Radio pioneer Norman Corwin died at 101 this past October. A peer of radio journalist Edward R. Murrow, Corwin's broadcasting career spanned most of the 20th Century as well as a variety of genres. Known for his creativity and diverse writing talents, he helped compose "We Hold These Truths" a post-Pearl Harbor attack radio docudrama that featured Orson Welles, Jimmy Stewart, Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore and Walter Huston, and concluded with a live speech by FDR.
During the brief documentary "A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin" he reminded us of the specific value of the medium of radio:
“In radio there was never a term equivalent to boob tube or
couch potato. The eye is so literal, whereas the ear makes a participant of the
listener. The listener becomes the set designer, the wardrobe mistress, the
casting director. You can listen to ‘Carmen’ on radio. Carmen in person may
weigh 350 pounds, but to the listener she’s a beautiful, steamy lady with a
rose in her teeth.”
