Category Archives: 1950s

Fighting slavery with a newspaper

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Bob Stepno

The long-running Jewish Theological Seminary radio series “The Eternal Light” usually drew from an older text, but it did feature a crusading newspaper in at least one episode, “The Rabbi with Ink-Stained Hands,” which the inspirational-drama program broadcast more than … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 19th century, editors, historical figures, publishers | Leave a comment

Calling Clark Kent — not Superman — to the rescue

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Bob Stepno

News stories about September 2015 death of Jack Larson — “Jimmy Olsen” on the 1950s Superman television series — often mentioned the actor’s dislike for story-lines that repeatedly had “Jimmy” dripping wet, threatened by rising tides or torture-rooms filling with water. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, adaptations, adventure, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, reporters, reporting, Superman, television | 1 Comment

Hey Lucky, get me rewrite!

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Bob Stepno

My cousin in Memphis just told me she heard an episode of the classic series called “Night Beat” recently on a satellite radio show made up of golden age broadcasts. I told her she’d found one of my favorites, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, adaptations, Chicago, columnists, Drama, ethics, reporters, writing | Leave a comment

Warming up with June Bride

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Bob Stepno

Here two radio adaptations of a snow-flaky romantic comedy called “June Bride,” about a magazine team trying to get a wedding feature written in a midwestern winter so that it will be set in type to greet spring readers. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, adaptations, comedy, editors, foreign correspondents, magazines, romance, women | Leave a comment

An honest newspaperwoman fights for a clean election

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Bob Stepno

Juvenile listeners to the 1950s Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok radio series heard at least one or two episodes suggest that some Western heroes were journalists, not just gun-fighters. And, while the program’s introduction sings the praises of “a few … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, 19th century, adventure, newspaper crusades, newspapers, political corruption, westerns | Leave a comment

History provides bad example for Gunsmoke newsies

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Bob Stepno

The six-gun adventures reported by 19th century writer Ned Buntline came up in conversation more than once in the 1952-1961 radio drama “Gunsmoke.” As an “adult” Western during the mature days of American radio drama, Gunsmoke distanced itself from the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, 19th century, adventure | Tagged | Leave a comment

Radio propaganda about Russia, Iran, 1953

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Bob Stepno

“I came here for Uncle Joe’s funeral, but I’m also here to learn about the new boy…” — Douglas of The World The release of more CIA records concerning the coup that re-installed the Shah of Iran in 1953 inspired … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, cold war, foreign correspondents, international, propaganda, reporters | Leave a comment

Theater critic as storyteller, plot device & investigator

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Bob Stepno

What do the movies “All About Eve” (1950) and “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1944) have in common that is relevant to this blog, other than their popularity with radio producers who adapted them for broadcast? There are no corpses or … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, adaptations, columnists, critics, movies | Leave a comment

Reporter, actress, find love in “Next Time…”

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Bob Stepno

Next Time We Love, a 1936 “struggling marriage” melodrama with a young James Stewart as a reporter and Margaret Sullavan as his aspiring actress wife, was adapted for radio repeatedly, including versions with Stewart and the very different Jimmy Cagney as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, adaptations, foreign correspondents, marriages, reporters | Leave a comment

“I am not ‘in the news’…” — The Couple Next Door

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Bob Stepno

Journalism students should find food for ethical thought in this encounter between a newspaper reporter and “The Couple Next Door.”  Prelude: Little Betsy got a bad mark at school; all the children laughed at her… and just for repeating something … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, 1960s, children, comedy, ethics, newspaper readers, reporters | Leave a comment