"Clara, Lu' n' Em" Change Radio in Evanston
North Suburbs
Clara, Lu' n' Em, was one of the first radio soap operas, airing from 1930-1946. It was created, written, and performed by three Northwestern University alumnae, Louise Starkey Mead "Clara," Isobel Carothers Berolzheimer, "Lu," and Helen King Mitchell, "Em." The show's premise focused on small-town housewives exchanging gossip and opinions concerning their characters’ personal lives, as well as national and international issues. The comedy offered its listeners an escape from the burdens of the Great Depression.
The concept of the radio show originated when the three women met as students at Northwestern University in Evanston. All were graduates of Northwestern's School of Speech, today known as the School of Communication, and members of the Zeta Phi Eta Sorority. As students, they performed improv skits for their friends and members of their sorority, adopting the names "Clara," "Lu," and "Em."
After graduation, the women pursued teaching careers in different parts of the country. However, by 1930, they all returned to Evanston. They revived their act and decided to pitch a show based on their comedy personas to a radio station. Stations were initially reluctant to hire three women to star in an improvisational show, deeming it wouldn't generate an audience. However, on June 16, 1930, Clara, Lu' n' Em first appeared over Chicago's WGN radio station. On January 27, 1931, the show was picked up by NBC Blue, becoming the first nationally broadcast soap opera. Their first sponsor was Colgate-Palmolive-Peet's Super Suds detergent. The trio became household names and, in addition to their radio show, entertained audiences with in-person performances.
The three performers settled in Evanston again as they continued their radio careers. In 1937, Clara, Lu, 'n' Em ended after Berolzheimer, "Lu," passed away from pneumonia at age 32. In 1942, Mead and Mitchell revived the program, casting Harriet Allyn, a Northwestern friend, as "Lu." The radio show continued for a few months. In 1945, it was entirely recast. The show was canceled a year later.
In 2013, the records of Clara, Lu, 'n' Em were donated to the Northwestern University Archives by the family of Helen King Mitchell, who played "Em." The collection gives insight into the early years of radio programming and documents the women's lives and careers through scripts, contracts, clippings, photographs, artifacts, recordings, and promotional materials.
