''The Radio Hour'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

by Walton Jones. Using popular songs from the 1940s, it portrays the final holiday broadcast of the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade on the New York radio station WOV in December 1942.

Plot

A little

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

called WOV records a broadcast for American soldiers serving overseas in

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 ...

. The narrative concerns the harassed producer, the drunken lead singer, the second banana who dreams of singing a ballad, the delivery boy who wants a chance in front of the mic, and the young trumpet player who chooses a fighter plane over Glenn Miller.The 1940s radio hour: a musical
Jones, Walton. 1981.

Characters

List of Musical Numbers

* "

(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" is a #1 popular song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in 1942. It was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren and published in 1942. It was featured in the musical film ''Orchestra Wives'' and was recorde ...

" – Clifton, Chorus ("

Chattanooga Choo Choo "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren. It was originally recorded as a big band/swing tune by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie '' Sun Valley Serenade''. It was ...

" in earlier editions) * "Pepsi Cola" – Neal, B.J., Connie, Ginger (with sounds performed by Lou) * "

Daddy A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

" – Connie, The Band * "

Love Is Here to Stay "Love Is Here to Stay" is a popular song and jazz standard composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin for the movie ''The Goldwyn Follies'' (1938). History "Love Is Here to Stay" was first performed by Kenny Baker in ''The Goldwy ...

" – Johnny * "

That Old Black Magic "That Old Black Magic" is a 1942 popular music, popular song written by Harold Arlen (music), with the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. They wrote it for the 1942 film ''Star Spangled Rhythm'', when it was sung by Johnnie Johnston, Johnny Johnston and da ...

" – Ann * "

Ain't She Sweet "Ain't She Sweet" is a song composed by Milton Ager, with lyrics by Jack Yellen. It was published in 1927 by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc. It became popular in the first half of the 20th century and typified the Roaring Twenties. Like ''Happy D ...

" – Biff, All * "

How About You? "How About You?" is a popular song composed by Burton Lane, with lyrics by Ralph Freed. (1941 in music) It was introduced in the 1941 film ''Babes on Broadway'' by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. The lyrics of the song are often changed dependi ...

" – B.J., Connie * "

Blue Moon A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season. The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon a ...

" – Neal * "Chiquita Banana" – All Girls * "Rose of the Rio Grande" – Geneva, Men & The Band * "

I'll Never Smile Again "I'll Never Smile Again" is a 1939 song written by Ruth Lowe. It has been recorded by many other artists since, becoming a standard. The most successful and best-known million selling single version of the song was recorded by Tommy Dorsey and ...

" – Johnny, Quintet (Neal, B.J., Ann, Ginger, Connie) * "

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is a World War II jump blues song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince which was introduced by The Andrews Sisters in the Abbott and Costello comedy film, ''Buck Privates'' (1941). The Andrews Sisters' Decca recording ...

" – B.J., Connie, Ginger * " Blues in the Night" – Ginger, Men * "

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and most commonly sung American songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. It has been claimed th ...

" – All (except Johnny) * "

I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" is a pop and jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster published in 1941. It was introduced in the musical revue ''Jump for Joy'' by Ivie Anderson, who also provided the v ...

" – Geneva * "

You Go to My Head "You Go to My Head" is a 1938 popular song composed by J. Fred Coots with lyrics by Haven Gillespie. Numerous versions of the song have been recorded, and it has since become a pop and jazz standard. Melody and lyrics Alec Wilder terms Coots' me ...

" - B.J. ("

At Last "At Last" is a song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film '' Sun Valley Serenade'' (1941). Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded the tune several times, with a 1942 version reaching number two on the US '' Billboard'' ...

" in earlier editions) * "The Five O'Clock Whistle" – Connie, The Band (" Little Brown Jug" in earlier editions) * "

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. In ...

" – Ann * " Strike Up the Band" – Full Company * " I'll Be Seeing You" – Full Company * "Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade" – Full Company

References

; Notes * "'1940s Radio Hour' comes in loud & clear" by Klint Lowry, https://archive.today/20041114205822/http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/051204/lif_20040512004.shtml * "Theater group dials in retro radio musical" by Carol South, Grand Traverse Herald, https://web.archive.org/web/20071018012257/http://gtherald.com/2005/feb/23radio.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20070922121606/http://www.cvca.net/archives/shows/1940/1940rh.html * "'Radio' a swinging trip to '40s" by Kyle Lawson, The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com/ent/arts/articles/0115radiorev15.html * Character List and Descriptions. https://web.archive.org/web/20080704164605/http://www.charlestonlightoperaguild.org/1940RadioHour.htm

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1940s Radio Hour, The 1979 plays Broadway musicals Plays set in the 1940s