Article: Radio's America: The Great Depression and the Rise of Modern Mass Culture.(Book review)

Radio's America: The Great Depression and the Rise of Modern Mass Culture. By Bruce Lenthall. (Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 2007. Pp. x, 288. $20.00.)

In the 1930s, Americans listened to radio four to five hours a day. What did radio mean to them? A lot, apparently. When the vaudeville comedian Eddie Cantor divulged his shirt and sock sizes on the air, fifteen thousand fans sent birthday gifts; when Amos and Andy complained they could not afford a typewriter, NBC received 1,880 machines from listeners wanting to help their radio friends. Thousands of letters were mailed every week to radio's musicians, announcers, domestic advisors, and soap opera ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!