Customer Reviews

The Great American Broadcast

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When Leonard Maltin writes on a subject, it betrays his love for that subject, and it is well researched. There have been a number of books on the history of radio, but this one is derived from interviews that Maltin did himself, sometimes before it was too late. My only problem with this book is the lack of a bibliography; since Maltin does draw from books written during radio's heyday, it would have been nice to have information on them. Regardless, if you have any interest in radio, this is a book you will thoroughly enjoy.

The Great American Broadcast is Leonard Maltins insightful and affectionate look at the zenith of American radio. Maltins love of the medium is as great and possibly greater than his love of movies,if thats possible, and this is transmitted in every line of this well researched tome. Interviews with the radio stars, producers, writers and technicians of the time bring to life the magic of this era and apart from a cracking good read it will also serve as an excellent reference tool. I found the book engrossing and regretted having to finish it at all. Thanks to the internet Old Time Radio is flourishing and listeners will have their listening pleasure enriched for having read this book. Unlike most modern media commentators Maltin has never lost his little boy at the Saturday matinee enthusiasm for movies and, it seems, for radio as well. All radio lovers should have this title on their shelves.

Given that Maltin has been steeeeped in movies for so many decades....this is a great read. Got this for my mom. She spent 5 years in radio's heyday back in the 30's, before becoming a WAVE in WWII. She actually called me today to express her gratitude for all the memories and people this book brought back to her. She loved the facts behind the facts / people as well.

i was surprised that Leonard Maltin was so "nice" in this book. i'm used to him complaining about some obscure fact or something the typical fan wouldn't notice or care to notice. a critic's best friend is theirself. only they and they alone hold the answers as to why they like or hate something. they aren't gods...a critic shouldn't make a person like or hate something. it's just an opinion of a movie or CD, it's up to the consumer to agree or disagree with the critic. that being said, i agree with what's said in this book. for once, Leonard lets OTHER people tell the story...he doesn't appear as a "critic" to me in this book and that's good. the book is divided into segments like "announcers"; "sound effects"; "sponsors"; "radio acting"; etc. Maltin relies on plenty of anecdotes, which elevates this above his run of the mill "critic" books and by doing this it makes the book focus on it's subject matter and not the author's reputation as a tough critic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about old time radio, lots of stories from the old days. The other reviews on this page echo my views (or mine theirs), so I will just say I recommend Maltin's book highly!

If you're an old time radio fan, you'll love this book. Not a 'hard hitter' (McCarthyism destroyed quite a few radio careers, for example, this isn't even mentioned) but an affection tribute.

An entertaining, albeit fatuous, peon to American radio. The research is superficial and many of the facts wrong or incomplete.