Portia Faces Life
Encyclopedia
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
which began in syndication on April 1, 1940. It was broadcast on some stations that carried NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
programs, although it does not seem to have been an official part of that network's programming. The original title was Portia Blake Faces Life.
The program starred veteran radio actress Lucille Wall
Lucille Wall
Lucille Wall was an American actress who played the role of Lucille March Weeks on the ABC soap opera General Hospital from 1963 to 1976. At times the role was also played by Mary Grace Canfield....
, who had been on Your Family and Mine
Your Family and Mine
Your Family and Mine was a radio drama series which aired in 1938-1940. Promoted as "Radio's Newest Dramatic Serial," it premiered Monday, April 25, 1938...
and other radio dramas since the mid-1920s. It aired on such stations as WNAC in Boston, WLS in Chicago, KRLD in Dallas, KGW in Portland, Oregon and KFI in Los Angeles, according to newspaper advertisements. On October 7, 1940, the program became part of the CBS Radio Network, and its title was changed to Portia Faces Life at that point. It was sponsored by General Foods (Post Bran, Post Flakes, Post Toasties).
Characters and story
Attorney Portia Blake (Lucille Wall) faced hardships as she fought corruption in the small town of Parkersburg. She was a widowWidow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
with a ten-year-old son named Dickie; her husband Richard had been murdered, by criminal elements he had fought to expose. (Dunning, 550) The idea of a woman lawyer as a protagonist was unusual for the time, and newspaper advertisements described Blake as "a courageous woman attorney who battles forces of crime, injustice, and civic corruption" in a typical American city. Also part of the storyline was the character of crusading journalist Walter Manning (played by Myron McCormick), who was secretly in love with her. Manning was trying to expose the criminals responsible for the death of Portia's husband. (Dunning, 550).
"Portia Faces Life" continued on CBS until April 25, 1941. Three days later, it moved to NBC where it continued until March 31, 1944. It then returned to CBS as a summer series from April 3 to September 29, 1944. Heard on NBC from October 3, 1944 to June 29, 1951, the series continued until 1953, according to scripter Mona Kent who wrote every episode. General Foods remained the sponsor through all 13 years of the radio series.
Television
The drama was revived on CBS televisionCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
for the 1954-55 season. A story of chaos in an enduring marriage, it starred Frances Reid
Frances Reid
Frances Reid was an American dramatic actress. Although she starred in many productions, she is best known for her portrayal of Alice Horton on the NBC daytime soap opera Days of our Lives from its debut in November 1965 until her death on February 3, 2010.-Biography:Born in Wichita Falls, Texas,...
as Portia Blake Manning. Later, when Reid left the role, Fran Carlon portrayed Portia, and the show was retitled The Inner Flame (Oliver, A8).