Radio soap opera theme music

[Dan.Strassberg]

Thanks, Tom: That intro to The Romance of Helen Trent is _priceless_!
Maybe it was shortened in later years to something like, "Can a woman
over 40 find romance and happiness with a younger man?" If I've
remembered that correctly (and you can tell me that I haven't), the
changes reflect certain societal changes. Did 35 really change to 40?
It's possible; it would have reflected the aging of the population.
Did the revised version REALLY mention "a younger man?" Woman in
relationships with younger men remained a social taboo until, I'd say,
the early '90s. And such relationships still raise eyebrows.
Interesting note: My parents were married in 1927. My mom was 27 and
was two years and 10 months older than my dad. They used to joke about
how she had robbed the cradle.

When you say that you rescued the Bob and Ray episodes from the
basement of the "old" WHDH transmitter building, do you mean the one
in Needham or the one in Saugus? After WHDH moved to Needham, its old
Saugus site becme the home of WORL (950). My understanding is that the
Saugus building, which was quite a showplace in its day, had to be
condemned, razed, and replaced with a less opulent building (the
current one) as the Ocean began to reclaim it. My guess is that the
current Saugus building dates to the '70s or thereabouts. That
scenario would have left the basement of the Saugus building more or
less permanently flooded in its later days, which probably would have
ruined anything that remained there. So if you got the recordings from
the basement of the Needham building and they were recorded before the
1947 move, someone before you had taken care of them even before you
found them.

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "thomas heathwood" <heritageradio@msn.com>
To: "Dan.Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>
Cc: "Boston Radio Interest"
<boston-radio-interest@rolinin.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 1:16 AM
Subject: Re: Radio soap opera theme music


Dan - Your question regarding the soap opera theme:  The program was
called The Romance of Helen Trent,  whose heroine was sometimes called
"The Queen of the Soaps" - On the air for 27years - 7,222 chapters
(episodes).  It starred Julie Stevens in the title role for the
majority of the show. The theme song, Juanita"  was hummed and played
on the guitar by Stanley Davis.  "And now.....The Romance of Helen
Trent - the real-life drama of Helen Trent - who, when life mocks her,
dashes her against the rocks of despair - fights back bravely,
successfully to prove what so many women long to prove in their own
lives....that because a woman is 35 and more, romance in life need not
be over....that the romance of youth can extend into middle age...and
even beyond" The program was on the air regionally from July 24, 1933
, then to CBS on October 30, 1933 all the way through June 24, 1960.
Helen Trent was among many radio soaps that have been good sellers in
my catalo since the 1970's.
The Bob & Ray original WHDH shows were "rescued" by me 20 years ago at
the old WHDH AM transmitter (in a basement "vault").
Tom Heathwood
  <<From: Dan.Strassberg<mailto:dan.strassberg@att.net>
  Subject: Radio soap opera theme music


  In a post yesterday, I mentioned that the theme music of one daytime
  radio soap of the '40s was not played by an origanist but by a
  guitarist who also sang the lyrics. I cited the song as Neet-ah,
  Jua-ha-ha, Neet-ah but I had no clue about which program might have
  used this song as its theme. I wonder whether it might have been
"Just
  Plain Bill (Barber of Hartville)." But thinking it over, there may
  have been more than one daytime soap that used a guitarist to play
its
  theme music. ISTR a program whose theme was Polly Wally Doodle, also
  played on a guitar (but without a vocal, IIRC). Maybe THAT was the
  Just Plain Bill theme. And if it was, what program used Neet-ah?
  Anyone have any clues? Tom Heathwood?

  All this is bringing to mind Bob and Ray's wonderful parodies of
  daytime soaps. The most famous of them, Mary Backstage, Noble Wife,
  may have run as long as the "real" program, Mary Noble, Backstage
  Wife, (and I'd wager is remembered by more people than is the real
  program). But there were others, such as Mr Trace, Keener than Most
  Persons, a takeoff on the nighttime show, Mr Keane, Tracer of Lost
  Persons. Bob and Ray may also have done Mr Agony, a takeoff on the
  always tearful personal-advice program, Mr Anthony. I have heard an
  actual clip from Mr Anthony on Danny Stiles classic records show,
  which appears on erratic schedule, overnights on WRCA 1330>>
  (Watertown).