"Ours is a generation when dogs howl, and the skin crawls on the scull with its beast's foreboding"
So begins the legendary broadcast The Fall of the City, first broadcast April 11, 1937. The prewar dramatic radio programs frequently considered the nature of the freedoms in the United States, the importance of defending them, and the complaisance of some citizens, who saw no need for doing so.
In honor of the approaching anniversary of our nation's Declaration of Independence, these downloadable programs, dating from the days of Old Time Radio, might make a fine way to commemorate the event. These shows also serve as a reminder of the nature of Liberty — and of its fragility.
(Incidentally, Hillsdale College is behind an initiative to urge United Statesers to read the Declaration of Independence aloud this year. If you doubt your declamatory abilities, maybe you'd prefer to have President John F. Kennedy do it:
http://archive.org/details/TheDeclarationOfIndependence )
The source for all of these broadcasts is the http://archive.org site. The source for These Columbia Workshop programs is http://archive.org/details/Columbia.Workshop_174
It includes a number of other downloadable MP3 files for other intriguing programs. Highlights include:
The Fall of the City, by Archibald Macleish (On the willingness with which a free people can give of their liberty): http://archive.org/download/Columbia.Workshop_174/Columbia_Workshop_37-04-11_The_Fall_of_the_City.mp3
The Pussycat and the Master Plumber who Was a Man (On the importance o9f voting for a candidate, not a name – and what separates a cat from a man!):
http://archive.org/download/Columbia.Workshop_174/Columbia_Workshop_40-09-29_The_Pussy_Cat_and_the_Expert_Plumber_Who_Was_a_Man.mp3
The Constitution: A cast simply reads the U.S> Constitution and the bill of rights:
http://archive.org/03_The_Constitution.mp3
A fine accompaniment would be Norman Corwin's memorable production "We Hold These Truths," written to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Bill f Rights: http://archive.org/download/OrsonWellesWartimeBroadcasts/411215WeHoldTheseTruths.mp3
You are There (main page: http://archive.org/details/You_Are_There_OTR )
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1776
http://archive.org/download/You_Are_There_OTR/You_Are_There_480704_ep37_Declaration_of_Independance.mp3
Programs in Defense of Liberty, by Norman Corwin
Fragment of a Lost Cause (In which Demosthenes futilely reminds the Athenians of the importance of defending their liberty)
http://archive.org/download/Columbia.Workshop_174/Columbia_Workshop_41-09-14_Fragment_from_a_Lost_Cause.mp3
Between Americans (On what there is about America that makes it worth defendint) http://archive.org/download/OrsonWellesWartimeBroadcasts/411207GulfScreenGuildTheater-BetweenAmericans.mp3
On a Note of Triumph (On the results of WWII)
http://archive.org/download/Columbia.Workshop_174/Columbia_Workshop_45-05-13_Note_Of_Triumph.mp3
You might also enjoy the MP3s of some of Winston Churchill's speeches
http://archive.org/details/Winston_Churchill
(Never Give In! Never! Never! Never! http://archive.org/download/Winston_Churchill/1941-11-29_BBC_Winston_Churchill_Address_To_Harrow_School.mp3 )
Mister President Episodes
http://archive.org/details/Mister_President
The Cavalcade of America (A little corny, but moving and inspiring! A fine reminder of where we came from, and how we got there.)
http://archive.org/details/OTRR_Cavalcade_of_America_Singles
As The Fall of the City concludes, "The people invent their oppressors: they wish to believe in them. They wish to be free of their freedom: released from their liberty –" But our city still stands!
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