Premier Collections: 
One Man's Family, Volume 2
Liner notes written by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.

Click to listen to an audio sample

"That's how it is with the Barbours today..."

On a July 25, 1949 broadcast of "One Man's Family," announcer Frank Barton took a moment to read one of the many letters received by the program:

It seems to me that it has been a very valuable contribution to the American way of life. It is interesting, and has much human appeal, while it is wholesome morally. It seems to me too bad to have it supplanted by many of the trashier programs of the day. Any sponsor would be glad to be connected in the minds of the public with such a splendid show. It seems to me it is a program for which there is a very real need in these days where families are meeting so many new problems that threaten to undermine the family life of the country and demoralize the youth. I would be glad to endorse the show in any way that might be most helpful in having it continue.

The author of this letter, Miss Mary Gazelle-Hoffman, District Superintendent of Education in Lewiston, New York, would get her wish: threatened with cancellation after long-time sponsor Standard Brands abandoned the Peabody Award-winning serial in 1949, the National Broadcasting Company agreed to continue to sustain the program until June 1950, when Miles Laboratories, the makers of Alka Seltzer, agreed to pick up the tab -- though, as a result, the series was forced to revamp itself into a five-day-a-week quarter hour. "One Man's Family" would continue to entertain Miss Gazelle-Hoffman and nearly 15 million other listeners until May 8, 1959, when its nearly thirty year run on radio came to an end.

Thirty years on radio isn't too shabby, particularly when you take into account that "One Man's Family" had originally been scheduled for a quick cancellation by the powers that be at NBC. Initially inspired author John Galsworthy's "The Forsythe Saga," it was created by radio's triple-threat genius writer-director-producer Carlton E. Morse and premiered locally over NBC's San Francisco affiliate KGO on April 26, 1932. Morse would later go on to create many of radio's memorable shows - in particular, the blood-and-thunder serial "I Love a Mystery" - but "One Man's Family" most assuredly stands out as his crowning achievement. It is the embodiment of the old adage that "less is more;" a simple, unsophisticated half-hour that eavesdropped each week on the lives of the Barbour family, a close-knit, well-to-do clan who resided in the tony Sea Cliff area of San Francisco.

The head of the Barbours was patriarch Henry, an individual who may very well be one of the most complex characters in the history of radio drama. A conservative stockbroker who ruled over his clan with an iron hand, he would gradually be transformed over the series' lengthy run into a crusty curmudgeon ("Yes, yes...") whom it cannot be said was merely stubborn; he was the yardstick by which mule-headedness was measured. He was completely and thoroughly adored by his family - wife Fanny (memorably described by OTR historian John Dunning as "Molly McGee without the humor") and children Paul, Hazel, Clifford, Claudia and Jack - despite that his obstinate ways could often drive each member of his brood to the point of exasperation. As daughter Hazel describes him in a broadcast included in this collection, "He never does anything in half-measures...if he loves, he loves wholeheartedly...if he indulges, he overindulges...and when he becomes the disciplinarian, he's the strictest martinet of them all."

While Miss Gazelle-Hoffman's letter congratulates "One Man's Family" for its "wholesome" quality, this author has always been intrigued by the not-too-subtle suggestion that the Barbour family were a bit on the dysfunctional side - a concept that's sure to resonate with modern-day listeners. An example of this is a subplot involving Father (or in this case, Grandfather) Barbour and grandchild Margaret (Hazel's daughter). Just as Hazel had always been his favorite, Henry has transferred this familial fondness to her offspring Margaret, who unfortunately knows it all too well. In a slip of the tongue, she proudly proclaims to her mother that she has Grandfather "in her pocket," unaware that Henry is eavesdropping on her conversation. Margaret's thoughtlessness creates a major rift in their relationship, one that is not easily repaired. Even if you think her comeuppance is just (and let's face it, she IS a bit of a brat), the emotional distance that her grandfather puts between himself and his granddaughter is nothing less than chilling.

This author was a bit of a latecomer to the phenomenon that is "One Man's Family" - my previous exposure was listening to an earlier Premier Collection...and the devastatingly funny Bob & Ray parody, "One Feller's Family" - but with each broadcast it's nigh impossible not to get hooked on the riveting storylines and three-dimensional characters created by the one-of-a-kind Carlton E. Morse himself. To dismiss it as just another "soap opera" does the series a tremendous disservice; as OTR historian Jim Cox asserts in "Say Goodnight, Gracie! The Last Years of Network Radio," "Unlike most serialized tales of the time, theirs celebrated the positive aspects of living, abhorring stock formulas and devices (like amnesia) so typical elsewhere." Cox goes on further to note that "their concerns were universal: love, adolescence and a ceaseless amazement over the succeeding generations they nurtured." Perhaps that is why each week, "One Man's Family" was announced as being "dedicated to the mothers and fathers of the younger generation...and to their bewildering offspring."

Radio Archives is pleased to present this six-CD set containing six hours of sequential radio broadcasts from the pen of Carlton E. Morse; twelve original episodes originally broadcast between July 11 and September 26, 1949. Here's the complete content of this outstanding collection:

Book 71, Chapter 2: Two Lost Barbours Begin to Find Happiness
During the Barbour family's vacation at the Sky Ranch, Clifford is asked by Henry to assert himself when it comes to the matter of his son Skippy's new motor scooter. Hazel asks her father to cut back on his propensity to spoil her daughter Margaret. Paul chaperones Joan, who has a new boyfriend in aspiring aviator Ken Arthur.
Monday, July 11, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 3: Roberta Evans Begins to Sense a Rival
Clifford is in extraordinarily good spirits, what with his attempts to get closer to Skippy and his new romance with Roberta Evans...but, unfortunately, he soon discovers that the two don't mix. Henry puts in his two cents about Joan's new "grease monkey" boyfriend. Hank gets a letter from Pinky.
Monday, July 18, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 4: Definite Progress in Family Relations
Hazel and Henry discuss Pinky's letter, while Father Barbour gives Clifford advice on the rearing of son Skippy. Henry then agrees to take a ride on Skippy's new motor scooter...with somewhat disastrous results.
Monday, July 25, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 5: Father Barbour's Aching Bones
After Henry's spill on Skippy's motor scooter, it's decided that he should take a trip back to Sea Cliff to see family physician and bosom pal Fred Thompson -- just to be on the safe side, of course. Clifford and Skippy are planning to go, too...though Clifford is a bit putout by Roberta's sudden coolness towards him, prompting him to have a chat with his son.
Monday, August 1, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 6: Father Barbour Predicts the Worst
Despite his best efforts, Clifford's day at the beach with new girlfriend Roberta doesn't go as well as planned...and son Skippy may be the reason why. When Henry hears that Joan is out with a girlfriend named "Mary Smith," he complains to Paul that he doesn't trust his granddaughter; he suspects Joan is out gallivanting with her new "grease monkey" boyfriend.
Monday, August 8, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 7: The Return of Joan Roberts Lacey
Joan has let Paul know that she's with her boyfriend Ken after her dinner with Mary, but when she fails to return that evening, he becomes concerned...and Henry doesn't help matters any with his constant refrains of "I told you so!" The only clue to her and Ken's disappearance are two sets of clothes in a locker at the beach. (Listen for son-in-law Dan's spot-on impression of his father-in-law!)
Monday, August 15, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 8: A Very, Very, Tough Stepfather Indeed
Hazel frets that Dan is being too hard on Pinky who, in the letters sent to various members of the Barbour clan, writes of a Dickensian existence. But Dan proves to be a softie when he gets a long distance phone call from Pinky and proceeds to talk endlessly with his son, regardless of the cost of the call. Back at Sea Cliff, Henry is still grousing about Ken "the grease monkey," to the point of refusing to allow him to talk to Joan on the phone.
Monday, August 22, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 9: Father Barbour's Rampage and What Came of It
When Henry throws a fit about his missing comb and brush, Hazel finally lets loose and has a long talk with her father on his irascible disposition. The Barbour family patriarch finally apologizes to the various family members he's wronged in his own curmudgeonly way.
Monday, August 29, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 10: Father Barbour and the Eavesdropping Episode
Joan tries to obtain permission from Paul to allow Ken Arthur to visit her, but Paul insists such consent needs to be discussed with her parents, Claudia and Nicky. Idle gossip between Claudia, Hazel and Joan about Henry mushrooms into a problem when they learn that Father Barbour heard the proceedings from the vantage point of his lawn chair.
Monday, September 5, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 11: The Homemade Bread and Applesauce Peace Offering
Paul gives Clifford some advice about getting his life in order and Hazel and Claudia prepare their father's favorite snack in an effort to atone for their gossip. But it's little Margaret who suffers the most, as her thoughtless comments about her grandfather have created a divide between the two of them.
Monday, September 12, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 12: The Return of the Second Assistant Cook
Paul, Nicky and Joan ruminate on the recent visit of Joan's boyfriend Ken...and how Henry completely manipulated the young man's time during his entire stay. The Barbour family patriarch, meanwhile, is in a tizzy over a missing letter from Pinky and, when the letter is finally located, he proceeds to read it to the family...but is interrupted by Pinky's arrival in a taxi, complete with matching luggage and presents for the family.
Monday, September 19, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Book 71, Chapter 13: End of a Summer Saga
The Barbour clan returns home to Sea Cliff from their Sky Ranch vacation and Joan is apprehensive about moving back in with her parents...until she comes to realize how much Claudia and Nicky really mean to her. In the turmoil of unpacking from vacation, Henry has misplaced his beloved hammock and is determined to disrupt every member of the family until it is found. (An announcement is made at the end of the program that the series is moving to Sundays beginning October 2, 1949.)
Monday, September 26, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

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