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Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy
American old-time radio soap opera From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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]
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Personnel
Characters in the program and the actors and actresses who portrayed them are shown in the table below.
Nelson Case was the announcer.[12] Writers for the program were Gertrude Berg and Chester McCracken.[2]
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References
External links
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