The Columbia Workshop was an high-art radio show that aired from 1936 to 1957. The show’s creator was Irving Reis, who once worked as a radio director, as well as a sound engineer. Columbia Workshop was sort of like Reis’ experiment, since he wanted to focus on using different sound effects to bring his show to life, as opposed to other radio shows which he believes have overused popular celebrities. Hundreds of different sound effects were used for the show.
The show’s first director was William Robson, and his first show was Alice in Wonderland. Unlike Reis, Robson focused more on the brilliant acting of the characters and less on the sound effects. Then, in 1941, Norman Corwin took over and made the show more social (and political), as he focused more on delivering the day's newsworthy happenings.Most of the episodes presented, nevertheless, were derived from the work of classical authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and more. Although quite serious in theme, Columbia Workshop was well-received by the listeners, and the fact that it lasted for over two decades is an excellent proof to that.
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Please enjoy these 332 old time radio episodes:
| Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02.27.1939 | columbia workshop (128) jury trial |
+ A poor immigrant is accused of arson. A character study follows of the twelve people on the jury d... | |
| 03.06.1939 | columbia workshop (129) winged victory |
+The young and beautiful wife of a tyrannical author has to make up her mind whether or not to leave... | |
| 03.13.1939 | columbia workshop (130) in the train |
+ An Irish folk play for radio. The whole town has lied at the murder trail of a local beauty, and s... | |
| 03.20.1939 | columbia workshop (131) letter from home |
+ A successful playwright gets a letter from his childhood sweetheart, who always expected him to ac... | |
| 03.27.1939 | columbia workshop (132) pepito inherits the earth |
+ A sad story about a small boy and his father, who are refugees from tyranny. | |
| 04.03.1939 | columbia workshop (133) rendezvous with kit carson |
+ A touching tale of the old frontier. An elderly and now feeble Kit tells a crony of his experience... | |
| 04.10.1939 | columbia workshop (134) they fly through the air |
+ A program "dedicated to all aviators who have bombed defenseless civilian populations, and machine... | |
| 04.17.1939 | columbia workshop (135) ear essay on broadcasting |
+ Performances of original music written for past CBS broadcasts. | |
| 04.24.1939 | columbia workshop (136) seems radio is here to stay | ||
| 05.01.1939 | columbia workshop (137) wet saturday |
+A strange comedy about a family at home on a rainy weekend, and a nonchalant corpse. | |
| 05.08.1939 | columbia workshop (138) wild man |
+ A hoodlum just out of prison tries to lead a normal life, but soon goes back to his old ways. | |
| 05.15.1939 | columbia workshop (139) law beaters |
+Two criminals tell each other about the murders they've committed, while sharing a bottle of hootch... | |
| 05.29.1939 | columbia workshop (140) private throgg |
+ A funny story about a Civil War veteran from "Down East" who's unhappy because his old commanding ... | |
| 06.05.1939 | columbia workshop (141) highboy |
+An ironic tale about an old woman who has just died and her greedy niece. | |
| 06.12.1939 | columbia workshop (142) handful of dust |
+An Englishman is being kept a prisoner in a jungle by a madman who insists that he reads books by C... | |
| 06.19.1939 | columbia workshop (143) journalism in tennessee salesmanship |
+ A fascinating satirical glance, by Mark Twain, at a violent form of newswriting. Also, a tale with... | |
| 07.06.1939 | columbia workshop (144) half pint flask |
+A tale of the supernatural on a small island off the coast of Carolina and the superstitious Negroe... | |
| 07.20.1939 | columbia workshop (146) john brown's body |
The anti-war poem about the attack at Harper's Ferry and John Brown's predictions of the future. | |
| 07.27.1939 | columbia workshop trip to czardis |
+ One of the best shows of the series. A very well-done story about two "younguns" from the backwood... | |
| 08.10.1939 | columbia workshop (149) radio play saroyan |
Sponsored by: Sustaining, Bulova Watch (local). The first work for radio written by William Saroyan.... | |
| 08.17.1939 | columbia workshop (150) drink of water | ||
| 08.24.1939 | columbia workshop (001) meridian 7 1212 |
+A drama of the New York Telephone time service and the effects it has on the lives of those who cal... | |
| 08.31.1939 | columbia workshop (002) apartment to let |
A heart warming, well-written comedy about a young married couple after the BIG fight. | |
| 09.07.1939 | columbia workshop (003) so this is radio |
+ The fifth episode of "So This Is Radio," How musical programs are put on the air, and how music ma... | |
| 09.14.1939 | columbia workshop (004) the use of man |
COLUMBIA RADIO WORKSHOP
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