Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-06-14
Whats
New?
"wAsHBOARD wEEPERs'
By
Edudrd Duck

Folks, we've got a problem
"a national problem, that is.
What are we going to do
about the weepy drivel which
monopolizes better than half
the available daylight radio
time? The sponsors flstter-
ingly but inappropriately re-
fer to this conglomeration Of
balderdash as "the daytime
radio serial drama, We pre-
fer the term soap opera.
Readers Digest reprinted
an article from Fortune Mag
azine this month. Those who
dote on sentimental nonsense,
and who enjoy worrying about
imaginary problems of imagi-
nary people would do well to
read the article.
just think of it! Twenty
million A merican n women
bending an ear daily to find
out if Johns wife is still true
to him, or If Brenda's mother
in-law found a home of her
own yet.
Have you heard Barry Cam
eron, the discharged soldier?
He and mis- family will simply
slay you. If he had ever been
in the army, or il his writer
had, maybe e the gentleman
would rewrite the script and
hire a guy for the part who
didn't nave an uppitty pup
pity accent.
Women, haven't you enough
troubles of your own? II you
enjoy worrying about some
ones husband acquiring a bit
OF lipstick on his collar, may
be someone had better tip off
your own hubby, so he can
sow an oat or two and thereby
make you happy.
40 SERIALS
Yessir, from dawn to dusk
the washboard weepers pour
forth, and a lot of screwball
women pause to shed tear
and add gray hair. Forty
serials, no less, lombard the
American housewife and those
unfortunate males who work
nights or not at all and who
haven't the good sense to re-
treat to the poolroom or the
drugstore or wherever refuge
can be found, until the eve
ming lights go on.
We get "Linda's First Love"
and we get Pepper Youngs
Family" Helen Trent and
Valiant Lady" plague our
existence.
Then there's "The Second
Mrs. Burton" (This sounds
like a good one, doesn't IT'D
And let us not forget "Portia
Faces Life when a Girl
Marries," " Woman in White"
"Backstsge Wife" "The Pea
bodys," Life Can Be Beauti-
full" or Road OF Life"
STINKEROOS
The neVer-ending list OF
soap operas doesn't even al
low for a tiny breathing spell.
NBC tortures the public with
IL Of these monstrositieS In a
row. CHS hurlS II straight
stinkeroos at the listening
public.
All, me Life COULD
be beautiful, IL ii weren't for
things like this. Seems we
read somewhere that the ra-
dio was supposed to be an in
strument for entertaining and
educating. Thirteen times
more radio time is devoted to
soap operas than to cultural
or religious programs.
II people who waste their
time listening to such junk rs
the soap opera could see and
hear the characters land we
do mean characters), the ad-
vertisers and announcers i'm
dulging in backstage humor
about the dramas" perhaps
they would realize that they
are in reality the butt of a lot
of Jokes. These people earn
good money, although many
of the actors are hams OF the
purest variety.
These soap operas are less
expensive than musical pro-
grams, hence their popularity
with the sponsors. The aver
age person would prefer to
hear phonograph recordings
II the sponsors are unwilling
70 give the listening public
some decent musical programs
or variety shows, rather than
be faced with a deluge of day
to-day serials
Something's just got TO be
done about it Daytime radio