America at War (20-Hour Collections)

Rating:
Summary: History repeating itself: 1942/2001
Review: "If men could learn from history, what lessons it might teach us! But passion and party blind our eyes, and the light which experience gives us is a lantern on the stern, which shines only on the waves behind us!" --Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Many people use the word "propaganda" in a blatantly pejorative sense. For those utterly convinced they know the Truth, any counter argument is by definition wrong and therefore nothing but propaganda. It reminds me of an old World War II film in which a GI is shocked to hear that the Germans consider him "the enemy." After all, he reasoned, he was one of the Good Guys.

Nevertheless, from the moment that news of Pearl Harbor came over the airwaves back on December 7, 1941, we were the Good Guys, those "Nazis" and those "Japs" were the Bad Guys; and the propaganda machines got rolling to reinforce that message in every possible way.

For those who did not experience those days--and (alas) those years that followed December 7--one only has to think back to last September 11 to imagine how our United States reacted to the news over the radio and later in the papers and even later still at the movies where they could actually see the results of the "day that will live in infamy." But history has this funny trick of repeating itself; and for a marvelous example of that fact, it would be a very good thing to get a copy of "America at War" from Radio Spirits.

Here we have 20 tapes (there is also a CD version)of original broadcasts spanning the decade from12-7-41 to 4-4-49 that were designed to keep our hope up during the conflict and give us a positive view of things after it.

In the past, the sets from Radio Spirits that contain 20 tapes have given us 60 hours in all with 1.5 hours on each tape. There has also always been included a wonderfully prepared booklet with lots of illustrations and background information. Therefore I was a little surprised when "America at War" arrived with only an hour on each of the 20 tapes and no booklet at all. However, a few moments' consideration (and an e-mail inquiry to the publicity person) made things clear. The events of September 11 prompted the company to compile and release as soon as was possible this collection of shows related to World War II--and the message therein bears a frightful resemblance to what we are being told at present. Back then, however, there was a lot more poetry, purple prose, and (in short) style.

Among the many shows offered in this set are 7 Lux Radio Theatre dramatizations of then current war films: "Wake Island," "The War Against Mrs. Hadley," "The Navy Comes Through," "Air Force," "So Proudly We Hail," "Salute to the Marines," and "Pride of the Marines." There are 2 from the "Cavalcade of America" series, 4 from "Command Performance," and some miscellaneous dramatic presentations, two of which benefit greatly by the commanding voice of Orson Welles. From the great pool of "team" shows, there is only a "Fibber McGee and Molly" and a "Vic and Sade."

Some of the shows go a little too far for modern tastes in their highly poetic passages and idealized "typical" bits of Americana, no matter how sincere they might have been. Only in the opening "Gulf ScreenGuild Theatre" episode and in one other is there even a hint that not everything is absolutely perfect in our country. However, it is the essential message is that our way was still the best in the world, mostly because of the great diversity of our population. I recommend you play tape 11, "New York: a Tapestry for Radio" as your first selection as a great example of what great cities were like (or people wished they were like) before the rage for hyphenated identifications began.

The last side of the 20th tape gives us the most important broadcasts of all: Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy," John W. Vandercook's "Announcing VE Day," "Churchill's "Blood, Tears," on-the-spot reactions to VE Day in New York and Los Angeles, "Bob Trout's "WWII is Over," and MacArthur's "Japanese Surrender." There isn't a social studies teacher in this country that could not use this tape alone for a fantastic unit about life in those times.

The cover carries a warning that "the content of these programs reflects certain racial and ethnic stereotypes that were prevalent during that era." I winced when a character playing a motorcyclist in one of the shows said that he passed "a Jap" and maybe he should have run him over! But that kind of moronic thinking has been repeated quite recently by those who are mindlessly advocating "killing the whole bunch of them," meaning members of a certain religion. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I hope the Radio Spirits people do eventually come up with a booklet for this one; but do not wait until then. You need this set now, especially in the schools.

Rating:
Summary: History repeating itself: 1942/2001
Review: "If men could learn from history, what lessons it might teach us! But passion and party blind our eyes, and the light which experience gives us is a lantern on the stern, which shines only on the waves behind us!" --Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Many people use the word "propaganda" in a blatantly pejorative sense. For those utterly convinced they know the Truth, any counter argument is by definition wrong and therefore nothing but propaganda. It reminds me of an old World War II film in which a GI is shocked to hear that the Germans consider him "the enemy." After all, he reasoned, he was one of the Good Guys.

Nevertheless, from the moment that news of Pearl Harbor came over the airwaves back on December 7, 1941, we were the Good Guys, those "Nazis" and those "Japs" were the Bad Guys; and the propaganda machines got rolling to reinforce that message in every possible way.

For those who did not experience those days--and (alas) those years that followed December 7--one only has to think back to last September 11 to imagine how our United States reacted to the news over the radio and later in the papers and even later still at the movies where they could actually see the results of the "day that will live in infamy." But history has this funny trick of repeating itself; and for a marvelous example of that fact, it would be a very good thing to get a copy of "America at War" from Radio Spirits.

Here we have 20 tapes (there is also a CD version)of original broadcasts spanning the decade from12-7-41 to 4-4-49 that were designed to keep our hope up during the conflict and give us a positive view of things after it.

In the past, the sets from Radio Spirits that contain 20 tapes have given us 60 hours in all with 1.5 hours on each tape. There has also always been included a wonderfully prepared booklet with lots of illustrations and background information. Therefore I was a little surprised when "America at War" arrived with only an hour on each of the 20 tapes and no booklet at all. However, a few moments' consideration (and an e-mail inquiry to the publicity person) made things clear. The events of September 11 prompted the company to compile and release as soon as was possible this collection of shows related to World War II--and the message therein bears a frightful resemblance to what we are being told at present. Back then, however, there was a lot more poetry, purple prose, and (in short) style.

Among the many shows offered in this set are 7 Lux Radio Theatre dramatizations of then current war films: "Wake Island," "The War Against Mrs. Hadley," "The Navy Comes Through," "Air Force," "So Proudly We Hail," "Salute to the Marines," and "Pride of the Marines." There are 2 from the "Cavalcade of America" series, 4 from "Command Performance," and some miscellaneous dramatic presentations, two of which benefit greatly by the commanding voice of Orson Welles. From the great pool of "team" shows, there is only a "Fibber McGee and Molly" and a "Vic and Sade."

Some of the shows go a little too far for modern tastes in their highly poetic passages and idealized "typical" bits of Americana, no matter how sincere they might have been. Only in the opening "Gulf Screen Guild Theatre" episode and in one other is there even a hint that not everything is absolutely perfect in our country. However, it is the essential message is that our way was still the best in the world, mostly because of the great diversity of our population. I recommend you play tape 11, "New York: a Tapestry for Radio" as your first selection as a great example of what great cities were like (or people wished they were like) before the rage for hyphenated identifications began.

The last side of the 20th tape gives us the most important broadcasts of all: Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy," John W. Vandercook's "Announcing VE Day," "Churchill's "Blood, Tears," on-the-spot reactions to VE Day in New York and Los Angeles, "Bob Trout's "WWII is Over," and MacArthur's "Japanese Surrender." There isn't a social studies teacher in this country that could not use this tape alone for a fantastic unit about life in those times.

The cover carries a warning that "the content of these programs reflects certain racial and ethnic stereotypes that were prevalent during that era." I winced when a character playing a motorcyclist in one of the shows said that he passed "a Jap" and maybe he should have run him over! But that kind of moronic thinking has been repeated quite recently by those who are mindlessly advocating "killing the whole bunch of them," meaning members of a certain religion. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I hope the Radio Spirits people do eventually come up with a booklet for this one; but do not wait until then. You need this set now, especially in the schools.