Rosemary is an American radio soap opera

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,...

 broadcast on NBC Radio

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...

 from October 2, 1944 to March 23, 1945, and on CBS Radio

CBS Radio

CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...

 from March 26, 1945 to July 1, 1955. Starring Betty Winkler as Rosemary Dawson Roberts, the program's only sponsor was Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....

, primarily for Ivory Snow

Ivory (soap)

The name "Ivory" refers to a series of products created by the Procter & Gamble Company , including varieties of a white and mildly fragranced bar soap, that became famous for its pure content and for floating in water. Over the years, the bar soap has been altered into other varieties...

 dishwashing liquid, Camay

Camay

Camay is the name of a scented hand and body soap, made by Procter & Gamble. It was first introduced in 1926 and marketed as a "white, pure soap for women," as many soaps of the time were colored to mask impurities...

 soap, Dash and Tide laundry detergent

Laundry detergent

Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a substance that is a type of detergent that is added for cleaning laundry. In common usage, "detergent" refers to mixtures of chemical compounds including alkylbenzenesulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less affected by "hard water." In most...

s and Prell

Prell

Prell is a viscous, pearl green shampoo and conditioner product manufactured by Ultimark Products that according to its maker "...contains a unique 'rinse clean' formula that provides a thick, rich lather for clean, healthy hair."-History:...

 shampoo. The series was created by Elaine Carrington

Elaine Sterne Carrington

Elaine Sterne Carrington was an American screenwriter, playwright, novelist and short story author who found her greatest success writing for radio. The woman who originated radio soap opera in 1932, Carrington wrote more than 12,000 daily dramas during her long career...

, who had previously created Pepper Young's Family

Pepper Young's Family

Pepper Young's Family was one of radio's more popular daytime drama series, with various format and title changes during its long run from 1932 to 1959...

(1932-1959) and When a Girl Marries

When a Girl Marries

When a Girl Marries was a daytime radio drama which was broadcast on three major radio networks from 1939 to 1957. Created by Elaine Sterne Carrington , it was the highest rated soap opera during the mid-1940s.The series premiered May 29, 1939 on CBS, moving to NBC on September 29, 1941 and then to...

(1939-1957).

Characters and story

When the program began, it focused on 20-year-old secretary Rosemary Dawson (Winkler), who supports her mother (Marion Barney) and younger sister Patti (Jone Allison). Rosemary marries journalist Bill Roberts (George Keane), a war veteran and amnesiac who later remembers his first wife Audrey (Allison) and daughter Jessica (Joan Lazer) but forgets his present with Rosemary. The show also included Rosemary's best friend Joyce Miller (Mary Jane Higby), lawyer Peter Harvey (Lawson Zerbe), and Dr. Jim Cotter (Bill Adams).

Cast

Winkler and Keane met doing Rosemary and married. When Keane was forced to leave the program due to illness, Winkler left as well, and they were replaced by Robert Readick and Virginia Kaye in the roles. Most of the other characters were also portrayed by multiple actors, including Patsy Campbell as Patti; Lesley Woods and Joan Alexander

Joan Alexander

Joan Alexander was an American actress known for her role as Lois Lane on radio's The Adventures of Superman from the early 1940s to 1951.-Early life and career:...

as Audrey; Helen Choate as Joyce; Sydney Smith as Peter and Charles Penman as Jim.

Rosemary was complimented for its "realistic approach to life" despite its use of plot devices like amnesia, and the program got "generally higher marks" from critics than its competition.