''Assabe and Sabina'' was a regionally popular

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spea ...

dialect radio program that was broadcast from radio station WSAN in Allentown,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from 1944 until 1955. The show centered on the relationship between ''Der Assabe Mumbauer'', a

farmer, and his wife, ''Die Sabina Mumbauer''. The character of Assabe was a "humorous prankster who frequently was in difficulty with his wife or with his neighbors."Rosenberger, p. 251.

History

Lloyd A. Moll created the program, and played the role of ''Der Assabe'' until his death, just a few weeks after the show's launch. Dr. Harry Hess Reichard, professor of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

at Muhlenberg College and noted Pennsylvania German scholar, then assumed the role of Assabe. Paul R. Wieand, a local teacher, author and writer of dialect plays, played the role of ''Die Sabina'', Assabe's wife. The show was first broadcast on January 16, 1944, and ran until 1955. It ran each Sunday, from 1:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. After Moll's death, scripts were written by the Rev. Clarence R. Rahn. These scripts were archived in the Shadek-Fackenthal Library of

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Fran ...

in Lancaster, but are currently in the collection of the Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society]at

Lancaster Theological Seminary Lancaster Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1825 by members of the German Reformed Church in the United States to provide theological education for prospective clergy an ...

. A larger collection of Assabe and Sabina scripts is at Muhlenberg College.

Cultural influence

''Assabe and Sabina'' was extremely popular amongst the Pennsylvania German-speaking populations of

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and

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counties, and thousands listened to the program weekly. The show served to sustain interest in Pennsylvania German language and culture in the period during, and immediately after,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assabe And Sabina Mass media in Allentown, Pennsylvania American comedy radio programs 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs German language German-American history Pennsylvania Dutch culture Culture of Allentown, Pennsylvania

History

Cultural influence

See also

Further reading

References

Notes