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Virginia Payne
Virginia Payne, 1934
Virginia Payne, 1934.
Born(1908-06-19)June 19, 1908
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 9, 1977(1977-02-09) (aged 68)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
OccupationActress
Known forPlaying Ma Perkins on radio

Marie[ citation needed] Virginia Payne (June 19, 1908 [1] - February 9, 1977 in Cincinnati, Ohio) was an American radio actress, best known for her 27-year role as the title character in the radio soap opera Ma Perkins. In 1939-1940, she played Mrs. Kerry Carter on the radio soap opera The Carters of Elm Street. [2] She was in the soap opera Light of the World, 1940-1950, on CBS and NBC and on Lonely Women on NBC in 1942. [3]

Noting the 25th anniversary of Ma Perkins, Time described Payne in 1957:

Like other daytime heroines, Ma neither drinks, smokes, takes snuff or has affairs with men. Unlike Ma, Cincinnati-born Virginia Payne, 47, has never been married, downs an occasional whisky sour and makes up to $50,000 a year—more than any other actress in daytime broadcasting. Her present writer (she has had ten) lived on the Riviera for two years, now counts his money on Cape Cod. A devout Roman Catholic with an M.A. in literature ( University of Cincinnati), Virginia sheds Ma's vocabulary of "ain'ts," "folks" and "Land o' Goshens" with ease, but insists on making personal appearances in wig, makeup, frumpy clothes and spectacles, "though I often feel like a great imposter." She is an accomplished pianist, lives alone in a posh East Side Manhattan apartment decorated with Duveen-collected oil paintings, accumulates antiques, and grows roses (two varieties have been named for her). [4]

Stage

While she attended the University of Cincinnati, she performed in student productions and was the vice president of the club. [5] After the long run of Ma Perkins came to an end, Payne did theater. She appeared on Broadway in the Betty Comden - Adolph Green musical comedy, Fade Out - Fade In (1964–65), and Paul Zindel's play, And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little (1971). [6] Until one month before her death from cancer, she played Mrs. Bedwin in a production of Oliver! staged at the Playhouse in the Park in her home town of Cincinnati. [7]

Union

Payne was active in the American Federation of Radio Artists, serving as president of the Chicago local [8] and as national president. [7]

Personal life

Payne was a graduate of the Schuster-Martin School of Drama in Cincinnati [9] and earned a master's degree from the University of Cincinnati. [10]

Death

Payne died February 9, 1977, at her home in Cincinnati. [11]

References

  1. ^ Social Security Death Index available at familysearch.org
  2. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 139–140. ISBN  978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  3. ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN  978-0-7864-5149-4. Pp. 397, 403.
  4. ^ "Television: Life with Ma". Time. August 26, 1957. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "The Cincinnatian 1931". Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Digital Library. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Virginia Payne". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  7. ^ a b "'Ma Perkins' succumbs". Washington C.h. Record-Herald. Washington C.H. Record-Herald. February 11, 1977. p. 2. Retrieved September 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ "2,000 Already Give Approval; Others Ballot". Iowa City Press-Citizen. January 21, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved March 30, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ Cincinnati, a Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors. The City of Cincinnati, Ohio. 1943. pp. 288–289. ISBN  9781623760519. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Ma Perkins Plays To Largest Daytime Audience". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg Telegraph. November 9, 1942. p. 19. Retrieved September 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ "'Ma Perkins' actress dead". The Morning Herald. February 12, 1977. p. 2.

External links

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