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Drama & Anthology · Syndicated

Family Doctor

September 4, 1938 – May 29, 1939 · 39 broadcasts

"Hello there, this is the Family Doctor." For fifteen unhurried minutes, this syndicated 1930s drama drops you into Cedarton, a small town somewhere in upstate New York or New England, and the care of Dr. Grant Adams -- physician, neighbor, and gentle moral compass all at once. Where most syndicated serials of the era ran disposable filler, Family Doctor built a real place: Pete at the drugstore, Griff the overworked boathouse man, editor Amos Day and his shoestring newspaper, the gossip Maddie Clark, and two young rivals, Ella Mary and Faith, forever competing for the same clerk. Each episode tells a complete story -- a barn fire, a runaway girl on the trestle, a gold strike, a beauty pageant -- so you never have to catch up, yet the characters and their small dramas carry across the run. Doc Adams dispenses far more common sense, patience, and kindness than medicine, and every visit ends the same warm way: "I'll be in to see you again right soon." A little-known treasure of wholesome radio, produced roughly a half-decade before Dr. Christian made the country-doctor a network star.

Collection status: 39 of 39 held (100% complete)
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Episode Spine

Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.

1938

September 4, 1938 False Witness Listen (MP3)
Cedarton's kindly Dr. Grant Adams gently teaches Maddie Clark, the town's well-meaning gossip, that a loose tongue can wound as surely as any lie.
September 11, 1938 Wanted Bright Youngster Listen (MP3)
A boy turns up with a bullet wound after a bank robbery, and Doc Adams argues that if the younger generation has gone wrong, it is the older one that shaped the world they inherited.
September 18, 1938 Error in Diagnosis Listen (MP3)
Boathouse owner Griff Miller comes in with dizzy spells and a failing heart, and Doc Adams discovers the real ailment is the worry over an overdue mortgage payment.
September 25, 1938 Enjoyment Listen (MP3)
The town drunk is gravely hurt saving a little girl from a runaway circus elephant, and a failed operation leaves Doc Adams reflecting on what people truly count as enjoyment.
October 2, 1938 Once to Every Boy Listen (MP3)
Two thirteen-year-old twins sneak their first cigar -- and learn their lesson the hard way.
October 9, 1938 Cupid Without Wings Listen (MP3)
When high-strung young Ella Mary keeps falling to pieces, Doc Adams prescribes ice cream delivered by handsome Johnny Kemp, having correctly diagnosed a case of first love.
October 16, 1938 Glass Houses Listen (MP3)
Hardware man Jess Rankin, a reformed ex-convict, confides in Doc Adams that newspaper editor Amos Day is threatening to expose his past and ruin him.
October 24, 1938 Race with the Stork Listen (MP3)
With Mrs. Parkins delivering ahead of schedule and her husband nowhere to be found, Doc Adams and wife Lou race off to bring the baby into the world.
October 31, 1938 Secret Between Three Listen (MP3)
Seventeen-year-old Duncan Webb returns from reform school full of big plans, and Doc Adams quietly sets about steering him toward honest work before trouble finds him.
November 7, 1938 The Flood Listen (MP3)
Heartsick over Johnny Kemp's attentions to Faith Windsor, a despairing Ella Mary Bliss takes the boat out just as a storm builds and the dam gives way.
November 14, 1938 The Fatty Brain Listen (MP3)
A suspicious, overweight Police Chief Benson takes newcomer Chick Harper for a crook, and Doc Adams gently turns the lesson back on the lawman himself.
November 21, 1938 Farewell to Johnny Listen (MP3)
Johnny Kemp leaves Cedarton for Denver, and Doc Adams watches two disappointed girls, Ella Mary and Faith, cross the line from childhood into young womanhood.
November 28, 1938 The Fire Alarm Listen (MP3)
Doc Adams and Lou rush to a barn fire, where the doctor risks his life to pull young Junior Windsor -- a boy he once delivered -- from the flames.
December 5, 1938 Bison Petes Revenge Listen (MP3)
A traveling tent show brings faded Hollywood actor Francois Millay to Cedarton, an actor-boxer who quickly turns Maddie Clark's head.
December 12, 1938 The Love Scene Listen (MP3)
Auditions for the community play reveal that some Cedarton folks perform far better with no audience watching.
December 19, 1938 The New Home Listen (MP3)
Newcomers Joe Stanley and his wife arrive to open a gas station and build a house, and Mrs. Stanley's real worry is the nail her stubborn husband stepped on and won't tend.
December 26, 1938 Nature Takes Its Course Listen (MP3)
Doc Adams joins Chief Benson's posse after little Esther Guffy runs off again, rescuing her from a railroad trestle as a train bears down.

1939

January 2, 1939 Tolerance Listen (MP3)
Drama teacher Miss Malloy, author of a piece called 'Tolerance,' meets the partner who once left her ruined -- and Doc Adams reminds her to live by her own words.
January 9, 1939 The Prospectors Listen (MP3)
The Maynard twins, exploring a hillside cave against orders, tumble into what turns out to be an old mineshaft with a rich vein of gold on Griff Miller's land.
January 16, 1939 All Bets Are Off Listen (MP3)
Doc Adams grows worried when young Chick Harper is led astray betting on the radio horse races by Pete and Jesse Regan.
January 23, 1939 Dr Adams Detective Listen (MP3)
Invited to inspect a new bridge, Doc Adams is on hand when it collapses from faulty construction and blinds workman Ben Carson -- and the doctor turns detective on the cause.
January 30, 1939 The Committee Meeting Listen (MP3)
Rheumatic Griff Miller, now sitting on a gold mine, comes to Doc Adams, and the talk turns to what the old boathouse owner should finally do with his fortune.
February 6, 1939 Pete May Ambulance Driver Listen (MP3)
With Doc Adams' car laid up at the garage and an urgent call from an injured Griff Miller, drugstore man Pete May insists on driving the doctor himself.
February 13, 1939 Louder Than Words Listen (MP3)
Amos, editor of the struggling Post Bugle, is worked up over an unpaid advertising debt he can ill afford, and Doc Adams counsels him to stop fretting over trifles.
February 20, 1939 The Carnival Listen (MP3)
Home for a rare lunch and in fine spirits, Doc Adams surprises Lou with a plan to spend the day at the traveling carnival, three-headed calf and shell game and all.
February 27, 1939 Patchwork Listen (MP3)
A visit from Grant Jr. and his wife stirs family friction, which Doc Adams smooths over the only way he knows -- with a well-chosen story.
March 6, 1939 Chicks Date Listen (MP3)
Drugstore clerk Chick Harper tidies up and corners boathouse owner Miller, hoping to arrange a romantic lake outing with Faith Windsor.
March 13, 1939 The Beauty Contest Listen (MP3)
With a beauty contest and a lead role in the town pageant at stake, a heartbroken Ella Mary sets out to beat the polished Faith Windsor -- with a scheme from her mother.
March 20, 1939 Casting Listen (MP3)
As casting begins for the first annual Cedarton pageant, Pete ducks a part by claiming someone has to mind the drugstore once Chick Harper lands a role.
March 27, 1939 The Pageant Listen (MP3)
Judge Samuel Windsor throws himself into rehearsals for the historical pageant, and Doc Adams is tapped to introduce the climax of the first annual Cedarton Festival.
April 3, 1939 The Doctor Goes Shopping Listen (MP3)
Doc Adams offers to pick up the groceries on his way home and, caught without pen or paper, gamely tries to keep Lou's whole list in his head.
April 10, 1939 House Cleaning Listen (MP3)
On Lou's twice-yearly cleaning day, Doc Adams hides out at home to do his taxes and defends every dusty back number of his Medical Journal from the discard pile.
April 17, 1939 Campaigning Listen (MP3)
Two candidates for mayor stage rival rallies in wildly different styles, and Doc Adams is roped in to make an introduction -- amid a squabble over a grocery bill.
April 24, 1939 The New Suit Listen (MP3)
In a great hurry and acting suspiciously, Doc Adams sets Lou wondering what he's up to -- an errand that lands him at Sid Bloom's tailor shop in a hideous new suit.
May 1, 1939 New York Listen (MP3)
While treating his old friend Griff Miller's injured back, Doc Adams learns that Mrs. Forest is offering him a prestigious post at a New York hospital.
May 8, 1939 Out of Control Listen (MP3)
Marvin Forest talks Chick Harper into a foursome for the dance over at Dunlap -- once someone gives them a lesson in handling the horses.
May 15, 1939 The Call Listen (MP3)
Torn over the New York offer, Doc Adams seeks out Pastor Glen Maynard to talk through whether a doctor, like a minister, can receive a 'call' -- and resolves to take the job.
May 22, 1939 The Decision Listen (MP3)
Brash newcomer Marvin Forest and his tight-lipped mother arrive in Cedarton on a 'secret mission,' and the cheeky young man is soon needling drugstore clerk Chick.
May 29, 1939 Farewell Listen (MP3)
In the series finale, Doc Adams shows incoming physician Dr. Grayson around the surgery, introducing Cedarton's cast of characters one last time before he boards the train for New York.
The Story

"Hello there, this is the Family Doctor." For fifteen unhurried minutes, this syndicated 1930s drama drops you into Cedarton, a small town somewhere in upstate New York or New England, and the care of Dr. Grant Adams -- physician, neighbor, and gentle moral compass all at once. Where most syndicated serials of the era ran disposable filler, Family Doctor built a real place: Pete at the drugstore, Griff the overworked boathouse man, editor Amos Day and his shoestring newspaper, the gossip Maddie Clark, and two young rivals, Ella Mary and Faith, forever competing for the same clerk. Each episode tells a complete story -- a barn fire, a runaway girl on the trestle, a gold strike, a beauty pageant -- so you never have to catch up, yet the characters and their small dramas carry across the run. Doc Adams dispenses far more common sense, patience, and kindness than medicine, and every visit ends the same warm way: "I'll be in to see you again right soon." A little-known treasure of wholesome radio, produced roughly a half-decade before Dr. Christian made the country-doctor a network star.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
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