21L.015 INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA STUDIES: LAB
19 February 1997
 
THE GOLDEN ERA OF NETWORK RADIO
56-114
Suggested paper topics
 
In Lab this week, we are going to sample a range of programs from the
"golden era of network radio," including children's programs, adventure
series, comedies, detective shows, and science fiction/horror series. A
list of the programs we will hear will follow. As you listen to each
selection, you should be trying to identify the salient features of
radio as a storytelling medium. Here are some questions you might
consider as you listen:
 
The opening of each program has to set the tone, establish the
atmosphere, and introduce us to the characters and situations. Compare
and contrast how different programs achieve these goals.
 
The basic building blocks of radio drama are the spoken voice, sound
effects, and music. Consider the functions served by each of these
materials in the selections you hear.
 
Each program establish some ballance between telling and
showing/performing the narrative action. What functions do narration and
performance play in the selections?
 
One of the major challenges of radio drama is meaningfully defining the
different characters so that we do not confuse them. The medium demands
strong differentation of voice and speach patterns. How do the various
series respond to this challenge?
 
Radio must use sound to compensate for things we can not see. Look for
moments in the broadcasts where our sense of sight is required. How do
the broadcasters work around these problems? How do the series exploit
the fact that we can't see? What compensates for our loss of sight?
 
Many of these broadcasts make reference to other media, especially film.
How do they position themselves in relation to the Hollywood
entertainment industry? How does radio represent its social role within
the drama?
 
Many of these series are self-reflexive, that is, they acknowledge the
fact that we are listening to a fictional broadcast. What are some of
the devices they use to do so? Are some radio genres more self-reflexive
than others? Is radio more or less self-reflexive than television?
 
Advertising enjoys a different relationship to the series in radio than
has emerged in network television. Pay especial attention to
commercials, where they are provided, and their relationship to the
series they sponser. To what degree do commitment to advertisers shape
the fiction?
 
Old radio programs can be understood as documents which record the
social history of bygone eras. What kinds of insights into genre
relations or American politics emerge from the chosen episodes? Be
attentive to the time frame when each is produced. How might these
popular entertainments be seen as responding to the depression, the war,
or other major turning points of the mid-20th century?
 
Radio, like television, is a domestic-based medium. What difference does
it make that these broadcasts were intended to be consumed within the
home?
 
Radio, like television, assumes a regular audience. What aspects of the
programs exploit audience familiarity with the series? What devices are
employed to make the program more accessible to first-time listeners?
 
These shows fall into genres, which, for the most part, are still found
on television today. As you listen, look for similarities and
differences in how the genres get treated in the two media.
 
Little Orphan Annie (Complete episode) 10-18-1935
The Green Hornet (Opening Credits) 4-18-1943
The Whistler (Opening Credits) 6-10-1951
The Lone Ranger (Opening Credits) 3-27-1944
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (Opening and excerpt) 7-3-1943
Dragnet (Opening and excerpt) 4-5-1955
Gangbusters (Complete Episode) c. 1940
Academy Award Theatre: "The Maltese Falcon" (Opening and Excerpt) 7-3-46
Chase and Sanborn Hour: "Adam and Eve" (Excerpt) 12/12/1937
Baby Snooks and Daddy (Excerpt) 9-6-1946
The Charlie McCarthy Show (Excerpt) c. 1930s
The Fred Allen Show (Excerpt) 10-28-1945
The Jack Benny Show (Excerpt) 11-16-1953
The Burns and Allen Show (Complete Episode) 1-2-1947
The Bickersons (Excerpt) 12-13-1947
The Mercury Theatre on the Air: "War of the Worlds" (Excerpt) 10-30-1938
Lights Out: "The Meteor Man" (Complete Episode) 12-22-1942
 

--Henry Jenkins

mroberts@mit.edu