Stella Dallas (radio series)

Stella Dallas was an American radio soap opera that ran from October 25, 1937, to December 23, 1955.^[1] The New York Times described the title character as "the beautiful daughter of an impoverished farmhand who had married above her station in life."^[2]

Stella Dallas

Anne Elstner and Vivian Smolen
Running time	15 minutes
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Syndicates	NBC Radio
Starring	Anne Elstner Leo McCabe Michael Fitzmaurice
Announcer	Ford Bond Frank Gallop Howard Claney Jimmy Wallington Jack Costello Roger Krupp
Created by	Olive Higgins Prouty (original novel)
Written by	Frank and Anne Hummert
Directed by	Ernest Ricca Richard Leonard Norman Sweetser
Produced by	Frank and Anne Hummert
Original release	October 25, 1937 – December 23, 1955
Opening theme	"How Can I Leave Thee?"
Sponsored by	Bayer Double Dandrine shampoo
Podcast	The Egyptian Mummy Stream episode from archive.org

The series was created and produced by the husband and wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert, based on the 1923 novel Stella Dallas by Olive Higgins Prouty. The 15-minute drama began on October 25, 1937, as a local show on WEAF in New York City,^[1] in the wake of the successful movie version starring Barbara Stanwyck, and it was picked up by the NBC Radio network beginning June 6, 1938, running weekday afternoons.^[3]

Stella was played for the entire run of the series by Anne Elstner. Her husband Stephen Dallas was portrayed at various times by Leo McCabe, Arthur Hughes and Frederick Tazere. Initially, Joy Hathaway played Stella's daughter Laurel with Vivian Smolen later taking over the role. Laurel's husband was Dick Grosvenor (played by Carleton Young, Macdonald Carey, Spencer Bentley, George Lambert and Michael Fitzmaurice).

The program's opening told the premise of the drama:

We give you now Stella Dallas, a continuation on the air of the true-to-life story of mother love and sacrifice, in which Stella Dallas saw her own beloved daughter, Laurel, marry into wealth and society and, realizing the differences in their tastes and worlds, went out of Laurel's life.^[4]

The radio play inspired the name of the home furnishing store Stella Dallas in Dallas, Texas.^{[citation needed]}

Non-acting personnel

Announcers for Stella Dallas were Ford Bond, Frank Gallop, Howard Claney, Jimmy Wallington, Jack Costello, and Roger Krupp. Directors included Ernest Ricca, Richard Leonard, and Norman Sweetser.^[1]

See also

• Stella Dallas (novel)
• Stella Dallas (1925 film)
• Stella Dallas (1937 film)
• List of radio soaps

References

1. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 635–636. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
2. Staff. "ANNE E. MATTHEWS, 85, ACTRESS; PORTRAYED STELLA DALLAS ON RADIO", The New York Times, January 16, 1981. Accessed November 11, 2015.
3. "Save Our Stella", Metro Washington Old Time Radio Club.
4. Luther F. Sies, Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920–1960, McFarland & Company, 2000, p. 554. ISBN 0-7864-0452-3.

External links

• "Hummerts' Mill", Time, January 23, 1939.