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The This, Our America Radio Program

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This, Our America originated from the studios of WJZ New York City, NBC's Blue Network.

Thomas C. Blaisdell, Assistant Director of the National Resources Planning Board (left); Robert R. Nathan, Assistant Director of Progress Reports, War Production Board (right); and Fred Searles, Consultant on Ordnance, Ammunition Division, U.S. Army(standing).

Background

From the June 30th 1940 edition of the Madison Capital Times:

40-06-30 Madison header

THOSE human and material resources which have given the United States the greatest civilization the world has known, and which now are being marshaled in a vast defense program to insure the continuance of that civilization, will be pictured in a dramatic series of 10 half-hour programs, "This Our America," to be broadcast over Station WIBA and the NBC-Blue network beginning Wednesday night at 6 o'clock.
     The series, to be presented by the National Broadcasting Co. with the cooperation of the National Resources Planning Board, is designed to emphasize to the people of this country not only that they can defend the American way of life, but what they have to defend, and how important it is to retain traditional liberties and opportunities for social progress during the stress of such a program.
     It will be brought out, for example, that the United States approaches self sufficiency in domestic supplies of materials important for national defense more nearly than any other country in the world. But it also will be shown that there are certain strategic and critical supplies which are obtained elsewhere, and that a vast program of research and development is under way to find domestic sources or substitutes for such materials.
               General Survey First
     The industrial organization which this country has for transforming these materials into tools and equipment for defense and development, will be inventoried not only in terms of total production, but what the production means compared to that of other nations.
     The first program will be a general survey of America's strengths and weaknesses today; later programs will deal detail with each major resource.
     Thus the tremendous energy that is America's will be pictured—the supplies of wood, coal, oil, water power and gas which fuel our industry. Other programs will deal with the metals we possess and need; the farmlands which make us independent of all outside sources for essential food supplies and many materials for industry; our industrial strength, including the bottlenecks in operations and what is being done to cure them; the resources we have in skilled labor, management, and laboratory research; and the relation of the health of the nation, education, and our determination to preserve our heritage, to these more material fields of our defense efforts.

Series Derivatives:

Our America; This Is America;

Genre:

Anthology of Golden Age Radio Patriotic Dramatizations

Network(s):

NBC Blue Network

Audition Date(s) and Title(s):

Unknown

Premiere Date(s) and Title(s):

40-07-03 01 America's Strengths and Weaknesses

Run Dates(s)/ Time(s):

40-07-03 to 40-09-04; NBC Blue Network; Ten, 30-minute programs; Wednesday evenings.

Syndication:

NBC Blue Network

Sponsors:

NBC Blue Network, sustaining, in cooperation with the National Resources Planning Board

Director(s):

Principal Actors:

Recurring Character(s):

Protagonist(s):

Author(s):

None

Writer(s)

Bernard C. Schoenfeld

Music Direction:

Musical Theme(s):

Announcer(s):

Estimated Scripts or
Broadcasts:

Episodes in Circulation:

Total Episodes in Collection:

Provenances:

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were newspaper listings.

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This, Our America Radio Program Log
Date	Episode	Title	Avail.	Notes
40-06-26	--		--	40-06-26 Washington Post WMAL 7:00--Prairie Folks 40-06-26 Ogden Standard-Examiner A new show will start on KLO and the NBC Blue Network, on Wednesday "This, Our America", in a series of ten presentations. Those human and material resourses which give the United States the greatest civilization the world has known, arid which now are being marshaled in the vast defense program to insure the continuance of the civilization, will be pictured in the dramatic series. The first program, on July 3, will be a general survey of America's strengths and weaknesses today; later programs will deal in detail with each major resource. "This, Our America" will be heard Wednesdays at five p. m.
40-07-03	1	America's Strengths and Weaknesses	N	40-07-03 Washington Post 7, WMAL--The human and material resources which have given the United States its great civilization are now being marshaled into a vast defense program. This Our America is a new series planned by NBC in cooperation with the National Resources Planning Board. Its aim is to set forth just how this defense is being effected. 40-07-03 Wisconsin State Journal 7 p.m.--This Is America (WLS): the vast defense program needs human and material resources, the first of 10 programs.
40-07-10	2	Power Resources	N	40-07-10 Washington Post 7, WMAL--Coal, oil, gas, water-power and timber provide limitless energy which is now being turned to our national defense program. This Our America is a series offered by N.B.C. with the cooperation of the National Resources Planning Board. 40-07-10 Wisconsin State Journal 6 p.m.--This Our America (WIBA): the power resources that make America mighty--coal, gas, water, minerals, etc. 40-07-10 Madison Captial Times THE power resources that make America mighty—the coal, oil, gas, water power and- timber that provide an almost limitless amount of energy for the vast defense effort in which the United States is engaged—will be pictured in the second "This Our America" broadcast, tonight over Station WIBA at 6 o'clock. The power these resources now supply, is equivalent to the labor, of 35 servants for every man, woman and child in this country, it will be shown. This is roughly half again as much power used per person as in Great Britain, twice as much as in Germany, and ten times as much as in Japan.
40-07-17	3	Development and Defense	N	40-07-17 Washington Post 7, WMAL--National development and defense means fore than just battleships, army and planes, a truth which is discussed on This, Our America.
40-07-24	4	Title Unknown	N	40-07-24 Wisconsin State Journal 6:00--NBC This, Our America 40-07-24 Charleston Gazette The fourth in the series of programs known as "This, Our America" will be heard at 7 p. m. The series is produced in cooperation with the national resources planning board in cooperation with NBC and dramatizes the resources of the nation with respect to their use in national defense.
40-07-31	5	Science and Invention	N	40-07-31 Washington Post 7, WMAL--Through the seismograph, the electric eye and American science, This Our America discloses that our country's scientists are learning to make substitutes for raw materials which the United States does not have to take the place of imported goods. 40-07-31 Lima News That science and invention are each year making the United States stronger and more indepent the "This, Our America" program will reveal on Wednesday at 7 p.m. over WJZ. The program will dramatize the role of American scientists in strengthening national security and at the same time raising the American standard of living. 40-07-31 Wisconsin State Journal Contributions by science and invention in making the United States stronger and more independent will be dramatized during "This, Our America" program over WIBA at 6 tonight. Highlight of the broadcast will be dramatization of military uses of television and facsimile.
40-08-07	6	Transportation and Communication	N	40-08-07 Washington Post 7, WMAL--Communication and its enormous effect on transportation, so important a factor in war, is the subject of the sixth This Our America Broadcast. 40-08-07 Wisconsin State Journal 6 p.m.--This, Our America (WIBA): our resources decides our army. 40-08-07 Madison Capital Times THIS OUR AMERICA Ah army is only as good as its service of supply; while the ships andtrucks and trains that move the materials of warfare are only as good as the communication system that tells them when and where they're needed. America's wealth in these vital defense resources of transportation and communication will be dramatized in the sixth "This Our America" broadcast tonight, over WIBA and the NBC Blue network at 6 o'clock. The growth of communication from the sign-language and smoke signals of primitive peoples to the 20th century's radio and television will be traced during the program.
40-08-14	7	Production and Consumption	N	40-08-14 Wisconsin State Journal 6 p.m.--This, Our America (WIBA, WLS): "Production and Consumption," the story of the nation's industrial machine. 40-08-14 Madison Capital Times THIS, OUR AMERICA The American people have the mightiest industrial machine in the world, "This, Our America" will demonstrate in tile episode to be heard tonijrht at fi o'clock over WIBA. "Production and Consumption" will show that the American farmer produces more of the essential foods anil fibers necessary to national health and the American standard of living than the nation can consume; that the production capacity of the clothlay industry could be stepped up without increase of plant or machinery, and that national capacity for construction exceeds current demand by a wide margin.
40-08-21	8	Health and Education	N	40-08-21 Wisconsin State Journal 6 p.m.--This Our America (WLS): health and education in national defense. 40-08-21 Madison Capital Times THAT problems of health and education are as important to a nation defense as the building of battleships, will be broadcast on "This, Our America" on station WIBA at 6 o'clock. The program will dramatize the amazing gains in national health during the past 50 years--the almost complete wiping out of yellow fever and bubonic plagues, the great decrease in infant deaths, and such medical discoveries as sulfanimide, the iron lung, and vitamin concentrations. The program will also show the need for vocational education and will consider the work of the defense commission, to whom the president has given the job of seeing that young people are trained to become skilled workers in many fields important to national defense.
40-08-28	9	The American Way of Life	N	40-08-28 Washington Post 7, WMAL--Freedom of speech and the press versus the subversive forces of demogogues is one of the fundamental questions of the day. From the time of Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry to these days of William Allen White and Henry Luce, freedom of speech, worship and the press has been the motivating force of This, Our America. Bernard C. Schoenfeld wrote the script. 40-08-28 Wisconsin State Journal 6 p.m.--This, Our America (WIBA): "The American Way of Life," the need for all America to cooperate for national defense.
40-09-04	10	America Tomorrow	--	40-09-04 Madison Captial Times "America Tomorrow," a dramatic prophesy of what American life may be like in 1970, will be presented during the "This, Our America" broadcast over WENR at 7:30 tonight. It will also summarize the highlights of the preceding programs, showing the vast magnitude of spiritual, material and physical resources available for America's defense and development. 40-09-04 Wisconsin State Journal 7:30--This, Our America--WENR 40-09-04 New York Times 9:30-WJZ--This, Our America--Drama
40-09-11	--		--	40-09-11 New York Times 9:30-WJZ--Roy Shield Orchestra 40-09-11 Madison Captial Times 7:30 Political Talk WENR (870)


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This, Our America Radio Program Log