Wolfe, while the directors were Carlo De Angelo and Jack Rubin. Addy Richton and Lynn Stone (writing jointly as Adelaide Marston) wrote the scripts. Chester Kingsbury provided the music.[2]: 71 

References
  1. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  2. Cox, Jim (2015). "Hilltop House". The Great Radio Soap Operas. McFarland. pp. 71–76. ISBN 9781476604145. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  3. "Program Reviews: 'Hilltop House'" (PDF). Radio Daily. November 2, 1937. p. 5. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  4. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  5. Cox, Jim (2005). Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas. Scarecrow Press. p. 101. ISBN 9780810865235. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  6. "'The Story of Bess Johnson Replaces 'Hilltop House', WHP". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. March 29, 1941. p. 25. Retrieved December 14, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. "All New Story Of Bess Johnson". The Times. Louisiana, Shreveport. May 21, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved December 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. "Mrs. Roosevelt Visits 'Story of Bess Johnson'". The Des Moines Register. Iowa, Des Moines. June 12, 1941. p. 6. Retrieved December 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  9. "(cast list)". TV Radio Mirror. 42 (3): 60. August 1954. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  10. "Thursday's Highlights" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. 14 (6): 50. October 1940. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  11. "(cast list)". Radio-TV Mirror. 39 (6): 64. May 1953. Retrieved 17 December 2018.

Logs

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