Assabe and Sabina
Encyclopedia
Assabe and Sabina was a regionally popular Pennsylvania German
dialect radio program that was broadcast from radio station WSAN in Allentown
, Pennsylvania
in the United States
from 1944 until 1955.
The show centered around the relationship between Der Assabe Mumbauer, a Pennsylvania German
farmer, and his wife, Die Sabina Mumbauer. The character of Assabe was a "humorous prankster who frequently was in difficulty with his wife or with his neighbors."
, professor of German
at Muhlenberg College
and noted Pennsylvania German scholar, then assumed the role of Assabe. Paul R. Wieand, a local teacher, author and writer of dialect plays, played the role of Die Sabina, Assabe's wife.
The show was first broadcast on January 16, 1944, and ran until 1955. It ran each Sunday, from 1:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.
After Moll's death, scripts were written by Rev. Clarence R. Rahn. These scripts are archived in the Shadek-Fackenthal Library of Franklin & Marshall College
in Lancaster
.
and Northampton
counties, and thousands listened to the program weekly. The show served to sustain interest in Pennsylvania German language and culture in the period during, and immediately after, World War II
.
Pennsylvania German language
The Pennsylvania German language is a variety of West Central German possibly spoken by more than 250,000 people in North America...
dialect radio program that was broadcast from radio station WSAN in Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1944 until 1955.
The show centered around the relationship between Der Assabe Mumbauer, a Pennsylvania German
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
farmer, and his wife, Die Sabina Mumbauer. The character of Assabe was a "humorous prankster who frequently was in difficulty with his wife or with his neighbors."
History
Lloyd A. Moll created the program, and played the role of Der Assabe until his death, just a few weeks after the show's launch. Dr. Harry Hess ReichardHarry Hess Reichard
Harry Hess Reichard was a Pennsylvania German writer and scholar.Reichard was born in Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 1901, he graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. In 1911, he received his Ph.D...
, professor of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
at Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
and noted Pennsylvania German scholar, then assumed the role of Assabe. Paul R. Wieand, a local teacher, author and writer of dialect plays, played the role of Die Sabina, Assabe's wife.
The show was first broadcast on January 16, 1944, and ran until 1955. It ran each Sunday, from 1:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.
After Moll's death, scripts were written by Rev. Clarence R. Rahn. These scripts are archived in the Shadek-Fackenthal Library of Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College is a four-year private co-educational residential national liberal arts college in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States....
in Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
.
Cultural influence
Assabe and Sabina was extremely popular amongst the Pennsylvania German-speaking populations of LehighLehigh County, Pennsylvania
-Climate:Most of the county's climate is considered to fall in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year....
and Northampton
Northampton County, Pennsylvania
As of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the census of...
counties, and thousands listened to the program weekly. The show served to sustain interest in Pennsylvania German language and culture in the period during, and immediately after, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.