Saturday, December 24, 2016

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas - Day 24: Letter To An Unborn Child from Ceiling Unlimited

We often think about Christmas and the time that we get off work and relaxing with family.  But many people do not get that break.  There are those who work in public service who need to work to keep our safety.  Police officers, healthcare workers, road workers, airport employees just to name a few.  There are also people who work in food service and retail who count these as the busiest days of the year.  This is amplified during wartime, when people serving in the Armed Forces get no break or respite from the grind that is war.  That is a good introduction to this great episode from Ceiling Unlimited.  Here is a link to all the previous OTR Christmas entries.  If you have Sirius/XM, you can listen to Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148) this week as he does a great job of showcasing great holiday themed episodes, especially as we get close to Christmas.

World War II Memorial (National Mall, Washington DC) - July 30, 2015

World War II Memorial (National Mall, Washington DC) - July 30, 2015

Ceiling Unlimited was a wartime series that was broadcast over the CBS Radio Network. The series was created by Orson Welles came to the airwaves thanks to sponsorship by the Lockheed-Vega Corporation.  The Vega Corporation was Lockheed's military 'wing' (or subsidiary) and they (along with Boeing and Douglas companies) built B-17 aircraft for the United States during World War II.  The program, naturally, was developed to promote military aviation and showcase how it is changing the war.  The program had numerous formats during its run, including both 15 minute and 30 minute episodes.  Orson Welles would leave the show after his contract expired, but there were excellent people stepping in to keep the show going.

On December 19, 1943, the half-hour show featured "A Letter To An Unborn Son."  The focus of the episode was to showcase that the world was indeed getting smaller.  During wartime, we could no longer ignore the injustices in the world.  Joseph Cotten was the host and star of this episode which featured a letter that was written by a Yugoslav soldier in 1942 that was smuggled out of Nazi occupied territory.  A soldiers fought against the frigid cold, they could not light a fire as to give their position away to the enemies.  One soldier who was expecting the birth of his child at home, did not make it.  He wrote a letter to his unborn son.  To ensure the safety of his fallen comrade's wife, a fellow soldier committed the letter to memory and marched across to deliver the wishes.  It captures the sacrifice and dedication that are required for everyone who has to leave family for combat.  I hope that our leaders have that image in mind when they commit forces in the world today.  The show also featured singer Connie Moore with Wilbur Hatch and his orchestra singing White Christmas.  I hope you enjoy this moving episode from Ceiling Unlimited.

Letter to An Unborn Child (Ceiling Unlimited - December 19, 1943)



Here are some links to programs relating to Ceiling Unlimited:
Another 25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2016) & Other Links

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2015) & Other Links

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2014)
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