There are 3 or 4 syndicated programs playing programs from the “Golden Age of Radio”, and a few stations stream programs from their own collections. The “Golden Age” ran from about 1935 when the various networks of early AM radio stations had been joined together until about 1950 when Television started to replace radio for entertainment.
Perhaps it is selective program selection or because of what survived, but as I listen to these shows from time to time, I’m struck by how dark and negative they are. People scheming how to get away with murder, people avoiding being caught embezzling, wives and children figuring out how to poison their husbands/fathers to get their money, people trapped by gambling debts… – Husbands and wives sniping at each other’s shortcomings in front of others is standard fare.
Now I know that Depression and World War two were very difficult times, and life was much harder before modern appliances and the like – but I really have to wonder what was so “great” about the Golden Age of radio. A lot of those themes carried forward into the TV era. How much does this negative programming contribute to creating a world where people fear their neighbors, distrust their relatives and spouse, and lost faith in their religion. Was this just giving people what they wanted, or was this part of the Progressive Movement’s aim to break down traditional social norms and undermine people’s belief in American values?