Английская Википедия:Ceiling Unlimited

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Шаблон:Infobox Radio Show Ceiling Unlimited (later known as America — Ceiling Unlimited) (1942–1944) is a CBS radio series created by Orson Welles and sponsored by the Lockheed-Vega Corporation. The program was conceived to glorify the aviation industry and dramatize its role in World War II.

"Welles wrote, produced, and narrated this show, and his work was considered a prime contribution to the war effort," wrote the Museum of Broadcasting.[1]

At the end of Welles's 13-episode contract (November 9, 1942 – February 1, 1943), Ceiling Unlimited was hosted by a variety of personalities including Charles Boyer, Joe E. Brown, Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, Alan Ladd, William Powell, Basil Rathbone, Edward G. Robinson and writer James Hilton.

Ceiling Unlimited began as a 15-minute drama series broadcast Mondays at 7:15 p.m. ET. The program changed format for its second season, becoming a half-hour variety show hosted by Joseph Cotten. Retitled America — Ceiling Unlimited, the program featured vocalists Nan Wynn and Constance Moore, and music by Wilbur Hatch. The show aired Sundays at 2 p.m. ET beginning August 8, 1943, and ending April 30, 1944.

Production

Шаблон:Multiple image

Orson Welles returned to the United States August 22, 1942, after six months of filming in Latin America at the behest of the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs and serving as what Welles termed "a kind of Ambassador extraordinary."[2]Шаблон:Rp Within weeks he began to plan two CBS radio dramas to be broadcast on consecutive nights: Ceiling Unlimited, and Hello Americans, a docudrama to promote inter-American understanding and friendship during World War II.[3]Шаблон:Rp

Ceiling Unlimited was a morale-boosting anthology of stories about heroic tales of aviation. Described by radio historian John Dunning as "aggressively patriotic," the program was sponsored by the Lockheed-Vega Corporation. There were no commercial breaks; the company was content to have just three one-line mentions throughout each show. It was noted in the contemporary press that as Lockheed and Vega had only one lucrative customer — the wartime Allied governments — they did not need to advertise.[4]

"Its purpose, one of simple propaganda, was to boost morale within the industry in order to underpin the vast increase in productivity the war demanded," wrote Welles biographer Simon Callow.[5]Шаблон:Rp

"Ceiling Unlimited accomplished news reportage, entertainment and education while its ever changing format kept the listener interested in the material presented," wrote biographer Bret Wood. "The purpose was not to strike fear into the hearts of Americans or to develop overconfidence, but to exemplify a confident, knowledgeable attitude of the war effort and to make the public aware of the sacrifices necessary to win the war."[6]Шаблон:Rp

Lockheed-Vega established a research bureau in Washington, D.C., to develop story ideas and identify true stories in the files of disparate government agencies. For his part, Welles acquainted himself with the Flying Fortress and other aircraft at the Lockheed-Vega plants in California, wrote biographer Frank Brady: "Sporting an employee's identification badge and wearing a silver-colored hard hat, he poked his nose into machinery, ate box lunches with executives, and talked to the workers on the assembly lines. He became enmeshed in the love of flight."[3]Шаблон:Rp

Welles titled the series Ceiling Unlimited. "He thought it both romantic and evocative," wrote biographer Frank Brady, "but the sponsors disagreed. For weeks, in publicity releases and other references the program was called 'the new Orson Welles Show,' and it wasn't until two days before the broadcast, when it appeared that Orson would not relent, that Ceiling Unlimited became official."[3]Шаблон:Rp

Playwright Arthur Miller was one of the writers for the show, and Welles asked him to create its format. Miller and Welles were the same age, 27; both were veterans of the Federal Theatre Project and they worked together easily.[3]Шаблон:Rp They had worked together once before; Welles performed a nuanced drama about Benito Juárez — Juarez: Thunder from the Hills, a verse play written by Miller — before a live audience on the September 28, 1942, broadcast of Cavalcade of America.[2]Шаблон:Rp[7]

Ceiling Unlimited began November 9, 1942. Each week, announcer Pat McGeehan repeated, "Man has always looked to the heavens for help and inspiration, and from the skies too will come his victory and his future."[4] Welles cast many of his Mercury Theatre company of actors, including Ray Collins, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead and Everett Sloane.[8] Bernard Herrmann created the music for the first 13 shows.[9]

Welles's run on the program overlapped with his other CBS radio series, Hello Americans, which was broadcast on Sunday nights while Ceiling Unlimited aired on Monday nights. His radio success was "a psychic exhilarant" for Welles, wrote biographer Frank Brady: "After the difficulties of It's All True and the discredit of Ambersons, compounded by the humiliation of being turned away by RKO, he began to regain his confidence with the positive radio reviews that appeared across the nation."[3]Шаблон:Rp

"Ceiling Unlimited demonstrated Welles's talent when taken to extremes," summarized biographer Bret Wood. "Fifteen minutes was hardly enough time to accomplish the different goals set forth, but he did his best to cover the spectrum of emotions and topics, sometimes to great effect but more often with campy results. The context in which the program was originally heard can never be recreated, so Ceiling Unlimited is impossible to objectively assess. Its sister program Hello Americans is less dated and for various reasons is superior to its less subdued counterpart."[6]Шаблон:Rp

Welles left Ceiling Unlimited at the end of his 13-episode contract, concluding the broadcast on February 1, 1943, with a statement: "For a while, the Mercury Theatre is going off the air. Next week my friend Ronald Colman will tell you the story about the Douglas Dauntless, the world's greatest dive bomber. We very much wish it were possible to go on writing and producing these radio plays. We've never been happier. … We leave with real regret."[10][11]

Welles began filming on Jane Eyre, which he was producing and starring in, on February 3, 1943,[12] while also beginning preparations for The Mercury Wonder Show, a 1943 magic-and-variety stage show for U.S. soldiers.[2]Шаблон:Rp

Guest hosts

Ronald Colman was the guest host on the February 8, 1943, edition of Ceiling Unlimited, the first to be broadcast after Welles's departure. Future shows of the season would continue to use celebrity guest hosts, including Marlene Dietrich, Alan Ladd, Brian Donlevy, Frank Morgan, Ralph Morgan, Basil Rathbone, Robert Young, Cary Grant, Claire Trevor, Edward G. Robinson, Adolphe Menjou, and Walter Abel.[13]

From June 28 through August 2, 1943, Ceiling Unlimited was hosted by author James Hilton.[4][14] Reviewing a July broadcast, Billboard wrote, "Hilton's ceiling is zero-zero ... Like many other ideas, James Hilton as a radio program sounded like a million dollars on paper and a thin dime on the air."[15] Hilton published Ceiling Unlimited (1943), a boxed limited edition of 100 signed copies of his six scripts for the program.[16]

Second season

The second season of the series began August 8, 1943 and followed more of a musical/variety format, with the series retitled America — Ceiling Unlimited. It was presented by Welles's friend and collaborator Joseph Cotten. It contained 39 episodes, the last of which was broadcast on April 30, 1944.[8]

Such were the differences from the first season format that Old Time Radio enthusiast website The Digital Deli argues, "Any attempt to simply conflate Ceiling Unlimited and America, Ceiling Unlimited is just silly. They're entirely different formats … The only elements common to both programs were their sponsor and the phrase, Ceiling Unlimited".[13]

John Steinbeck stories

As part of the January 25, 1943, episode of Ceiling Unlimited, Welles presented a John Steinbeck short story written specifically for broadcast. Titled "With Your Wings" (sometimes appearing as "Flyer Come Home with Your Wings")[2]Шаблон:Rp[6]Шаблон:Rp it relates the homecoming of a decorated pilot, later revealed to be black, and his realization of the meaning that his achievement has for his family and community. The script and recording are included with the Orson Welles materials at the Lilly Library.[17] Welles presented the story once more, to conclude the final episode of his CBS radio series, The Orson Welles Almanac, broadcast July 19, 1944.[18][19]

Virtually forgotten, the story was published in November 2014, after a transcript of the broadcast was found in the archives of the University of Texas at Austin by Andrew Gulli, managing editor of The Strand Magazine.[20] "With Your Wings" appeared in the quarterly magazine's holiday issue. "To the best of my knowledge, and that of the Steinbeck estate, it's never been published before," Gulli wrote.[21][22]

Another Steinbeck story, "Letter to Mother", was presented on Ceiling Unlimited January 18, 1943. The Lilly Library also holds this manuscript and recording with its Orson Welles materials.[23]

In addition to working for the Writers' War Board,[24] Steinbeck was one of the writers who contributed to the Voice of America, a service of the United States Office of War Information.[25]Шаблон:Rp John Houseman, Welles's erstwhile partner in the Mercury Theatre, was chief of radio programming for the Overseas Branch of the OWI and ran the Voice of America from February 1942 through June 1943.[25]Шаблон:Rp[26]

Episodes

The vast majority of episodes are believed to be missing, although they may still exist in private collections. Currently, six first-season episodes and four second-season episodes are in circulation among fans of Old Time Radio.[13]

Ceiling Unlimited

Recordings of 12 of the 13 Ceiling Unlimited programs produced by Orson Welles are in the collection of the Lilly Library at Indiana University Bloomington. Missing from the collection is the broadcast of December 7, 1942, in which Welles reads Norman Rosten's poem, Back to Bataan; only the bound script is in the collection.[27][28][29] A trial recording of the first program, "Flying Fortress", can be heard at the Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library.Шаблон:Efn

"War Workers" is one of four of Welles's wartime radio broadcasts included as supplementary material in the Kino Classics restoration of The Stranger (1946), released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in October 2013.[30]

# Date Program
1 November 9, 1942 "Flying Fortress" by Ranald MacDougall and Norman Rosten
Cast: Orson Welles, Erskine Sanford, Ray Collins; music by Bernard Herrmann[31]
2 November 16, 1942 "Air Transport Command"
Cast: Orson Welles; music by Bernard Herrmann[32]
3 November 23, 1942 "The Navigator" by Orson Welles and Milton Geiger
Cast: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorehead, Elliott Reid; music by Bernard Herrmann
Promoting the third broadcast in the series Welles stated, "Everyone knows the skill and courage it takes to become a pilot, but few realize the concentration, knowledge, quick wit and steady nerves required of the navigator."[33][34]
4 November 30, 1942 "Wind, Sand and Stars" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, adapted by Orson Welles
Cast: Orson Welles, Burgess Meredith; music by Bernard Herrmann[35]
5 December 7, 1942 "Ballad of Bataan" by Norman Rosten
Cast: Orson Welles; music by Bernard Herrmann
6 December 14, 1942 "War Workers" by Hans Conreid
Cast: Orson Welles; music by Bernard Herrmann
Welles "interviews" members of the diverse workforce at the Vega airplane factory[36][37]
7 December 21, 1942 "Gremlins" by Lucille Fletcher
Cast: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Lou Merrill; music by Bernard Herrmann
Christmas episode[38][39]
8 December 28, 1942 "Pan American Airlines" by Milton Geiger
Cast: Orson Welles; music by Bernard Herrmann[40][41]
9 January 4, 1943 "Anti-Submarine Patrol"
Cast: Edward G. Robinson substituting for Orson Welles;Шаблон:EfnШаблон:Efn music by Bernard Herrmann[42]
10 January 11, 1943 "Finger in the Wind" by Myron Dutton
Cast: Orson Welles; music by Bernard Herrmann[43]
11 January 18, 1943 "Letter to Mother" by John Steinbeck
Cast: Betty Garde (Mother), Orson Welles; music by Bernard Herrmann[23]
12 January 25, 1943 "Mrs. James and the Pot of Tea" by John Tucker Battle
John Steinbeck's "With Your Wings", which Welles calls "one of the best things we've had the chance to do on the air"[2]Шаблон:Rp[6]Шаблон:Rp[17][27][28]
Cast: Orson Welles, Agnes Moorehead; music by Bernard Herrmann
13 February 1, 1943 "The Future"
Cast: Orson Welles (final show in his 13-episode contract); music by Bernard Herrmann
Set three years in the future at La Guardia Airport[44]
14 February 8, 1943 "Dive Bomber"
Cast: Ronald Colman
15 February 15, 1943 Drama about a German mother whose son is fighting for Hitler
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Maria Riva
16 February 22, 1943 "Arctic Rescue"
Cast: Alan Ladd
17 March 1, 1943 "Flight Surgeon"
Cast: Ralph Morgan, Frank Morgan
18 March 8, 1943 Cast: James Gleason, Pat O'Malley
19 March 15, 1943 "Air Transport Command"
Cast: Agnes Moorehead
20 March 22, 1943 "Alberto Santos-Dumont"
Cast: Charles Boyer
21 March 29, 1943 "Mr. Split-Second"
Cast: Basil Rathbone
22 April 5, 1943
23 April 12, 1943
24 April 19, 1943 "God's Corporals" and "Hymn to a Hero"
Cast: William PowellШаблон:Efn and Agnes Moorehead
25 April 26, 1943 "Big Town, 1955 A.D."
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Ona Munson
26 May 3, 1943 Cast: Walter Abel, Claire Trevor
27 May 10, 1943 "Rulers of Earth" aka "Dictators Meeting in Hell"[10]
Cast: Orson Welles (The Devil), George Coulouris (Napoleon), Pedro de Cordoba (Philip), Joe Kearns (Louis) Lou Merrill, Hans Conreid (The Kaiser); music composed and conducted by Anthony Collins[45]
28 May 17, 1943 "I Saw War"
Cast: Joe E. Brown
29 May 24, 1943 "Island in the Sky"
Cast: Cary Grant
30 May 31, 1943
31 June 7, 1943
32 June 14, 1943 "First Mission"
Cast: Joseph Cotten
33 June 21, 1943 Cast: Robert Young
34 June 28, 1943 "Radar, the Secret Weapon'"
Cast: James Hilton
35 July 5, 1943 Cast: James Hilton
36 July 12, 1943 Cast: James Hilton
37 July 19, 1943 Cast: James Hilton
38 July 26, 1943 Cast: James Hilton
39 August 2, 1943 Cast: James Hilton

America — Ceiling Unlimited

Beginning Sunday, August 8, 1943, Joseph Cotten hosted the 30-minute variety series still sponsored by Lockheed and Vega but now titled America — Ceiling Unlimited. In his 1987 autobiography, Cotten recalled that at the end of the first broadcast he was summoned to the control booth for a telephone call: "It was Groucho Marx. He congratulated me and said that he had not only enjoyed the show, but had also been completely sold by the commercial. 'Just where can I buy a P-38?' he asked."[46]

# Date Program
1 August 8, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten, Nan Wynn
2 August 15, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
3 August 22, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
4 August 29, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
5 September 5, 1943 "A Smart Soldier Like Me"
Cast: Joseph Cotten
6 September 12, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
7 September 19, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
8 September 26, 1943 "Johnny Flynn and the Scourge of the Desert"
Cast: Joseph Cotten
9 October 3, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten, Ben Lyon
10 October 10, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
11 October 17, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
12 October 24, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
13 October 31, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
14 November 7, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
15 November 14, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
16 November 21, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
17 November 28, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
18 December 5, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
19 December 12, 1943 Cast: Joseph Cotten
20 December 19, 1943 "A Letter to an Unborn Son"[10]
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore; music by Wilbur Hatch
With Agnes Moorehead, Pedro de Cordoba, Hans Conreid, Lou Merrill
21 December 26, 1943 "Flight Report"
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
22 January 2, 1944 "Custody of the Cook"
Cast: Joseph Cotten
23 January 9, 1944 "Cajun Cradle"
Cast: Joseph Cotten
24 January 16, 1944 "The Little People" by Frank Richardson Pierce
Cast: Joseph Cotten
25 January 23, 1944 "Girl Adrift" by Richard Howels Watkins
Cast: Joseph Cotten
26 January 30, 1944 Cast: Joseph Cotten
27 February 6, 1944 Cast: Joseph Cotten
28 February 13, 1944 "Remember This Day"
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
29 February 20, 1944 "Those Who Were On the Ferry"
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
30 February 27, 1944 "Comes the Devil"
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
31 March 5, 1944 "Situation Well in Hand" by Vina Delmar
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
32 March 12, 1944 Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore; music by Wilbur Hatch
33 March 19, 1944 Cast: Joseph Cotten
34 March 26, 1944 "The Bride and Delehanty"
Cast: Joseph Cotten
35 April 2, 1944 "George is a Noble Guy" by George F. Jenkins
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
36 April 9, 1944 "Hymn to a Hero" and "God's Corporals"[10]
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore; music by Wilbur Hatch
With Agnes Moorehead
37 April 16, 1944 "A Date in Bethesda"
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Constance Moore
38 April 23, 1944 Cast: Joseph Cotten
39 April 30, 1944 Cast: Joseph Cotten

Notes

Шаблон:Notelist

References

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

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  1. ↑ Orson Welles on the Air: The Radio Years. New York: The Museum of Broadcasting, catalogue for exhibition October 28–December 3, 1988, page 64
  2. ↑ 2,0 2,1 2,2 2,3 2,4 Шаблон:Cite book
  3. ↑ 3,0 3,1 3,2 3,3 3,4 Brady, Frank, Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989 Шаблон:ISBN
  4. ↑ 4,0 4,1 4,2 Шаблон:Cite book
  5. ↑ Callow, Simon, Hello Americans. New York: Viking, 2006 Шаблон:ISBN hardcover
  6. ↑ 6,0 6,1 6,2 6,3 Wood, Bret, Orson Welles: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1990 Шаблон:ISBN
  7. ↑ Frohlich, Shirley, "Comment," The Billboard, October 10, 1942, page 7
  8. ↑ 8,0 8,1 Old Time Radio log for Ceiling Unlimited
  9. ↑ Radio Music Шаблон:Webarchive, The Bernard Herrmann Web Pages; retrieved June 7, 2012
  10. ↑ 10,0 10,1 10,2 10,3 Шаблон:Cite web
  11. ↑ "The Future" (February 1, 1943), Welles's last episode as host, 12:12–13:11.
  12. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  13. ↑ 13,0 13,1 13,2 The Digital Deli listing for Ceiling Unlimited Шаблон:Webarchive
  14. ↑ Hilton, James, Ceiling Unlimited. Burbank, California: Columbia Broadcasting System, 1943. Title page notes six broadcasts from June 28 to August 2, 1943.
  15. ↑ J. M. K., Billboard, July 31, 1943
  16. ↑ Hilton, James, Ceiling Unlimited. Burbank, California: Columbia Broadcasting System, 1943; details at Between the Covers Rare Books and Live Auctioneers; retrieved June 5, 2012
  17. ↑ 17,0 17,1 Шаблон:Cite web
  18. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  19. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  20. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  21. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  22. ↑ The Strand Magazine, Issue XLIV 2014. Editorial by Andrew F. Gulli, p. 2. Steinbeck, John, "With Your Wings", pp. 6–7.
  23. ↑ 23,0 23,1 Шаблон:Cite web
  24. ↑ Coers, Donald V., John Steinbeck Goes to War: The Moon is Down as Propaganda. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2006. Шаблон:ISBN Originally published as John Steinbeck as propagandist, 1991.
  25. ↑ 25,0 25,1 Houseman, John, Front and Center. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1979. Шаблон:ISBN
  26. ↑ "John Houseman". Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2007.
  27. ↑ 27,0 27,1 Шаблон:Cite web
  28. ↑ 28,0 28,1 Шаблон:Cite web
  29. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  30. ↑ The Stranger at Kino Lorber, Inc. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  31. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  32. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  33. ↑ "Navigator on 'Ceiling Unlimited'"; The San Antonio Light, November 23, 1942
  34. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  35. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  36. ↑ Ceiling Unlimited — "War Workers", Paley Center for Media; retrieved May 28, 2012
  37. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  38. ↑ Ceiling Unlimited — "Gremlins", Paley Center for Media; retrieved May 28, 2012
  39. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  40. ↑ Ceiling Unlimited — "Pan American Airlines", Paley Center for Media; retrieved May 28, 2012
  41. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  42. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  43. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  44. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
  45. ↑ Ceiling Unlimited, Paley Center for Media; retrieved May 28, 2012
  46. ↑ Cotten, Joseph, Vanity Will Get You Somewhere. San Francisco: Mercury House, 1987 Шаблон:ISBN page 69. Cotten remembered the program's title as Ceiling Zero.
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