Portia Faces Life (CBS 1954-1955, Frances Reid, Frank Carlon)

Soap opera Portia Faces Life was about Portia Manning, an attorney with a habit of getting personally involved in the cases she is working on. Portia’s husband Walter was editor of local paper The Parkerstown Herald.

Big changes occurred during March 1955, not only was the show retitled to The Inner Flame but Walter was charged with Murder – all part of a scheming plot by Amelia Blake who was about to take over ownership of the paper but wanted Walter out – by any means clearly. Amelia more or less then moved centre stage but not for long as the show was cancelled just a couple of months later.

Based on a radio show of the same name that ran on CBS from 1940-1941 and NBC from 1951-1952. In the TV version Portia was played initially by Frances Reid before being replaced by Fran Carlon. Wholesale cast changes were also made around the time of the shows title change.

production details
USA / CBS / x15 minute episodes / Broadcast 5 April 1954 – 1 July 1955

cast
Frances Reid as Portia Manning (1954)
Fran Carlon as Portia Manning (1954-1955)
Donald Woods as Walter Manning (1954)
Karl Swenson as Walter Manning (1954-1955)
Renee Jarrett as Shirley Manning (1954)
Ginger McManus as Shirley Manning (1955)
Charles Taylor as Dickie Blake
Jean Gillespie as Dorie Blake
Elizabeth York as Kathy Baker (1954)