Young Man in a Hurry
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Gerber, H. Joseph, 1924-1996
setName: label: See more items in
content: Heinz Joseph Gerber Papers
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1950
label: Date
content: 1986
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1336, Series 2
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Series 2: Young Man in a Hurry, 1950-1986, contains scripts, correspondence, background material, publicity, congratulatory letters, photographs and one audio recording from the February 28, 1950 radio broadcast of Young Man in a Hurry. Cavalcade of America, a radio drama series sponsored by the DuPont Company from 1935 to 1953, featured stories of American history, particularly those that featured individual courage, achievement, and technological progress. Gerber's personal journey from a war refugee to successful inventor and business entrepreneur was turned into a heroic example of a modern day "Horatio Alger tale." Actor Cornel Wilde performed as Joseph Gerber while Virginia Payne was program narrator and voice of his mother, Bertha Gerber. There are draft versions and final copies of the show's script, as well as from later broadcasts of the program. Correspondence is between Gerber; Abraham Koppelman; Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osbourn Inc. (the advertising firm that produced the show); and other radio agents regarding the logistics of the Young Man in a Hurry broadcast. There is also one letter from Cornel West to Gerber reminiscing about the show nearly forty years later in 1986. Background material contains bibliographical and other personal information about Gerber that was used to write the show's script. Publicity materials consist of newspaper and other materials announcing the Young Man in a Hurry broadcast, and articles describing the broadcast after its February 28th premiere. Congratulatory letters are from friends and other well-wishers, including a number from staff members at R.P.I. This series also contains photographs of the script and of Joseph and Bertha Gerber visiting the voice actors in the NBC recording studio. The final item in this series is a cassette tape recording of the 1950 broadcast of Young Man in a Hurry. Materials are arranged chronologically.