Category Archives: World War II

Soldier of the Press wins medal, launches series

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Bob Stepno

For Memorial Day weekend listening and reading: Veteran United Press reporter Henry T. Gorrell flew on an October 1942 bomber mission over Navarino Bay in Greece, wound up serving as a medic for shrapnel-scarred fliers — and had his experience … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, foreign correspondents, reporters, World War II | Leave a comment

Ernie Pyle in newspapers, film and radio

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Bob Stepno

Burgess Meredith as Ernie Pyle Making room on a bookshelf next to my old copy of Agee on Film, I re-read James Agee’s 1945 review of “The Story of G.I. Joe,” a piece titled simply “A Great Film.” I went looking … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, cavalcade, foreign correspondents, historical figures, Pulitzer Prize, reporters, World War II | Leave a comment

America Has Room at the Inn — in Big Town

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Bob Stepno

“The power and the freedom of the press is a flaming sword; that it may be a faithful servant of all the people, use it justly. Hold it high. Guard it well!” Writer Jerry McGill, a former newspaperman, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, cold war, editors, ethics, international, newspapers, World War II | Leave a comment

Foreign Correspondent tilts windmills in classic spy drama

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Bob Stepno

The 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film “Foreign Correspondent” was nominated for a half-dozen Academy Awards, which more than qualified it for a radio adaptation on Squibb’s Academy Award Theater radio series in 1946. (Actually winning an Oscar wasn’t required; in fact, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, adaptations, foreign correspondents, international, journalism, movies, propaganda, World War II | Leave a comment

Blood on the Sun, on the radio and on screen

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Bob Stepno

Portraying hand-to-hand combat was never one of radio’s strong points, but this mixture of journalism and judo is worth a bow, at least as a vehicle to discuss some of the quirks of radio’s approach to movie adaptations. As a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, foreign correspondents, historical figures, movies, newspapers, reporting, World War II | Leave a comment

D-Day — Real and Dramatized

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Bob Stepno

Thanks to Old Time Radio Researchers collections at the Internet Archive here are two versions of what June 6, 1944, sounded like to the World War II era listening audience. The first presents 45 minutes of selections from the actual … Continue reading →

Posted in foreign correspondents, historical figures, international, reporters, true stories, World War II | 2 Comments