Twins in Old Time Radio

Most birds, reptiles, and amphibians lay eggs in groups called clutches, and the babies which hatch from the same clutch are called brood-mates. The size of a clutch depends on several environmental and species-specific factors, such as the amount of care the offspring will receive from the parents and the availability of food. Generally, more eggs mean more hatchlings which means more offspring will mature to sexual maturity and start the cycle again.

Small mammals, who employ live birth, generally give birth to litters. More vulnerable the species generally have larger litters. Rabbits often have fourteen kits in a litter and the naked mole rat average litter size is 28. Larger animals tend to have one offspring per pregnancy. In humans, this is especially important because babies are born essentially helpless. The human organism is so complex that even a single offspring taxes the mother's health to the utmost (and have a much greater chance of not reaching full-term).

Twins occur, of course, but their birth often comes at a cost to the mother, each other, and in some cases, society as a whole. One of the strongest relationships humans will know is between siblings, how much stronger if that relationship begins in the womb? The fact that the only thing cuter than one smiling baby is two smiling babies certainly increases their attractiveness.

One of our earliest programs dealing with twins is the syndicated medical comedy, The Family Doctor from 1932, which shows that raising twins can b just as wonderful (and frustrating) as raising singletons. The doc deals with a pair of teenaged twins who experience their first cigars and later a pair of younger tykes who take up treasure hunting in their mother's garden.

All babies are cute, it is practically their job description, and twins can seem like a double-dose of cuteness. The singing McQuaig Twin sisters were a hit on Hollywood Barn Dance. Twins are just rare enough to make a terrific plot device and in the early Fifties, Marjorie, The Great Gildersleeve's grown niece, brings a set of twins home from the hospital, which is almost enough to put Great Uncle Gildy over the edge. Twelve-year-old twin boys help Superman rescue Jimmy Olsen, and the Los Angeles Police Department pull out all the stops to find a pair of four-year-old twins who go missing on Dragnet.

Most twins are fraternal, which means that each grew from a separate fertilized egg in their mother's womb while identical twins are genetically identical, meaning the came from the same egg which divided after fertilization. Even fraternal twins share enough genetic similarities that it can b hard to tell which is which. The story of the Zimmerman Twins who served together in the 9th Bomb Group is related on War Telescope. While most twins are close, in some cases that closeness leads to contempt and murder. The blood stain which remains when Dave Cortland disappears on Challenge of the Yukon was not his but that of his murdered twin.

Often, it is not one but both twins who turn out bad, and they further their nefarious plots by taking advantage of their physical similarities to be each other's alibi. This makes for a convenient was to defraud the insurance company represented by Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Part of the reason twins were such a popular plot device on the radio is that both siblings could be played by a single actor, something which was practically impossible on TV if they were both in the same scene.

See also:  Doppelgangers and Evil Twins in Old Time Radio