Fifty
years ago tonight, the world changed forever: On this date came the end of the
last two radio shows we in America consider part of the "Golden Age"
of vintage radio drama and comedy. Just like vaudeville before it and silent
film before that, the world saw the end of one extremely popular form of
entertainment as it was replaced by another (in this case, television).
While
radio broadcasts had been around for several years, commercial broadcasting did
not begin until 1920. The few stations that existed during that time had little
idea of what to broadcast -- music being one of the first ideas. Stations began
experimenting with other subjects, broadcasting radio versions of popular
plays, then original plays, finally coming up with the concept of the variety
show (some music, some spoken works). Programming continued erratically for most
of the decade.
With
the advent of the 1930s (and the conveniently timed Depression), radio content
exploded. Families unable to afford other forms of entertainment saved their
scarce money and purchased a radio -- the source of otherwise free
entertainment as well as much-needed news and contact with the rest of the
country.
The
period from roughly 1930 to roughly 1955 is considered radio's Golden Age.
Literally thousands of actors from vaudeville began appearing on radio, with a
not-insignificant number becoming huge stars, helping to redefine the idea of
"entertainment." The power of radio was unquestionably understood the
night of 30 October 1938 with the airing of the innocent (but quickly infamous)
dramatization of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" by the
then-scarcely-known (but quickly infamous) Orson Welles.
By
then, radio was certainly ubiquitous: news, sports, weather, farm reports,
music -- as well as the more famous comedies and dramas -- were everywhere.
Newspapers feared for their survival owing to the reductions in revenue as
advertisers moved their money to the juggernaut that was radio.
(Other
countries, as well, hopped on the radio bandwagon with productions in England,
France, Germany, Australia and many others.)
Radio
grew up with the advent of war (Edward R. Murrow's broadcasts from war-torn
Britain). Radio played two major roles in the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor: the
Japanese bombers pinpointed Hawaii from far out in the ocean by latching onto
the broadcasts of a Hawaii radio station; and radio brought the first news of
the attack to America and the world.
Inevitably,
television became the dominant entertainment medium in the home, and radio
slowly faded away -- although quite a number of early television programs were
versions of popular radio shows. For example, the most popular comedy on
television ever, "I Love Lucy," was a variant of Lucille Ball's
popular radio program "My Favorite Husband."
After
the end of the Golden Age, there were attempts to bring back radio drama in
America including the unsuccessful Theater
Five (1964–1965), and the highly successful CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1974–1982).
While such a wealth of radio drama
and comedy will never be prominent in America again, we can still enjoy the
richness of radio owing to transcription disks capturing performances (to be
broadcast at "this more convenient time"); and many groups and clubs
that occasionally produce live-versions of vintage radio or even new scripts.
For your
enjoyment, here are the final episodes of "Yours Truly, Johnny
Dollar" and "Suspense" that aired 50 years ago tonight:
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