On this day in 1940, Portia Faces Life debuted.

Unlike the young people of today, Portia dealt with the real problems of her time, rather than body acne treatment and the host of other issues facing people today.

Portia Faces Life was a soap opera which began in syndication on April 1, 1940. It was broadcast on some stations that carried NBC programs, although it does not seem to have been an official part of that network’s programming. The original title was Portia Blake Faces Life.

The program starred veteran radio actress Lucille Wall, who had been on Your Family and Mine and other radio dramas since the mid-1920s. It aired on such stations as WNAC in Boston, WLS in Chicago, KRLD in Dallas, KGW in Portland, Oregon and KFI in Los Angeles, according to newspaper advertisements. On October 7, 1940, the program became part of the CBS Radio Network, and its title was changed to Portia Faces Life at that point.

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The drama was revived on CBS television for the 1954-55 season. A story of chaos in an enduring marriage, it starred Frances Reid as Portia Blake Manning. Later, when Reid left the role, Fran Carlon portrayed Portia, and the show was retitled The Inner Flame

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