Claudia Radio 1947 (ep002) Let Them Eat Cake

Claudia, which is perhaps better known as Claudia and David, was an old-time radio show based on a series of short stories written by Rose Franken and William Brown Meloney, which appeared in Redbook magazine.

The program was a soap opera centered on newlyweds David and Claudia Naughton. It followed the problems and the successes, big and small, of an average newly married couple, including the need for thrift, having an overhanded mother-in-law, and all those charming little moments of life. The program began as a skit on The Kate Smith Hour in 1941 and was expanded into a full summer series a month later. In those original shows, Claudia was played by Patricia Ryan and David by Richard Kollmar.

Franken and Meloney's stories were collected into books that were adapted into a pair of RKO films, Claudia in 1943 and Claudia and David in 1946. Both films starred Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire. The success of the films prompted Coca-Cola to sponsor a 15-minute syndicated weekday radio program in the 1947-1948 season, starring Kathryn Bard and Paul Crabtree.

Syndicated version
Claudia and David were brought back to radio in 1947 with a new cast, a new sponsor, and a new means of distribution. Katharine Bard and Paul Crabtree played Claudia and David, and Peggy Allenby played Mrs. Brown. The program was sponsored by Coca-Cola and distributed via Electrical transcription. It originated at WGN in Chicago.

Claudia and David are an American old-time radio drama. One version was broadcast on CBS July 4, 1941 - September 26, 1941, and another was syndicated in 1947.
Background
Claudia and David were first heard on radio in a segment on the June 6, 1941, episode of The Kate Smith Hour. At that time, Claudia had just fallen in love with David. When Smith's program went off for the summer, the 10-minute segments were expanded to fill her time slot. The couple's wedding occurred on the July 11, 1941, episode.

The characters first appeared in 10 short stories by Rose Franken that were published in Redbook magazine from October 1938 through August 1939. Claudia, the Story of a Marriage, a book that included those stories and additional material, was published in 1939. It was followed by other books about the couple.

Premise
The program focused on the lives of David and Claudia Naughton, a young married couple. At 18, Claudia's close ties to her mother threatened the future of her marriage to David. The couple also had to deal with financial problems, getting used to each other, and other adjustments typical of a new marriage. In the first episode, David's life was threatened by a sudden illness, resulting in increased tension between David's mother and the rest of the family, while it strengthened the bonds among David, Claudia, and her mother.

Personnel
The program's actors and the characters that they portrayed are shown in the table below.

Actor Character
Patricia Ryan Claudia Brown Naughton
Richard Kollmar David Naughton
Jane Seymour Claudia's mother
Irene Hubbard David's mother
Joe King was the announcer, and Peter van Steeden provided the music.