Thursday, April 18, 2024
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Long before Shari and Lambchop or Loonette the Clown and the Big Comfy
Couch, women like Irene Wicker were at the forefront of children's
entertainment. Wicker, better known to her radio listening audiences of the
1930s and '40s as The Singing Lady, hosted a long-running kids show on network
radio. Though not much is documented about her pioneering success, here a few
lesser known tidbits about her and the show we'd thought you'd like to
know:
1. The Kellogg Company sponsored "The Singing Lady," beginning in 1931. The
show was billed as the nation's first radio network program for
children.
2. In 1932, Kellogg hosted a promotion where listeners could send in cereal
box tops for copies of The Singing Lady's Songbook. The contest was a runaway
hit.
3. At the 1934 Chicago World's Fair, when famed crooner Mel Torme was about
ten years old, he won the children's section of a singing contest which was
judged by "The Singing Lady." Today, she is still credited with Torme's early
success. When she began a new radio soap opera called "Song of the City," she
remembered Torme and cast him in a singing and acting role, thus catapulting him
to child stardom.
4. The show itself was always hosted by Wicker, who was known for her
melodic and soothing voice. And while the show's title would lead the average
listener to believe that songs were the program's predominant draw, Wicker
actually devoted a large amount of airtime to storytelling.
5. Wicker adapted many classic and popular tales for her child
audience--including the works of Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens, as well as
myths and mysteries.
6. In 1935, Kellogg published When the Great Were Small, an
educational book intended to inspire children to the pursue the greatness of the
artists and musicians who were their predecessors. To the right and below this
article, we've presented for your perusal, the book cover image, as well as a
letter explaining that the book borrows from The Singing Lady's educational
stories of great figures from the present and past.
7. For her devoted work in children's media, Irene Wicker was awarded a Peabody Award, a distinction for outstanding achievement in radio and television, in 1960.
In light of this feature, which has led us to acknowledge the accomplishments and devotion to children Irene Wicker embodied, we beg the question: where is The Singing Lady for today's generation?
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7. For her devoted work in children's media, Irene Wicker was awarded a Peabody Award, a distinction for outstanding achievement in radio and television, in 1960.
In light of this feature, which has led us to acknowledge the accomplishments and devotion to children Irene Wicker embodied, we beg the question: where is The Singing Lady for today's generation?
