The 1940's Radio Hour

The 1940's Radio Hour
1979 Broadway Playbill
Music	Various Composers
Lyrics	Various Lyricists
Book	Walton Jones
Productions	1979 Broadway

The 1940's Radio Hour is a Play with Music by Walton Jones. Full of 1940s music, dancing and old-time sound effects the play portrays the final holiday broadcast of the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade on the New York radio station WOV in December 1942.

Plot

Fabled WOV, a seedy little New York radio station, takes to the air on December 21, 1942 (about a year into the U.S. involvement in World War II), this time to record a broadcast for the troops overseas.^[1]

The narrative concerns the harassed producer, the leading singer who is often drunk, the second banana who dreams of singing a ballad, the delivery boy who wants a chance in front of the mic, and the young trumpet-player who chooses a fighter plane over Glenn Miller.

Characters

• Clifton Feddington: The announcer and general manager (head of everything at WOV). He has ulcers from it all and is sometimes hysterical.
• Ann Collier The 'old standard' in the Radio show since its start in 1936. She sings like Dinah Shore, Doris Day, and Peggy Lee (all rolled into one). She is a secretary by day, and at looker by night who is dating Johnny.
• Johnny Cantone: Featured vocalist with the Cavalcade who is on Sinatra's bandwagon. He's an ex-boxer and a rough guy who drinks too much and has a voice like velvet.
• Ginger Brooks: A bubble-headed waitress-turned-singer. She has a pinup, Betty Grable look with lots of makeup and speaks with a Gracie Allen vacancy.
• Geneva Lee Browne: The southern Belle of WOV got her start in music at age 17 performing in local Swing ballrooms around the Atlanta area.
• Neal Tilden: Cab driver by day and singer, dancer, and choreographer at night. He is hopeful for the 'featured vocalist' slot.
• B.J. Gibson: The third of the Gibson brothers to work for the Cavalcade. He is squeaky-clean, good looking, and a preppy student at Yale.
• Connie Miller: A 17-year-old bobbysoxer from Ogden, Utah. She is perennially in love and runs an elevator by day.
• Pops Bailey: A crotchety, wizened stage doorkeeper who is a racing bookie on the company phone and reads hidden copies of Show Girl magazine.
• Lou Cohn: A big shot (at least in his own mind) who tries to impress the girls and is sometimes obnoxious. He runs the show and is the sound effects man.
• Wally Ferguson: Young hopeful from Altoona, Pennsylvania who came to NYC to work for his uncle at the drugstore to get his big show-biz break.
• Biff Baker: A young trumpet player with the Zoot Doubleman orchestra who will be leaving after the concert for Army duty.
• Stanley: Lugs cable and runs around a lot and otherwise lives in the control booth.
• Zoot Doubleman: WOV Orchestra Leader

List of Musical Numbers

• "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" – Clifton, Chorus
• "Pepsi Cola" – Neal, B.J., Connie, Ginger (with sounds performed by Lou)
• "Daddy" – Connie, The Band
• "Love Is Here to Stay" – Johnny
• "That Old Black Magic" – Ann
• "Ain't She Sweet" – Biff, All
• "How About You?" – B.J., Connie
• "Blue Moon" – Neal
• "Chiquita Banana" – All Girls
• "Rose of the Rio Grande" – Geneva, Men & The Band
• "I'll Never Smile Again" – Johnny, Quintet (Neal, B.J., Ann, Ginger, Connie)
• "At Last" – Geneva, Band
• "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" – B.J., Connie, Ginger
• "Blues in the Night" – Ginger, Men
• "Jingle Bells" – All (except Johnny)
• "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" – Geneva
• "You Go to My Head" – B.J.
• "The Five O'Clock Whistle" – Connie, The Band
• "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" – Ann
• "Strike Up The Band" – Full Company
• "I'll Be Seeing You" – Full Company
• "Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade" – Full Company

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
1980	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Musical		Nominated
		Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical	Joe Grifasi	Nominated
			Jeff Keller	Nominated
		Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical	Crissy Wilzak	Nominated
		Outstanding Director of a Musical	Walton Jones	Nominated
		Outstanding Costume Design	William Ivey Long	Nominated
	Theatre World Award		Stephen James	Won

References

1. The 1940s radio hour: a musical. Jones, Walton. 1981.

Notes

• "'1940s Radio Hour' comes in loud & clear" by Klint Lowry, http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/051204/lif_20040512004.shtml
• "Theater group dials in retro radio musical" by Carol South, Grand Traverse Herald, http://www.gtherald.com/2005/feb/23radio.htm
• http://www.cvca.net/archives/shows/1940/1940rh.html
• "'Radio' a swinging trip to '40s" by Kyle Lawson, The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com/ent/arts/articles/0115radiorev15.html
• Character List and Descriptions. http://charlestonlightoperaguild.org/1940RadioHour.htm

External links

• The 1940's Radio Hour at the Internet Broadway Database