Valiant Lady (radio)

Characteristics

Episodes of Valiant Lady were introduced with the summary: "... the story of a woman and her brilliant but unstable husband -- the story of her struggle to keep his feet firmly planted on the pathway to success." The main character was "an actress who relinquishes her career to marry Truman Scott, a noted plastic surgeon." Because "Truman was extremely jealous and unstable," the story centered on "efforts to guide his life."

A 1946 article in the trade publication Broadcasting noted:

General Mills' radio shows are beamed at all class levels and all age groups. But each character, from Valiant Lady to the Lone Ranger, has a common denominator: financially they are neither poor nor rich, but just right. They also belong to no one church and to no one segment of society. They are, in essence, the radio counterpart of "Everyman," with heavy accent on virtues that inspire listeners to become better mentally, morally and physically.

Joan Blaine, the program's star for most of its time on the air, wrote in a 1942 Pittsburgh Press article:

We, in radio, are all specialty artists. Valiant Lady is content to deal with the stories of ordinary Americans, and not so ordinary when you get into their lives. We leave more complex drama treatment to other programs.

In a 1943 article in The Milwaukee Journal, Blaine commented that Valiant Lady "deals with current issues — all substantial contemporary material."

Origin

Valiant Lady was created by Frank and Anne Hummert. General Mills test-marketed the program on WGN in Chicago, Illinois, beginning January 3, 1938. An article in a trade publication noted that the tentative title Magnificent Lady had been changed to the permanent title Valiant Lady. Initial cast members were Joan Blaine, Francis X. Bushman, Sally Agnes Smith and Olan Soule. The author was Sandra Michaels.

Networks

Beginning March 7, 1938, after two months of testing on WGN, Valiant Lady was moved to CBS to be broadcast "five mornings weekly," replacing Hollywood in Person as part of the Gold Medal Hour. The 15-minute program continued to originate in Chicago.

On May 30, 1938, General Mills moved Valiant Lady and four other programs from CBS to NBC. By that time, Valiant Lady was originating from New York City. General Mills ended its sponsorship of the Valiant Lady and Light of the World effective August 23, 1946, citing "government restrictions on wheat and labor difficulties"; the programs advertised Gold Medal Flour and Cheerios, respectively. An article in a trade publication estimated, "Cancellation means a $1,000,000 loss in billing for CBS."

Personnel

Joan Blaine was the star, playing "an actress with a wide assortment of personal problems" who gave up her acting career to care for her injured father. The character's name is given in various old-time radio reference works as Joan Blake, Joan Barrett, Joan Scott, and Joan Hargrave-Scott. Blaine's importance to the program was such that she received "billing up front before the title."

The program's characters and the actors and actresses who played them are as follows. (Source except as noted.)

Others who acted in the program over the years included Vivian Holt, Sue Reed, Richard Sanders, Florence Malone, Barbara Lee, Arthur Elmer, Gilbert Mack, Roy Fant, Ray Morgan, Louise Larabee, Jackson Beck, Howard St. John, George Herman, and Aileen Poe.

Announcers were Art Millet and Dwight Weist, and the organists were Jesse Crawford and Theodore Wick.

Directors were Ted Corday, Basil Loughrane, Roy Lockwood, Ernest Ricca, and Rikel Kent. Writers were Sandra Michael, Ruth Borden, Addy Richton, Lynn Stone, Lawrence Klee, and Howard Teichman. Laughrane was also the producer for part of the program's run. Other producers were Dan Sutter and Wynn Orr.