During the Fred Allen show they made jokes about meat shortages in the U.S. and commercials made mention of difficulties buying fats and oils. Things were much worse in Europe at that time (1947) and a lot of our agricultural products went over seas, hence the shortages at home. It reminded me that my father, who fought in Europe with the 14th Armored Division, sent food and medical supplies to a German family in Munich he befriended when the war ended. They even sold him a BMW mortorcycle which he used to travel around the beautiful Bavarian countryside. (He gave it back to them when he left Germany.) Back in the States, he kept in touch with this family, and for a decade he mailed them everything from money, to medical supplies, to food.They were especially grateful when he sent them lard, an essential ingredient for baking and cooking, and which was a very scarce commodity in post-war Germany. My dad didn't like to talk about the violence he experienced, but he enjoyed reminiscing about his German family and the adventures he had on that motorcycle!
@@patriciahowes4584 He was a better man than me. The men and women who made it through the Depression and WWIi, and then went on to build modern America were some really remarkable people. I look at them with admiration and gratitude.
My dad came of age in the late '40s, and as a USAF lieutenant was among the thousands of Allied troops who were the Occupation. As an officer he had spousal privilege, brought his wife to his units' station in Bitburg (a tiny town no one ever heard of till 1985). I was born there. My parents also stayed in touch with the German family in whose house they rented rooms, also sending helps of one kind or another. They were surprised and happy when in tghe 1960s they heard that the husband of the couple who had welcomed them, was elected Burgermeister (mayor).
This first program, The Whistler stars one of the great radio actors of the era, Frank Lovejoy...whoa, it also stars the great radio actress Bea Benaderet! Great radio!
Wasn't Lovejoy great! He was a good screen actor too, and died too young, "in harness" i believe---of an attack of some sort, during a filming, in the early 1960s. He was really terrific on radio.
This is full of great stuff. There's a whole song about a guy who comes too early, The Whistler is fantastic, the ads are all hilarious. Keep up the good work.
