Margaret Arlen

Margaret Hollowell Hines (June 30, 1916 – April 24, 2000), known professionally as Margaret Arlen, was an American talk show host on radio and television.

Early years Arlen was born Eleanor Hines in Edenton, North Carolina and grew up in Manteo, North Carolina. Her father, Hugh Hines, was a Baptist minister, and her mother, Dixie, was a teacher. As a child, Arlen focused her time and attention on reading and studying. She skipped two grades in elementary school and graduated from high school when she was 15 years old.

Career After Arlen finished college, she was a secretary at WGBR radio in Goldsboro, North Carolina. She began her on-air career as a women's commentator there. Arlen's involvement with the community extended beyond the studio as she spoke to civic groups and participated in benefits and other public activities.

The Margaret Arlen Show ran from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays. She and the announcer interviewed guests on a variety of topics. In one Easter season during the war, Arlen's listeners sent in 5244 Easter eggs for distribution to military personnel. Her October 1945 solicitation of savings stamps to help bedridden soldiers brought in millions of stamps, with contributions still arriving at WCBS in July 1946. Arlen was producer-director of the program in addition to her on-camera work. A review in the trade publication Billboard described the TV show as "currently one of the better female chatter AM programs". It noted that Arlen described how to use a fallout shelter "with a minimum of confusion but a maximum of clarity".

Personal life

In 1937, Arlen married Thomas Archibald Early Jr. in Manteo. They divorced by 1950. In 1957, she married Charles Hayden Griffiths in New York City. Hines died in Sanford, North Carolina, aged 83.