S03-E23 We feature Reverend Dr. Billy Graham and his short Christmas Message. In addition to this audio episode, I also provide several PDF documents: first, the story of the nativity or birth of Jesus, second, background on the assumed location of Jesus birth which is now called the Church of the Nativity, and finally, historical and religious background on Bethlehem which is where Jesus was born. For background information on Dr. Graham, look back to a previous Historic Voices podcast episode earlier in 2021 around the Easter holiday. This audio recording comes from the Internet Archive online database. It is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, audio recordings, software, music, and more. Its purpose is offering permanent access to historical digital collections. Checkout the website at http://archive.org The following links allow you to subscribe: iTunes and Apple Podcast, Amazon Music/Audible, Castbox.fm, Deezer, Facebook, Gaana, Google Podcast, iHeartRadio, ...
S03-E22 We feature the voices of Orson Wells, Lionel Barrymore, and the rest of the and for the dramatization of Charles Dicken’s classic, A Christmas Carol. We hear several distinguished actors of radio, film, and television: Orson Wells who is acclaimed to be one of the greatest and most influential actors, writers, and directors in radio, film, and television. He will serve as the narrator. Lionel Barrymore will serve the role of Scourge. To many of you, he played the role of Mr. Potter in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Mr. Barrymore is also a heralded actor of radio, film, and television. I include a biography of Charles Dickens who is the author of A Christmas Carol and so many other influential stories. If you want to dig deeper into the social commentary of Mr. Dickens about the disparity of life in England at the time when the story was first published, read the article that is provided. A Christmas Carol has been a popular story for a variety of Hollywood films. To...
S03-E21 We feature Jack Benny with one of his Christmas radio shows. Mr. Benny was an American entertainer who began in vaudeville and became a highly popular comedian in radio, television, and film. He was known for his comic timing and the ability to cause laughter with a pregnant pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated “Well!” He was influential for comedians down to the present era. I was a big fan of his radio and television shows. Other entertainers of his era include Red Skelton, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby. In addition to this audio episode, I also provide several PDF documents: first, a biography of Mr. Benny and second, an overview of the Jack Benny radio and television shows. This audio recording comes from the Internet Archive online database. It is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, audio recordings, software, music, and more. Its purpose is to offer permanent access to historical digital collections. Check out the website at...
S03-E20 We feature Bing Crosby and one of the episodes from his long-running radio program that had a Christmas theme. Bing Crosby was a remarkable entertainer that performed on the stage, radio, film, and television during the middle of the 20th century. His singing ranged from traditional pop, to easy listening, to vocal jazz, and country. He had diverse interests including co-ownership of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team during which the team won two World Series in 1960 and 1971. He was a technology pioneer with investing in audio recording equipment following World War Two and using the same with his radio shows. He also had a television production studio as well. Among shows produced through his studio was the popular Hogan’s Heroes. For me, I most think about Mr. Crosby and his movies that are often broadcast at this holiday time including Holiday Inn and White Christmas. It is hard to forget his rendition of “It’s a White Christmas.” In addition to this audio episode...
S03-E19 We feature Red Skelton and a 1946 Christmas episode from his long-running radio program. Red Skelton was a dominating performer on radio, film, and television during the second half of the 20th century. While most of his work was comedy, he also had several dramatic performances. One of his most memorable dramatic pieces was his reading of the Pledge of Allegiance. He would read the document phrase by phrase, and then provide a short interpretation for what the words meant. I will feature that short piece on a future Historic Voices podcast episode. I grew up listening and watching Mr. Skelton perform. He is the only performer that would finish each season of his radio or TV program with a short apology to any famous people or politicians who he and his cast would tease during their shows. He was a gentleman and a kind person. In addition to this audio episode, I also provide several PDF documents: first, a biography of Mr. Skelton, second, an overview of his TV show that ra...
S03-E18 President Ronald Reagan spoke at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin that is often referred to as the “Tear Down this Wall” speech. Like many other U.S. presidents, President Reagan gave a speech in Berlin during the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviets. To demonstrate solidarity with the German people who were in Soviet-occupied East Germany, President Kennedy stated two decades earlier “I am a Berliner” and identified with their struggle for freedom. President Reagan’s speech touched on many topics, but the most famous line came in the middle of the speech when he not only identified with the struggle that President Kennedy had described, but Reagan called upon the Soviets to tear down the Berlin wall. The Brandenburg Gate was just one spot along a long line of separation that divided Germany in half with Communist troops, barbed wire, and fences. This is generally listed as one of President Reagan finest speeches. Two years after this speech was given, the Berlin Wal...
S03-E17 We feature President John F Kennedy and his speech on America’s Space Program delivered at Rice University on September 12, 1962. At this stage of the space race with the Soviets, the U.S. has successfully placed several astronauts into space. A theme of the talk by President Kennedy is summed up in one of the quotations from the speech, “all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.” He explains why it is worth the cost to go to the moon. In addition to this audio episode, I also provide several PDF documents: first, a transcript of this speech, second, a short biography of JFK’s life, and finally, an overview of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida which was renamed in honor of the president for his vision of the space program. This audio recording comes from the American Rhetoric online database. This website provides more than 5,000 speech transcripts, audio recordings, and v...
S03-E16 John Glenn describes his historic space flight in 1962 at a press conference immediately after his return.bMr. Glenn answers questions from the national press about orbiting the earth three times. Some of the topics of the nearly 50-minute press conference included experiments he conducted, malfunctions of the equipment, his impression of seeing the earth and stars from the spacecraft, and other topics. In addition to this audio episode, I also provide several PDF documents to provide a broader context for Mr. Glenn’s and NASA’s achievement: first, a bibliography of John Glenn would go on to eventually serve as a distinguished U.S. Senator, second, a history of space flight, third, an overview of the Mercury 7 astronauts of which Mr. Glenn was a member, and finally an overview of the space race between the Soviets and the U.S. The following links allow you to subscribe to this podcast: iTunes and Apple Podcast, Amazon Music/Audible, Castbox.fm, Deezer, Facebook, Gaana, Goo...
S03-E15 Paul Harvey shares some thoughts about the song, "America The Beautiful." During this month of Thanksgiving in the U.S., it seemed like an appropriate reminder of what we as a nation are thankful for. In addition to this episode, also included are a PDF document of a biography of Paul Harvey and a longer article about the song and its historical significance. The following links allow you to subscribe: iTunes and Apple Podcast, Amazon Music/Audible, Castbox.fm, Deezer, Facebook, Gaana, Google Podcast, iHeartRadio, Player.fm, Radio Public, Samsung Listen, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Twitter. and Vurbl. Automatically available through these podcast apps: Castamatic, iCatcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RSSRadio, and more. Please post comments to the individual episodes at http://historicvoices.org, podcast review and rating section within iTunes and other apps, or email to me, arendale@umn.edu You can also check out my other four podcasts and other social media at www.davidmedia.org
S03-13 We feature Sir Winston Churchill and his short speech “Thanksgiving Wishes for 1944” and an end to WWII.