View source for Hilltop House (radio drama)

{{Short description|American radio soap opera (1937–1957)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox radio show
| show_name     = ''Hilltop House''
| image         =
| imagesize     =
| caption       =
| other_names   = ''The Story of Bess Johnson''
| format        = Soap opera
| runtime       =
| country       = United States
| language      = English
| home_station  =
| syndicates    = [[CBS]]<br>[[Mutual Broadcasting System|Mutual]]<br>[[NBC]]
| television    =
| presenter     =
| starring      = [[Bess Johnson]]<br>[[Grace Matthews]]<br>[[Jan Miner]]<br>Vera Allen
| announcer     = [[Frank Gallop]]
| creator       =
| writer        = Addy Richton and Lynn Stone (writing jointly as Adelaide Marston)
| director      = Carlo De Angelo<br>Jack Rubin
| senior_editor =
| editor        =
| producer      = Edwin Wolfe
| exec_producer =
| narrated      =
| rec_location  =
| rem_location  =
| oth_location  =
| first_aired   = {{Start date|1937|11|01}}
| last_aired    = {{End date|1957|07|30}}
| num_series    =
| num_episodes  =
| audio_format  =
| opentheme     = ''[[Brahms Lullaby]]''
| othertheme    =
| endtheme      = Brahms Lullaby
| sponsor       =
| website       = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| podcast       = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}
'''''Hilltop House''''' is an American [[old-time radio]] [[soap opera]]. It debuted on November 1, 1937, was replaced by a spinoff, then was re-launched twice, with its final episode coming on July 30, 1957.<ref name="dunningota">{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=John |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi5wPDBiGfMC&dq=%22Hilltop+House,+soap+opera%22&pg=PA320 |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 |page=320 |edition=Revised |access-date=2019-07-24}}</ref>
==Versions==
<blockquote>''Hilltop House'' is dedicated to the women of America ... the story of a woman who must choose between love and the career of raising other women's children. — [[Epigraph (literature)|Epigraph]] of program.{{r|grso|page1=73}}</blockquote>
Radio historian [[Jim Cox (radio)|Jim Cox]] wrote in his book, ''The Great Radio Soap Operas'', "Listeners — most of them mothers themselves — related to the tenderness with which this tireless servant went about her tasks."<ref name="grso">{{cite book |last1=Cox |first1=Jim |title=The Great Radio Soap Operas |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476604145 |pages=71–76 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d7nwCQAAQBAJ&dq=%22+8+Hilltop+House%22&pg=PA71 |access-date=14 December 2018 |language=en |chapter=Hilltop House}}</ref> A review of the program's premiere episode included the comment, "Both the script and the writing stood out as well above the average serial."<ref>{{cite news |title=Program Reviews: 'Hilltop House' |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-Radio-Daily-IDX/RD-37/RA-1937-Nov-OCR-Page-0013.pdf#page=5&search=%22bess%20johnson%22 |accessdate=17 December 2018 |work=Radio Daily |date=November 2, 1937 |page=5}}</ref>
=== ''Hilltop House'' (1937 - 1941) ===
''Hilltop House'''s stories centered on Bess Johnson and the struggles that she faced as the person in charge of Hilltop House Orphanage.<ref name="rp">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows|date=1999|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-7864-4513-4|page=151}}</ref>  Children were integral to the plots, and the stories usually dealt with the youngsters' interactions with adults. Financial problems and conflicts between the staff and members of the orphanage's board of directors also arose frequently.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cox |first1=Jim |title=Historical Dictionary of American Radio Soap Operas |date=2005 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810865235 |page=101 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YPlPfU9KSGMC&dq=%22Hilltop+House+In%22&pg=PA101 |access-date=14 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Sponsored by [[Colgate-Palmolive|Palmolive]] soap, this version was broadcast on both [[CBS]] and [[Mutual Broadcasting System|Mutual]] beginning on November 1, 1937.  It left Mutual in 1938 but remained on CBS until March 28, 1941.<ref name="dunningota" />
=== ''The Story of Bess Johnson'' (1941 - 1942) ===
In 1941, ''Hilltop House'' was replaced by a [[Spin-off (media)|spinoff]], ''The Story of Bess Johnson''. The on-air premise for the change was that bigoted officials had dismissed Johnson from her position at the orphanage, and the new program would focus on Johnson as she looked for a new job and faced new dramatic developments.<ref>{{cite news |title='The Story of Bess Johnson' Replaces 'Hilltop House', WHP |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26233029/bess_johnson/ |work=Harrisburg Telegraph |date=March 29, 1941 |location=Pennsylvania, Harrisburg |page=25|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = December 14, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> The story behind the scenes was that the sponsor, Palmolive soap, changed advertising firms, and the new agency decided to reduce production costs by reducing the quality of the program. That led producer Edwin Wolfe to take ''Hilltop House'' off the air, whereupon the new advertising agency replaced it with ''The Story of Bess Johnson''. Johnson left Hilltop House on a Friday, and on the following Monday she became superintendent<ref name="grso" /> of Mount Holly School for Girls.<ref name="t">{{cite news |title=All New Story Of Bess Johnson |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26258227/the_times/ |work=The Times |date=May 21, 1941 |location=Louisiana, Shreveport |page=8|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = December 15, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> [[Kleenex]] tissues was the sponsor. When it debuted on March 31, 1941, the spinoff was broadcast on both NBC and CBS. At some point, it left CBS, and it ended on NBC on September 25, 1942.<ref name="grso" />
In 1941, [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] participated in an episode of ''The Story of Bess Johnson''. The plot had Roosevelt visiting Mount Holly School to "talk about many of the complexities now confronting the young women of America."<ref>{{cite news |title=Mrs. Roosevelt Visits 'Story of Bess Johnson' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26257867/the_des_moines_register/ |work=The Des Moines Register |date=June 12, 1941 |location=Iowa, Des Moines |page=6|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = December 15, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref>
=== ''Hilltop House'' (1948 - 1955) ===
On May 17, 1948, [[Miles Laboratories]] brought ''Hilltop House'' back to CBS. The orphanage was now headed by superintendent Grace Dolben, with Julie Erickson as her assistant. The program ran for seven years, with Pharmaco, Inc., replacing Miles as sponsor for the last year.<ref name="grso" /> It ended on July 1, 1955.<ref name="dunningota" />
=== ''Hilltop House'' (1956 - 1957) ===
After about a year's absence, ''Hilltop House'' returned for one more run on radio, debuting on September 3, 1956, on NBC.<ref name="dunningota" /> This time it faced competition from growing audiences for television, compounded by the shift of local radio stations away from soap operas.<ref name="grso" /> The show left the air on July 30, 1957.<ref name="dunningota" />
==Personnel==
The table below shows characters in the three versions of ''Hilltop House'' and its spinoff, ''The Story of Bess Johnson''.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Character!! Actor
|-
| [[Bess Johnson]] || Bess Johnson<ref name=grso/>
|-
| Julie Erickson ||[[Grace Matthews]]<br>[[Jan Miner]]<ref name=grso/>
|-
| Grace Dolben || Vera Allen<ref name=grso/>
|-
| Dr. Robby Clark || [[Carleton Young]]<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| Paul Hutchinson || Alfred Swenson<br>Jack Roseleigh<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| Thelma Gidley || Irene Hubbard<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| Jerry Adair || Jimmy Donnelly<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| Jean Adair || [[Janice Gilbert]]<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| David Barton || John Moore<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| Captain John Barry || David Gothard<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| Dr. Jeff Browning || Robert Haag<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| Reed Nixon || Phil Sterling<ref name=dunningota/>
|-
| Terry Wallace || Janet (Janie) Alexander<ref name="tvrm0854">{{cite journal |title=(cast list) |journal=TV Radio Mirror |date=August 1954 |volume=42 |issue=3 |page=60 |url=https://archive.org/stream/radiotvm00macf#page/n187/mode/2up |accessdate=16 December 2018}}</ref>
|-
| Philip Wallace || Casey Allen<ref name=tvrm0854/>
|-
| Betty Taylor || Alice Yourman<ref name=tvrm0854/>
|-
| Henry Taylor || Carl Frank<ref name=tvrm0854/>
|-
| Marion Wallace || Ruth Yorke<ref name=tvrm0854/>
|-
| Aunt Marie || [[Kate McComb]]<ref name=tvrm0854/>
|-
| Judge Lennox || Bill Adams<ref name=tvrm0854/>
|-
| Frank Klobber || [[Jay Jostyn]]<ref name=rtm1040>{{cite journal |title=Thursday's Highlights |journal=Radio and Television Mirror |date=October 1940 |volume=14 |issue=6 |page=50 |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Mirror/40/Mirror-1940-Oct.pdf#page=50 |accessdate=17 December 2018}}</ref>
|-
| Roy Barry || [[Jerry Tucker (actor)|Jerry Tucker]]<ref name=rtm1040/>
|-
| Steve Courtland || Joe Curtin<ref name=rtm1040/>
|-
| Mrs. Wendell || [[Lucille Wall]]<ref name="rtm">{{cite journal |title=(cast list) |journal=Radio-TV Mirror |date=May 1953 |volume=39 |issue=6 |page=64 |url=https://archive.org/stream/radiotvmirr00macf#page/n521/mode/2up |accessdate=17 December 2018}}</ref>
|-
| Miss Ludlow || Gladys Thornton<ref name="rtm"/>
|-
| Ralph Wendell || Larry Newton<ref name="rtm"/>
|-
| Neal || Dick Wigginton<ref name="rtm"/>
|}
[[Frank Gallop]] was the announcer. The producer was Edwin Wolfe, while the directors were Carlo De Angelo and Jack Rubin. Addy Richton and Lynn Stone (writing jointly as Adelaide Marston) wrote the scripts. Chester Kingsbury provided the music.{{r|grso|page1=71}}
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Portal|Radio}}
* [https://archive.org/stream/radiotvm00macf#page/n185/mode/2up "Hilltop House" — a short story in the August 1954 issue of ''TV Radio Mirror'']
* [https://archive.org/stream/r00mac#page/n261/mode/2up "In Living Portraits ... Hilltop House"  — a short story in the September 1949 issue of ''Radio and Television Mirror'']
* [https://archive.org/stream/radiotvmirr00macf#page/n519/mode/2up "No such thing as a problem child" — a short story in the May 1953 issue of ''Radio-TV Mirror'']
===Logs===
*[http://www.otrsite.com/otrsite/logs/logh1087.htm Partial log of episodes of ''Hilltop House'' from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs]
*[http://www.otrr.org/FILES/Logs_txt/Hilltop%20House.txt Partial log of episodes of ''Hilltop House'' from Old Time Radio Researchers Group]
*[http://www.radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=Hilltop+House Partial log of episodes of ''Hilltop House'' from radioGOLDINdex]
===Streaming===
*[http://www.dumb.com/oldtimeradio/radio/967//Hilltop_House.html Episodes of ''Hilltop House'' from Dumb.com]
*[http://otrrlibrary.org/OTRRLib/Library%20Files/H%20Series/Hilltop%20House/ Episodes of ''Hilltop House'' from Old Time Radio Researchers Group library]
{{US radio soaps}}
<!--- Categories --->
[[Category:1937 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:1957 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:1930s American radio programs]]
[[Category:1940s American radio programs]]
[[Category:1950s American radio programs]]
[[Category:CBS Radio programs]]
[[Category:Mutual Broadcasting System programs]]
[[Category:NBC radio programs]]
[[Category:American radio soap operas]]
[[Category:American radio dramas]]