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Frank and Anne Hummert's Radio Factory: The Programs and Personalities of Broadcasting's Most Prolific Producers

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Frank and Anne Hummert's Radio Factory: The Programs and Personalities of Broadcasting's Most Prolific Producers (Paperback)

by Jim Cox (Author)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product Description
Frank and Anne Hummert brought at least 125 separate series to the airwaves. The production dynasty over which they presided extended far beyond the serialized melodrama that became their trademark. Their genres also included music, mystery, juvenile adventure, quiz, sports, news, comedy and dramatic theater. The Hummerts tried to appeal to everyone’s tastes and probably influenced more old time radio listeners than anyone else. By the 1940s the twosome controlled four and a half hours of the national weekday broadcast schedule.

This book explores the private lives and professional dealings of broadcasting’s most prolific creator-producers. There are five appendices: a list of all broadcast series that were created, adapted, supervised, augmented or influenced by the Hummerts; a list of the most active players among radio producers stemming from the Golden Age and their best-remembered titles; a collection of statements attributed to Frank or Anne that express their philosophy of broadcast programming; a chronology of defining moments in the Hummerts’ lives; and three sample programming schedules that give the reader a clear understanding of the Hummerts’ involvement in radio producing.

About the Author
Jim Cox was the recipient of the 2002 Ray Stanich Award, given to one individual annually for prolific research and writing in old time radio, at the Friends of Old Time Radio Convention, vintage radio’s largest annual convention. He is also the author of Radio Crime Fighters: Over 300 Programs from the Golden Age (2002, $45), Say Goodnight, Gracie: The Last Years of Network Radio (2002, $35), The Great Radio Audience Participation Shows (2001, $45) and The Great Radio Soap Operas (1999, $55), all from McFarland. He is a retired college professor living in Louisville, Kentucky.

Product Details

Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: McFarland & Company (May 21, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786416319
ISBN-13: 978-0786416318
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,044,650 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars An Enlightening Book on Two Giants of Radio Broadcasting, October 5, 2003

By A Customer

Frank and Anne Hummert were two of the most influential, but enigmatic icons of Radio's Golden Age. Through their Air Features Inc. production company, they were a dominant force in network radio for much of the Golden Age. While this very private couple were the most prolific producers of radio series, they were reclusive and very little has been written about them. Author Jim Cox has rectified this omission with his enlightening new book, "Frank and Anne Hummert's Radio Factory." Jim has unearthed extensive biographical information on the Hummerts. His book not only provides insight into their private lives, but also the professional backgrounds and activities of Radio's Golden Age most prolific series creator-producers. Additionally, Jim provides vignettes that give glimpses into the Hummert's private and business lives.

The Hummerts were astute business people who were acutely attuned to the likes and dislikes of American radio audiences. In the pages of "Frank and Anne Hummert's Radio Factory," we learn that they were responsible for least 125 radio series. Two dozen of these series were on the air for a minimum of a decade. At least 25 Hummert series were on the network airwaves each year between 1934 and 1948.

The eccentric Hummerts were often seemingly contradictory in their dealings with their employees. They paid the lowest wages in the industry, gave little artistic credit to their writers and performers, and were quick to fire those who displeased them. However, they were loyal to those who met their standards and observed their edicts. During the Communist scare of the late 1940s and early 1950s, they refused to fire employees who were blacklisted.

While the Hummerts produced 61 radio soap opera series and are mainly remembered for being pioneers of the genre, they did not neglect other popular genres. They produced 37 musical or variety series, 10 mystery series, eight children's series, and nine series of other genres. The Hummert's endeavors in each of these genres are covered in separate chapters in the book.

There is also a very interesting chapter on Irna Phillips and Elaine Carrington, the Hummerts' primary competition in the production of daytime serial dramas. The chapter includes biographical sketches of both women and a discussion of the styles of the soap operas of Carrington and Phillips in which they compared and contrasted with those of the Hummerts.

There are also several informative appendices, a standard feature of books by Jim Cox. They are: a chronology of the Hummerts' lives; descriptions of each of the 125 Hummert-created, adapted, supervised, or influenced radio series; a collection of quotations attributed to the Hummerts that express their philosophy of broadcast programming; a list of the most active radio producers of Radio's Golden Age with their most famous series; and typical broadcast schedules of Hummert series.

Jim Cox's new book knowledgeably fills a long-standing void in Old-Time Radio history. This volume gives the reader a new insight into and understanding of two of the most influential, but least known gaints of Radio's Golden Age.

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