Aired: 1943 - 1945
An anthology of war stories, "told by the men and women who have seen them happen."
Produced in cooperation with the Council on Books in Wartime, Words at War promised "stories of the battlefronts, of behind-the-scenes diplomacy, of underground warfare, of the home front, of action on the seas." Each show was to be "a living record of this war and the things for which we fight."
Words at War was a 30 minute dramatic anthology series dealing with stories condensed from books written about World War II. The series started in the middle of the war and at the most crucial time of the war for the allies, somewhat heightening it's debut. Not only that, it was supported by Johnson's Wax in the Fibber McGee and Molly time slot as Jim and Marian Jordan went on vacation. And if that wasn't enough, the music for the series was done by NBC's own Frank Black, a master at orchestration and the shows were often directed by Anton M. Leder of Suspense fame. Adding to all of that is the fact that most all - if not all - of the series is available today for our listening pleasure and the sound is above average.
Done in a docu-drama style with Black's music as the background gave often stark, sobering realism to these stories penned by different authors. While not all of the shows are winners, many are far above average and many remind me of the writing of Arch Oboloer. Not that these plays are anti-war (just the opposite) but most of these stories pack a powerful, though-provoking wallop, especially when dealing with subjects that are hard to comprehend, like the taking of innocent civilian lives. As Billboard Magazine wrote in 1943, "Muddled, cloying ideas of war romantics were washed away in a clean sweep." No truer words can be spoken about some of these dramas.
With anthologies you often have some good and some bad because each author has his own strengths and weaknesses. However, all seem to have a quality worthy of this fine radio series. Click here to read more about Words At War
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Please enjoy these 87 old time radio episodes:
| Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.11.1944 | words at war (31) eighty three days |
+ Program #31. "Eighty-Three Days". The story of seaman Izzy, the survivor of a torpedoed freighte... | |
| 01.18.1944 | words at war (32) war tide |
+ Program #32. "War Tide". Lin Taie, the author of the book "War Tide," is interviewed by host Jac... | |
| 01.25.1944 | words at war (33) condition red |
+ Program #33. "Condition Red". A story of action in the Pacific aboard a destroyer. Well done wit... | |
| 02.01.1944 | words at war (34) white brigade |
+ Program #34. "The White Brigade". A portrait of the underground resistance movement in Nazi occu... | |
| 02.08.1944 | words at war (35) george washington carver |
+ Program #35. "George Washington Carver". "A birthday present for Abraham Lincoln." A well-done b... | |
| 02.15.1944 | words at war (36) the new sun |
+ Program #36. "The New Sun". A story of the "Bataan Death March." The author was taken prisner by... | |
| 02.22.1944 | words at war (37) assignment usa |
+ Program #37. "Assignment U.S.A.". A wartime trip around the country to find anti-Semitism and is... | |
| 03.07.1944 | words at war (39) weeping wood |
+ Program #39. "The Weeping Wood". The story of rubber. The cast credits and program closing have ... | |
| 03.14.1944 | words at war (40) science at war |
+Program #40. "Science At War". How science has improved the art of making war, and defending agai... | |
| 03.21.1944 | words at war (41) der feuhrer |
+ Program #41. "Der Feuhrer". The "true" story of "The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion" and a hist... | |
| 03.28.1944 | words at war (42) a bell for adano |
+Program #42. "A Bell For Adano". The story of an American soldier in charge of a small liberated ... | |
| 04.11.1944 | words at war (44) wild river |
+ "Assignment U.S.A.". An indictment of the many problems in America. A wartime trip around the cou... | |
| 04.18.1944 | words at war (45) silence of the seas |
+ “I am an old man, not as old as the sea but old enough. I can hear the surf hammering at the bea... | |
| 05.02.1944 | words at war (47) curtain rises |
+ The “Curtain Rises” is the story of the beginning of the real show for the American Army; it�... | |
| 05.09.1944 | words at war (48) gunners get glory |
+ "Gunners Get Glory". The adventures of a naval gun crew aboard a merchant ship, torpedoed by a Na... | |
| 05.16.1944 | words at war (49) lifeline |
+ "Lifeline". The story of "Screwy Louie" and other merchant sailors who keep the "lifline" open f... | |
| 05.23.1944 | words at war (50) lend lease weapon for victory |
+ "The Story Of Lend Lease". A drama-documentary that traces the history of "Lend-Lease" and attemp... | |
| 05.30.1944 | words at war (51) the navy hunts the cgr 3070 |
+ "The Navy Hunts The CGR 3070". A small yawl on submarine patrol for the Navy gets caught in a st... | |
| 06.13.1944 | words at war d day special |
+ "Here Is Your War". Portraits of the common soldier during the North African campaign. The script... | |
| 06.27.1944 | words at war (52) fair stood the winds of france |
+ "Fair Stood The Wind For France". Sponsored by: Johnson's Wax. A story of five American flyers sho... | |
| 07.04.1944 | words at war (53) war criminals and punishment |
+ "War Criminals and Punishment". Sponsored by: Johnson's Wax. An open letter to Adolf Hitler. A dr... | |
| 07.11.1944 | words at war (54) captain retread |
+ "Captain Retread". Sponsored by: Johnson's Wax. A vet from the first war joins again to do his par... | |
| 07.18.1944 | words at war (55) war below zero |
+ "War Below Zero". Sponsored by: Johnson's Wax. A group of men isolated on the Greenland icecap get... | |
| 07.25.1944 | words at war (56) lost island |
+ "Lost Island". Sponsored by: Johnson's Wax. A troop ship arrives on a sleepy Pacific Island and co... | |
| 08.01.1944 | words at war (57) headquarters budapest |
+ "Headquarters Budapest". Sponsored by: Johnson's Wax. A dramatization of the actual political mess... |
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WORDS AT WAR
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