Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy

Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy is an American old-time radio soap opera. After beginning as a transcribed program on seven stations on October 23, 1939,[1] it was broadcast weekday afternoons on CBS from October 7, 1940, until April 3, 1942[2] and sponsored by Maxwell House coffee.[3]

Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy
Other namesKate Hopkins
GenreSoap opera
Running time15 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
SyndicatesCBS
StarringHelen Lewis
Margaret MacDonald
Selena Royle
AnnouncerNelson Case
Written byGertrude Berg
Chester McCracken
Original releaseOctober 23, 1939 (1939-10-23) –
April 3, 1942 (1942-04-03)
Sponsored byMaxwell House coffee

The show's initial premise was that after Kate Hopkins' husband died in a fire, she became a visiting nurse to support herself and her young son in the mythical American town of Forest Falls.[3] Hopkins faced concerns such as "Once started, malicious gossip is hard to stop. Is it wise to face slander openly, or to solve it by running away?"[4]

By July 1941, however, Hopkins had become "a widow of forty at a loose end when her son Tom is drafted into the Army."[5] Hopkins was living on a plantation near New Orleans as companion to Jessie Atwood, "a retired and renowned lady of the theater".[5] In that situation, Hopkins drew the attention of Atwood's son, who planned to marry 18-year-old Diane Pers.[5] As time went on, Hopkins found herself attracted to Atwood's son, while Pers developed "much of a mutual interest" with Hopkins' son.[6]

Production constraints during World War II resulted in the cancellation of the show. After the War Production Board ordered a reduction in use of tin containers, executives of Maxwell House's parent company, General Foods, ended the broadcasts.[7]

Personnel

Characters in the program and the actors and actresses who portrayed them are shown in the table below.

CharacterActor/Actress
Kate HopkinsHelen Lewis[8]
Margaret MacDonald[8]
Selena Royle[9]
Tom HopkinsNed Wever[8]
Clayton "Bud" Collyer[8]
Robert AtwoodRaymond Edward Johnson[8]
Jessie AtwoodConstance Collier[8]
Duke DuncanDonald MacLaughlin[10]
SmokieCharles Calvert[10]
BlackieJoseph Julian[10]
Diane PersDelma Byron[5]
ElisePeggy Allenby[5]
TrudyTempleton Fox[11]

Nelson Case was the announcer.[12] Writers for the program were Gertrude Berg and Chester McCracken.[2]

References
  1. "Maxwell House Discs" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 15, 1939. p. 63. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  2. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 381. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  3. "'Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy' Becomes Daily Drama on WHP". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. May 3, 1941. p. 21. Retrieved September 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy". The Times. Louisiana, Shreveport. May 9, 1940. p. 10. Retrieved September 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. "Movie-Radio Guide's Theatre of the Air Presents "Kate Hopkins", Part I" (PDF). Movie-Radio Guide. 10 (42): 45. July 26, 1941. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  6. "Movie-Radio Guide's Theatre of the Air Presents "Kate Hopkins", Part 3" (PDF). Movie-Radio Guide. 10 (44): 45. August 9, 1941. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  7. "Riggio and Mars Cancel Net Series: Maxwell House Drops Serial Due to Container Change" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 2, 1942. p. 11. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  8. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  9. "Change in Serial Cast" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 10, 1941. p. 53. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  10. "Mr. Fairfax Replies" (PDF). Movie-Radio Guide. 10 (24): 43. March 22, 1941. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  11. "(photo caption)". Movie-Radio Guide. 10 (2): 38. October 19, 1940. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  12. "Behind the Mike" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 17, 1941. p. 32. Retrieved 28 September 2018.


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