columnists – Newspaper Heroes on the Air: Recent Episodes
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Old-time radio's mild-mannered reporters & crusading editors wield the "flaming sword" of a free press
https://archive.org/download/FibberMcGeeandMolly1950/501121_Aunt_Jennie.mp3The regular “Aunt Jenny” at The Gazette is out of action, and Fibber McGee volunteers to replace the advice columnist for a day, with wife Molly as his secretary.
Old-time radio programs of all kinds worked newspapers and journalism into their plots now and then, including one of radio’s biggest hits, “Fibber McGee & Molly,” which ran for more than 20 years.
Searching more than 1,200 McGee titles and plot summaries for words like “columnist,” “reporter” and “editor” quickly turned up this 1950 episode, which includes a visit to a newspaper building, from newsroom to pressroom, complete with the roar of the presses punctuating the punchlines.
While there is no page one news in the half hour, we do visit the softer side of the oldtime daily paper; along with Aunt Jenny, we encounter the crossword editor, a local doctor doubling as medical columnist, and even the classified ads are good for a groan-producing joke.
McGee, although perhaps not the most reliable source, delivers an endorsement: “Newspapers are a great institution, Molly. Where would we be without ’em?” — while Molly reflects on the romance of the newsroom itself, over the clatter of typewriters:
“My, I just love a newspaper office, McGee, pencil shavings all over the floor… the smell of printer’s ink and old cigar butts…”
As I recall, series co-creator Don Quinn was married to a reporter, as well as having a famous talent for puns and wordplay, which this McGee episode is certainly full of… along with some reminders of 1950 culture, values, and a closet full of what the kids today call “Dad jokes.”
Prepare to wince for various reasons at a joke about a “cub” reporter, some old fashioned banter about a secretary sitting on the boss’s lap, one dated skin-color reference, and the ultimate use of the home-delivered newspaper as a wrapper for domestic detritus.
(Note to early readers: This entry in the blog was composed entirely with the WordPress Android app, and I’m happy to see that its MP3 player link works. If there are other problems, or if you have other newspaper related Fibber McGee episodes to recommend, add a comment below.)
In 1921, William Allen White writes an editorial when his 16-year-old daughter dies, not an obituary, and in 1954 Hallmark Hall of Fame uses his process of writing it to frame the story of her father, perhaps America’s most famous small town newspaper editor, on the tenth anniversary of his own death.
Back in 1944, Dupont’s Cavalcade of America also dramatized White’s life, including another of his famous editorials and more about his political influence. I wrote that longer page about that episode a few years ago when I was making my way through Cavalcade’s historical profiles.
(Eventually I’ll incorporate this Hallmark broadcast into that page. For more radio dramas about historical journalists, see the menu item “Real-Life.”)
https://archive.org/download/hallmark-hall-of-fame-1954-12-19-68-a-christmas-carol/Hallmark%20Hall%20of%20Fame%201954-01-10%20%2835%29%20The%20Story%20of%20William%20Allen%20White.mp3
https://archive.org/download/OTRR_Dragnet_Singles/Dragnet_51-08-09_113_The_Big_Screen.mp3 The Los Angeles Daily News is the real hero in this August 1951 “Dragnet” episode, The Big Screen, part of an Old Time Radio Researchers group collection at the Internet Archive… A reporter on the paper’s TV-radio beat has … Continue reading →
https://archive.org/download/OTRR_Mr_and_Mrs_North_Singles/Mr_and_Mrs_North_52-03-04_ep439_TCOT_Heavenly_Body.mp3 “Mr. & Mrs. North” was a long-running husband and wife detective series in books and radio, reminiscent of the “Thin Man” movie series. The Internet Archive holds about 80 episodes from the 12-year run of the series, but collector … Continue reading →
https://archive.org/download/COA_OTRR_Cert_CD1/Calv410623232JoelChandlerHarris.mp3 In addition to providing an oldtime radio dramatization of the life of newspaperman turned reteller of folktales Joel Chandler Harris, the Internet Archive has his works and biography, including the volume shown above. His red hair is mentioned several … Continue reading →
The witty — if a bit prone to puns and quotations — college president on “Halls of Ivy” had more than one anxious moment over campus news media, but supported the freedom of the press in good spirits, which must … Continue reading →
Detective Philip Marlowe meets a whole Hollywood trade paper crew in “The Green Flame” from March 1949 … https://archive.org/download/OTRR_Philip_Marlowe_Singles/Philip_Marlowe_49-03-26_ep026_The_Green_Flame.mp3 It’s a colorful tale. We get matches that burn with a green flame, a note in blue wax pencil, and various … Continue reading →
My cousin in Memphis just told me she heard an episode of the classic series called “Night Beat” recently on a satellite radio show made up of golden age broadcasts. I told her she’d found one of my favorites, and … Continue reading →
What do the movies “All About Eve” (1950) and “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1944) have in common that is relevant to this blog, other than their popularity with radio producers who adapted them for broadcast? There are no corpses or … Continue reading →
Despite the title of this blog, not all newspapermen (or women) in radio’s popular culture portrayals were heroes, although I think they were generally played more favorably on radio than in Hollywood movies. But I’ve just added a 45th title … Continue reading →
Journalism’s a shrew and a scold. I like her. She makes you sick, she makes you old. I like her. She’s daily trouble, storm and strife. She’s love and hate, and death and life. She ain’t no lady. She’s my … Continue reading →