[78-L] 78s for radio exercise programs

[DKing]

Hello Donna,

What prompted this exercise craze?  Was it the shift from
factory & farm work to office work?

- Dave King


> On May 4, 2020, at 11:41 PM, Donna Halper <dlh at donnahalper.com.invalid> wrote:
> 
> 
> In the 1920s, there was an exercise craze, based on a fad called the 
> "Daily Dozen" (a series of 12 exercises, originally created by Walter 
> Camp; these simple calisthenics were supposed to help one to become 
> physically fit, even in the comfort of one's home). For some reason, 
> radio got involved in the exercise craze, and various programs (which 
> I've written about in an essay you can find online called "Exercise and 
> Expertise") featured the exercises, led by a friendly host who guided 
> you through them each morning. But I'm trying to find out which songs 
> were used-- I recall seeing advertisements in newspapers for these 
> programs (and the ads mentioned  the names of the local stores that sold 
> the exercise records, but the ads I saw _didn't_ mention the songs-- it 
> just said the store had the exercise records). I also recall a couple of 
> newspaper articles from the early 1920s, that discussed those 
> recordings, the ones that were based on Walter Camp's Daily Dozen... but 
> I can't find my notes. Anyone know which songs from the early to mid 
> 1920s might have been used on these radio exercise programs, and who 
> performed them?
> 
> -- 
> Donna L. Halper, PhD
> Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies
> Lesley University, Cambridge MA
> 
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