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The Man Behind The Gun Radio Program
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Home >> D D Too Home >> Radio Logs >> Man Behind The Gun |
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The Man Behind The Gun was a series characterized by superlatives in virtually every measurable dramatic category. Produced at the height of the aftermath of America's entry into World War II, the CBS series was one of their finest ever mounted during the War years. Producer William N. Robson traveled a reported 10,000 miles collecting sound bites, recording on the spot interviews with fighting men in the field, and coordinating with military security and intelligence officials. The security and intelligence coordination was key to producing the most accurate, descriptive and visceral accounts of our men behind the guns, without compromising operational security. William Robson sought and obtained the active support of all branches of the War Department in order to provide CBS listeners with the most authentic, accurate, and compelling accounts of America's far-flung war activities while still protecting key intelligence.
The result was arguably the most historically accurate, real-time portrayals of our fighting men in the field and their stirring, extraordinary, and often heroic acts in beating back the Axis powers to end both the European and Pacific conflicts in the shortest time and with the least casualties.
NBC's competing Pacific Story anthology was equally compelling for the era, concentrating primarily on the conflicts in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, including several specials on the United Nations involvement in the conflict. Pacific Story ran for four years and some 185 broadcasts between 1943 and 1947. By contrast, CBS' The Man Behind the Gun premiered on October 7 1942 and ran for some 74 broadcasts over a period of a year and a half.
What differentiated the two fine documentary anthologies was CBS' treatment of the human equation of World War II. "The man behind the gun" was a popular catch phrase employed extensively throughout domestic America during the War years, both to promote the war effort and to promote innumerable commercial efforts. The phrase was, in due course, extended to capture the efforts of 'the woman behind the man behind the gun', and even further, 'the man behind the man behind the gun.' The variations were predictably endless as catch phrases for factory workers, war industry workers in general, volunteer workers, and domestic food and other staples and their production.
William N. Robson's employment of this popular catch phrase was far more precise. It was Robson's intent to capture the realities of the price of War from the vantage point of the actual 'men behind the guns' and their real-world accounts of bravery, heroism, patriotism and dedication in the most visceral portrayals possible for the American public back home. Both Robson and Ranald MacDougall, the writer for the series, sat down with actual participants in both major Theatres, capturing the essence of their first-person accounts of their activities, experiences, and aspirations. The result was an extraordinarily compelling and 'human' perspective, as compared to the other hundreds of War stories, propaganda pieces and patriotic articles flooding the initially voracious appetites of listeners and readers back home.
Narrated by the stentorian voicing of Jackson Beck, each new installment was a captivating and compelling new account of some aspect of first-person impressions and experiences of fighting men--and support women--in harm's way. The series opened with an account of the 'bath-tub Charlies' of the war. These were the men manning the turret guns on bombers, sitting or laying in the most cramped positions imaginable, with the grave mission of protecting their bomber and its crew from attacks by enemy fighters. The account of the following week tracked the efforts of the men manning the naval escort vessels protecting seagoing convoys of as many as fifty merchant marine freighters from attack by the ruthless, and initially devastating, Nazi submarine 'wolf packs.' The account traced their efforts from the time they left their domestic port in the U.S. to the time the convoy reached landfall in Great Britain. While conscientiously protecting operational security throughout the narrative, the 'U.K.-Run' installment nevertheless gave a highly visceral and compelling account of the constant, unceasing vigilence employed by the naval escort vessels and their men behind the guns. The third installment continued the story of the men manning the guns on the Navy's Destroyer escorts.
Several of the accounts spanned two or three installments, so as to effectively tell the entire story, given the 30-minute duration of each program. The three-part 'Marines At Guadalcanal' story, in particular, was so compelling and popular with listeners that it resulted in the one rebroadcast of the series some six-months later. Retitled 'Edson's Raiders,' the second of the three-part Marines At Guadalcanal stories retold the efforts of the Marines whose mission was to bait Japanese sappers out of their tree-top sniping positions. William N. Robson explained CBS' rationale in reairing the second installment as follows:
"Five months after the first presentation of the Guadalcanal stories," says Robson, "people still write letters. It is the one set of broadcasts in which the listeners seem to have remembered even the names of the characters in the plot. For our purposes, the characters were given fictitious names--but apparently to hundreds of people in the United States, two marines named "Magione" and "Landry" have become actual personalities.
"I have a letter from a Chicago physician who was confronted by a war plant worker. The worker wanted a sick leave certificate so he could take a few days off. The physician's prescription was "listen in to 'The Man Behind the Gun' tomorrow night, and if you still want a certificate tomorrow, I'll give it to you."
The war worker ran into "Magione" and "Landry" in the second of the Guadalcanal plays. He never came back for his certificate."
The series was, indeed, both highly popular and critically acclaimed. In March of 1944, William N. Robson was honored with the University of Georgia's prestigious 1942 Peabody Award for "Outstanding Entertainment in Drama," in his role as producer of the series. CBS actually garnered two such Peabody Awards during the run of The Man Behind the Gun. The second was as a result of the series' only preemption of the run. On July 24, 1943, CBS preempted The Man Behind the Gun to air a special entitled “An Open Letter to the American People,” which addressed racial hatred in the U.S. That program was awarded the 1943 Peabody Award for "Outstanding Entertainment in Drama," as well.
The production aired sustained until the Elgin Watch Company wisely sponsored the broadcasts, beginning with the March 21, 1943 broadcasts of the two-part U.S.S. Boise Story, which began with an account of the seamen manning one of the turret guns of a Brooklyn-class light cruiser assigned to the Pacific Theatre. The U.S.S. Boise later distinguished itself as General Douglas MacArthur's flagship as he toured The Philippines during June 1945. The ship was decommissioned and later sold to Argentina in 1951 and recommissioned as the "Nueve de Julio" or the 9th of July, the Argentinian Independence Day.
Later productions highlighted the activities of U.S. fighting forces' own 'sappers', a two-part story about duty on a Flying Fortress, a subsequent two-part story on The Battle of Midway, the K-9 Corps, medics, commandos, 'teedees' (tank destroyers), paratroopers, admirals, and a stirring retelling of a Navy gunner who survived eighty-three days on a raft in the mid-Atlantic. Robson and MacDougall's selection of material for the series was inspired, to say the least, and clearly underscores the series' award of The Peabody.
Production values were superb across the board throughout the entire run of the series. The authentic sound bites Robson had collected, combined with some of the finest sound-engineering and effects ever heard over Radio, resulted in one of the most visceral, true-to-life accounts of World War II ever heard by America's listeners. CBS was not a newcomer to aural experimentation over Radio. Indeed, William N. Robson had directed twenty-five of CBS' 318 ground-breaking Columbia Workshop programs between 1936 and 1947. The Man Behind the Gun was produced during the last three years of Columbia Workshop, and therefore benefitted greatly from the vast resources and technological innovations that CBS had perfected during the Columbia Workshop. Indeed, many consider The Man Behind the Gun as a derivative of Columbia Workshop. We're hard pressed to dispute that connection, since many of the same participants, cast, and technical personnel assisted in producing The Man Behind the Gun.
As becomes obvious with our 'declassified' The Man Behind the Gun at the left, the stories related by Robson and MacDougall were absolutely true accounts of their stories--less key operational details. The accounts were so compelling that one wonders why CBS never considered revisiting The Man Behind the Gun and its production secrets for a retrospective Television series. Unfortunately not all of the stories ended well for the participants. Indeed, several of the personalities profiled in the series subsequently perished during the course of World War II. One went on to achieve a Pulitzer Prize for Literature. The appendectomy patient survived his operation below enemy waters in a submarine, but subsequently lost his life in October 1944 with the sinking of his next submarine, the USS Tang (SS-306). Its commander, Commander H. O'Kane survived, was taken as a POW for over a year, and was ultimately awarded the Medal of Honor. As is typical of the stories of tragedy and heroism throughout World War II, history ultimately reveals itself and its more intriguing details--even as much as seventy years later. But it's even more fascinating to ultimately connect all the dots and piece back together the even more compelling details of many of these fascinating vignettes.
With only eight circulating programs, we can only hope that more collectors will consider further releases of this exemplary series. Truly one of the most prestigious CBS productions from The Golden Age of Radio, the series holds up as well today as it did when it first aired. Thankfully the circulating programs were well preserved and faithfully digitally encoded. They present a remarkable and timeless perspective of the more visceral and human side of our Nation's men and women in harm's way during a critical turning point of World War II.
The Man Behind the Gun --Declassified
Now that it can be told, here's a glossary to decode some of the operational security names employed during the run of The Man Behind the Gun:
- Battleship 'X' or 'Big Bastard' referred to the U.S.S. South Dakota, BB-57, a South Dakota class battleship, commissioned in 1942 and decomissioned in 1947.
- 'Aunt Aggie' referred to either the USS Yorktown (CV 5), the USS Hornet (CV 8) or the USS Enterprise (CV 6)
- 'Edson's Raiders' referred to the Marines' 1st Raider Battalion. The nickname referred to General Merrit Austin Edson, the Marine general who supervised the training for the Raiders. General Edson's code name during World War II was 'Red Mike'.
- The submarine involved in the emergency appendectomy while submerged in enemy waters was the USS Seadragon (SS-194) . The corpsman who performed the operation was Pharmacist's Mate Wheeler B. Lipes. The story brought Lipes and journalist George Weller a Pulitzer Prize in 1942.
- 'Stormy Weather' in Flying Fort Parts 1 and 2 was the nickname given the B-17 Flying Fortress, airframe 42-31621, assigned to be the lead plane in the bomber formation that bombed Berlin on May 24, 1944. It was ultimately struck by a direct hit on August 1, 1944, blowing off its tail and causing it to collide with another B-17. Two of its crew members were thrown free and survived.
- 'Wags' was the nickname of the canine corps referred to officially as the K-9 Corps. The K-9 Corps evolved from a group called Dogs for Defense that became the War Department's single source for procurement of the invaluable canines and their keen noses.
- 'Wingate's Mob' didn't refer to the Texan Air Corps Major of the story, but rather to Brigadier Orde Charles Wingate, a Scot, who commanded a 'ghost' army of British Army survivors trapped 200 miles behind enemy lines in Burma.
- In 'Brass Hat', the 'Wacky Mac' referred to is the U.S.S. McCawley (AP-10), an attack transport and 'Brass Hat' himself, was Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner.
- The Navy gunner who survived '83 Days on A Raft' was Basil Izzi and the ship he'd been on was the S.S. Zaandam , sailing from Capetown, South Africa.
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Series Derivatives:
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None |
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Genre: |
Anthology of Golden Age Radio World War II Docudramas |
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Network(s): |
CBS |
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Audition Date(s) and Title(s): |
Unknown |
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Premiere Date(s) and Title(s): |
42-10-07 01 'Bath-Tub' Charlie |
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Run Dates(s)/ Time(s): |
42-10-07 to 44-03-04; CBS; Seventy-four, 30-minute programs; Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m., then Sundays, 10:30 p.m., then Saturdays, 7:00 p.m. |
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Syndication: |
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Sponsors: |
Elgin Watches |
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Director(s): |
William N. Robson |
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Principal Actors: |
Jackson Beck, Frank Lovejoy, Joan Banks |
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Recurring Character(s): |
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Protagonist(s): |
None |
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Author(s): |
Malcolm Meacham, Sergeant Arthur Laurents, Captain Ralph Ingersoll |
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Writer(s) |
Ranald R. MacDougall |
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Music Direction: |
Nathan Van Cleve |
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Musical Theme(s): |
Unknown |
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Announcer(s): |
Jackson Beck [Narrator] |
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Estimated Scripts or
Broadcasts: |
73 |
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Episodes in Circulation: |
6 |
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Total Episodes in Collection: |
8 |
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Provenances: |
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Billboard review of The U.K. Run episode of Man Behind the Gun from October 24 1942
The 4th War Loan was launched on January 18 1944 and ran through February 15 1944.
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RadioGOLDINdex, Hickerson Guide.
Notes on Provenances:
The most helpful provenances were the log of the radioGOLDINdex and newspaper listings.
We invite you to compare our fully provenanced research with the '1,500 expert researchers' at the OTRR and their The Man Behind The Gun log. We've provided a screen shot of their current log for comparison, HERE to protect our own further due diligence, content and intellectual property.
OTRisms:
- Episodes Nos. 15 and 41, from 43-01-20 and 43-07-10, respectively, aren't about "Edison's Raiders", they're about Edson's Raiders. The episode(s) refer to General Merrit Austin Edson and his raiders. The OTRR clearly has the 'borrowing' part down pat. It's just the historical accuracy part that totally escapes them. That requires actual research--something they're loathe to undertake as long as it's 'good enough for otr.' You see it isn't enough for the owner of the OTRR to simply fan his thieving minions out across the internet with orders to steal everything in sight. It's never occured to him to instruct his thieving minions to fact-check what they pillage before posting it on their various sites.
- There was no The Man Behind The Gun episode aired on July 24, 1943. It was preempted across the entire CBS network for "Open Letter To The American People," an historic address against race hatred.
- Neither was there an episode between the two parts of the story of "Aunt Aggie". They aired back to back on 42-11-25 and 42-12-02.
- Episode No. 33, A PT Named 'Prep Joe' was not rebroadcast on February 5, 1944. It was rebroadcast by popular demand on February 12, 1944, three days prior to the end of the 4th War Loan drive that ran from January 18, 1944, and ended almost a month later on February 15. Jackson Beck reminds the listening audience that there are "only three days left of the 4th War Loan drive". The reason the OTRR is so blatantly wrong about this broadcast is very simple: they plagiarized their log. Quite simply, there isn't one word of original research anywhere in their log, Q.E.D.. They just 'phoned it in' like much of what they undertake.
- If there was a distinct episode titled Capture of Tarawa, it certainly did not air on February 12, 1944 as the OTRR states. As can be seen immediately above, it was the rebroadcast of A PT Named 'Prep Joe' that aired on that date. We suspect that the alleged episode about Tarawa is being conflated with another World War II anthology, Words At War.
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The Man Behind The Gun Radio Program Log
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| Date |
Episode |
Title |
Avail. |
Notes |
| 42-10-07 |
1
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'Bath-Tub' Charlie |
N
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42-09-30 Mason City Globe-Gazette
AIR YA LISTENIN?
"The 22nd Letter" in Final Program This program, which brought home to the American public the various ways in which Europe fights on against the axis will make way for the "Man Behind the Gun" which moves into its spot next week.
The new program will be directed by William Robson, who handled the directional duties on "The 22nd Letter."
42-10-07 Mason City Globe-Gazette
"The Man Behind the Gun " That's the title of KGLO-CBS' series which replaces "The Twenty-second Letter" beginning Wednesday at 9-30 p m
The stories are to give listeners vivid accounts of the tasks and experiences of the men in Uncle Sam's fighting forces, including those of the merchant marine.
The opening gun of these forthcoming broadcasts is to be subtitled "Bath-Tub Charlie," which is the air-fighter's slang for the machine-gunner who squats in the transparent bulges—in their turn dubbed "fishbowls" and greenhouses"—sometimes on the sides but more often in the belly of the bomber |
| 42-10-14 |
2
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The U.K. Run |
N
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42-10-14 Mason City Globe-Gazette
Man Behind Gun
The vivid history of a typical Atlantic convoy is presented Wednesday on KGLO-CBS at 9:30 p. m. as the second drama in the new war series, "The Man Behind the Gun." Author Ranald MacDougall has subtitled his drama, "The U K Run," the phrase the seamen use or the united kingdom convoys. The incidents cover tense happenings among the vessels from up-anchor in the United States to landfall off Britain. Listeners are to hear the masters of the 50 or more lumbering freighters in constant communication with the officers of naval vessels herding the merchant ships like sheep. |
| 42-10-21 |
3
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Destroyer Duty |
N
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42-10-21 Mason City Globe-Gazette
Destroyer Activity
"The Man Behind the Gun accounting tasks and experience of our fighting men, will air on KGLO-CBS Wednesday from 9-30 to 10 p. m. This week's episode will have to do with activities and duties of United States destroyers in convoy duty. |
| 42-10-28 |
4
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 42-11-04 |
5
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Title Unknown |
N
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42-11-10 Zanesville Times Recorder
"The Man Behind the Gun" series took up tanks the very night the glorious news from Africa broke. |
| 42-11-11 |
6
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 42-11-18 |
7
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Bombing Raid |
N
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42-11-18 Wisconsin State Journal
9:30 p.m.--The Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): how the U.S. army meets a bombing raid.
42-11-18 Harrisburg Evening News
William N. Robson directs another program of The Man Behind the Gun at 10:30 over WABC. When he presents the story about anti-air-craft batteries and their work against diving Stukas and Bombers. |
| 42-11-25 |
8
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'Aunt Aggie' Part 1 |
N
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42-11-25 Wisconsin State Journal
9:30 p.m.--The Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): "Aunt Aggie" prowls the Pacific looking for Japs. |
| 42-12-02 |
9
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'Aunt Aggie' Part 2 |
N
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42-12-09 Mason City Globe-Gazette
"Aunt Aggie" Battles - A second episode in the South Pacific career of the United States aircraft carrier "Aunt Aggie" takes the ship into a clash with the Jap fleet on KGLO-CBS' "The Man Behind the Gun" Wednesday from 9:30 to 10 p.m. On Nov. 25 "Aunt Aggie's" planes found the Nipponese battle wagons and now the carrier goes into action. |
| 42-12-09 |
10
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 42-12-16 |
11
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 42-12-23 |
12
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 42-12-30 |
13
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-01-06 |
14
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The Men of The Royal Air Force |
Y
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| 43-01-13 |
15
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Guadalcanal Trilogy Part 1 |
N
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43-01-13 San Antonio Light
Heroic exploits of United States marines at Guadalcanal, New Guinea and other Pacific areas inspires a series of three broadcasts on Columbia network's war program "The
Man Behind the Gun," The first program of the series is heard Wednesday (KTSA—6:30 p. m.) An invasion of enemy territory by the marines under the protection of a United States navy task force is dramatized. Most of the action takes place on an escorting cruiser, culminating with actual landing of marines and creation of a bridgehead.
The second and third broadcasts will dramatize marines in action against the Japs and their ultimate expulsion of the enemy. So these broadcasts may be authentic in every detail material was gathered from members of ttle marine corps and navy who have returned from action in the South Pacific area. William Robson, director of "The Man Behind the Gun" is confident it will meet with much general approval.
43-01-13 Wisconsin State Journal
9:30 p. m.— Man Behind the Gun (WBBM) : marines at Guadalcanal. |
| 43-01-20 |
16
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Guadalcanal Trilogy Part 2 Edson's Raiders |
N
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43-01-20 Wisconsin State Journal
9:30 p. m.— Man Behind the Gun (WBBM) : story of Guadalcanal.
43-01-20 Mason City Globe-Gazette
Marines Drama
The marines land and get the situation well in hand in the second broadcast of the "The Man Behind the Gun" series devoted to exploits of the U. S. marine corps, Wednesday night at 9-30 on KGLO-CBS.
Guadalcanal is the scene of the three episodes. Last week it was how the leathernecks landed on the strategic island. This time the capture of important Henderson airfield will be recounted. This current history, transferred to radio makes for unparalleled dramatic action. |
| 43-01-27 |
17
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Guadalcanal Trilogy Part 3 |
N
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43-01-27 Wisconsin State Journal
9:30 p. m.—The Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): the marines on Guadalcanal. |
| 43-02-03 |
18
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-02-10 |
19
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Title Unknown |
N
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[Time change]
43-02-10 Hammond Times
New drama show replaces Man Behind the Gun tonight on WBBM at 9:30.
43-02-10 Mason City Globe-Gazette
9:30 The Man Behind the Gun, CBS |
| 43-02-17 |
20
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Title Unknown |
N
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43-02-17 Mason City Globe-Gazette
Fighting Men - Don't miss the "Man Behind the Gun" broadcast on KGLO-CBS Wednesday from 9:30 to 10 p.m. This series of programs is dedicated to the fighting men of the united nations everywhere. It dramatizes the work of some branch of an armed service each week.
43-02-20 Fitchburg Sentinel
Watch sponsor will probably buy the CBS sustainer, "Man Behind the Gun" and spot it on that network's Sunday 8-8:30 p.m. slot.
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| 43-02-24 |
21
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Title Unknown |
N
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43-02-28 Hammond Times
Elgin watches begin sponsorship of "Man Behind the Gun" next Sunday, 9:30 p.m. |
| 43-03-03 |
22
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-03-07 |
23
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Incident In the Pacific |
N
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43-03-06 Cumberland News
Now that the program has dug up a sponsor, Man behind the Gun, sustaining series of CBS formerly heard on Wednesday nights, is making its appearance on the Sunday night schedule at 10:30. That is the time formerly occupied by Report to the Nation.
43-03-07 Wisconsin State Journal
9:30 p.m. The Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): an emergency appendectomy aboard a submarine.
43-03-07 San Antonio Light
War Program Changes Time - "The Man Behind the Gun," Columbia network's series of programs about Uncle Sam's trigger-men in all branches of the service, is heard at a new time--9:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday. The program has won acclaim for its realistic and authentic dramatizations of offensive and defensive actions by America's fighting men on land, afloat and in the air. "The Man Behind the Gun" tells the story of the men who are behind the guns which point toward Berlin and Tokyo and tell it with the full co-operation of the armed service. To obtain an intimate knowledge of the chores of America's gunners and to familiarize himself with their weapons Director William N. Robson has traveled approximately 10,000 miles and spent hundreds of hours with the men and their guns. He has been with them under actual War conditions. He knows how they behave and what they say in the heat of battle.
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| 43-03-14 |
24
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The Dry Beach |
N
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43-03-13 Mason City Globe-Gazette
'DRY BEACH' IS NEXT IN SERIES
"Man Behind the Gun" Brings Tunisian Saga A thrilling dramatization of an American rear guard action in Tusisia titled "The Dry Beach" is the radio fare for KGLO-CBS listeners to "The Man Behind the Gun" Sunday at 9:30 p.m. This is the story of four American soldiers trapped at Sidi Bou Zid in Tunisia when Naze Marshal Rommel's panzer divisions stormed out of Faid Pass and through the allied lines, sweeping all opposition before them with the help of scores of super tanks and hundreds of diving stukas. The story opens with the four Americans hiding out in a barn on an olive farm. They have been surrounded by nazis for three weeks. Their only friend is the owner of the farm who keeps the boys alive with meager rations allowed hisown family. How the boys break through the nazi ring around them, their encounters with German sentries, hand-to-hand struggles, all combine to produce a stirring drama.
43-03-14 - Charleston Daily Mail
'Man Behind Gun,' Feature of WCHS, Relates Desert War - A thrilling dramatization of an American rear guard action in Tunisia titled "The Dry Beach" is the radio fare for Columbia network listeners to "The Man Behind the Gun" on Sunday. (WABC-WCHS-CBS, 10:30 to 11 p.m.) This is the story of four American soldiers trapped at Sidi Bou Zid in Tunisia when Nazi Marshal Rommel's Panzer divisions stormed out of Fald pass and through the Allied lines, sweeping all opposition before them with the help of scores of super tanks and hundreds of diving Stukas. The story opens with the four Americans hiding out in a barn on an olive farm. They have been surrounded by Nazis for three weeks. Their only friend is the owner of the farm who keeps the boys alive with meager rations allowed his own family. How the boys break through the Nazi ring around them, their encounters with German sentries, hand-to-hand struggles, all combine to produce a stirring drama. William N. Robson, produces and directs the program; the music is arranged and directed by Nathan Van Cleve and the script is by Ronald MacDougall.
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| 43-03-21 |
25
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The U.S.S. Boise Part 1 |
Y
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43-03-20 Mason City Globe-Gazette
Boise's Deeds Will Be Aired Sunday Night
The first of two programs dramatizing the heroic exploits of the American light cruiser "Boise" is broadcast Sunday at 9:30 p.m. on KGLO-CBS' authentic war program, "The Man Behind the Gun." The story revolves around the "Boise's" chief boatswain mate and his seaman helper, Scotty. Most of the action takes place inside the number one gun turret where the mate is acting as fire pointer and controlling director. Three times before the "Boise," as a part of a United States task force, had combed the waters around Guadalcanal, Cape Esperance and Save Island in a vain attempt to catch up with the wary Japanese fleet. But this is the fourth time and the task force of which the "Boise" is a part corners the Japs and opens the action. In a second of the two-program series of the "Boise's" exploits, to be broadcast Sunday, March 28, the story of the devastation wrought by the gallant cruiser and her courageous battle for life will be told. William N. Robson produces and directs "The Man Behind the Gun" and the script is by Ranald MacDougall.
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| 43-03-28 |
26
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The U.S.S. Boise Part 2 |
Y
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43-02-28 Hammond Times
Elgin watches begin sponsorship of "Man Behind the Gun" next Sunday, 9:30 p.m.
43-03-28 Wisconsin State Journal - 9:30 p.m.--The Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): "Ten Per cent Is Not Enough," second part of the drama of the U.S.S. Boise's heroic Pacific battle. |
| 43-04-04 |
27
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The Rock |
N
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43-04-03 Mason City Globe-Gazette
"THE ROCK" TO AIR ON SUNDAY "Man Behind the Gun" Brings Corregidor Tale - A woman takes her place as "The Man Behind the Gun" on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. when KGLO CBS' great war program and Peabody award winner dramatizes the courageous and heroic sacrifices of a little band of army nurses during the terrible days on Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines. Titled "The Rock," the broadcast is given over completely to the work of the tireless lieutenants of the nursing corps. The story of these modern Florence Nightingales, who worked night and day over the shattered men of Bataan and Corregidor, makes a brilliant chapter in a story that, when fully told, may chronicle the darkest days in American history. Ranald MacDougall, author of "The Man Behind the Gun," paints a vivid picture of the nurses' last days in the Philippines. His broadcast is authenticated by first-hand accounts given him by nurses who were taken off "The Rock" in a submarine a scant few hours before the Japs swarmed over it to subdue the gallant, starving, fever-ridden garrison. William N. Robson produces and directs the program and the music is arranged and directed by Nathan Van Cleve. |
| 43-04-11 |
28
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Sappers |
N
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43-04-10 Mason City Globe-Gazette
"Sappers" Is Title for Sunday Show - One of the most dangerous and subtle phases of World war two is the war of nerves waged by "Sappers," which will be dramatized on "The Man Behind the Gun" program Sunday at 9:30 p.m. over KGLO-CBS. "Sappers," is the name given to those army engineers, whose job it is to uncover enemy booby-traps, such as a miniature mine concealed in soldier's abandoned helmet, or bombs that burst from behind a picture. American army engineers are now undergoing complete training in both the use and destruction of this phase of modern warfare. "Sappers," the title of the "Man Behind the Gun" drama, will give a thrilling account of the men who have encountered and fought this cunning war. William N. Robson is producer of "The Man Behind the Gun" series, and Ranald R. MacDougall, chief script writer. All stories are based on authentic action from our fighting fronts and receives the full co-operation of our armed forces. |
| 43-04-18 |
29
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Flying Fort Part 1 |
N
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43-04-17 Mason City Globe Gazette - Rocky Jordan Has Busy Afternoon as Gunner on Fortress - Staff Sergeant Rocky Jordan, top turret gunner of an American flying fortress operating form an English airfield, spends a busy afternoon on KGLO-CBS' "The Man Behind the Gun" broadcast, Sunday from 9:30 to 10 p.m. The four-motored fortress "Stormy Weather" runs into plenty of trouble on her bombing mission to Hamm, Germany. Long before she reaches the target the Focke-Wolfes jump her furiously. Hit in many places, fire raging in the pilot's cockpit, the "Stormy Weather" ploughs ahead with guns blazing. More than one nazi pilot spins crazily downward as the fortress' cannon and machine gun bullets find their marks. Then the run over the target--bombs away. "Home, James," yells the bombardier over the inter-communication system. Ranald MacDougall, writer of "The Man Behind the Gun" has titled the series "Flying Fort." the second broadcast on April 25 is a thrilling dramatization of the "Stormy Weather's" run for home. William N. Robson produces and directs this Peabody prize-winning series and Jackson Beck acts as narrator. |
| 43-04-25 |
30
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Flying Fort Part 2 |
N
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43-04-25 Wisconsin State Journal
9:30 p.m.--Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): cutter's fight with U-boat pack. |
| 43-05-02 |
31
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Battle of Midway Part 1 |
N
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43-05-02 Charleston Gazette - One of Uncle Sam's trigger men in the rear turret of a big bomber is the hero of the "Battle of Midway" broadcast at 10:30 today on the Columbia network's "The Man Behind the Gun" series. William N. Robson produces and directs this powerful war program which won the '42 Peabody Award. The script is written by Ranald MacDougall. |
| 43-05-09 |
32
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Battle of Midway Part 2 |
N
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43-05-08 Mason City Globe Gazette
Leathernecks
Rout Japs in
Sunday Show
The second of two dramatic stories on "The Battle of Midway" will be presented on "The Man Behind the Gun" Sunday, at 9:30 p. m. on KGLO-CBS. The hero of the historic battle is one of the 16 marine dive bomber pilots who flew three miles through a curtain of solid antiaircraft fire and 3G Jap zeros, to bomb the Japanese aircraft carrier 'Sory."
Prior to the time the Jap fleet was spotted off Midway, restless marines awaiting action tried amusing themselves with watching "goony birds." The strange birds of Midway wore so named by the marines because of their ridiculous behavior.
The second story on "The Battle of Midway" opens with the sighting of the Jap fleet—the routine, restless days of awaiting action come to an abrupt ending. The smashing bombardment delivered by the marine dive bomber pilots resulted in the complete rout of the Japanese Fleet off Midway.
"The Man Behind the Gun" is written by Ranald R. MacDougall. William N. Robson directs and produces the program. Only authentic war accounts are used on the dramatic series.
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| 43-05-16 |
33
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A PT Named 'Prep Joe' |
N
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43-05-16 Lima News - The dangeous and nerve shattering experiences encountered by the men who ride the PT boats for the U.S. Navy will be dramatized on "The Man Behind the Gun" Sunday, at 10:30 p.m. (EWT) over WABC. These undersized fighting boats have already earned the title of "water monsters" from their Japanese enemies.
43-05-15 Mason City Globe-Gazette - "PREP JOE" WILL SAIL FOR JAPS "Guadal" PT Flagboat Performs Sunday Night - The scrappy little PT boat "Prep Joe," flagship of the U.S. fleet based at Guadalcanal's "Times Square Yacht Club," sallies forth once more, Sunday, this time in spirit on KGLO-CBS' "The Man Behind the Gun" from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Before she burned to the water's edge, the "Prep Joe" gave a good account of herself in a raid against a Japanese convoy. Though small, she packed a terrific wallop. Two big transports loaded with Jap infantrymen were sent to Davey Jones' locker by the "Prep Joe." Riddled by Jap gunfire and ablaze from stem to stern, she carried her crew back to a jungle base at the head of one of Guadalcanal's small rivers. The "Prep Joe's" skipper in the radio version, which was written by Ranald MacDougall, is "Wreck Regan," fresh from Georgia Tech. He is one of eleven P-T boat captains who get their daily rations of quinine from the steward at the fever-ridden "Times Square Yacht Club." William N. Robson produces and directs the Peabody award winning program. Musical interludes are arranged and directed by Van Cleve. |
| 43-05-23 |
34
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The Road to Berlin |
N
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43-05-23 Wisconsin State Journal - The Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): "The Road to Berlin." |
| 43-05-30 |
35
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Battleship 'X' |
N
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43-05-29 Mason City Globe-Gazette - "BATTLESHIP X" IS JAP MENACE "Man Behind the Gun" to Tell Ship's Story - The fighting "Battleship X" hangs up one of the war's top records in Jap-blasting for the drama to be heard on "The Man Behind the Gun" Sunday at 9:30 p.m. on KGLO-CBS. "Battleship X," title of the authentic war story, is the exciting account of one of Uncle Sam's newly commissioned battleships that are giving the Japs a taste of this country's best in naval warfare. Because its identity must be kept a military secret, Ranald R. MacDougall, author of the drama, has given it the name of "X." In navy circles it is affectionately known as the "Big B.....d" because of the famous words of an American admiral who radioed his pilots: "Stay away from that big b...d. After she shoots down the Japs she'll use you for target practice. She's shooting everything down!" Her record for shooting down 32 Jap airplanes in 28 minutes has won the "Battle X" world fame. The battle of Savo Islands found her equally successful in the art of sinking Jap battleships. She sent two to the bottom of the sea, as well as a Japanese cruiser, and left battle scars on the remaining ships that will take more time to repair than the Japs have time to spare. William N. Robson produces "The Man Behind the Gun" series, and Ranald R. MacDougall is author. The war stories are all based on authentic accounts from our fighting fronts.
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| 43-06-06 |
36
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K-9 Corps |
Y
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43-06-06 Lima News
Heroes of the land, sea, and air are familiar to listeners of "Ihe Man Behind the Gun" dramas heard Sunday at 10-30 p. m. (EWT ) over WABC. However, for the war story to be heard Sunday, a new member of Uncle Sam's fighting forces makes his debut on the program— a canine member of the WAGS. |
| 43-06-13 |
37
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-06-20 |
38
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The Pill Rollers |
N
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43-06-19 Mason City Globe-Gazette "Medic" to Be Portrayed on Sunday Show - The medical officer ... a "medic" to the servicemen ... a family physician who left his practice in some small town to battle injury, infection and disease at the front line—Plus the hero of KGLO-CBS' stirring "The Man Behind the Gun" dramatization Sunday at 9:30 p.m. The production by Columbia's ace director William N. Robson describes the reactions and experiences of one of the soldiers who "wears one of them funny torches wrapped in snakes" on his collar. The officer's men are "pill rollers" to that grim, ragged gang of infantrymen who have a deep affection and healthy respect for the medical corps soldiers without guns." There is none of the clinical "white jacket" atmosphere in jungle warfare. These men don't wait in some base hospital miles behind the lines. They go wherever the infantry goes ... and every time the "outfit" moves forward, half of them remain with the wounded, while half of them move up with the fighters. The Sunday broadcast is packed with grim realism. It has the same lusty "blood, sweat and tears" atmosphere which has signalized all of the award-winning "Man Behind The Gun" programs. |
| 43-06-27 |
39
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TeeDees - 'Hombres from Hell' |
N
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43-06-26 Mason City Globe-Gazette - 'TEEDEES' WILL BE DRAMATIZED "Man Behind the Gun" to Bring Sunday Show The United Stales army's hardboiled "Hombres Irom Hell"—the lank destroyers—arr dramatized another stirring "Man Behind the Gun" production via KGLO-CBS Sunday, at 9:30 p. m. The tank destroyers, or "TeeDees" are the nation's average young men who, fresh from factory, field and office, went through the army hopper in such places as Camp Hood, Texas, and emerged tough and resourceful masters in the fine art of stopping the massive tanks dead in their tracks. "The Man Behind the Gun," produced and directed by William N. Robson, flashes back the kind of a story witnessed many times during the campaign which blasted Rommel's proud Afrika Corps into figurative, and almost literal, oblivion. Robson's production focuses on the crew of one half-track "tank buster" and its activities during attacks on a fleet of nazi mark IVs. The men, waging unrelenting destruction, use their own cannon, the fabulous "Bazooka" gun (which literally shoots a rocket through the steel sides of a tank), rifles and hand-made fire grenades. The dramatic finale epitomizes the resourcefulness of one soldier who tries a trick he learned in training "back in the States." |
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| 43-07-03 |
40
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The Commando |
N
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[Time and Day change]
43-07-03 Mason City Globe-Gazette - War Story to Broadcast on Saturday Eve - KGLO-CBS' award winning "The Man Behind the Gun" comes to a coast to coast audience at a new day and time beginning Saturday from 8:45 to 9:15 p.m. when Producer William N. Robson presents a documented dramatization of "The Commando." The Robson technique of taking each listener right into the midst of a grim, grimy group of men who do the bloody fighting of the nation at war gives promise of an exceptional production in "The Commando" story. The KGLO-CBS audience is to be stirred with a raid at a point on the European coast. Robson, commenting on the change in date and time of the broadcasts of "The Man Behind the Gun," feels that with the earlier schedule, many more younger listeners will hear the program. "Parents urged this change in time," he declared. "They felt that while the stories might be exciting, the material upon which the stories are based is truthful." |
| 43-07-10 |
41
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Guadalcanal Trilogy Part 2 Edson's Raiders |
N
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43-07-10 Mason City Globe-Gazette
Guadalcanal Stories Told
The second of the now famous "Marines at Guadalcanal" trilogy which stirred a nation's radio audiences to unprecedented demand for a repetition of the Columbia network "Man Behind the Gun" broadcasts, is to be given Saturday on KGLO-CBS at 8:45 p.m. Director-producer William N. Robson says that of all the "Man Behind the Gun" award winning productions, no single story or group of stories has so completely won the listening audience. "Five months after the first presentation of the Guadalcanal stories," says Robson, "people still write letters. It is the one set of broadcasts in which the listeners seem to have remembered even the names of the characters in teh plot. For our purposes, the characters were given fictitious names--but apparently to hundreds of people in the United States, two marines named "Magione" and "Landry" have become actual personalities. "I have a letter from a Chicago physician who was confronted by a war plant worker. The worker wanted a sick leave certificate so he could take a few days off. The physician's prescription was "listen in to "The Man Behind the Gun" tomorrow night, and if you still want a certificate tomorrow, I'll give it to you. The war worker ran into "Magione" and "Landry" in the second of the Guadalcanal plays. He never came back for his certificate."
The second episode is subtitled: "Edison's Raiders," and tells the well-remembered story of how the marines bait Japs into leaving their tree hideouts.
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| 43-07-17 |
42
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Guadalcanal Trilogy Part 3 |
N
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| 43-07-24 |
--
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Pre-empted |
Y
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43-07-23 Sandusky Register Star News
Announced as a program "Exposing the Dangers of Race Hatred," a special half-hour documentary broadcast is to be inserted in its Saturday schedule
by CBS as an "Open Letter To The American People." Wendell Willkie is to deliver a postscript. It will go on at 7 p. m. in place of Man Behind the Gun and be repeated for the Pacific coast at 9. |
| 43-07-31 |
43
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Title Unknown |
N
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43-08-03 Hagerstown Daily Mail
NEW YORK, Aug. 3.
The documented war-production drama, The Man Behind the Gun, comes back to the list of sponsored programs next month under an arrangement CBS calls unique in radio operation. The program will be sponsored on 61 states, but approximately that many more CBS affiliates may carry it as a sustaining feature, depending upon local commitments. The Man Behind the Gun, directed by William N. Robson, made its debut in October, 1942, and won the 1943 Peabody award for the best program in its category. It dramatizes the production of war materials, andis designed to show the those on the home front live and work.
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| 43-08-07 |
44
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-08-14 |
45
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-08-21 |
46
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-08-28 |
47
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-09-04 |
48
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The Toughest Cookie |
N
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43-09-04 San Antonio Light
MAN BEHIND THE GUN (6-6:30) — The award-winning documentary drama brings a thrill-packed factual story of "the toughest cookie In any man's army"—the U. S. Paratrooper.
43-09-04 Mason City Globe-Gazette - COLUMBIA network's award-winning documentary drama "The Man Behind the Gun," brings a thrill packed factual story of the work of the U.S. paratrooper--the toughest cookie in any man's army"--on Saturday at 8:45 p.m. over KGLO. For this broadcast, producer-director William Robson has assembled a bang-up cast to portray a series of incidents, all based on fact, to give coast-to-coast audiences an insight into the task of landing on Sicily. |
| 43-09-11 |
49
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Sea Search |
N
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43-10-02 Mason City Globe-Gazette
"SEA SEARCH," the fighting story of a U. S. army camera man flying in a B-24 bomber in a submarine search off the Atlantic coast, is "The Man Behind the Gun" drama to.be heard Saturday on KGLO-CBS at 8:45 p. m.
An important member of any bombing crew in action today is the cameraman. Although this unsung hero seldom rates public attention, his pictures are vital to the success of a bombing mission. In "Sea Search," the cameraman is a combat officer stationed in a combat zone along the Atlantic coast.
The battle target Is a German submarine heading toward a convoy of 20 ships. Against difficult atmospheric conditions, the fighting crew catches up with the sub and is engaged in a raging battle of enemy machine-gunning and anti-aircraft fire. Based on an authentic war account, "Sea Search" was written by Malcolm Meacham. |
| 43-09-18 |
50
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The Battle of Rice Dump |
N
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43-09-18 Lima News
The Army's hard-bitten, tough fighting "foot slogger," better known as an infantryman , is the hero of "The Man Behind the Gun" drama to be heard Saturday at 7 p. m.. EWT, over WABC. Written by Cpl. Arthur Laurents, "The Battle of Rice Dump" is the story of our jungle fight against the Japs in the South Pacific.
43-09-18 Wisconsin State Journal
6 p.m.--Man Behind the Gun ( WBBM): "The Battle of the Rice Dump," story of hunger in the Pacific |
| 43-09-25 |
51
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Black Gang |
N
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43-09-25 San Antonio Light
THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN (6-6:30 p. m.)—The heroic members of the "Black Gang," the men in the engine room of an oil tanker carrying high-test gasoline lo the war fronts.
43-09-25 Wisconsin State Journal - 6 p.m.--The Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): "Tankerman," factual drama of gasoline ship on Murmansk run. |
| 43-10-02 |
52
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Fighter Pilot |
N
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43-10-02 Wisconsin State Journal
6 p. m.—Man Behind the Gun
(WBBM): "Fighter Pilot," story of marine on patrol in 'South Pacific.
43-10-02 Mason City Globe-Gazette
SERGEANT ARTHUR LAURENTS. whose powerful radio play, "The Battle ot the Rice Dump," received nationwide acclaim has given producer-director William N. Robson another based-on-fact play for KGLO-CBS' "The Man Behind the Gun," Saturday at 8:45 p. m.
Steeped in the authentic flavor and language of servicemen, this newest offering—"Fighter Pilot''—has all the vigor, exuberance and humor of America's youth at war. The drama takes the audience through training phases to dogfights in the Pacific, translating Sergeant Laurents' story into a beautiful, heart-rending and outstanding chapter of radio's war literature. |
| 43-10-09 |
53
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The Burma Front -- 'Wingate's Mob' |
N
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43-10-09 Lima News
This week "The Man Behind the Gun," heard over WABC Saturday at 6 p. m. EST, will mark it first anniversary on the airwaves. William N. Robson, producer and director of the dramatic series will present "The Burma Front" for the broadcast which will' celebrate the occasion.
43-10-09 Wisconsin State Journal
6 p. m.—Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): "Wingate's Mob," story of Texas cowboy who became air force major and harassed the Japs in Burma. |
| 43-10-16 |
54
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100 Per Cent 'G.I.' |
N
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43-10-16 Wisconsin State Journal
6 p. m.—Man Behind the Gun
(WBBM): dramatizes job of airborne engineer.
43-10-16 Mason City Globe-Gazette - KGLO-CBS' 100 per cent "G.I." thrill-packed production, "The Man Behind the Gun," Saturday at 8:45 p.m. portrays the job of an air-borne engineer of the United States army, landing in Italy by glider plane and preparing the way for the bombers and fighters who follow the advancing troops headed for Rome. Production and direction is by the CBS ace, William N. Robson. Narration is by Jackson Beck. Original orchestral score is by Van Cleve. |
| 43-10-23 |
55
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Navy Day Salute |
N
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43-10-23 Lima News
As a special salute to Navy Day "The Man Behind the Gun" program will present an all-Navy dramatic show, Saturday, at 6 p. m. (EST) over WABC. The hero of the "Man Behind the Gun" drama is a Navy lieutenant serving aboard one of the new Liberty Merchant Marine ships. The Navy officer is in command of the Armed Guard on a merchant ship heading from Cairo, Alexandria to Sicily. |
| 43-10-30 |
56
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Dive Bomber Dilemma |
N
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43-10-30 Lima News
"Dive Bomber Dilemma, the story of a Navy dive bomber pilot who obeyed orders to his sorrow and disobeyed orders once to his eternal glory, will be "The Man Behind the Gun" drama. Saturday at 6:00 p. m. EST., over WABC. |
| 43-11-06 |
57
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The Man Behind The Gun Is A Man Without A Gun |
Y
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43-11-06 Wisconsin State Journal
6 p. m.—Man Behind the Gun" (WBBM): salutes medical corps.
43-11-06 Lima News
"The Man Behind the Gun" will salute the man without a gun, the U. S. Medical Corps, in the dramatic war story to be broadcast Saturday at 6 p. m., EST, over WABC. The hero is Jim Peterson, a medical aid man working in the fury of the drive on the Italian city of Capua. Tho the medical men wear the Geneva Cross that all nations
aeree to honor, it doesn't stop them from getting killed. Officers strip off their bars very often in battle because the Nazis devote special attention to capturing medical officers. |
| 43-11-13 |
58
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Brass Hat |
N
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43-11-13 Wisconsin State Journal
S p. m. — Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): "The Brass Hat," dramatization of heroism and emotions of a U. S. admiral under fire.
43-11-13 Mason City Globe-Gazette
"Man Behind The Gun" for the program to be heard Saturday over KGLO-CBS at 8:45 p.m. is "Brass Hat." He's an admiral aboard his flagship in the south Pacific.
The admiral's flagship, better known as "Wacky Mac," is headed toward the Jap-held island of Munda. Aboard the "Wacky Mac" is a landing troop of army infantrymen who set out for the island under a heavy barrage of enemy fire. At the same time the admiral sets a new navy record in rapidly unloading material—107 tons of materiel an hour for 4 hours straight. |
| 43-11-20 |
59
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Ranger Commando |
N
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43-11-20 Wisconsin State Journal
6 p. m.—Man Behind the Gun" (WBBM): "Ranger Commando," story of coming invasion of Europe.
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| 43-11-27 |
60
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The U.S.S. Borie |
N
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43-11-27 Mason City Globe-Gazette
KGLO-CBS' award-winning drama, "The Man Behind the Gun" presents another exciting and fact-packed drama of battle, Saturday from 8:45 to 9:45 p. m. The program is produced and directed by William N. Robson. with Jackson Beck as narrator. |
| 43-12-04 |
61
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The Battle Is the Payoff
Bombs in Hitler's Oil Barrels |
N
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43-12-04 Mason City Globe-Gazette
"THE BATTLE IS THE PAY-OFF," Captain Ralph Ingersoll's popular war story of an allied attack in Tunisia during the north African campaign will be "The Man Behind the Gun" drama, Saturday on KGLO-CBS at 8:45 p m
Producer and director William N. Robson will present the adaptation from Capt. Ingersoll's book wich was chosen as the November book of the month selection.
43-12-04 Wisconsin State Journal
6 p.m.--Man Behind the Gun (WBBM): "Bombs in Hitler's Oil Barrel," based on Ploesti raid. |
| 43-12-11 |
62
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 43-12-18 |
63
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Eighty-Three Days On A Raft
Christmas On Tiny Raft |
N
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43-12-18 Lima News
The incredible story of a Navy gunner who survived 83 days on a raft in the mid-Atlantic will be the "Man Behind the Gun" drama. Saturday at 6 p. m. EST over WABC. William N. Robson is producer of the war series based on authentic accounts of our fighting men. |
| 43-12-25 |
64
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 44-01-01 |
65
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 44-01-08 |
66
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 44-01-15 |
67
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 44-01-22 |
68
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 44-01-29 |
69
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The Man Behind The Gun Is A Woman |
Y
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| 44-02-05 |
70
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 44-02-12 |
71
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A PT Named 'Prep Joe'
The Capture of Tarawa |
Y
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[Rebroadcast by popular request]
Begun on January 18, 1944, and ending almost a month later on February 15, the 4th War Loan mentioned in the announcement at the end of this episode, states that there are only three days more for the 4th War Bond Drive. |
| 44-02-19 |
72
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Incident In The Pacific |
Y
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[Rebroadcast by popular request]
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| 44-02-26 |
73
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Title Unknown |
N
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| 44-03-04 |
74
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Title Unknown |
N
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The Man Behind The Gun Radio Program Biographies
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William N. Robson
(Producer/Director)
(1906-1995)
Writer, Producer, Director of Radio and Television, College Lecturer
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, PA
Education:
B.A., Philosphy, Yale University
Curriculum Vitae:
Lecturer, New York University
Lecturer, UCLA
Consultant, U.S. Information Agency
Director, The Voice of America
Radiography:
1934 Calling All Cars
1936 Columbia Workshop
1936 Then and Now
1938 American School Of the Air
1939 Americans All-Immigrants
1939 What Price America
1940 Big Town
1942 The Twenty Second Letter
1943 The Man Behind the Gun
1943 One World
1944 Four For the Fifth
1945 Request Perforance
1946 Stars In the Afternoon
1946 Hawk Larabee
1947 Escape
1947 Doorway To Life
1947 Hollywood Fights Back
1947 Shorty Bell, Cub Reporter
1948 Suspense
1948 The Whistler
1950 T-Man
1950 The Adventures Of Christopher London
1950 Beyond Tomorrow
1955 Girl From Paradise
1955 Romance
1956 Fort Laramie
1956 CBS Radio Workshop
1958 Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone
1959 The Heart Of America
1960 Have Gun, Will Travel
1964 Theatre Five |
Jackson Beck and Paul Luther confer with William N. Robson during Man Behind the Gun (1943)
Robson, seen here behind Frank Lovejoy, directing the Peabody Award winning series, Man Behind The Gun, for CBS, ca 1943
William Robson, Director, ca. 1954
Robson confers with Agnes Moorehead on the Suspense script Sorry Wrong Number
William N. Robson, with sons, ca. 1959
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William N. Robson was yet another of the hundreds of prominent victims of the infamous "Red Channels" promoted blacklisting of professionals in the Performing Arts. His 'sins' in the cowardly, notorious and despicable "Red Channels" pamphlet that named him?:
- Acting as one of the Sponsors of an Artists Front to Win the War meeting he helped organize at Carnegie Hall in 1942.
- A December 1946 speech he gave on the encroachments being made against free speech.
- Being a signator to a 1948 full page 'We Are for Wallace' ad in the New York Times.
- A masthead listing him as an Associate for the Hollywood Quarterly, a scholarly journal of Film, Radio and Television history.
That's apparently all the extreme Right Wing needed during those shameful post-War years to destroy any great professional's career--through whispers and innuendo. Robson had been one of CBS's premiere Radio and Television talents, but their withering support of Robson, fueled by the spurious comments in Red Channels eventually pressured CBS into discharging Robson. The long-festering Right Wing backlash from F.D.R.'s famous Four Freedoms Speech had traversed full-circle. And so it evolved that anyone speaking out for the protection of those very freedoms was targeted for ostracization.
But despite the attempts to destroy his reputation, Robson's career in Radio and Television and in service to his country still stand as one of the finest records of acheivement of the Golden Age of Radio. Indeed, it was Edward R. Murrow himself, under the administration of John F. Kennedy that gained an appointment for Robson as a Director for The Voice of America. His security clearance for that highly sensitive position was expedited without a hitch.
William Robson had every expectation of having a storied career. He showed early promise at Yale, began his writing career with Paramount Pictures, then in 1936, entered Radio while still in his twenties. He was a staff writer and director for CBS for almost 20 years. So instrumental was his role in early CBS Radio dramas that his name was rountinely attached to the promotional efforts for the programs he wrote, directed or produced for CBS--and rightly so. By the mid-1940s Robson had already received two prestigious George Foster Peabody awards for CBS--for 1943's Man Behind the Gun and the documentary, Open Letter on Race Hatred.
Robson's Philosophy degree served him well throughout his career, and its influence on his Radio and Television productions is readily apparent throughout his body of work. Always sensitive to the eternal conflicts between morality and amorality, many of Robson's pet projects strove to shine a light onto the murkier aspects of American society. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons that the first half of his career attracted the prurient interests of the extreme Right Wing during the infamous HUAC era.
And indeed, despite all extreme Conservative attempts to squelch his 'voice' in the Media, he could not be restrained for long. Robson may well have argued himself, that the second half of his career was even more productive and influential on the World Stage than his years in American Radio and Television.
William N. Robson capped an outstanding career in Communications with a highly influential position producing Pro-Democracy documentaries as Chief Documentary Writer, Producer and Director for the Voice of America. Indeed, he won four more Peabody Awards for his work at The Voice of America. How fittingly ironic.
And though his work with The Voice of America may well have eclipsed his work during The Golden Age of Radio, his personal influence in shaping and giving a conscience to those Golden Years stands head and shoulders above his peers.
William Robson died of Alzheimer's disease at his home in Alexandria, Va in April of 1995, survived by his wife, Shirley, and three sons, Christopher, Anthony and Michael.
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Jackson Beck
(Narrator)
Stage, Radio, Television and Film Actor
(1912-2004)
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Radiography:
1936
The March of Time
1937
Other People's Lives
1939
Ideas That Came True
1941
We, The People
1942
Soldiers of The Press
1942
Superman
1942
The Columbia Workshop
1942
Hop Harrigan
1942
The Cisco Kid
1943
Todd Grant Gets the Story
1943
Lest We Forget
1943
This Is Our Enemy
1943
Words At War
1944
The Man Behind The Gun
1944
Inner Sanctum
1944
Creeps By Night
1944
Dangerously Yours
1945
The Brownstone Theatre
1945
Hercule Poirot
1945
The Adventures of The Falcon
1946
Boston Blackie
1947
The Tenth Man
1947
CBS Is There
1948
Philo Vance
. . . and literally hundreds more. |
Jackson Beck as 'Cisco Kid', c. 1942
Jackson Beck and Paul Luther confer with William N. Robson during Man Behind the Gun (1943)
Jackson Beck circa 1953
Jackson Beck at the CBS Mike circa 1954
Jackson Beck, c. 2000
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I should probably have recused myself from writing this piece about Jackson Beck. He's one of my three favorite voice actors of all time--via any medium. From 'The Cisco Kid', to 'Superman', to 'Philo Vance' and on through innumerable radio, television and film roles, Jackson Beck's voice remains one of the top ten most recognized voices of the twentieth century. The irony is, I doubt that one out of ten people who've heard his voice would know who they'd just listened to. When prompted they'd simply refer to that guy with the deep, commanding voice.
Some might say the Philo Vance franchise saved it's most memorable voice of Philo Vance for last. To listen to any of the various iterations of Philo Vance on radio, television or film, it's clear that the role demanded very specific voice presence--clear, commanding, highly literate, capable of long exposition, and above all with a self-assuredness bordering on cocky or arrogant.
A New York City native from birth, Jackson Beck epitomized the stereotypical, cosmopolitan, big-city, impeccably dressed, know-it-all New Yorker of legend. But his versatility as a voice talent always showed a commanding ability to capture the complete attention and imagination of the listener, no matter the medium. During a career spanning almost 69 years Jackson Beck lent that commanding, compelling, reassuring voice to thousands of radio episodes and literally hundreds of film and television projects. Indeed, The RadiGOLDINdex site cites almost 1,400 individual entries in it's database for Jackson Beck appearances in Golden Age Radio era episodes.
Always in demand, Jackson Beck never wanted for work his entire career. Both a quick study, as well as a versatile ad-libber and expositionist, he rarely--if ever--broke character, and built a long-standing reputation as one of the rocks of the industry. From roles as fanciful as Walt Disney's 'Prince Charming', and 'Brutus' or 'Bluto' from the Popeye series', to the weightiest narrations of serious, patriotic documentaries, his delivery was always spot on, commanding, rivetting, and most of all--memorable.
I've always felt his work on Philo Vance was some of his best, especially given the sometimes overly long expositions that were part and parcel of most episodes. But that was one of his great talents, and it was perfectly applied to the Philo Vance character. But his work on Man Behind The Gun is probably universally recognized as his most critically acclaimed series of performances.
Jackson Beck was interred in Brooklyn, next to his father, Max Beck, a former silent film actor in his own right, and his grandfather, Joseph Beck, an emigre from Saxony, who founded the Joseph Beck and Sons Distillery.
He's already dearly missed, but thousands of his admirers are diligently working to ensure that his body of work will never be forgotten. |
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