Houseboat Hanna

Fans of radio soap opera will recognize the touches that the Hummert Radio Factory put on Houseboat Hannah, while at the same time wonder- Where did they get their ideas?

The overall story deals with the family of hard working Dan O'Leary, who lost an arm in a factory accident. The financially strapped family moves aboard a house boat in Shanty Fish Row on San Francisco Bay. Resourceful and resolute Hannah O'Leary becomes a mother figure to most of the Row. An interesting element of Houseboat Hannah is the racial diversity of the Row's residents, and how well they seem to get along. The episodes we have in our collection revolve around Abe Finkelstein who is reluctantly traveling to New York to try and establish a market for the lobsters that inhabitants of the row are catching. Abe has lost his hesitation to make the trip because his pretty daughter has decided to stay with Hannah while he is away. What Hannah and Abe don't know is that young Becky Finkelstein has caught the eye of her university professor, who is planning to find a way to be alone with her while her father is away. Meanwhile, Hannah's own son, Shamus, has found a job in the city, but not working for a broker like his mother thinks, but a bookie! He comes under the influence of the political machine of Boss Hughey which is trying to get Judge Eugene Mack elected, the same Judge Mack who has been making life hard for fishermen living on the Row.

Floating Homes come in three basic types, the sometimes floating home which are not deigned to move except with the rise and fall of the tide, the self-propelled houseboat which often resembles a travel trailer on a boat hull, and the often hand-built shanty boats which were usually towed to different locations. The shanty boat was favored by hunters and anglers for its versatility and ability to provide shelter near their quarry, as well as vacationers, who appreciate a quiet holiday on the water.