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Broehm, Barbara / World War II through the eyes of Manitowoc's homefront youth
(December 2000)
World War II through the eyes of Manitowoc's homefront youth, pp. [1]-30
Page 18
Broehm 18 Radio programs played such an important part in the life of the homefront children that almost sixty years later they can still recall the exact time these radio programs were aired. Karl recalls that after school he and his brother would hurry out to the barn to feed the animals so they would be back in the house by 5 PM to listen to Jack Armstrong. He states, "The radio was in the living room, and we were forbidden to eat in that room... my brother and I would have the radio blaring so we could listen to the radio program in the kitchen." His goal was to get his dad interested in Captain Midnight. He explains, "If Dad started listening to the show, we knew we would be able to hear the whole show!" He said that sometimes his dad went along with their scheme, but at 6:15 PM sharp his dad would say, "'We have to get going,' and off to the barn we'd go to finish chores.'" To keep radio writers abreast of the latest policy decisions, the Office of War Information (OWI) three times each month provided pamphlets explaining governmental programs. This way writers were equipped with the latest official information which would insure exactness and compatibility with the war effort. The comedy program Fibber McGee and Molly Show often dealt with the political issue of the war. Throughout the war years its writer, Don Quinn, integrated into the scripts topical issues such as women factory workers, war bond rallies, gas rationing, war sons, air raid wardens and knitting clothes for soldiers. Mac Donald claims that "this type of relevant 66 Karl Kappelman, interview by Barbara Broehm.
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