Clara, Lu, and Em

Clara, Lu, and Em is a radio daytime soap opera. It began on June 16, 1930, over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. It 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.[1] The program became the first network daytime radio serial when it was moved from its original evening time slot to days.

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Background

The series began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Rejection by several radio executives in Chicago led the trio to WGN. Program manager Henry Selinger was skeptical of their working without scripts, but their audition convinced him to let them perform without pay. They eventually began writing their own scripts and receiving pay.[2]

NBC

As interest grew, they were sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and were heard evenings on the NBC Blue Network from January 27, 1931, to February 12, 1932, before moving to weekdays from February 15, 1932, to March 23, 1934. From March 26, 1934, to January 10, 1936, they ran on the NBC (Red) network. On June 26, 1936, they returned to the NBC Blue Network, doing a weekly evening series, with music by Ted Fio Rito. The 30-minute program was sponsored by Frigidaire dealers.[3]

Characters and hiatus

Story lines centered on three women who lived in a small-town duplex. Clara Roach and her family lived on one side of the duplex, Emma Krueger lived with her family on the other side. Widow Lulu Casey lived upstairs with her daughter Florabelle. When Carothers suddenly died January 8, 1937, at age 32, Starkey and King decided not to continue.[4]

Return on CBS

When the program returned with Starkey and King in 1942 on CBS, another of their Northwestern University friends, Harriet Allyn, portrayed Lu. The show ran three times a week during the daytime.

Syndicated version

In 1945 a syndicated version of the show had a brief run. Allyn continued in the cast as Em, along with Fran Allison as Clara and Dorothy Day as Lu.[1]

See also

References
  1. 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. Clara Lu And Em, serial drama; radio's first soap opera.
  2. Ray, William (April 21, 1935). "Fate and Gossip Made Them a Fortune". Detroit Free Press. Michigan, Detroit. p. 72. Retrieved November 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Clara, Lu 'N' Em Start New Series On NBC-WFBC Tonight". The Greenville News. South Carolina, Greenville. June 26, 1936. p. 20. Retrieved November 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Thompson, Edgar A. (August 1, 1941). "Riding the Airwaves". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 2. Retrieved 7 April 2015.

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