[78-L] Norman Corwin

[Michael Biel]

From: "Taylor Bowie" <bowiebks at isomedia.com>

> Corwin has always been interested and involved in electoral politics. He 
> produced and directed a show for the Democratic Party on election night, 
> 1944, which is one of the most remarkable broadcasts I have ever heard.

More accurately. it was election eve, which was the night before
election day, not election night which is the night of election returns.
 I do a weekly broadcast on YesterdayUSA.com on Sunday evenings at 11:30
eastern with a mutual friend of Frank Brezee, Walden Hughes, and two
weeks ago Walden aired that 1944 Corwin program after my section.  It's
the first time I had sat down and listened to it, and it was
interesting.  During my section I mentioned having two home recorded
segments of a similar program the Republicans did in 1948 on election
eve, "The Dewey-Warren Bandwagon."  One of the segments I have of that
all-star program has Frank Morgan.  Maybe I'll play it the week of the
inauguration.  

> It's great that he is still around and still contributing to the public dialogue.

In December 2001 YesterdayUSA had Corwin on to discuss the 60th anniv of
his greatest program "We Hold These Truths" (which we played) which is
the commemoration of the 150th anniv of The Bill of Rights.  I mentioned
to Corwin when I played it in my Broadcast History classes I remind them
afterwards that at the same time this program was on, the federal govn't
was laying out the plans of the interment of the Japanese in America,
including U.S. citizens.  He agreed that it was a shameful period and
that there were a few -- a VERY few -- who were brave enough to speak
out against it.  I asked him if he saw the parallels between the media
of WW II and the jingoistic coverage we were getting at that time in the
months after 9/11 and he agreed that we do have to be careful.  Frank
and Walden had him on again for his most recent birthday earlier this
year but technical difficulties prevented me from joining them.  I wish
I had a chance to be at that evening and discuss the recent media with
him.  Maybe I'll bring this up with Walden on the broadcast tonight.

> Many thanks to Cary for the report...it must have been a great evening.
> Taylor B

I'll check with Walden to see if Frank has a tape and could play it on
his evenings with Walden.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <soundthink at aol.com>
> > Just got back from an evening with Norman Corwin at the Thousand Oaks 
> > Library. Corwin was there with Martin Kaplan, the director of the Norman 
> > Lear Center at USC (Lear himself was in the audience as well and took a 
> > bow). Corwin is "98 1/2" (as he put it) and although frail (he walks with 
> > a walker), his voice is strong and still recognizable; His brain, thank 
> > goodness, is still razor sharp, and he spoke eloquently, if haltingly. He 
> > said he was grateful and optimistic, thanks to the recent election, that 
> > America is on the right track again, as he "recedes into the shadows" (a 
> > particularly poetic thing to say by one of any age). He still champions 
> > America, asking rhetorically "what other country?produced writers like 
> > Walt Whitman and Mark Twain?" He and Kaplan talked about how entertainment 
> > is the force that drives American society, and that entertainment has 
> > invaded?politics, news, and all other aspects of our daily life. The Lear 
> > Center studies this effect, and has been able to predict the politics of
> > an individual by what they watch on TV and, in many cases, what they eat.
> > It was a fascinating but all-too-short discussion.

> > Corwin graciously autographed?my 12" 78 album of "On a Note of Triumph" 
> > (he just wrote his name and "2008"). We did talk about Studs Terkel 
> > briefly; he had worked with him and considered him a great friend and a 
> > wonderful writer.
> >
> > Incidentally, sitting next to me in the front row was Frank Bresee, whose 
> > library of radio shows is housed at the Thousand Oaks Library along with 
> > the archives of Corwin and Rudy Vallee, among others.
> >
> > There aren't many legends of radio left, but it's nice to see that Norman 
> > Corwin is still aware of and acutely interested in our world and where it 
> > is going.   > > Cary Ginell