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Meanwhile in Oz: Offensive themes end Old Time Radio night
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Matt Johnson, Publisher - photo by Matt Johnson

Wisconsin Public Radio announced last week it will no longer run its Old Time Radio Drama show on weekends because there’s just too much racist and sexist content to broadcast the program.

The show featured episodes of radio shows from the 1930s through the 1960s. It included some modern reproductions and live radio drama broadcasts. Norman Gilliland has served as the show’s host since it started and his upbeat voice set the stage for a mix of programs that included comedy, mystery, police dramas, classical stories, fantasy and science fiction.

Because the shows were created in a different time, many people may consider most of the themes to be outdated. Not necessarily because they include racism and sexism, but because the social interaction between characters contains a different set of cultural rules

Sexual content in these shows either doesn’t exist or is limited to a kiss. There is innuendo, but these shows come from an era where sponsors wouldn’t tolerate even borderline bad behavior.

The shows like Gunsmoke, Challenge of the Yukon, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve, X-Minus One, Father Knows Best, The Adventures of the Scarlet Queen, You bet your Life, etc., were produced in the 1930s-to-1960s so they reflect the state of racial and sexual relationships that were part of America those many years ago.

There exists a stalwart group of people who closely watch these matters and likely have made complaints to WPR. Additionally, WPR programmers themselves may have taken offense to the show. Decisions like these don’t take place overnight. One can only guess how long Old Time Radio drama has been on the chopping block.

In trying to soft-glove the affair, this was part of the network’s explanation when making the announcement:

“While schedule changes can be difficult, now is the right time to end this program,” Mike Crane, WPR director, said. “Many of these plays and productions were produced more than 60 years ago and include racist and sexist material. Despite significant effort over the years, it has been nearly impossible to find historic programs without offensive and outdated content. And, ultimately, these programs don’t represent the values of WPR and The Ideas Network’s focus on public service through news and information.”

WPR was playing six hours of “Old Time Radio Drama” each weekend with three hours on Saturday and three hours on Sunday from 8-11 p.m. both nights. When it came to the performance of the show in fund drives, “Old Time Radio Drama” regularly met and surpassed goals. It has been a show that families have listened to together over the years with the love of old-time radio being passed from one generation to another.

The production value in many of these radio shows was exceptional as they included their own musicians, sound effects and the cream of the crop of voice actors of the era including Orson Welles, William Conrad, Virginia Gregg, John Dehner, Jack Webb, Elliot Lewis, Frank Lovejoy, Parley Baer and Howard McNear. There were iconic comic performers such as Gracie Allen, Groucho Marx, Eve Arden, William Bendix, Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone and Fred Allen.

These names scratch the surface of the talent on radio because virtually all motion picture actors did voice acting and often shortened versions of what have become classic films were reproduced on the radio. James Stewart and Alan Ladd each had their own radio shows while working in motion pictures.

In listening to modern programing on WPR that could be considered racist or sexist, I find myself much more exposed to these themes on weekend shows — some distributed by National Public Radio — than I ever would by old-time radio shows.

There are outlets for old-time radio fans to find shows online and listen. What will be sorely missed is hearing Gilliland’s voice announcing “Old Time Radio Drama,” the introduction leading into the evening and each show, the “Name that Sound” contest, the original productions by Wisconsin voice actors, the history incorporated in each show and being entertained “by the light of the radio.”

This is a time to grieve because we have lost “Old Time Radio Drama” due to decisions beyond the control of the listeners. WPR is a nonprofit entity; listeners have a say in the programming. However, there’s no coming back after this…

It could make a host of other programing on WPR involving folk and classical music and other areas of culture, ripe for attack. Both folk and classical music have histories of being created out of strife, outdated social themes and include racist and sexist origins. If anti-WPR or anti-NPR entities had time and imagination, they could use the decision regarding OTR as a fuse to dismantle many other areas of programing on this non-profit, government-funded radio network. At the very least, they could make our public radio programmers look patently hypocritical.

Yet now is a time to be as understanding and kind to WPR and especially Gilliland as possible. He will still host a number of WPR programs. I’m thankful for the 30 years of Old Time Radio Drama that I looked forward to every weekend. Losing the show is a blow for Wisconsin’s entertainment heritage where we used history and voices of the past to escape the doldrums of both modern entertainment and life.


— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.