January 9, 2025 • 21 mins
As Himan Brown consolidated his success, he grew his program portfolio and impressive client base. At the onset of WWII, he not only helped to reshape existing shows in response, but created special programming designed to celebrate American’s values and what was being fought for. He also created programs in support of the Jewish community. In the 1950s, radio began to be displaced by television, and this era of Brown’s career in broadcast ended in 1959 with his last series, NBC Morning Playhouse.
Credits
- Executive Producers: Melina Brown, Sarah Montague
- Executive Director, CUNY TV: Chiqui Cartagena
- Director of Production, CUNY TV: Susan Iger
- Producer/Director: Sarah Montague
- Narrator: Margot Avery
- Concept and Script: Sarah Montague
- Associate Producer: Corinne Wallace
- Audio Production intern: Lucia Funaro
- Audio Engineer, CUNY TV: Lisa Gosselin
- Senior Audio Engineer, CUNY TV: Richard Kim
- Mixing: Lisa Gosselin
- Sound design and final mixing: John DeLore and Bart Warshaw
- Staff photographer, CUNY TV: Laura Fuchs
- Script editor: Allison Behringer
- Composer: Allison Leyton-Brown
- Archivists, CUNY TV: David Rice, Catriona Schlosser
- Closed Caption Coordinator: Amy Monte
- Branding and Graphic Design: Shae McMullin
- Publicity & Marketing: Multitude
Excerpts from the Himan Brown Oral History courtesy of Directors Guild of America, Inc. www.dga.org. All rights reserved.
- Audio Maverick was produced at THE HIMAN BROWN TV AND RADIO STUDIOS at CUNY TV, and made possible by the Radio Drama Network
About Us
The history of radio crackles to life with Audio Maverick, a 9-part documentary about one of the most visionary figures in radio, Himan Brown. Explore the Golden Age of radio through Brown's life, as we travel from the birth of audio drama to the programs that brought millions of families into their living rooms every night.
CUNY TV and the Himan Brown Archive assemble the story of how radio became an entertainment medium through archival audio of some of the most famous audio dramas, contemporary interviews with media scholars, and discussions with a new generation of audio mavericks that he inspired. New episodes monthly.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
>> During the heyday of radio...
>> I'm not going to buya television set.
[ Laughter ]
>> I wanted to be a free agent,a free soul.
>> That's radio producerHiman Brown,
and this is "Audio Maverick,"
a celebration of his lifeand work.
>> The story of Mr. Aceand his wife, Jane.
>> Come in.
(00:23):
>> In our last episode,
we toured the rich countryof Golden Age radio,
the amazing array of programs
that made their wayinto America's
living rooms and parlorsand boardinghouses each night...
and some of the imaginativepeople who created them.
And now we want to know aboutHiman Brown's
continuing place in this world.
I'm Margot Avery. Stay tuned.>> The door is open.
(00:46):
Welcome.
[ Man singing indistinctly ]
♪♪
>> By the mid-1930s, Himan Brownwas no longer a striver.
And his career beganto take a different shape.
In 1937,
his long partnershipwith the Hummert Agency
and his friend Anne Ashenhurstcame to an end.
(01:08):
The company was diversifying
and wanted Brownas a salaried employee.
He declined and went on tocreate independent relationships
with other agencies andnetworks,
and by going his own way,
Brown maturedas a producer and director
and enriched his portfolio,
which already includedshows such as "Dick Tracy,"
"David Harum,"and "John's Other Wife."
(01:30):
>> And now forthe dramatic story
of "John's Other Wife."
Elizabeth, the young wife ofhandsome 35-year-old John Perry
is going to have a baby
and has been toldby Dr. Ferguson
that she must not shoulderany worries.
But the worries have come thickand fast.
>> He was a show-making machine.One show after the other,
he came up with a concept,sold the idea to an agency,
(01:53):
then helped get it realized.
And Brown was alwayson the lookout for new,
potentially lucrative projects.
He enjoyed creating synergybetween commercial clients'
goals and a conceptthat would achieve them.
>> I have never sat downand written a complete script.
I'm much happier plotting
and figuring on charactersand so on.
(02:15):
>> Here's an example.[ Bell clangs, ship horn blows ]
The Coward Shoe Company,
which had started in New Yorkin the 19th century,
had its own pirate ship mooredon the Hudson at 129th Street,
and they had a gimmick --Buy a pair of shoes
and get a ticket on board, whereyou could meet Captain Tom.
When they wanted to expandinto broadcast,
Brown created "Captain Tomand the Pirate Ship" --
(02:38):
three episodes a week
based on the actual logthat kids saw on the ship.
[ Bird squawks ]
Shoes and shipsand sealing wax --
Brown had the powerto see almost anything
in terms of radio.
Brown said oftenthat he made most
of his creative decisionsby following his intuition.
And he gave "Captain Tom"
(02:59):
to a struggling writer,Frank Loesser.
>> Who had never writtena script in his life,
but was a good writer.
Was starving. And he always saidthat I took him off the streets
and got him into a hotelwith "Captain Tom."
>> ♪ Oh, I believe in you ♪
>> Loesser went on to writemusic and lyrics
for hit musicals,including "Guys and Dolls"
(03:21):
and "How to Succeed in Businesswithout Really Trying."
>> ♪ Oh, I believe in you ♪
>> And Brown really did believein them.
As a performer,producer, and later director,
he was the product of nerveand native talent,
rather than formal training,
and he could sensethe potential in others.
Not all of Brown's hireswere rescues,
(03:42):
but he was proud of beingable to offer opportunities
to artistsin a challenging period.
Not only writers,but also actors.
>> ♪ Say, buddy,can you spare a dime? ♪
♪♪
>> The Works ProgressAdministration was
President Franklin Roosevelt'seconomic stimulus program
to offset job lossduring the Depression.
(04:04):
It helped to maintainlive theater,
but Brown could offer morefor radio work.
>> The actor, who was getting,like, $27 to $32 a week,
something like that,for an entire week of work,
could earn that much with meon one broadcast...
so that I became a golden grailfor all the actors.
(04:25):
>> That was in part because ofhis particular mission --
to fill the airwaveswith engaging,
audience-building programs.
>> Timing, tastes,a particular moment --
They're so valuablein our business.
>> And usually,Brown was right on trend.
He had an impressive portfolioof crime and spy thrillers --
a mainstayof Golden Age programming.
(04:46):
In addition to Dick Tracy,
he had the rightsto English properties,
including Bulldog Drummond,a gentleman adventurer...
>> And in addition, animportant envelope will arrive
with the first mail.
>> No, Captain Drummond,you're wrong.
I know you're wrong.Steve would...
>> ...and Leslie Charteris'elusive Saint.
>> There are only two reasons
dames gotfor leaning against a guy.
(05:06):
The other one is,they want to pick his pocket.
>> Pick his...Well, I'll be.
>> That's what she did, in away.
>> But what she stole wasn'tmoney.
It was my revolver.
[ Dramatic music plays ]
>> Brown also investedin suave detectives
on our side of the pond,
including Dashiell Hammett'sNick Charles, or the Thin Man.
(05:28):
It's tempting to imagineBrown in conversation
with these polished-but-ruthless characters
atsome swank nightclub or saloon.
When talking about hisearly life,
Brown often refers to himselfas a gawky kid,
but publicity stills from thislater period show us a relaxed
and elegant man worthyof his own circle
(05:49):
of imaginary characters.
Brown was also aheadof his time.
As early as 1935,he introduced "Hilda Hope" --
name intentional -- a seriesthat featured a woman doctor.
>> I always believed in womenin the professions
without women's lib,without anybody prodding me.
(06:09):
>> Of course, as a producer,
he realized the narrativepotential of medical drama.
>> It's a wonderful, wonderfulworld for storytelling,
of course.
>> And Brown makes the point
that these programs weren't justprocedurals with stethoscopes.
In the show, Dr. Hope addressedsome specific medical crisis,
but there was always more.
>> In those days,
(06:31):
we were very Freudian,psychiatrically-oriented
because you can'talways go with operations
and you can't alwaysgo with diseases.
You went withthese emotional conflicts
which came out ofthe whole world
of psychiatric development,
which was literallyin its beginnings in those days.
And I like to feelthat we were pioneering in many,
(06:53):
many ways, that I was.>> They were.
This approach anticipatedmedical dramas
from "Dr. Kildare," to "St.Elsewhere," "ER," and beyond.
And 1937 saw the firstappearance of one of Brown's
most enduring characters,Joyce Jordan.
>> Why don't you marry meand give this all up?
(07:13):
>> No, Henry. I'm --
I'm not ready to marryanyone...yet.
You may as well get used tothe idea.
At the moment,
all that interests meis becoming the best doctor
that I can possibly be.
If you don't mind, I'd...
>> There's no way in abrief appreciation to do justice
to the scope of Brown's work,
(07:33):
his dozensof imaginary lives and worlds.
Many were polished versionsof formulas
that have become familiar to us,
but some pushed boundariesand had strong sonic signatures.
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
[ Door creaking ]
No. Not you.
You're in the next episode,about sound design.
(07:54):
I mean like his wonderfullyconceived show
"Grand Central Station."
As Brown tells it,
the show's beginnings wereconventional enough.
CBS had been pitchinga half-hour radio slot to one
of its advertisers,
but the buyer responsiblefor investing
in new broadcast productswasn't biting.
So they sent Brown, a provenand persuasive packager,
(08:16):
to seeif he could broker a deal.
And as usual with him,
the encounter movedfrom commerce
to a meeting of imaginations.
The agency rep didn't wanta traditional soap or serial
with the same characters.
Instead, he wanted to think upa setting for the show
that could featurea different story each week.
>> It was a potpourri. It couldalmost include anything.
(08:38):
And in talking,I evolved the idea --
I must say, along with him,also -- of using a terminal,
which I then called
"the crossroadsof a million private lives."
Those were my words.
And we agreed to useGrand Central Station.
Of course,Grand Central Station is a very,
very dull place sound-wise.
(09:00):
>> Not in the imaginationof Himan Brown.
[ Train whistle blowing ]
>> From New York,
Pillsbury's Best Enriched Flourbrings you
[Echoing]"Grand Central Station."
[ Train whistle blowing ]
>> The roaring steam enginethat Brown imagined
as the show's opening wasfrom Santa Fe
and recorded on locationespecially for him.
(09:23):
After the show launched in 1937,
he got letters telling himhow wrong he was,
how the actual trains glidedelectrically under Park Avenue.
>> But the sound waswhat conquered,
and people finally,eventually had to accept it.
>> And thosemillion private lives?
They could be anything.
(09:44):
>> After the train from Albanypulled in,
no one, not a single person,
actually saw the young manwith soft brown hair
and soft brown eyes come throughthe gate.
Still unseen,
he walked the lengthof the great waiting room,
now strangely tranquilas travel ebbs on Christmas Eve.
(10:08):
Quietly, he goes out the door,down the street,
and then up the broadmarble stairs of the hospital.
>> Perhaps the thing that madeBrown one of the greatest
producers of his time washis ability to sense the moment
and respond to it with stories.
When America emerged fromthe Great Depression
(10:29):
and when it went to war in 1941,
Brown's stories and charactersdid, too.
"David Harum" became"David Harum's Victory Garden."
"Joyce Jordan's" plots centeredon families and the war effort.
And the spies and detectives?>> Many of the mysteries
involved spies andwar things completely.
(10:52):
You did do a certain amountof escapist stuff,
but you did have to workthe war effort in.
>> [ German accent ]If you do not meet them,
if they fail to receivethis fuel...
>> Goodbye, U-boat, huh?>> [ German accent ] Yes.
But also...>> Huh?
>> [ German accent ]...goodbye, Fraulein.
>> It was a very,
very vital partof all the dramas that we did.
(11:14):
You couldn't avoid it.It dominated our lives.
>> And, of course, it wasn'tonly the plots and characters
who had to alter.
The war also meantthat many of the young men
who worked with Brownwere drafted into the military.
>> You had to do a lotof jiggling and juggling
as the actors came andwent through the war effort.
(11:34):
But very often, you'd justsubstitute an actor
and start playing the part
and the audience understood allof this.
>> We thinkof contemporary media
as the arenaof meta performances --
dissolving fourth walls,pushing boundaries.
But here,in the midst of the comforting,
escapist radio world,there was a two-way street
(11:55):
that recognized exactlywhat audiences understood
about the fictional worldsthey entered,
and exactly how to acceptthe places
where the real world becamea force to be reckoned with.
Brown was not content tosimply tweak his existing shows
in support of the war effort.
More was required -- some deeperresponse to what was happening
(12:18):
and what it represented.
In 1938, with the Nazi presencespreading across Eastern Europe,
he privately funded a seriescalled "Main Street, U.S.A.,"
a titlehe borrowed from Sinclair Lewis.
It wasn't a show about war,
but about what was being foughtfor.
>> To show the impactof what was going on in Europe
(12:39):
could be here,and that we were sleeping,
and that we should wake upto this.
And we did it dramaticallywith -- with stories
that related to people,to families,
to small towns, and so on.
>> This is America,a town of a few thousand,
in a region of wheat and cornand dairies and little groves.
(13:01):
The town is, in our tale, calledGopher Prairie, Minnesota,
but its main street isthe continuation
of main streets everywhere.
The story would be the samein Ohio or Montana,
in Kansas, or Kentucky,or Illinois,
and not very differently
would it be toldin Upstate New York
or in the Carolina Hills.
(13:22):
Main Street is the climaxof civilization.
>> Once the U.S.had entered the war,
private propagandizingwasn't allowed,
so Brown turned his profits overto the American Red Cross
and embarked on a similar showfor the U.S. government --
"Green Valley, U.S.A.,"
with characters voicinginformation and emotions
(13:44):
the government wantedpeople to hear.
>> It was a total communityof several hundred people
whom I could draw onto do a government directive
on writing to your boyin the Army, on conserving fuel,
on creating a Victory Garden,on the need for nurses,
on the need for general peoplein the Army, and so on.
(14:07):
♪♪
>> So a propaganda show.But after the war,
Brown repackaged the showas a half-hour series
with a different mission.
"A new effort had to be madeto start life over," he said,
"and we really had a greatopportunity to inspire people."
Brown was also picked
by Treasury SecretaryHenry Morgenthau
(14:29):
to create special programs
to support the war effortand war bonds,
and he joinedthe Writers' War Board --
a group that helped guidethe ways
in whichwriters would reflect the war.
Through this group,
he met mystery novelistRex Stout
and was able to add"Nero Wolfe" to his portfolio
of mystery radio programs.>> Who is this?
(14:50):
Who wants to speakto Mr. Wolfe?
>> Nobody.>> Nobody?
>> I said that. Hang up.
It's late and it's too cold.
And even if it weren't,
I would not consider for onemoment moving from this room.
>> Please, Mr. Wolfe,
I can't hear a thingthis old gentleman's saying.
>> Does it matter?You heard what I said. No.
>> Post-war, Brown put thesesame skills to work
(15:10):
reflecting the creationof the State of Israel.
He was a founding memberof the United Jewish Appeal
and convinced his colleagues,
who wanted to use radioto broadcast speeches,
that drama could be amore effective way
to tell the storyof the Jewish people --
both the horrorsand their vision for the future.
>> Drama would say much more.
We did intensely exciting dramas
(15:32):
which pointed up the Jewishcause and the Jewish side,
the Holocaust, all that went onduring the war years.
>> During the war,networks continued to program.
Even though the commercialsponsorship model was
pretty much suspended inthe face of so much uncertainty,
the value of continuity
(15:53):
and the solace of familiarprograms was understood.
>> There's a big band concertand bond rally
scheduled at the Wistful VistaAuditorium tonight,
and when you see who's muscledin as director
of the whole thing,
you can understandthe derivation of the word
"auditorium" -- from "audi,"meaning "listen,"
and "toro,"meaning "bull."
(16:14):
[ Laughter ]
Yes, it's himself,of "Fibber McGee and Molly."
[ Applause ]
>> And as Brown points out,
there was going to bean economy afterwards.
Post-war,
Brown enjoyed another decadeof programming and prosperity,
but already television wasbeginning to change the game.
(16:35):
>> This is Station W2XK,
experimental transmitterof the National Broadcasting...
>> Broadcast televisiontechnology had
actually been establishedin 1928,
and once again,David Sarnoff, the RCA mogul
who profited from the early daysof broadcast, led the charge.
But it wasn't until householdpenetration of television sets
in the 1950s that entertainmentbroadcasting began to migrate
(17:00):
and abandon the model
that had defined Himan Brown'slife for over 30 years.
>> From Hollywood...
>> Faster thana speeding bullet...
>> Lucy, I got to be ata television rehearsal
in half an hour.
Is my breakfast ready?
>> In 1939, it seemed possiblethat the world might end.
By 1959,
the world that matteredmost to Brown
(17:21):
seemed at the vergeof extinction.
The journey of Brown'ssuccessful series "Joyce Jordan"
was emblematic.
She passed from agencyto agency,
finally winding upwith Procter & Gamble,
where she got a promotion.
>> We're going to changethe title.
She no longer will beJoyce Jordan, Girl Interne.
Nine years, you know, an intern.
(17:42):
My God, how stupid.
She's now going to beJoyce Jordan, M.D.
>> But TV soaps were alreadytaking over the territory,
and there was a suggestion thatJordan should join their ranks.
Brown passed.
>> And I simply wouldnot go into soap opera
with Joyce Jordan.
How silly.
What a powerful,powerful character.
(18:06):
>> He remained his own man andhad his last broadcast hurrah
with format-breaking"NBC Radio Theater."
It was an hour-long seriesto counteract the migration
of serials and soap operasto television.
>> To makeit really outstanding,
I got Madeleine Carrollfor Monday,
Don Ameche for Tuesday,Celeste Holm for Wednesday,
(18:28):
Eddie Albert for Thursday,and Friday
I had visiting stars,all kinds of different people.
>> The "NBC Radio Theater,"
a complete hour of drama everyday, Monday through Friday,
starring Eddie Albert,Lee Bowman, Madeleine Carroll,
Gloria DeHaven and today,
starring Celeste Holmin "The Believers."
(18:50):
>> For the longest time,
I fought against this fearmy mother had pushed into me,
and a year ago,I had the courage to leave her,
to come into the city to work.
Oh, that day is brandedin my mind.
>> Anne, dear, this is foolish.
>> It's no use, Mother.I've made up my mind.
>> "NBC Radio Theater" survivedfor three years.
(19:10):
>> '59, that wasthe death knell.
Everything went off radioin the way of drama.
>> We end this episodewith a cliffhanger,
that reliable narrativedevice perfected
(19:31):
in the golden age of radio.
What will happen to a creativeinnovator with boundless energy
when his medium disappears?
But don't touch that dial.
First, we're going to meeta different Himan Brown,
the man behind the curtain,
the director and sound designer.
[ Creaking ]
Yes, and you.Up next, Episode 6,
(19:53):
"Pay Attention to the ManBehind the Curtain."
This is "Audio Maverick,"and I'm Margot Avery.
Stay tuned.
"Audio Maverick" is producedand directed by Sarah Montague,
(20:15):
who also writes the scripts.
Our executive producers areMelina Brown and Sarah Montague.
CUNY TV's executivedirector is Chiqui Cartagena.
The director of productionis Susan Iger,
and Deborah Labadie is CUNY TV'schief operating officer.
The associate producerfor "Audio Maverick"
is Corinne Wallace,
(20:36):
and our audio production internis Lucia Funaro.
"Audio Maverick" is narratedby Margot Avery.
Our technical team at CUNY
includes senioraudio engineer Richard Kim
and audio engineer and programmix engineer Lisa Gosselin.
Our staff photographer isLaura Fuchs.
Our archivists are David Riceand Catriona Schlosser.
(20:57):
Our closed captioncoordinator is Amy Monte,
and the script editor isAllison Behringer.
Our theme was composedby Allison Leyton-Brown.
Sound design and final mixing
are by John DeLore andBart Warshaw.
Multitude Productions handlesour publicity and marketing.
"Audio Maverick" is a productionof CUNY TV.
>> During the heyday of radio...
>> I'm not going to buya television set.
[ Laughter ]
>> I wanted to be a free agent,a free soul.
>> That's radio producerHiman Brown,
and this is "Audio Maverick,"
a celebration of his lifeand work.
>> The story of Mr. Aceand his wife, Jane.
>> Come in.
(00:23):
>> In our last episode,
we toured the rich countryof Golden Age radio,
the amazing array of programs
that made their wayinto America's
living rooms and parlorsand boardinghouses each night...
and some of the imaginativepeople who created them.
And now we want to know aboutHiman Brown's
continuing place in this world.
I'm Margot Avery. Stay tuned.>> The door is open.
(00:46):
Welcome.
[ Man singing indistinctly ]
♪♪
>> By the mid-1930s, Himan Brownwas no longer a striver.
And his career beganto take a different shape.
In 1937,
his long partnershipwith the Hummert Agency
and his friend Anne Ashenhurstcame to an end.
(01:08):
The company was diversifying
and wanted Brownas a salaried employee.
He declined and went on tocreate independent relationships
with other agencies andnetworks,
and by going his own way,
Brown maturedas a producer and director
and enriched his portfolio,
which already includedshows such as "Dick Tracy,"
"David Harum,"and "John's Other Wife."
(01:30):
>> And now forthe dramatic story
of "John's Other Wife."
Elizabeth, the young wife ofhandsome 35-year-old John Perry
is going to have a baby
and has been toldby Dr. Ferguson
that she must not shoulderany worries.
But the worries have come thickand fast.
>> He was a show-making machine.One show after the other,
he came up with a concept,sold the idea to an agency,
(01:53):
then helped get it realized.
And Brown was alwayson the lookout for new,
potentially lucrative projects.
He enjoyed creating synergybetween commercial clients'
goals and a conceptthat would achieve them.
>> I have never sat downand written a complete script.
I'm much happier plotting
and figuring on charactersand so on.
(02:15):
>> Here's an example.[ Bell clangs, ship horn blows ]
The Coward Shoe Company,
which had started in New Yorkin the 19th century,
had its own pirate ship mooredon the Hudson at 129th Street,
and they had a gimmick --Buy a pair of shoes
and get a ticket on board, whereyou could meet Captain Tom.
When they wanted to expandinto broadcast,
Brown created "Captain Tomand the Pirate Ship" --
(02:38):
three episodes a week
based on the actual logthat kids saw on the ship.
[ Bird squawks ]
Shoes and shipsand sealing wax --
Brown had the powerto see almost anything
in terms of radio.
Brown said oftenthat he made most
of his creative decisionsby following his intuition.
And he gave "Captain Tom"
(02:59):
to a struggling writer,Frank Loesser.
>> Who had never writtena script in his life,
but was a good writer.
Was starving. And he always saidthat I took him off the streets
and got him into a hotelwith "Captain Tom."
>> ♪ Oh, I believe in you ♪
>> Loesser went on to writemusic and lyrics
for hit musicals,including "Guys and Dolls"
(03:21):
and "How to Succeed in Businesswithout Really Trying."
>> ♪ Oh, I believe in you ♪
>> And Brown really did believein them.
As a performer,producer, and later director,
he was the product of nerveand native talent,
rather than formal training,
and he could sensethe potential in others.
Not all of Brown's hireswere rescues,
(03:42):
but he was proud of beingable to offer opportunities
to artistsin a challenging period.
Not only writers,but also actors.
>> ♪ Say, buddy,can you spare a dime? ♪
♪♪
>> The Works ProgressAdministration was
President Franklin Roosevelt'seconomic stimulus program
to offset job lossduring the Depression.
(04:04):
It helped to maintainlive theater,
but Brown could offer morefor radio work.
>> The actor, who was getting,like, $27 to $32 a week,
something like that,for an entire week of work,
could earn that much with meon one broadcast...
so that I became a golden grailfor all the actors.
(04:25):
>> That was in part because ofhis particular mission --
to fill the airwaveswith engaging,
audience-building programs.
>> Timing, tastes,a particular moment --
They're so valuablein our business.
>> And usually,Brown was right on trend.
He had an impressive portfolioof crime and spy thrillers --
a mainstayof Golden Age programming.
(04:46):
In addition to Dick Tracy,
he had the rightsto English properties,
including Bulldog Drummond,a gentleman adventurer...
>> And in addition, animportant envelope will arrive
with the first mail.
>> No, Captain Drummond,you're wrong.
I know you're wrong.Steve would...
>> ...and Leslie Charteris'elusive Saint.
>> There are only two reasons
dames gotfor leaning against a guy.
(05:06):
The other one is,they want to pick his pocket.
>> Pick his...Well, I'll be.
>> That's what she did, in away.
>> But what she stole wasn'tmoney.
It was my revolver.
[ Dramatic music plays ]
>> Brown also investedin suave detectives
on our side of the pond,
including Dashiell Hammett'sNick Charles, or the Thin Man.
(05:28):
It's tempting to imagineBrown in conversation
with these polished-but-ruthless characters
atsome swank nightclub or saloon.
When talking about hisearly life,
Brown often refers to himselfas a gawky kid,
but publicity stills from thislater period show us a relaxed
and elegant man worthyof his own circle
(05:49):
of imaginary characters.
Brown was also aheadof his time.
As early as 1935,he introduced "Hilda Hope" --
name intentional -- a seriesthat featured a woman doctor.
>> I always believed in womenin the professions
without women's lib,without anybody prodding me.
(06:09):
>> Of course, as a producer,
he realized the narrativepotential of medical drama.
>> It's a wonderful, wonderfulworld for storytelling,
of course.
>> And Brown makes the point
that these programs weren't justprocedurals with stethoscopes.
In the show, Dr. Hope addressedsome specific medical crisis,
but there was always more.
>> In those days,
(06:31):
we were very Freudian,psychiatrically-oriented
because you can'talways go with operations
and you can't alwaysgo with diseases.
You went withthese emotional conflicts
which came out ofthe whole world
of psychiatric development,
which was literallyin its beginnings in those days.
And I like to feelthat we were pioneering in many,
(06:53):
many ways, that I was.>> They were.
This approach anticipatedmedical dramas
from "Dr. Kildare," to "St.Elsewhere," "ER," and beyond.
And 1937 saw the firstappearance of one of Brown's
most enduring characters,Joyce Jordan.
>> Why don't you marry meand give this all up?
(07:13):
>> No, Henry. I'm --
I'm not ready to marryanyone...yet.
You may as well get used tothe idea.
At the moment,
all that interests meis becoming the best doctor
that I can possibly be.
If you don't mind, I'd...
>> There's no way in abrief appreciation to do justice
to the scope of Brown's work,
(07:33):
his dozensof imaginary lives and worlds.
Many were polished versionsof formulas
that have become familiar to us,
but some pushed boundariesand had strong sonic signatures.
[ Suspenseful music plays ]
[ Door creaking ]
No. Not you.
You're in the next episode,about sound design.
(07:54):
I mean like his wonderfullyconceived show
"Grand Central Station."
As Brown tells it,
the show's beginnings wereconventional enough.
CBS had been pitchinga half-hour radio slot to one
of its advertisers,
but the buyer responsiblefor investing
in new broadcast productswasn't biting.
So they sent Brown, a provenand persuasive packager,
(08:16):
to seeif he could broker a deal.
And as usual with him,
the encounter movedfrom commerce
to a meeting of imaginations.
The agency rep didn't wanta traditional soap or serial
with the same characters.
Instead, he wanted to think upa setting for the show
that could featurea different story each week.
>> It was a potpourri. It couldalmost include anything.
(08:38):
And in talking,I evolved the idea --
I must say, along with him,also -- of using a terminal,
which I then called
"the crossroadsof a million private lives."
Those were my words.
And we agreed to useGrand Central Station.
Of course,Grand Central Station is a very,
very dull place sound-wise.
(09:00):
>> Not in the imaginationof Himan Brown.
[ Train whistle blowing ]
>> From New York,
Pillsbury's Best Enriched Flourbrings you
[Echoing]"Grand Central Station."
[ Train whistle blowing ]
>> The roaring steam enginethat Brown imagined
as the show's opening wasfrom Santa Fe
and recorded on locationespecially for him.
(09:23):
After the show launched in 1937,
he got letters telling himhow wrong he was,
how the actual trains glidedelectrically under Park Avenue.
>> But the sound waswhat conquered,
and people finally,eventually had to accept it.
>> And thosemillion private lives?
They could be anything.
(09:44):
>> After the train from Albanypulled in,
no one, not a single person,
actually saw the young manwith soft brown hair
and soft brown eyes come throughthe gate.
Still unseen,
he walked the lengthof the great waiting room,
now strangely tranquilas travel ebbs on Christmas Eve.
(10:08):
Quietly, he goes out the door,down the street,
and then up the broadmarble stairs of the hospital.
>> Perhaps the thing that madeBrown one of the greatest
producers of his time washis ability to sense the moment
and respond to it with stories.
When America emerged fromthe Great Depression
(10:29):
and when it went to war in 1941,
Brown's stories and charactersdid, too.
"David Harum" became"David Harum's Victory Garden."
"Joyce Jordan's" plots centeredon families and the war effort.
And the spies and detectives?>> Many of the mysteries
involved spies andwar things completely.
(10:52):
You did do a certain amountof escapist stuff,
but you did have to workthe war effort in.
>> [ German accent ]If you do not meet them,
if they fail to receivethis fuel...
>> Goodbye, U-boat, huh?>> [ German accent ] Yes.
But also...>> Huh?
>> [ German accent ]...goodbye, Fraulein.
>> It was a very,
very vital partof all the dramas that we did.
(11:14):
You couldn't avoid it.It dominated our lives.
>> And, of course, it wasn'tonly the plots and characters
who had to alter.
The war also meantthat many of the young men
who worked with Brownwere drafted into the military.
>> You had to do a lotof jiggling and juggling
as the actors came andwent through the war effort.
(11:34):
But very often, you'd justsubstitute an actor
and start playing the part
and the audience understood allof this.
>> We thinkof contemporary media
as the arenaof meta performances --
dissolving fourth walls,pushing boundaries.
But here,in the midst of the comforting,
escapist radio world,there was a two-way street
(11:55):
that recognized exactlywhat audiences understood
about the fictional worldsthey entered,
and exactly how to acceptthe places
where the real world becamea force to be reckoned with.
Brown was not content tosimply tweak his existing shows
in support of the war effort.
More was required -- some deeperresponse to what was happening
(12:18):
and what it represented.
In 1938, with the Nazi presencespreading across Eastern Europe,
he privately funded a seriescalled "Main Street, U.S.A.,"
a titlehe borrowed from Sinclair Lewis.
It wasn't a show about war,
but about what was being foughtfor.
>> To show the impactof what was going on in Europe
(12:39):
could be here,and that we were sleeping,
and that we should wake upto this.
And we did it dramaticallywith -- with stories
that related to people,to families,
to small towns, and so on.
>> This is America,a town of a few thousand,
in a region of wheat and cornand dairies and little groves.
(13:01):
The town is, in our tale, calledGopher Prairie, Minnesota,
but its main street isthe continuation
of main streets everywhere.
The story would be the samein Ohio or Montana,
in Kansas, or Kentucky,or Illinois,
and not very differently
would it be toldin Upstate New York
or in the Carolina Hills.
(13:22):
Main Street is the climaxof civilization.
>> Once the U.S.had entered the war,
private propagandizingwasn't allowed,
so Brown turned his profits overto the American Red Cross
and embarked on a similar showfor the U.S. government --
"Green Valley, U.S.A.,"
with characters voicinginformation and emotions
(13:44):
the government wantedpeople to hear.
>> It was a total communityof several hundred people
whom I could draw onto do a government directive
on writing to your boyin the Army, on conserving fuel,
on creating a Victory Garden,on the need for nurses,
on the need for general peoplein the Army, and so on.
(14:07):
♪♪
>> So a propaganda show.But after the war,
Brown repackaged the showas a half-hour series
with a different mission.
"A new effort had to be madeto start life over," he said,
"and we really had a greatopportunity to inspire people."
Brown was also picked
by Treasury SecretaryHenry Morgenthau
(14:29):
to create special programs
to support the war effortand war bonds,
and he joinedthe Writers' War Board --
a group that helped guidethe ways
in whichwriters would reflect the war.
Through this group,
he met mystery novelistRex Stout
and was able to add"Nero Wolfe" to his portfolio
of mystery radio programs.>> Who is this?
(14:50):
Who wants to speakto Mr. Wolfe?
>> Nobody.>> Nobody?
>> I said that. Hang up.
It's late and it's too cold.
And even if it weren't,
I would not consider for onemoment moving from this room.
>> Please, Mr. Wolfe,
I can't hear a thingthis old gentleman's saying.
>> Does it matter?You heard what I said. No.
>> Post-war, Brown put thesesame skills to work
(15:10):
reflecting the creationof the State of Israel.
He was a founding memberof the United Jewish Appeal
and convinced his colleagues,
who wanted to use radioto broadcast speeches,
that drama could be amore effective way
to tell the storyof the Jewish people --
both the horrorsand their vision for the future.
>> Drama would say much more.
We did intensely exciting dramas
(15:32):
which pointed up the Jewishcause and the Jewish side,
the Holocaust, all that went onduring the war years.
>> During the war,networks continued to program.
Even though the commercialsponsorship model was
pretty much suspended inthe face of so much uncertainty,
the value of continuity
(15:53):
and the solace of familiarprograms was understood.
>> There's a big band concertand bond rally
scheduled at the Wistful VistaAuditorium tonight,
and when you see who's muscledin as director
of the whole thing,
you can understandthe derivation of the word
"auditorium" -- from "audi,"meaning "listen,"
and "toro,"meaning "bull."
(16:14):
[ Laughter ]
Yes, it's himself,of "Fibber McGee and Molly."
[ Applause ]
>> And as Brown points out,
there was going to bean economy afterwards.
Post-war,
Brown enjoyed another decadeof programming and prosperity,
but already television wasbeginning to change the game.
(16:35):
>> This is Station W2XK,
experimental transmitterof the National Broadcasting...
>> Broadcast televisiontechnology had
actually been establishedin 1928,
and once again,David Sarnoff, the RCA mogul
who profited from the early daysof broadcast, led the charge.
But it wasn't until householdpenetration of television sets
in the 1950s that entertainmentbroadcasting began to migrate
(17:00):
and abandon the model
that had defined Himan Brown'slife for over 30 years.
>> From Hollywood...
>> Faster thana speeding bullet...
>> Lucy, I got to be ata television rehearsal
in half an hour.
Is my breakfast ready?
>> In 1939, it seemed possiblethat the world might end.
By 1959,
the world that matteredmost to Brown
(17:21):
seemed at the vergeof extinction.
The journey of Brown'ssuccessful series "Joyce Jordan"
was emblematic.
She passed from agencyto agency,
finally winding upwith Procter & Gamble,
where she got a promotion.
>> We're going to changethe title.
She no longer will beJoyce Jordan, Girl Interne.
Nine years, you know, an intern.
(17:42):
My God, how stupid.
She's now going to beJoyce Jordan, M.D.
>> But TV soaps were alreadytaking over the territory,
and there was a suggestion thatJordan should join their ranks.
Brown passed.
>> And I simply wouldnot go into soap opera
with Joyce Jordan.
How silly.
What a powerful,powerful character.
(18:06):
>> He remained his own man andhad his last broadcast hurrah
with format-breaking"NBC Radio Theater."
It was an hour-long seriesto counteract the migration
of serials and soap operasto television.
>> To makeit really outstanding,
I got Madeleine Carrollfor Monday,
Don Ameche for Tuesday,Celeste Holm for Wednesday,
(18:28):
Eddie Albert for Thursday,and Friday
I had visiting stars,all kinds of different people.
>> The "NBC Radio Theater,"
a complete hour of drama everyday, Monday through Friday,
starring Eddie Albert,Lee Bowman, Madeleine Carroll,
Gloria DeHaven and today,
starring Celeste Holmin "The Believers."
(18:50):
>> For the longest time,
I fought against this fearmy mother had pushed into me,
and a year ago,I had the courage to leave her,
to come into the city to work.
Oh, that day is brandedin my mind.
>> Anne, dear, this is foolish.
>> It's no use, Mother.I've made up my mind.
>> "NBC Radio Theater" survivedfor three years.
(19:10):
>> '59, that wasthe death knell.
Everything went off radioin the way of drama.
>> We end this episodewith a cliffhanger,
that reliable narrativedevice perfected
(19:31):
in the golden age of radio.
What will happen to a creativeinnovator with boundless energy
when his medium disappears?
But don't touch that dial.
First, we're going to meeta different Himan Brown,
the man behind the curtain,
the director and sound designer.
[ Creaking ]
Yes, and you.Up next, Episode 6,
(19:53):
"Pay Attention to the ManBehind the Curtain."
This is "Audio Maverick,"and I'm Margot Avery.
Stay tuned.
"Audio Maverick" is producedand directed by Sarah Montague,
(20:15):
who also writes the scripts.
Our executive producers areMelina Brown and Sarah Montague.
CUNY TV's executivedirector is Chiqui Cartagena.
The director of productionis Susan Iger,
and Deborah Labadie is CUNY TV'schief operating officer.
The associate producerfor "Audio Maverick"
is Corinne Wallace,
(20:36):
and our audio production internis Lucia Funaro.
"Audio Maverick" is narratedby Margot Avery.
Our technical team at CUNY
includes senioraudio engineer Richard Kim
and audio engineer and programmix engineer Lisa Gosselin.
Our staff photographer isLaura Fuchs.
Our archivists are David Riceand Catriona Schlosser.
(20:57):
Our closed captioncoordinator is Amy Monte,
and the script editor isAllison Behringer.
Our theme was composedby Allison Leyton-Brown.
Sound design and final mixing
are by John DeLore andBart Warshaw.
Multitude Productions handlesour publicity and marketing.
"Audio Maverick" is a productionof CUNY TV.
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