Today's Children was a name shared by two thematically related American radio soap operas created and written by Irna Phillips, the earliest of which was her first nationally networked series. 1933-1938 series The original series, which debuted on September 11, 1933, revolved around the large Moran clan, headed by widow Mary "Mother" Moran, who was voiced by Phillips herself. Mother Moran had three adult children—Terry, Frances, and Eileen—whose troubles she dealt with using what promotional materials called "warm-hearted understanding and a common-sense philosophy." The creation of the series was a direct result of Phillips' resignation from her pioneering WGN series Painted Dreams when the station refused to allow her to take the program to a network. As a result of the station's decision, she created Children for NBC-owned WMAQ as a thinly disguised version of the earlier series. Mother Moran was based on Mother Moynahan the mother-in-law of WGN station manager Harry Gilman, and Lucy Gilman's grandmother. The series ended on December 31, 1937, replaced in the new year by another Phillips creation, Woman in White. In 1937 a novel was published in book form by Pillsbury Flour Mills Company based on the radio program and given the same name ("Today's Children"). The copyright was held by the National Broadcasting Company. No author was cited in the book. The book was illustrated with line drawings depicting the action, as well as photographs of the leading characters in the show - identified by their character names only. Characters A 1935 Pillsbury advertising premium describes the characters as follows. Mary "Mother" Moran: "The widowed mother of Terry, Frances and Eileen -- a typical American family of today. So big is her heart that its loving kindness has taken in all the others--the people she calls her "family of Today's Children." Her quiet old-fashioned philosophy has brought peace and understanding to all the members of her family in times of trouble, for hers is a philosophy as sound and as enduring as the eternal hills—love of family, love of home, and love of fellow man." Frances Moran: "The elder daughter, Frances, is twenty-five, tall and very blond. An ambitious, talented and successful commercial artist, she is typical of the modern business girl. Ordinarily practical and level-headed, she has occasionally let the dictates of her heart lead her into difficulties, but has a way of regaining her balance." Eileen Moran: "The youngest of Mother