The Second Mrs. Burton

The Second Mrs. Burton is an American radio soap opera, broadcast daily five days a week on CBS Radio from January 7, 1946, to March 23, 1960. It was the final serial broadcast on a national radio network, after The Right to Happiness, Ma Perkins, and Young Doctor Malone.[5]

The Second Mrs. Burton
GenreDaytime daily serial
Running time15 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
SyndicatesCBS Radio
StarringSharon Douglas (1941–43)
Claire Niesen (1946–47)
Patsy Campbell (1947–55)
Jan Miner (1955–57)
Teri Keane (1957–60)
Dwight Weist (1946–60)
AnnouncerHugh James
Harry Clark
Warren Sweeney
Written byJohn M. Young (1946–47)
Martha Alexander (1947)
Priscilla Kent (1948–52)
Hector Chevigny(1952–60)
Johanna Johnston(1960)[1]
Original releaseJanuary 7, 1946 (1946-01-07) – November 25, 1960 (1960-11-25)
No. of episodes3823[2]
Sponsored byGeneral Foods[3]
Armour and Company[4]

Plot

The three main characters of the show were the wealthy Stan Burton, his mother, and his wife Terry (the second Mrs. Burton of the show's title). The action was driven by the Burtons' interactions with their extended family, neighbors, and church. It was one of the first radio shows to openly address the topic of divorce and remarriage.

Cast

Production

The Second Mrs. Burton originally aired between 1941 and 1943 on CBS West Coast stations (airing as early as 7 February 1941),[7] written by John M. Young, and featuring Sharon Douglas, Gale Gordon, and Ann Stone.[8] The series premiered nationally in 1946, again written by John M. Young,[1] and starring Claire Niesen and Gary Merrill.[9] In March 1946, Dwight Weist replaced Merrill as the voice of Stan Burton, and would continue in the role until the end of the series.[6] Patsy Campbell joined the series as Stan's sister "Louisa" in late January 1946,[10] eventually taking over the leading role of Terry Burton from Niesen in October 1947 "due to a change in characterization" by new writer, Martha Alexander[11][12]

References
  1. Ellett, Ryan (3 November 2017). Radio Drama and Comedy Writers, 1928—1962. McFarland. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-4766-2980-3.
  2. Taishoff, Sol, ed. (28 November 1960). "Life will have to go on without Ma Perksins" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 60 no. 53. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. p. 68.
  3. LaGuardia, Robert (1993). Soap World. New York, NY: Arbor House. p. 371. ISBN 0-87795-482-8 – via Internet Archive.
  4. Dunning, John (7 May 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 604. ISBN 978-0-19-977078-6.
  5. Cox, Jim (14 June 2015). The Great Radio Soap Operas. McFarland. pp. 221–228. ISBN 978-1-4766-0414-5.
  6. Stackpole, Albert H., ed. (30 March 1946). "Jane Lawrence to Be Melton Guest On 'Star Theatre'". Harrisburg Telegraph. 106 (73). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Telegraph Press. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Danson, Tom E. (6 February 1941). "Dial-o-logue". Wilmington Press. 15 (31). Wilmington, CA. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Taishoff, Sol, ed. (29 December 1941). "General Foods Shift" (PDF). Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising. Vol. 21 no. 26. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. p. 29 – via American Radio History.
  9. Hilton, Chuck (4 January 1946). "On the Beam". Mason City Globe-Gazette. 52 (75). Mason City, Iowa: Globe-Gazette Publishing Co. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Steinhauser, Si (30 January 1946). "Finale of March of Dimes on All Stations". The Pittsburgh Press. 62 (217). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh Press Co. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Mrs. Burton". Harrisburg Telegraph. 117 (241). Harrisburg, PA: The Telegraph PRess. 11 October 1947. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Knight, C. L., ed. (29 August 1947). "Bee's Bits". The Akron Beacon Journal. 108 (266) (Final ed.). Akron, Ohio: Beacon Journal Publishing Co. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
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