Not to get into a philosophical discussion, but you may have noticed that I refer to Christmas on the OTRExpress, rather than 'the holidays' or Hanukkah. The reason for this is simply that the programs from the golden age of radio, for better or for worse, all center around Christmas this time of year. There is simply no mention - that I am aware of - of the Jewish holiday.
The irony is that many of the best comedians of the era were Jewish. Jack Benny (born Benny Kubelsky), Eddie Cantor, George Burns, the Marx Brothers, Milton Berle are among those that come to mind. So why not Hanukkah?
It's hard to say. I don't know whether men like Jack Benny struggled with his heritage as he wrote and performed his annual Christmas shows. My sense is that men like Benny were first and foremost entertainers - that if Christmas was more relevant to his audience and could draw bigger laughs, then Christmas it would be. But I don't know... what do you think?
Posts
_NRFPT_01.jpg)
Enjoy now a few extra tidbits about Lionel Barrymore and "A Christmas Carol" from the Campbell Playhouse that didn't make the cut on our December 20th Old Time Radio Express show. I've also got for you a unique 30 minutes called "The Plot to Overthrow Christmas" on This is My Best - a Christmas tale told in verse and starring Ray Collins and Orson Welles, true radio heavyweights, literally and figuratively. (Though to be fair, in 1944, Welles was not a literal heavyweight. See the photo right of Welles in that same year in the movie, Jane Eyre. Compare that with the below left photo of Welles from Touch of Evil in 1958).
