Irna Phillips

Irna Phillips (July 1, 1901 - December 22, 1973) wrote and created many of the first American soap operas. She is considered by many to be the mother of the genre.

Early Radio Career

After working as a staff writer on a daytime talk show Irna created the serial Painted Dreams which historians now believe to have been the first daytime serial specifically targeted for women. On this show Phillips wrote every episode in addition to starring in the show as family matriarch Mother Moynihan. It is believed that this serial incorporated much autobiographical material, with Phillips immigrant Jewish familily being replaced by an immigrant Irish family.

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