David Harum
By Larry Maupin


In one important respect, "David Harum" exemplified a major theme in radio soap operas.  Like Ma Perkins and Bill Davidson ("Just Plain Bill"), David was a kindly soul who was always ready with assistance and good advice for those who found themselves in trouble.  Many scenes took place in his office at the Homeville Bank, of which he was president.  The office might have been Bill Davidson's barbershop or Ma Perkins' front porch swing, a place of wisdom and solace for the victims of malice or circumstance.

More than almost any other radio soap, this series was known for its premium offers to listeners.  B.T. Babbitt, Inc., maker of Bab-O cleanser and sponsor throughout the show's fifteen-year run, seemed to be habitually tempting fans with one thing or another in exchange for a product label and a few cents.  As Jim Cox notes in "The Great Radio Soap Operas," the offer of a packet of flower seeds drew "over 275,000 labels, each accompanied by a dime."  Another time, a contest to rename David's horse resulted in more than 400,000 entries.

As for the plots, they were crawling with miscreants.  Time and again David, often assisted by someone like his friend Susan Price Wells, found himself in grave danger while facing down a sinister villain on behalf of some sympathetic victim.  But the little banker-philosopher always prevailed.  He was, in Cox's words, "a trusted friend of the righteous and a hated nemesis of evildoers."

The show began its tenure January 27, 1936 on NBC.  After stints on two other networks, it found itself back at NBC where it aired its final episode on January 5, 1951.