The couple lived in Cedar Springs, Iowa, until he won a seat in the United States Senate and they moved to Washington, D. C., with their newborn son, Davey.

[1] Unbeknownst to his wife, Joe survived a plane crash on an Asian mountain, beginning what radio historian John Dunning described as "the father of all amnesia cases".

Episodes of her adapting to her new position were intermingled with those about Joe's adventures "facing storm-tossed seas and rubbing elbows with gurus and generalissimos".

She was succeeded in that role by Anne Seymour, Betty Lou Gerson, Muriel Kirkland, Eloise Kummer, and Linda Carlon.

Directors were Don Cope, Kirby Hawkes, Gordon Hughes, Basil Loughrane, Ed Rice,[1] and Maury Lowell.

[1] The Story of Mary Marlin debuted on WMAQ radio in Chicago on October 3, 1934,[6] and it remained a local program through December 28, 1934.

In its September 11, 1944, issue, Life magazine reported that Mary Marlin had "occupied a substantial place in American households for more than nine years.

[12]: 71  An example of the latter group was a man whose letter to the program complained about a different actress portraying Marlin but also recommended a doctor whom the writer felt could cure a character's blindness.

[13] Prior to World War II, Crusinberry faced severe censorship from network and advertising agency officials as she tried to include political issues into the program.

Samples from one page of a log from late September 1935 included the following comments:[14] In addition to suggestions about the story, some listeners requested changes in the time of broadcast or the station, and some asked for copies of songs or poems that were used on the show.

Elena Razlogova, in her book, The Listener's Voice: Early Radio and the American Public, commented, "Most authors addressed their letters directly to Mary Marlin or other characters on the show, rather than writing to the sponsor or writer, thus betraying a strong personal connection to these fictional people.

[15] Also in 1935, Klennex's manufacturer, International Cellucotton Products Company (ICPC), launched a new deodorant, Quest, that was advertised only on Mary Marlin.

[15] The Jane Crusinberry Papers at the Wisconsin Historical Society contain documents related to The Story of Mary Marlin, including a full set of scripts from the 1934-1945 broadcasts and a 1959-1960 version in Australia.