Customer Reviews

Raised on Radio

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nachman's writing benefits from the punchiness of his journalistic training; this book is a pleasantly affectionate tribute to a marvelous era. It does suffer from his personal lack of interest in certain genres -- the adventure serials and soap operas meant as much to many as the sitcoms did to him as a showbiz reviewer, but he whizzes through them with a chuckle as if they were all undiffrentiable. But the main thing: Mr. Nachman, please correct the myriad errors for future editions! Too many people will be reading this book for so many dates and names to be so far off. Jack Benny's show premiered in 1932, not 1934; Harold Peary's second show was called HONEST HAROLD, not THE HAROLD PEARY SHOW; Joan Davis' TV sitcom was called I MARRIED JOAN, not THE JOAN DAVIS SHOW; the TV version of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND was not superseded by I LOVE LUCY but premiered two years after it; THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE's Leila Ransom was played by Shirley Mitchell; not only Ethel Waters but Louise Beavers played BEULAH on TV, and Dooley Wilson was only one of three of her Bills; etc., etc. It's almost impossible for little things like this not to pop up in a manuscript occasionally, but in some sections of this book there is something like this every few pages, and the correct information is widely available in other books of long standing. Without these gaffes this would be a fine piece of work deserving of many reprintings.

This highly entertaining book differs from others in the genre in that it is not a fawning fan book. It is lots of fun and very well written. Some OTR fans have slammed it for its numerous errors (and it's true; it could have used a fact checker), but Nachman is after more important game than radio trivia, and he succeeds,

But I do have to register one strong objection. It's his assesment of Eddie Cantor. Now, Cantor may indeed have been a lousy rat in his personal life, as Nachman's informants report --that I don't know about -- but the book is one hundred per cent wrong about Cantor's show (at least his show from the mid-forties on). Nachman dismisses Cantor as an essentially talentless hack, and his show as depressingly unfunny. A few years ago, back when I first read this book, I accepted Nachman's criticism as probably factual (though I did remember enjoying Cantor's movies on the late, late show many years ago). The fact is that at the time I had never heard any of Cantor's radio shows so I had nothing to compare his comments with. Then about a year ago I ran across a partial episode of one Cantor's shows. It was hilarious and made me hungry for more. A few months ago I was able to obtain six or seven dozen shows dating from WW II and later. Now, it's possible that Nachman was going by Cantor's shows from the thirtes, when radio was much different than the situation comedy oriented 1940s. Whatever the case all I can say is that going by the fifty or so shows I've heard so far, Nachman is wrong, wrong, wrong. Cantor's show is hilarious and every bit as good as Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, Phil Harris, or any other top shows of the period. The writing is first rate. Second bananas Harry von Zell and Bert Gordon as the Mad Russian are standouts, and as good as any supporting players on the other shows. Better, really. Cantor's show has quickly become one of my very favorites. My 11 year old son loves it. Even my 15 year old daughter -- the one with the metal stud in her nose -- loves the show.

So read Nachman. He's good. More important, listen to the shows yourself.

I come at this book from an oblique angle. Yes, I was definitely raised on radio shows like "The Great Gildersleeve" and "Fibber McGee and Molly," but I was born in 1971, twenty years after the demise of the medium! Thanks to a nostalgia program called "The Big Broadcast" on the Washington DC public radio station WAMU, however, every Sunday night for years I was drawn out of my 1980s media world (of The Empire Strikes Back and The Dukes of Hazzard) and into the wonderfully different, off-beat universe of vintage radio.

Like my father, forty years before me, I was a kid with a radio hang-up, who's head spun around with the adventures of "The Shadow" (in reality, wealthy man-about-town Lamont Cranston) and who thrilled to stories of "Suspense!" None of my friends...not one...had any idea that this world recaptured from the past existed. That had its advantages: I could use any routine from Jack Benny or Fred Allen and claim it as my own. But it had its disadvantages as well. Radio was filled with loveable characters and great shows...you want to talk about them! Being one of the tiny minority of my generation who knew who Sheriff Matt Dillon was, I was all alone.

Until now! Gerald Nachman's book RAISED ON RADIO is like having a great conversation with the world's biggest old-time radio authority...and enthusiast! I haven't listened to some of these shows in ten years, and yet its amazing how well I remember the VOICES when Mr. Nachman quotes an old gag or piece of dialogue. That's the magic of radio: the voices approach you intimitely, and your imagination takes flight. Whether you are 27 (as I am) or 72 (and you listened to the original broadcasts of "Mercury Theater on the Air" or "Dragnet") the voices are probably still echoing in your memory. Mr. Nachman's book is a great key to open that closet of remembrances in your head: a closet as jam-packed as ever Fibber McGee's was!

Thank you, Gerald Nachman!

I really love this book... Its a great read... neither overly scholarly (as in Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...) nor overly wishy washy like some titles that might come to mind. Its just one of those books you can sit back, read and enjoy. In the process you'll get a great overview of the rise and fall of radio... you'll meet the stars and the personality in front of and behind the mic, from the actors and executives, right down to the writers and sound effects men. - - I'm not sure if one could call it definitive... but for sure whether its definitive or not, it tells the story well and is re-readable as many of those classic radio shows are still relistenable. - - All in all, if you're a die hard "OTR" buff and want to know who played so and so in episode 154 of a certain radio show, its original airdate, and when it re-aired... the book probably isn't for you... - - If, however, to hear the story of radio as a whole, relive this golden age, and experience it not only from the perspective of the people who made it, and the generation that grew up on it this is one must have piece of literature - - (...to boot, almost all of my favorite radio shows were covered... atleast in brief !)

This review is based on the hardcover version.

This is neither a formal history of American radio's "Golden Age" (c.1928-1950), nor is it a book likely to please every "Old Time Radio" fanatic who wants elaborately detailed accounts of his favorite programs and performers. Gerald Nachman came of age in the waning days of bigtime network radio; he fondly remembers the medium; and he tries to convey some of his warm regard (dare one call it "nostalgia?") for the people and broadcasts that have most impressed him. For those who were not "raised on radio" (or, more likely, grew up in the later decades of disc jockeys and "talk"), the book provides an introduction to the basics of Old Time Radio.

Nachman affectionately hits the high points with chapters on Jack Benny, Fred Allen, and Bob Hope, a paean to the ultimate radio soap opera, "One Man's Family," and insightful analyses of such cultural icons as Walter Winchell, the Quiz Kids, Burns and Allen, Arthur Godfrey, and others who made a medium that (along with the movies) dominated American popular culture in the 1930s and 1940s. His assessment of the "Amos `n' Andy" controversy - should African-Americans be offended or flattered by two well-meaning white comedians in aural blackface? - is on the mark. On the other hand, Nachman doesn't put enough emphasis on Orson Welle's 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast, which demonstrated the power of radio to scare the hell out of casual listeners; but there are numerous other books on that phenomenon. One also can quibble that there's not a chapter about commercial radio's efforts to popularize "high culture" - e.g., Arturo Toscanini, Sigmund Spaeth, the Metropolitan Opera - although Nachman does mention them in passing. Most of the chapters are devoted to specific entertainment genres - soap operas, kids' shows, dramatic series and serials, quiz programs, musical/variety shows, westerns, etc. - and cover major performers and programs in each.

As one might expect, Nachman bemoans the demise of "live" network radio in the 1950s and 1960s, as Americans turned from prime-time listening to prime-time viewing. If the book has a major failing, it's a lack of information about and understanding of American radio audiences and why they largely abandoned network radio for television. A chapter on audiences and the radio ratings systems might have been appropriate - but, again, this is not a history so much as an "appreciation."

Nachman cites several interviews and includes a long list of books he apparently consulted for his own work; but since there are no footnotes, it's difficult for a non-specialist to judge if there are as many factual errors here as other reviewers claim. (By the way, Adlai Stevenson WAS a presidential contender in 1960, at least until John F. Kennedy locked up the Democratic nomination; but there was no primary "election night" prior to Winchell's departure from network radio that year, so he couldn't have made his on-air comment, comparing Stevenson with Christine Jorgenson, quite as Nachman relates it.)

Still, Nachman writes in a lively, easy-flowing style; his chapters are well-organized and self-contained, short enough for casual reading. All in all, "Raised on Radio" is a good introduction for younger readers (born after 1960, shall we say) to the basics of Old Time Radio, a good place to get one's bearings before tackling more specialized books and, of course, listening to the programs themselves.

Gerald Nachman has captured the essence of the American era of entertainment known as "Radio's Golden Age" 1920-1962. His descriptions of the shows,formats,and content of the various types of broadcasts (news, comedy,soaps,quiz,etc.) is succint, pithy, and honest. I have been an OTR fan for over 35 years, and I believe this history of radio in America is perhaps one of the top 3 books on the subject. There are many tidbits and facts about shows and performers I had never read in any other book on radio.
Nachman writes in easy to read conversational style, offering many insights and comments about shows and personalities as far back as 70 years ago, at the same time making logical comparisons to more recent personalities or forms of entertainment available today. I highly recommend this wonderful look at an almost lost art in American entertainment!

Anyone in his 70s remembers the Golden Age of Radio. Gerald Nachman, an old college classmate of mine, is at or near that age. The result is a strong book that isn't based on others' recollections, but is based on Nachman's own experiences. Certainly he verified some facts by using normal research and reference tools, but Gerry's memories here are his own. They're vivid, they're succinct, and they're just wonderful. Raised on Radio is a gem, not because my friend wrote it, but because its title is truthful, thus the stories inside the book are truthful.

Raised on Radio is for those not really raised on radio but who experienced radio sometime in the twenties, thirties, particularly the forties, and just possibly the fifties before it was razed by TV. The book has insight and lovingly presents its topics. The structure although imperfect gives the reader Nachman's smorgasbord. There are things one will enjoy, like more of, things which could be omitted, or possibly just a little taste. However, it could be more carefully researched. The White Sox announcer at WCFL was not Bob Nelson but Bob Elson who incidentally recreated games on WJJD prior to WCFL. One could be confused after the elaborate Nachman treatment of the Nelson family earlier in the book. Ozzie and Harriet along with the boys did many things--but not White Sox baseball. The book also gives relatively little space to those of us raised on radio, meaning the afternoon adventures that followed the soap operas. There is a treatment but rather limited. Rather than being a book for those raised on radio it is a book for those who experienced radio. According to Nachman Fred Allen was one of the radio greats and I do not disagree, but I would argue that Allen's humor was not for those growing up with radio. It was adult and sophisticated and sadly missed today. Further, although the book talks about how radio pulled the nation together through the depression and World War II it does not discuss the importance of ethnic stations which presented programming in many languages to immigrants and gave them a sense of belonging, communication, and at the same time protected and reenforced their separateness. I often heard my grandparents listening to Polish stations in Chicago following the endless presentations of Chopin played by Paderewski with the news in Polish interrupted by advertisements in mixed languages for aluminum storm windows at an address on Milwaukee Avenue. It would also be nice to have appendicies with radio digests so one could get a feeling for what is being offered in March of 1936 or July of 1944. All in all Nachman's book gives one an appetite for more radio.

The author doesn't seem to love radio at all, for every page seems rife with condescension. He follows the current fad of seeing everything from a gay subtextual standpoint, which annoyed me. (Characters such as Batman and the Lone Ranger needed a Robin and a Tonto to talk to, both so that they could be 'telling the audience' what they are telling their sidekicks, and in Robin's case, to appeal to the youngsters (since Batman actually was an adult type comic book, much as comics are today). Anyway, Nachman gets in his little snide comments (for example - The Lone Ranger, sole survivor of an ambush, probably shot up pretty bad, is rescued by the Indian Tonto. As the two characters are talking, introducing themselves to each other, Nachman writes that the Lone Ranger is 'nestled' in the arms of Tonto. There are other comments like this. Gay subtext is fine, but I don't think it works for the radio programs of the 30s-50s. More a comment on the fact that women and girls weren't allowed to have any fun! In any event, Nachman's comments in this subtextual vein are more snidely than objectively written. So, I didn't like the author's style of writing, and then of course there are the errors. Quite a few. Don't know nuthin' bout Adlai Stevenson, but I do know about The Shadow and The Saint, The Green Hornet, Sherlock Holmes, etc. etc. For a full list of errors, or to contribute some that you found, see the Cave Canem which is located at The Dagger of the Mind ezine site.

Although Gerald Nachmann presents a good overview of the golden age of radio, the book is riddled with errors, a clear indication of faulty research.

For instance, he indicates that Mary Jane Croft portrayed the Southern belle, Leila Ransom on the Great Gildersleeve show, when in fact the character was played by Shirley Mitchell. Nachmann also states that Harold Peary portrayed George Gildersleeve who owned a girdle factory on the Fibber McGee and Molly program. Harold Peary did portray a wide array of stooge characters on the show, many of whom shared the Gildersleeve name. However, it was Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve who owned the girdle works, not George.

For the beginner the book provides a good introduction to old time radio, but beware of quoting the the many errors as facts.