Desc | Author Meets The Critics | Historical

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Writing can be a thankless job. After the endless toil of creating a manuscript and getting it published, the book will fall into the hands of critics who are not always kind. Authors naturally do not always agree with critics, and critics are often at odds with each other. This much intellectual debate is bound to have some great entertainment value, and that is the thought behind Author Meets Critic. The show had a simple premise, two critics meet, one who enjoyed a recently published book and one who was immune to its charms. At some point in their discussion, the author himself joins in. A crowd this bookish rarely comes to blows, but feelings do run high. The DuMont episodes of the show were produced by Phyllis Adams Jenkins, a pioneer in providing serious programming intended for daytime television audiences. She went on to produce other shows, including What's the Problem?, the daytime show Home starring Arlene Francis in the 1950s, and Dinah Shore's daytime show in the 1960s. On his show, Ernie Kovacs parodied it as "Author Heats the Critics", where the author attacks the critics, rather than the other way around.- WikiPedia Click here to read more about Author Meets The Critics

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Please enjoy these 46 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
08.29.1948	so this is new york	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "So This Is New York," by Henry Morgan.
03.27.1949	author meets the critics a treasury of the spoken word	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "A Treasury Of The Spoken Word," by Ted ...
03.20.1949	author meets the critics the fires of spring	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "The World's Best Hope," by Francis Bid...
02.27.1949	author meets the critics no place to hide	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "No Place To Hide," by David Bradley. A...
02.20.1949	author meets the critics the mad woman of chaillot	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "The Mad Woman Of Chaillot," by Maurice ...
02.13.1949	author meets the critics shalom means peace	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "Shalom Means Peace," by Robert St. John...
01.30.1949	author meets the critics china, the land and the people	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about "American Argument," by Pearl Buck and E...
01.23.1949	author meets the critics the embers still burn	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "The Embers Still Burn.," by Ira Hirsch...
01.16.1949	author meets the critics the flesh of mary duncan	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "The Flesh and Mary Duncan," by Monte S...
01.09.1949	author meets the critics an act of love	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "An Act Of Love," Ira Wolfert. The progr...
01.02.1949	author meets the critics larks in the popcorn	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "Larks In The Popcorn," H. Allen Smith.
12.26.1948	author meets the critics a man called white	+ NBC net, WNBC AM/FM New York origination/aircheck. 1:30 P. M. A discussion about, "A Man Called ...
12.19.1948	author meets the critics so far, so good	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "So Far, So Good," by Morris Ernst.
12.12.1948	author meets the critics warlords of washington	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "Warlords Of Washington," by Bruce Catto...
11.21.1948	author meets the critics autobiography of saul bloom	+ NBC net, WNBC AM/FM, New York origination/aircheck. A discussion about, "The Autobiography Of So...
11.14.1948	author meets the critics our new national labor policy	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "Our New National Labor Policy," by Repr...
11.07.1948	author meets the critics the wayfaring stranger	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "The Wayfaring Stranger," by Burl Ives.
10.24.1948	author meets the critics the sealed verdict	+ NBC net, WNBC AM/FM, New York origination/aircheck. A discussion about, "The Sealed Verdict," by...
10.17.1948	author meets the critics the wild country	+ NBC net, WNBC AM/FM, New York origination/aircheck. A discussion about, "The Wild Country," by L...
10.10.1948	author meets the critics the schmo	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about "The Shmoo," created by Al Capp.
10.03.1948	author meets the critics an affair of state	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "An Affair Of State," by Pat Frank.
09.26.1948	author meets the critics i didn't know it was loaded	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "I Didn't Know It Was Loaded," by Robert...
09.19.1948	author meets the critics the crusaders	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "The Crusaders," by Stefan Hime.
09.12.1948	author meets the critics family circle	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "Family Circle," by Cornelia Otis Skinne...
09.05.1948	author meets the critics gertrude stein	+ NBC net, WNBC, New York origination. A discussion about, "When This You See, Remember Me" (a bio...

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This literary confrontation program came about when Martin Stone was providing a book review program on local radio in New York. Stone thought it would be more interesting if the program featured face-to-face meetings between authors and critics. After it began on local radio, it was broadcast by the Mutual, NBC and ABC Radio Networks. Barry Gray was the moderator while on Mutual. When the program was on NBC and ABC, the moderator was John K.M. McCaffrey, then editor of the American Mercury. Producer for the series was Martin Stone. Often the discussions were heated, as the talk focused on character, style, and even the author's integrity.

AUTHOR MEETS THE CRITICS