Broadcast on CBS. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
The run
- Network
- NBC / CBS
- Years active
- 1935–1960
- Surviving broadcasts
- 109
- Genre
- soap
Ma Perkins was first broadcast in 1933 and ran until November 1960, sponsored throughout by Oxydol and produced for Procter & Gamble, with Virginia Payne playing the title role in every one of its 7,065 episodes without missing a broadcast. It was among the last network daytime serials on the air. The surviving quarter-hours here are public domain, digitised by the Internet Archive.
1951 · 111935 · 1
Source collection
Internet Archive audio collections
Rights
Public domain — no renewed US copyright
Cataloguing
Air dates and notes from the Archive item record
Every broadcast below carries its own provenance sheet — transfer quality, file source and rights.Archive record: MaPerkins01Misc12Eps
The shape of the run
What survives, year by year
4 dated broadcasts across 26 years on the air, with 24 years where nothing is known to survive. Brightness is transfer quality; empty cells are months lost to time.
JFMAMJJASOND
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
Clean transferListenableRough but complete No surviving recording
Episodes
Start here
Listen to the run in order
Restored broadcasts from 1935, in original transmission order.
- 1. Ma P #0423 (1935) · 23 Apr 1935
- 2. Ma P 1951-01-02 #4547 Spencer Meets Old War Pal · 2 Jan 1951
- 3. Ma P 1951-01-08 #4551 Faye & Spencer Attraction · 8 Jan 1951
Ma P #0423 (1935)
23 Apr 1935 · 14 min
(12 Episodes - Misc) "Ma Perkins" (or "Oxydol's Own Ma Perkins"): Produced by Frank & Anne Hummert and debuting on WLW-Cincinnati Radio August 14, 1933, "Ma Perkins" (or "Oxydol's Own Ma Perkins") would grow to be the longest running radio soap opera. On December 4th, 1933, Ma Perkins graduated to the NBC Red Network, where it was broadcast until 1949. In 1942, "Ma Perkins" was picked up by CBS radio, at which time it was broadcast on both NBC and CBS simultaneously. Ma was the owner-operater of the lumber yard in small Southern town of Rushville Center, population 4000. Story-lines pivoted ar
Ma P 1951-01-02 #4547 Spencer Meets Old War Pal
2 Jan 1951 · 13 min
(45 Episodes #03 1951) "MA PERKINS" (aka: "OXIDOL'S OWN MA PERKINS") was a daily 15 Minute Soap Opera (NBC & CBS), broadcast from 1933-1960. Page #03 of 3 pgs Ma Perkins 1 Misc 12 eps Ma Perkins 2 1950 52 eps Ma Perkins 3 1951 45 eps OTR * def gp ddh
Ma P 1951-01-08 #4551 Faye & Spencer Attraction
8 Jan 1951 · 13 min
(45 Episodes #03 1951) "MA PERKINS" (aka: "OXIDOL'S OWN MA PERKINS") was a daily 15 Minute Soap Opera (NBC & CBS), broadcast from 1933-1960. Page #03 of 3 pgs Ma Perkins 1 Misc 12 eps Ma Perkins 2 1950 52 eps Ma Perkins 3 1951 45 eps OTR * def gp ddh
Ma P 1951-01-12 #4555 What’s Wrong with Spencer’s Pal
12 Jan 1951 · 13 min
(45 Episodes #03 1951) "MA PERKINS" (aka: "OXIDOL'S OWN MA PERKINS") was a daily 15 Minute Soap Opera (NBC & CBS), broadcast from 1933-1960. Page #03 of 3 pgs Ma Perkins 1 Misc 12 eps Ma Perkins 2 1950 52 eps Ma Perkins 3 1951 45 eps OTR * def gp ddh
Ma P 1951-01-18 #4559 Spencer Says he Must Leave
18 Jan 1951 · 13 min
(45 Episodes #03 1951) "MA PERKINS" (aka: "OXIDOL'S OWN MA PERKINS") was a daily 15 Minute Soap Opera (NBC & CBS), broadcast from 1933-1960. Page #03 of 3 pgs Ma Perkins 1 Misc 12 eps Ma Perkins 2 1950 52 eps Ma Perkins 3 1951 45 eps OTR * def gp ddh
Ma P 1951-01-24 #4563 Faye Deeply in Love w Spencer
24 Jan 1951 · 13 min
(45 Episodes #03 1951) "MA PERKINS" (aka: "OXIDOL'S OWN MA PERKINS") was a daily 15 Minute Soap Opera (NBC & CBS), broadcast from 1933-1960. Page #03 of 3 pgs Ma Perkins 1 Misc 12 eps Ma Perkins 2 1950 52 eps Ma Perkins 3 1951 45 eps OTR * def gp ddh
Ma P 1951-01-30 #4567 Tom Welles is Mysterious Friend
30 Jan 1951 · 14 min
(45 Episodes #03 1951) "MA PERKINS" (aka: "OXIDOL'S OWN MA PERKINS") was a daily 15 Minute Soap Opera (NBC & CBS), broadcast from 1933-1960. Page #03 of 3 pgs Ma Perkins 1 Misc 12 eps Ma Perkins 2 1950 52 eps Ma Perkins 3 1951 45 eps OTR * def gp ddh
Ma P 1951-02-05 #4571 Preps made for Faye Leaving
5 Feb 1951 · 14 min
(45 Episodes #03 1951) "MA PERKINS" (aka: "OXIDOL'S OWN MA PERKINS") was a daily 15 Minute Soap Opera (NBC & CBS), broadcast from 1933-1960. Page #03 of 3 pgs Ma Perkins 1 Misc 12 eps Ma Perkins 2 1950 52 eps Ma Perkins 3 1951 45 eps OTR * def gp ddh
Same night on the air
12 Jan 1951
Everything else the archive still holds from the night of 12 Jan 1951.
Originally broadcast on NBC, 12 January 1951. Transferred from the Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Researchers collection (public domain).
Broadcast 12 January 1951. Public-domain transfer from the Old Time Radio Researchers certified set at the Internet Archive.
Also on NBC / CBS
NBC / CBS in 1935–1960
Other series the network carried while Ma Perkins was on the air.
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