A widowed New York City resident, Karen St. John, moved to a small town to be near relatives. There she met a man who had been adopted by her family, and with whom she fell in love. However, he was already engaged toanother woman. In addition, the sophisticated St. John clashed with her rural relatives. Jim Von Schilling, in his book, The Magic Window: American Television, 1939-1953, wrote, "Soap operas were popular on radio during the 1930s and 1940s; Faraway Hill simply brought the genre to television, where real arms were embraced, real tears shed, and where a card reading 'Continued Next Week' was held before the camera at each episode's climax."
Broadcast history
The series ran from October 2 to December 18, 1946. David P. Lewis, the writer and director, had a budget of around $300 an episode. The first episode originated from the basement of the Greenwich VillageWanamaker'sdepartment store. Other actors included Mel Brandt, Eve McVeagh, and Julie Christy. The half-hour show was broadcast live, although filmed excerpts were interspersed, and slides of scenes from previous shows were included in later episodes to bring viewers up to date with regard to plot elements which had previously transpired. A narrator gave Karen's thoughts as bridges between scenes. In 1992, Lewis's obituary in the Los Angeles Times explained the program's short lifespan: "Lewis declared at the time that it was only an experiment. It never made a cent and had no commercials.... He wanted, he said years later, not a successful series but to 'test the mind of the viewer.'"
In Sharon Travers' novel Stranger in Our Midst, character Melba reflects on watching Faraway Hill:
In a dither of confusion, she also wondered about watching Faraway Hill with Trudy yesterday. It all seemed so real when you actually watched it on television, much more so than listening to it on the radio. They were both caught up in the story, thinking what a sorry mess Karen had gotten herself into.
On February 28, 2006, Faraway Hill was featured in a clue on the television game showJeopardy!. The $200 clue in the category "'S'-ential Knowledge" was "Broadcast on the Dumont Network in 1946, Faraway Hill is considered the first TV show in this daytime genre", with the answer being "a soap opera".
Episode status
No footage from the series has survived. The original scripts are owned by the estate of the Lewis family.
