Carlton E. Morse
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Carlton Errol Morse (June 4, 1901 - May 24, 1993) was a Louisiana-born producer/journalist best known for his creation of the radio serial One Man's Family, which debuted in 1932 and ran until 1959 as one of the most popular as well as long-running radio soap operas of the time. He also was responsible for the radio serial I Love a Mystery. A radio legend, he experimented with television and published three novels. Morse is considered by many to be one of the best radio scriptwriters.
In 1901 Carlton was born in Jennings, Louisiana, to George and Ora Morse. In 1906, his family relocated to Oregon, and when Morse was 16, they moved to Sacramento, California. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, Morse went to the University of California from 1919 to 1922 but did not graduate. Instead, he dropped out and returned to Sacramento, beginning a career as a journalist with the Sacramento Union.
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[edit] Journalism career
From 1922 to 1928, Morse was employed at the Sacramento Union, the San Francisco Illustrated Daily Herald, Seattle Times, Vancouver Columbian, Portland Oregonian and The San Francisco Bulletin. When the Bulletin was absorbed into the San Francisco Call in 1929, Morse lost his job, soon after marrying his first wife, Patricia DeBall. Though the Seattle Times offered him another job, he declined. This was to mark the beginning of his career in radio.
[edit] Radio
After losing his newspaper job, Morse brought several scripts he had written throughout the 1920s to an interview with NBC. He soon was offered a job at KGO, the San Francisco outlet of NBC's Blue Network, and began his long and eventful career in radio. Morse began work on a show entitled NBC Mystery Serial, whose episode subjects ranged from Captain Post: Crime Specialist to Case of the One Eyed Parrot.
Though Morse worked on several different radio shows, of all of his radio series, two stood out. They were One Man's Family, and I Love a Mystery. One Man's Family came first in 1932, with I Love A Mystery following in 1939. Though writing two serials at once is seemingly difficult, Morse seemed to derive greater talent and inspiration from the contrasting plots. Both are considered by many to be two of the best radio serials of all time.
[edit] Additional radio credits
- Chinatown Tales
- Musical Miniatures
- Illustrated Tales
- Split Second Tales
- House of Myths
- Adventures by Morse
- I Love Adventure
- His Honor the Barber
- The Family Skeleton
[edit] Television
In addition to working in radio, Morse was a pioneer in television as well. He was part of Slices of Life, the first television show aired on Los Angeles' television station, KFI. Morse brought One Man's Family to television (1949-1952), years before it left the airwaves with the end of the Golden Age of Radio.
[edit] Later life
Morse eventually retired to his home, "Seven Stones," to write novels. Three of his books, Killer at the Wheel, A Lavish of Sin and Stuff the Lady's Hatbox were based on I Love a Mystery. In 1984, Morse's first wife Patricia died. Later in life, Morse copyrighted his scripts and novels. He attended many conventions held in his honor. Before his death in 1993, Morse founded the Morse Family Trust. He is survived by his second wife, Millie Morse. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located in front of 6445 Hollywood Boulevard.
