Words at war
Subtitle: World War II era radio drama and the postwar broadcasting industry blacklist
By: Howard Blue.
Series: Studies and documentation in the history of popular entertainment ;; no. 5
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Lanham
Language: eng
Number of pages: 407
Subjects: Radio broadcasting -- United States -- History; Radio plays, American -- History and criticism; Blacklisting of entertainers -- United States
Description: "Words at War describes how seventeen radio dramatists and their actors fought a war of words against fascism abroad and injustice at home. Beginning in the late 1930s, the commercial networks, private agencies, and the government cooperated with radio dramatists to produce plays to alert Americans to the Nazi threat. During World War II, they also used radio to stimulate morale and show how Americans could support the fight against fascism, even if it meant just having a "victory garden."".

"Simultaneously as they worked on the war effort, many radio writers and actors advanced a progressive agenda to fight the enemy within: racism, poverty, and other social ills. When the war ended, many of these people paid for their idealism by suffering blacklisting. Veterans' groups, the FBI, right-wing politicians, and other reactionaries mounted an assault on them to drive them out of their professions.

Words at War discusses that partly successful effort and the response of the radio personalities involved.".

"Based largely on his interviews with Norman Corwin, Arthur Miller, Pete Seeger, Arthur Laurents, Art Carney, and dozens of others associated with radio during its Golden Age, author Howard Blue discusses public reaction to these broadcasts and the issue of blacklisting. He recalls the radio shows that shone during this era: commercial drama series such as The Man Behind the Gun, network-sustained shows such as those of Norman Corwin, and government-produced programs such as the Uncle Sam series.".

"Weaving together materials from FBI files and archives around the country, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the National Archives, and a dozen university special collection libraries, this book tells how the nation used a unique broadcast genre in a time of national crisis.

A fascinating study of the issues of censorship, scapegoating, and the government's role in disseminating propaganda, it depicts a conflict between art and politics that is as relevant today as ever."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 387-390) and index.