Edward R. Murrow

[RetroToday]

I was amazed to have found this twelve-inch 78 rpm record album set from 1948 at a thrift shop in the summer of 2008 in great condition.
Thought I'd share it here, maybe someone in the Lounge will like to say something about their recollections of Murrow or comment on this record set?

The panic-stricken voice of the radio announcer during the Hindenburg explosion always gets me.

You can see a complete batch of my photos of this album here

Edward R. Murrow was one of the more notable radio broadcast personalities and he narrates this set of radio transcription clips that covered some important events in American history.

Here's an excerpt of the cover text:

"1933-1945: A chronicle of the war and the years of crisis, told in the authentic sounds and voices of the men who made this history ... narrated by Edward R. Murrow.
The actual voices of: Eisenhower, Wilkie, Chamberlain, Duke of Windsor, Churchill, Stalin, Truman, also: D-Day, Hindenburg explosion, Roosevelt, Hitler, Dewey, FDR's funeral procession, La Guardia, Al Smith, Macarthur, Lou Gehrig's farewell."

 

[dhermann1]

Edward R Murrow was still going strong when I was a kid. His Person to Person was a big deal on early TV. They lugged a truck load of that clumsy early TV equipment (no wireless mikes, for sure!) to somebody's home, and Ed sat in his chair at the studio and interviewed his victim . . . err guest. It must have been weird for the guest, because I'm sure there was no monitor for them, thus they could hear Ed, but not see him. You see Kinescopes of those shows and most subjects look nervous as hell. But the viewing public ate it up back then. If you've seen George Clooney's excellent film "Good Night and Good Luck", it makes it clear that Murrow considered the P to P show as a necessary evil, as opposed to the real investigative journalism he specialized in. David Straithairn gave an uncanny performance as Murrow in that flick.
He was probably the first eminence grise on TV, the way Eric Sevareid and Walter Cronkite became later. His trademark was the curl of cigaret smoke. And it was the cigarets that cut short his career at the age of 57. Lung cancer.

 

[Shangas]

I'd love to hear Murrow's description of the Hindenburg crash. I've listened to the Morrison version several times...it's really scary!

 

[RetroToday]

I found this YouTube clip of one of the "I can hear it now..." recordings.
The audio isn't the greatest, but it gives you an idea of how Murrow narrates the records. Sorry the Hindenburg isn't on this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2xGWqLheHE

 

[docneg]

I'd love to hear Murrow's description of the Hindenburg crash. I've listened to the Morrison version several times...it's really scary!

Herb Morrison was from the same town as myself, and my secretary bought his house after he died. I looked around for Hindenburg-related stuff but there wasn't any. Anyway, a really scary moment, as you said, when the slick delivery of broadcasting fails and the *humanity* emerges.

 

[Pilgrim]

Edward R Murrow was still going strong when I was a kid. His Person to Person was a big deal on early TV. [snip] If you've seen George Clooney's excellent film "Good Night and Good Luck", it makes it clear that Murrow considered the P to P show as a necessary evil, as opposed to the real investigative journalism he specialized in. David Straithairn gave an uncanny performance as Murrow in that flick.

He was probably the first eminence grise on TV, the way Eric Sevareid and Walter Cronkite became later. His trademark was the curl of cigaret smoke. And it was the cigarets that cut short his career at the age of 57. Lung cancer.

RetroToday, I'm VERY envious of that record set. I'll bet it's really interesting!

I had the good fortune to earn my degree in Broadcasting at Murrow's Alma mater, Washington State University...and now have the honor to serve on the advisory council of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communications - so I'm kind of a Murrow fan!

He is actually credited with inventing TV news. After becoming famous during WWII, he returned to the US and was hired by CBS in 1949 as commercial TV was getting off the ground. His radio series Hear It Now became the TV series See It Now, which was the program that took down Joe McCarthy. Murrow was instrumental in formatting TV news as we know it today.

For decades we all benefited from seeing "Murrow's Boys"...the crew who worked with him in Europe during WWII...in major newscasts and anchor positions. William Shirer, Charles Collingwood, Howard K. Smith, Richard Hottelet and Eric Sevareid were all part of that inner circle. You can read more about Murrow's Boys at this Wikipedia link.

I have always felt that Murrow's work and legacy set the highest standard of broadcast ethics. Only one of his group is still working in broadcasting: the estimable Daniel Schorr, who at age 93 is a thoughtful and wonderfully knowledgeable commentator for National Public Radio.

WSU hosts a Murrow symposium every year, which I urge any of you in the Pacific NW to attend. Last year's speaker was 60 Minutes producer Don Hewitt (now in his 80's) who was a contemporary of Murrow. I had the chance to talk with him for some time at a reception, which was a real pleasure. He said that he regarded See It Now as "High Murrow", and Person to Person as "Low Murrow", something that Ed did to pay the bills and keep ratings going.

In fact, Hewitt said at the symposium that the basis of 60 Minutes was his idea to combine High Murrow and Low Murrow in one program. By covering personalities and investigating hard news in the same program, Hewitt created a formula for 60 Minutes that has survived in commercial TV for decades! And where did it come from? It's a spin-off of ideas from Edward R. Murrow.

And now, as Paul Harvey used to say, you know the rest of the story.

 

[RetroToday]

Some great insights on Murrow's career. :eusa_clap

Thought I knew who he was before I posted this thread but now realize I hardly knew anything about him. Thanks everyone.