USA / NBC / x30m-e / January 13, 1958-June 27, 1958
Broadcast Mon.-Fri. 2:30-3 p.m.
One of the radio soap opera transplants that never really
thrived in its new soil was Kitty Foyle, which aired on CBS
from 1942-44 with Julie Stevens in the lead. It followed the
1940 movie of the same title which won Gingers Rogers
the Oscar for best actress in the lead role. The source for
all the adaptations was a novel by Christopher Morley.
The TV version of Kitty Foyle was unique in that the titular
character did not appear immediately. Kitty first popped up on
February 10, by which time viewers had become accustomed
to her simple yet troubled family, which lived in Philadelphia.
She arrived from college ready to go to her freshman dance
with Flip Martin, but found her beloved Pop ill and her
brothers Ed and Mack acting like strangers. Ed, who was
jailed at one point, discovered some peace with his marriage
to Sophie before the end of the run.
Unfortunately, Mack
borrowed cash from a loan shark. Kitty had her own problems,
mostly in the romantic field. Deciding not to go back to
school, she ditched Flip for Wyn Stratford, who naturally did
his soap opera best by falling for
Stacylea, a society hound.
Then when Nick Amsted revealed his interest in Kitty—
surprise!—Wyn decided he wanted her too. Molly was
Kitty's friend (played by Patty Duke as a girl, in flashbacks).
Kitty Foyle had other soap staples in its subplots, like
dead bodies and secret schemes, but it never challenged
Art Linkletter's House Party on CBS. By all accounts the
show had a lousy debut that it never rose above.
cast
Kitty Foyle.... Kathleen Murray
Ed Foyle.... Bob Hastings
Mack Foyle.... Larry Robinson
Pop Foyle.... Ralph Dunn
Sophie Foyle.... Kay Medford
Stacylea Balla.... Marie Worsham
Molly Scharf.... Judy Lewis
Wyn Stafford.... William Redfield
Olivia Stafford.... Valeric Cossart
Flip Martin.... Conard Fowkes
