Virginia Payne papers, 1933-1970

Virginia Payne (1909-1977) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a graduate of the Schuster-Martin School of Drama in Cincinnati, and earned a bachelor’s degree in literature from the University of Cincinnati. After graduation, she auditioned for and won the role of “Ma Perkins” for the 27-year life of the radio soap opera of the same name. The show was heard on NBC from 1933 to 1949 and on CBS from 1942 to 1960. Between 1942 and 1949, the show was heard simultaneously on both networks. Although there were questions about her youth in the beginning of the show’s run, Payne played the role so well that she became an instant and permanent success. In addition to Ma Perkins she was a cast member of other radio soap operas. From 1939 to 1940, she played "Mrs. Kerry Carter" on The Carters of Elm Street; from 1940 to 1950, she was in Light of the World; and in 1942 she was on CBS and NBC in Lonely Women. In the 1930s, Payne became part of an effort to unionize radio performers. She succeeded with a 15-member organization that eventually grew to become the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA). She was on the AFRA board from 1940 to 1952. She also participated in merger talks that produced the Television Authority and later the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. When Ma Perkins ended in 1960, Payne quickly switched to the theater, playing roles in Carousel and Oklahoma. She appeared in Long Days Journey into Night, Come Back Little Sheba, The Glass Menagerie, and Picnic. She also performed in a variety of roles in Beckett, Life with Father, The Mousetrap, Right You Are If You Think You Are, and in a reading of An Evening with Katherine Mansfield. She made her Broadway musical debut in 1964 in Fade Out, Fade In with Carol Burnett. Also during the 1960s, she was a member of the repertory group at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas.