Peg Lynch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peg Lynch
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Lynch with Alan Bunce as Ethel and Albert, 1954.
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Margaret Frances Lynch
November 25, 1916 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
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| Died | July 24, 2015 (aged 98) Becket, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress, writer |
Margaret Frances "Peg" Lynch (born November 25, 1916 – died July 24, 2015) was an amazing American writer and actress. She created popular radio and TV shows like Ethel and Albert. Peg Lynch was special because she owned her shows. She wrote, starred in, and kept control of her work. Over her career, she wrote nearly 11,000 scripts!
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Peg Lynch's Early Life and Education
Peg Lynch was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. When she was two, her father died from a serious flu. After this, she and her mother moved to Kasson, Minnesota. Her mother worked as a nurse at the Mayo Clinic.
Peg graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1937. She studied English, focusing on writing and acting. This helped her prepare for her future career.
Peg Lynch's Start in Radio
Peg Lynch began working in radio when she was just 15. She had a part-time job as a receptionist at the Mayo Clinic. A classmate's father owned a radio station called KROC in Rochester. Peg started helping there.
She wrote scripts for shows and interviewed famous people. Many celebrities visited the Clinic, like baseball star Lou Gehrig. Soon after college, she got a job at KATE in Albert Lea, Minnesota. She earned $65 a month as a writer. She wrote commercials and many different radio shows. These included a daily women's show and weekly plays.
The Story of Ethel and Albert
Peg Lynch first created her famous characters, Ethel and Albert, at KATE. They started as a short, three-minute sketch. It was a small part of her women's show. People loved the sketch, so it became a regular feature. Peg played Ethel, and a station announcer played Albert.
Peg continued to develop Ethel and Albert as she moved to other radio stations. In 1941, at WTBO in Cumberland, Maryland, it became a 15-minute show. It aired five times a week in the evenings.
Ethel and Albert Goes National
In 1944, Peg Lynch moved to New York City. Soon, NBC radio wanted to air her show. But Peg said no because they wanted to own her characters. She wanted to keep the rights to her work.
Shortly after, she got an offer from the Blue Network. This time, she could keep ownership. On April 17, 1944, Ethel and Albert began airing nationally. It was a 15-minute show, five days a week. Peg was asked to play Ethel, which she first refused. But after many auditions, she took the role herself. Richard Widmark played Albert for six months. Then, Alan Bunce took over. Alan Bunce worked with Peg for the next 20 years. They starred in Ethel and Albert and later The Couple Next Door.
Ethel and Albert on Television
In 1950, Ethel and Albert moved to television. It started as a 10-minute part of The Kate Smith Hour. By April 1953, it became its own half-hour show on the NBC network. The show was very popular with both viewers and critics.
Critics praised Peg Lynch's writing. They said she was great at showing small, everyday moments of married life. These moments turned into funny and charming scenes. One critic said the show was "the top domestic comedy on TV." Another noted that Ethel and Albert "could be man and wife off the screen."
Later Years of Ethel and Albert
NBC canceled Ethel and Albert in December 1954. But the show quickly found a new home at CBS. It was so popular that CBS gave Peg Lynch her own prime-time slot.
In the fall of 1955, the show moved again, this time to ABC. Because Peg owned the rights, her show could move between networks. Ethel and Albert aired its last TV episode on May 25, 1956.
However, the show continued on CBS radio starting in 1957. It had a new name: The Couple Next Door. Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce continued their roles. Peg remained the only writer for the show. The Couple Next Door ran for three years. It was a 15-minute show, five days a week, ending in 1960.
Ethel and Albert also had revivals later on. It appeared on NBC Radio's Monitor in 1963–64. In 1973, it was part of National Public Radio's Earplay. Peg Lynch also wrote and starred in The Little Things in Life in 1975-76.
Peg Lynch's Private Life
Peg Lynch married Odd Knut Ronning in Manhattan on August 12, 1948. He was an engineer from Norway. They had a daughter named Astrid Ronning King. Astrid also became a writer.
Peg Lynch lived in Becket, Massachusetts. She continued to write, even revisiting her famous characters, Ethel and Albert, as older adults. She passed away on July 24, 2015, in Becket. She was 98 years old.
Images for kids
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Lynch with Alan Bunce as Ethel and Albert, 1954.
