NRR Project: Roosevelt and Churchill give Christmas speeches (Dec. 24, 1941)

 

NRR Project: Christmas Eve broadcast (Dec. 24, 1941)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill

13:46

First, go to H.W. Brands’ excellent essay on this topic via the National Recording Registry here. It does a great job of setting the table for these two speeches, and delineating the fortunately close relationship between Roosevelt and Churchill.

America was in turmoil, having declared war against Japan on Dec. 8. Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain, immediately proposed a meeting; American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt was happy to host him at the White House. After a dangerous sea voyage, Churchill reached the U.S. The two saw the value of quickly devising an overall strategy among the opponents of the Axis. Churchill intended to stay a week, but stayed for three.

The two were dynamic, charismatic leaders, and both had the gift of eloquence. I cannot transcribe Roosevelt’s inspiring words, but you will find them here. You can literally watch them give their speeches here.

The nation needed reassurance. What would a country at war become? Roosevelt here asks if it is appropriate to celebrate Christmas in such dark times. He answers in the affirmative, and urges people to “arm our hearts”.

I include Churchill’s words below, because I can. It is worth reading not only for its brave sentiments, but as a fine example of Churchill’s style. His English is impeccable; he gets right to the point, states it clearly, and finishes magnificently. The guy could write.

“Fellow workers, in the course of freedom, I have the honour to add a pendant to the necklace of that Christmas goodwill and kindliness which my illustrious friend the President has encircled the homes and families of the United States by his message of Christmas eve which he just delivered.

I spend this anniversary and festival far from my country, far from my family, and yet I cannot truthfully say that I feel far from home. Whether it be by the ties of blood on my mother’s side, or the friendships I have developed here over many years of active life, or the commanding sentiment of comradeship in the common cause of great peoples who speak the same language, who kneel at the same altars and, to a very large extent, pursue the same ideals, whichever it may be, or all of them together, I cannot feel myself a stranger here in the centre and at the summit of the United States. I feel a sense of unity and fraternal association which, added to the kindliness of your welcome, convinces me that I have a right to sit at your fireside and share your Christmas joys.

Fellow workers, fellow soldiers in the cause, this is a strange Christmas Eve. Almost the whole world is locked in deadly struggle. Armed with the most terrible weapons which science can devise, the nations advance upon each other. Ill would it be for us this Christmastide if we were not sure that no greed for the lands or wealth of any other people, no vulgar ambition, no morbid lust for material gain at the expense of others, had led us to the field. Ill would it be for us if that were so. Here in the midst of war, raging and roaring over all the lands and seas, creeping nearer to our hearts and homes. Here amid all these tumults, we have tonight the peace of the spirit in each cottage home and in every generous heart.

Therefore we may cast aside, for this night at least, the cares and dangers which beset us, and make for the children an evening of happiness in a world of storm. Here, then, for one night only, each home throughout the English-speaking world should be a brightly-lighted island of happiness and peace. Let the children have their night of fun and laughter. Let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures before we turn again to the stern task and the formidable year that lie before us, resolved that, by our sacrifice and daring, these same children shall not be robbed of their inheritance or denied their right to live in a free and decent world.

And so, in God’s mercy, a happy Christmas to you all.

May you all have a very happy Holiday Season and here’s to a bright New Year.”

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Native Brazilian Music.

NRR Project: 'We Hold These Truths' (Dec. 15, 1941)

 

NRR Project: ‘We Hold These Truths’

Written and produced by Norman Corwin

Broadcast Dec. 15, 1941

1 hour

Though only a cultural footnote now, Norman Corwin (1910-2011) was American radio’s most eloquent writer. Born in Boston, he skipped college and went straight into reportage. Swiftly, his talent moved him up through the ranks and into the radio business. Soon he was writing dramatic scripts for CBS, and garnering accolades and popularity. Adept at verse as well as prose, he created such stellar programs as “The Plot Against Christmas” and “They Fly Through the Air with the Greatest of Ease.” In 1941 CBS gave him 26 weeks of the Columbia Radio Workshop to produce 26 by Corwin, a full exploration of his talents as writer, producer, and director of radio drama.

The government thought to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights with a special broadcast slated for Dec. 15, 1941. Corwin, radio’s premier writer/producer, was tapped to write the hour-long celebration. Corwin leapt in with his usual energy and enthusiasm, and worked frantically to create a suitable script. When the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, Corwin thought perhaps the show would be cancelled. No less a personage than Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared that such a show was more needed than ever.

So important was the program that it was arranged, for the first and only time, to carry it on all four major radio networks at once, live. Composer Bernard Herrmann wrote the score, and Corwin put together an all-star cast – Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart, Walter Huston, Edward G. Robinson, Orson Welles, and others. The result was an epic broadcast that shouted to the rooftops the uniqueness and benefits of those 10 vital amendments to the Constitution.

Stewart served as the narrator, taking us through a contemplation of the document today to the days of the creation of the Bill, emphasizing the role of the common people in mandating the addition of the Bill to the Constitution – the outlining of fundamental rights that preserve liberty and free thought in our country even today. (Orson Welles, who handles some narration, was never more bombastic.)

The illustration of the history of the Bill, its influence and key points, is performed with zip and wit. The broadcast, decades later, still holds up. The program closed with remarks from President Roosevelt and the playing of the National Anthem of Leopold Stokowski and the NBC Radio Orchestra.

Freedom of speech, of religion; of due process and respect for the law; the protection of the average citizen from the whims of a tyrannical government – still precious, still under attack all these centuries later. For a nation that had just launched itself into a world war, “We Hold These Truths” was a stirring reminder of what we were fighting for.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Roosevelt and Churchill address the nation, Christmas Eve, 1941.

NRR Project: FDR's 'Day of Infamy' speech (Dec. 8, 1941)

 

NRR Project: Roosevelt’s ‘Day of Infamy’ speech (Dec. 8, 1941)

9:49

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of the greatest communicators to hold the American presidency. Broadcasting frequently and consistently to the nation on radio from the beginning of his first term in 1932, his voice was an integral part of the soundscape of the era. Confident and trusted, he steered the U.S. out of the Great Depression and set up social programs that improved the lives of millions.

This would be his most remembered speech. On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan committed a surprise attack against American forces in Hawaii, killing thousands and destroying a vast number of valuable ships, planes, and infrastructure. The nation’s citizens, formerly in favor of neutrality amid the growing madness of World War II, rapidly turned about and clamored for revenge.

The day after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor, FDR addressed the combined houses of Congress in a special session. His remarks, relatively brief and to the point, outlined the enormity of the aggression of the Japanese empire and articulated America’s response – to go to war and win it.

“I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people,” he said, “when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.”

The audience roared its approval. And just like that, America was engaged in the most serious conflict in its history.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: We Hold These Truths.

NRR Project: World Series, Game 4, Yankees v. Dodgers (Oct. 5, 1941)

 

NRR Project: World Series, Game 4, Yankees v. Dodgers

Recorded Oct. 5, 1941

3 hours, 17 min.

Boy, is this a fun listen. Go to the expert essay by J.P. Hoornstra for a comprehensive discussion of the game and its impact. After that . . .

We are two weeks away from pitchers and catchers. Those of us with baseball fever will welcome the opportunity to play a classic game out in our heads as we listen to this archived broadcast. Hearing this historic game being called is a window into the past, but it also demonstrates baseball’s continuity.

It preserves forever an unseasonably hot October day, in front of more than 33,000 fans at Ebbets Field. The greats are playing – DiMaggio, Rizzuto, Medwick, Reese. It’s a well-fought game of inches, eventually trading the lead to Brooklyn.

Bottom of the ninth, two out, nobody on. Third strike on Tommy Heinrch, catcher Owen drops the ball. Heinrich goes to first. The Yankees rack up four more runs. Brooklyn strikes out. And just like that, the series is 3-1 for the Yanks instead of 2-2. It was a fatal moment in Dodger history.

What is remarkable for us listening today is the perfect clarity with which the announcers call the game. It is still understandable, the game has retained its integrity over the last century. The Dodgers announcer Red Barber teamed up with Bob Elson to broadcast the game.

Barber is eloquence himself. He delivers his observations calmly and flatly, without the Southern lilt he displayed alter in life when he became a frequent correspondent with National Public Radio. At one point, Barber describes a pitcher and batter going at it “like Hector and Achilles.” An announcer who can make an offhand, and apt, figure of speech dependent on the listeners’ knowledge of Homer’s “The Iliiad” is a wonder to behold.

Dispassionately and fair, he and Elson broadcast serenely above the clamor of the Dodgers crowd, one of baseball’s rowdiest. It is Elson’s heartbreaking task to describe Owens’ flub, and to wind up the game as the Dodgers pitching goes south and the Yanks win 7-4. The next day, the Yankees win the Series.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Roosevelt addresses Congress, Dec. 8, 1941.

NRR Project: 'America's Town Meeting of the Air' (May 8, 1941)

 

NRR Project: ‘America’s Town Meeting of the Air: Should Our Ships Convoy Materials to England?’

Recorded May 8, 1941

60 min.

I cannot find access to this particular broadcast; refer toCary O’Dell’s excellent essay on the program here.

America’s Town Meeting of the Air launched on May 30, 1935 and stayed on the air until July 1, 1956. The format was simple: two experts on opposite sides of a given issue were given time to state their views, debate each other, and take questions from the audience. Creator and moderator George V. Denny, Jr. was the executive director of the League for Political Education; he was dedicated to tackling controversial topics and to giving each side in a debate equal respect.

What was first perceived as a boring public-service program rapidly became popular, inspiring thousands of letters from listeners each week. The engagement was surprisingly strong. Members of the studio audience cheered and booed at the remarks of the participants. Beginning in 1936, listeners could join in via telephone to pose their questions.

Such was the impact of the show that listeners could write in for transcripts of the broadcasts, many of which were used as educational aids in U.S. schools.

“Hold fast to the liberty you are enjoying tonight,” intoned the show’s announcer, “for once again the system of American radio unites you in a great nationwide town meeting.” The idea of free and open debate is a cherished right in our country; America’s Town Meeting upheld that right vigorously for decades.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Game 4 of the 1941 World Series.

NRR Project: 'Walking the Floor Over You' (1941)

 

NRR Project: ‘Walking the Floor Over You’

Composed and performed by Ernest Tubb

Recorded April 26, 1941

2:04

First, read Ronnie Pugh’s definitive essay on this selection at the National Recording Registry.

Ernest Tubb, the “Texas Troubador,” had a long and successful career, and this is his signature tune. It represents the birth of “honky tonk” music, the kind that got played on coin-operated music machines in country bars.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: America’s Town Meeting of the Air: Should Our Ships Convoy Materials to England? (May 8, 1941).

NRR Project: The Deep River Boys sing 'They Look Like Men of War' (1941)

 

NRR Project: ‘They Look Like Men of War’’

Composed by John A. Granade and Hattie Hill

Performed by the Deep River Boys

Recorded 1941

2:09

No notes. You have to read the essay on it by Sandra Jean Graham; it is perfect!

I have little to add. The effect of this powerful a capella hyman, sung by soldiers going into battle, is inspiring. That it survived into the 20^th century was due to a man who heard it in the field, Samuel Chapman Armstrong.

The song itself comes from the early 19^th century. The conflation of readiness for battle and belief in Jesus Christ is a striking one, lending the flavor of crusade to its message. It is moving, both in context and in and of itself, its beautiful harmonies undulating.

The Deep River Boys developed as the Hampton Institute Junior Quartet, and grew into their new name. They moved away from purely performing spirituals and hyms, and started covering conventional material as well. They persisted, primarily in Europe, for many decades.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Walking the Floor Over You.