1939 (TNT) February 21 Radio

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• I hope Hannah's houseboat wasn't on Lake Union.

  Up through at least the 1960s, houseboat sinks, bathtubs and toilets drained directly into the lake.

  To this day, the Duwamish River and Lake Union are still being polluted due to combined sewer systems that carry both raw sewage and stormwater. The system works pretty well until a heavy rainfall, when the systems overflow and mix together before draining into the lake and the river.

  But I don't suppose the radio show was about Hannah with a clothespin on her nose. Try to imagine her husband coming in from work and shouting "I'm home, honey, what's for dinner? Something sure smells good!"

  • The show centered on the tangled personal life of a successful department store owner named John Perry. John lived what appeared to be an idyllic upscale life in a small Midwestern city with his sweet, devoted wife Elizabeth. The dramatic twist — and the hook that gave the serial its provocative title — was that practically everyone in town knew that John was keeping a glamorous “other wife” (his mistress) named Annette in New York City, while poor Elizabeth remained oblivious for a long time.

    The “other wife” was not a legal wife; the title was deliberately sensational to grab listeners. The program followed the classic soap-opera formula of domestic turmoil, secrets, jealousy, and emotional confrontations among the three main characters and a large supporting cast of family members, friends, store employees, and rivals.
    (JOHN’S OTHER WIFE)
    Main characters
    John Perry – Wealthy, charming, but chronically unfaithful department-store owner.
    Elizabeth Perry – His loyal, long-suffering (and initially naïve) wife.
    Annette Marshall – The sophisticated, demanding mistress in New York.
    Supporting roles included John’s meddling mother-in-law, scheming store employees, Elizabeth’s best friend, Annette’s suitors, etc.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIuB5lq1JUs