Norman Corwin
Encyclopedia
Norman Lewis Corwin was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during the 1930s and 1940s.
Corwin was among the first producers to regularly use entertainment—even light entertainment
—to tackle serious social issues. In this area he was a peer of Orson Welles
and William N. Robson
, and an inspiration to other later radio/TV writers such as Rod Serling
, Gene Roddenberry
, Norman Lear
, J. Michael Straczynski
and Yuri Rasovsky
.
He was the son of Samuel and Rose Corwin and was born in Boston
, Massachusetts. Corwin was a major figure during the Golden Age of Radio. During the 1930s and 1940s he was a writer and producer of many radio programs in many genres: history, biography, fantasy, fiction, poetry and drama. He was the writer and creator of series such as The Columbia Workshop, 13 By Corwin, 26 By Corwin and others. He recently was a lecturer at the University of Southern California
.
Corwin won a One World Award, two Peabody Medal
s, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a duPont-Columbia Award
; he was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
for Lust for Life (1956). On May 12, 1990, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Lincoln College
. In 1996 he received the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from California Lutheran University
. Corwin was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.
A documentary film on Corwin's life, A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin
, won an Academy Award
for Best Documentary (Short Feature) in 2006. Les Guthman
's feature documentary on Mr. Corwin's career, Corwin aired on PBS in the 1990s. He was inducted into the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters
Diamond Circle in 1994.
. They had two children – an adopted son, Anthony Leon, and a daughter, Diane Arlene. Katherine Locke died in 1995.
, Shaarei Tefila: Gates of Prayer
, contains a portion of the Prayer from the finale of Corwin's On a Note of Triumph (see link to full text below).
, and later read news over WBZA
in Massachusetts. He moved to New York City in 1936 and created a program for independent station WQXR
. In 1938, he began working for the CBS Radio Network
. CBS scheduled Norman Corwin's Words Without Music, the first usage of a writer's name in a program title; the series included two of his more famous works, The Plot to Overthrow Christmas, a fantasy in rhyme, and They Fly Through The Air, an impassioned reaction to the Spanish Civil War
. In 1941 Corwin was given the timeslot and resources of the Columbia Workshop program for a full six months, under the title 26 By Corwin, which required him to conceive, write, cast, direct and produce a completely new play every seven days.
We Hold These Truths
was first broadcast on December 15, 1941, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the United States Bill of Rights
. It was written at the "invitation" (Corwin's word) of the U.S. Office of Facts and Figures. Corwin reports being on a train on his way to California to produce the program when news of the attack on Pearl Harbor war came to him. He sent a telegram to Washington at the next stop, asking if the OFF still wanted the program done. When he got to Albuquerque, a telegram was waiting for him: "the President says, 'now more than ever.'" [Corwin's notes in "More by Corwin] Many radio and movie stars of the day featured, along with an epilogue by President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With an audience of 60 million listeners it became one of the most famous ever produced on radio.
Columbia Presents Corwin (1944) offered stories ranging from serious to whimsical. His most famous work is On a Note of Triumph, a celebration of the Allied victory in Europe, first broadcast on VE Day, May 8, 1945. Not knowing where he would be when the end came, broadcast historian Erik Barnouw
wrote, Corwin had performers ready in both New York City and Los Angeles). The program went on (from the Los Angeles studios of CBS Radio Station KNX
), with Martin Gabel
as host/narrator and with William L. Shirer
(via cable from New York) re-creating his role as reporter in the Compeigne forest covering the French surrender to Germany. Corwin wrote a similar program for CBS, Fourteen August, which was broadcast on V-J Day.
Corwin was the first winner of the One World Award established by the Common Council for American Unity along with the (Wendell) Willkie Memorial of Freedom House
. The award's winner was given an around the world trip. He won the award for his contributions in the field of mass communication to the concept of the world becoming more unified. In June 1946, he set out from New York for a 4 month journey. He interviewed both world leaders and ordinary citizens, accompanied by a CBS recording engineer with 225 pounds of magnetic wire recording equipment. His 100 hours of recorded interviews was transcribed and took up 3700 pages. The CBS network then molded his work into a 13 part documentary that was aired in the Winter and Spring of 1947. Programs featured Great Britain, Western Europe, Sweden and Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Egypt and India, Shanghai and Cities of the Far East, The Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
Corwin wrote and directed two plays produced on Broadway, The Rivalry (1959) and The World of Carl Sandburg (1960). According to Ray Bradbury
, Corwin was responsible for the eventual publication of Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles
.
Composer David Raksin
's "reverent orchestral theme" for the 1950 MGM film The Next Voice You Hear...
was later published with original lyrics by Corwin as a hymn, "Hasten the Day".
(1951), Scandal at Scourie (1953), Lust for Life
(1956), and The Story of Ruth (1961).
In the early 1970s Corwin produced and hosted the television show Norman Corwin Presents
. In 1979 he hosted Academy Leaders, a weekly showcase for short animated films, such as those produced by the National Film Board of Canada
.
Corwin wrote several books, which include Trivializing America; plus many essays, letters, articles and plays.
. Corwin celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2010. Corwin died at the age of 101 on October 18, 2011.
.
in America, in the form of an imaginary dialogue between Thomas Jefferson
, Alexander Hamilton
and Aaron Burr
; the work is based on their writings. This play featured Lloyd Bridges
, Jack Lemmon
, Martin Landau
and Corwin's friend William Shatner
. Shatner appeared in a number of Corwin productions.
, author of Don Quixote. This production featured Ed Asner, Charles Durning, Samantha Eggar and William Shatner.
and Jessica Tandy
, Phil Proctor, and William Shatner.
; co-produced with Dan Gediman
.
Addendum: The Plot to Overthrow Christmas (Opera; music by Walter Scharf; libretto by Norman Corwin) was written in 1960; sole performance in 2000 at Brigham Young University
. The opera exists in manuscript form only. Composer and Librettest unable to agree on terms for further use. Walter Scharf died in 2003.
Corwin was among the first producers to regularly use entertainment—even light entertainment
Light entertainment
Light entertainment is a term used to describe a broad range of usually televisual performances. These include comedies, variety shows, quiz/game shows, sketch shows and people/surprise shows.-Light entertainment in Britain:...
—to tackle serious social issues. In this area he was a peer of Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
and William N. Robson
William N. Robson
William N. Robson was a director and producer of radio programs.-Career:Robson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Yale University, graduating in 1928. Upon graudation he worked as a screenwriter for Paramount Pictures, receiving screen credit for the 1933 film Private Jones.He...
, and an inspiration to other later radio/TV writers such as Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
, Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
, Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
, J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
and Yuri Rasovsky
Yuri Rasovsky
Yuri Rasovsky is an American award-winning writer and producer working in the field of radio drama in the United States....
.
He was the son of Samuel and Rose Corwin and was born in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts. Corwin was a major figure during the Golden Age of Radio. During the 1930s and 1940s he was a writer and producer of many radio programs in many genres: history, biography, fantasy, fiction, poetry and drama. He was the writer and creator of series such as The Columbia Workshop, 13 By Corwin, 26 By Corwin and others. He recently was a lecturer at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Corwin won a One World Award, two Peabody Medal
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
s, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a duPont-Columbia Award
DuPont-Columbia Award
The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award is an American award that honors excellence in broadcast journalism. The awards, administered since 1968 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, are considered a broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another...
; he was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
for Lust for Life (1956). On May 12, 1990, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Lincoln College
Lincoln College, Illinois
- History of the college :Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois was established in 1865 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. There were a few sites that were looked at as possibilities, and in December 1864, the site of Lincoln was selected...
. In 1996 he received the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...
. Corwin was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.
A documentary film on Corwin's life, A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin
A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin
A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin is a 2005 documentary short subject about writer Norman Corwin. In addition to Corwin, the cast includes Robert Altman, Norman Lear, Walter Cronkite, Studs Terkel, and radio historians Timothy Troy and Norman Gilliland.On March 5, 2006 it won the...
, won an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Documentary (Short Feature) in 2006. Les Guthman
Les Guthman
Les Guthman is an American film director and producer, who has the distinction of both having produced three of the 20 Top Adventure DVDs of All Time, according to Men’s Journal magazine, and having won the National Academy of Science’s nationwide competition to find the best new idea in science...
's feature documentary on Mr. Corwin's career, Corwin aired on PBS in the 1990s. He was inducted into the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters
Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters
Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters was founded in 1966 by veteran announcer Art Gilmore and 178 other original members, with Edgar Bergen as the founding chairman of the board...
Diamond Circle in 1994.
Marriage and children
Corwin was married in 1947 to actress Katherine LockeKatherine Locke
Katherine Locke was a Broadway actress in the late 1930s. She was born in Kalakenchu, Russia and raised in the U.S. She appeared in films in the 1940s and 1950s as a supporting actress...
. They had two children – an adopted son, Anthony Leon, and a daughter, Diane Arlene. Katherine Locke died in 1995.
Religious views
Corwin was Jewish, and his parents observed Judaism. (His father, Sam Corwin, attended holiday services until his death at 110). While not an observant Jew, Corwin has infused much of his work with the ideas of the Hebrew Prophets. One of the prayerbooks of American Reform JudaismReform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
, Shaarei Tefila: Gates of Prayer
Gates of Prayer
Gates of Prayer, the New Union Prayer Book is a Reform Jewish siddur that was announced in October 1975 as a replacement for the 80-year-old Union Prayer Book , incorporating more Hebrew content and was updated to be more accessible to modern worshipers...
, contains a portion of the Prayer from the finale of Corwin's On a Note of Triumph (see link to full text below).
- Lord God of test-tube and blueprint
- Who jointed molecules of dust and shook them till their name was Adam,
- Who taught worms and stars how they could live together,
- Appear now among the parliaments of conquerors and give instruction to their schemes:
- Measure out new liberties so none shall suffer for his father's color or the credo of his choice:
- Post proofs that brotherhood is not so wild a dream as those who profit by postponing it pretend:
- Sit at the treaty table and convoy the hopes of the little peoples through expected straits,
- And press into the final seal a sign that peace will come for longer than posterities can see ahead,
- That man unto his fellow man shall be a friend forever.
Early career
Corwin worked as a newspaper journalist for the Greenfield Recorder and the Springfield RepublicanSpringfield Republican
The Republican is a newspaper based in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is owned by Newhouse Newspapers, a division of Advance Publications. It played important roles in the United States Republican Party's founding, Charles Dow's career, and the invention of the pronoun "Ms."-Beginning:Established...
, and later read news over WBZA
WBZA
WBZA is a rock station in Rochester, New York, broadcasting at 98.9 FM. It is owned by Entercom Communications, who purchased the station from Sinclair Broadcasting in 1999...
in Massachusetts. He moved to New York City in 1936 and created a program for independent station WQXR
WQEW
WQEW is a Radio Disney affiliate licensed to New York City. Its transmitter is located in Maspeth, Queens. WQEW has a transmitter power of 50,000 watts and is listed as a Clear-channel station...
. In 1938, he began working for the CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
. CBS scheduled Norman Corwin's Words Without Music, the first usage of a writer's name in a program title; the series included two of his more famous works, The Plot to Overthrow Christmas, a fantasy in rhyme, and They Fly Through The Air, an impassioned reaction to the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. In 1941 Corwin was given the timeslot and resources of the Columbia Workshop program for a full six months, under the title 26 By Corwin, which required him to conceive, write, cast, direct and produce a completely new play every seven days.
We Hold These Truths
We Hold These Truths
We Hold These Truths, a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the United States Bill of Rights, was an hour-long radio program that explored American values and aired live on December 15, 1941, the first to be broadcast on all four major networks...
was first broadcast on December 15, 1941, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the United States Bill of Rights
United States Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and...
. It was written at the "invitation" (Corwin's word) of the U.S. Office of Facts and Figures. Corwin reports being on a train on his way to California to produce the program when news of the attack on Pearl Harbor war came to him. He sent a telegram to Washington at the next stop, asking if the OFF still wanted the program done. When he got to Albuquerque, a telegram was waiting for him: "the President says, 'now more than ever.'" [Corwin's notes in "More by Corwin] Many radio and movie stars of the day featured, along with an epilogue by President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With an audience of 60 million listeners it became one of the most famous ever produced on radio.
Columbia Presents Corwin (1944) offered stories ranging from serious to whimsical. His most famous work is On a Note of Triumph, a celebration of the Allied victory in Europe, first broadcast on VE Day, May 8, 1945. Not knowing where he would be when the end came, broadcast historian Erik Barnouw
Erik Barnouw
Erik Barnouw was a U.S. historian of radio and television broadcasting.According to the Scribner Encyclopia of American Lives, Erik Barnouw was born in Den Haag in the Netherlands, the son of Adriaan , and Ann Eliza Barnouw...
wrote, Corwin had performers ready in both New York City and Los Angeles). The program went on (from the Los Angeles studios of CBS Radio Station KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
), with Martin Gabel
Martin Gabel
Martin Gabel was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Life and career:Gabel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Ruth and Israel Gabel, who was a jeweler...
as host/narrator and with William L. Shirer
William L. Shirer
William Lawrence Shirer was an American journalist, war correspondent, and historian, who wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a history of Nazi Germany read and cited in scholarly works for more than 50 years...
(via cable from New York) re-creating his role as reporter in the Compeigne forest covering the French surrender to Germany. Corwin wrote a similar program for CBS, Fourteen August, which was broadcast on V-J Day.
Corwin was the first winner of the One World Award established by the Common Council for American Unity along with the (Wendell) Willkie Memorial of Freedom House
Freedom House
Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
. The award's winner was given an around the world trip. He won the award for his contributions in the field of mass communication to the concept of the world becoming more unified. In June 1946, he set out from New York for a 4 month journey. He interviewed both world leaders and ordinary citizens, accompanied by a CBS recording engineer with 225 pounds of magnetic wire recording equipment. His 100 hours of recorded interviews was transcribed and took up 3700 pages. The CBS network then molded his work into a 13 part documentary that was aired in the Winter and Spring of 1947. Programs featured Great Britain, Western Europe, Sweden and Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Egypt and India, Shanghai and Cities of the Far East, The Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
Corwin wrote and directed two plays produced on Broadway, The Rivalry (1959) and The World of Carl Sandburg (1960). According to Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
, Corwin was responsible for the eventual publication of Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles is a 1950 science fiction short story collection by Ray Bradbury that chronicles the colonization of Mars by humans fleeing from a troubled and eventually atomically devastated Earth, and the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists...
.
Composer David Raksin
David Raksin
David Raksin was an American composer born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With over 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music." One of his earliest film assignments was as assistant to Charlie Chaplin in the composition of the score...
's "reverent orchestral theme" for the 1950 MGM film The Next Voice You Hear...
The Next Voice You Hear...
The Next Voice You Hear... is a drama film in which a voice claiming to be that of God preempts all radio programs for days all over the world. It stars James Whitmore and Nancy Davis as Joe and Mary Smith, a typical American couple. It was based on a short story of the same name by George Sumner...
was later published with original lyrics by Corwin as a hymn, "Hasten the Day".
Middle career
Corwin wrote a number of motion picture screenplays, including The Blue VeilThe Blue Veil
The Blue Veil is a 1951 American drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt. The screenplay by Norman Corwin is based on a story by François Campaux, which was adapted for the French language film Le Voile bleu in 1942.-Plot:...
(1951), Scandal at Scourie (1953), Lust for Life
Lust for Life (film)
Lust for Life is a MGM biographical film about the life of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, based on the 1934 novel by Irving Stone and adapted by Norman Corwin.It was directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by John Houseman...
(1956), and The Story of Ruth (1961).
In the early 1970s Corwin produced and hosted the television show Norman Corwin Presents
Norman Corwin Presents
Norman Corwin Presents is a Canadian-produced drama anthology television series which aired on CBC Television from 1972 to 1973.-Premise:The series host was American broadcast writer Norman Corwin who introduced dramas of various genres and subjects....
. In 1979 he hosted Academy Leaders, a weekly showcase for short animated films, such as those produced by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
.
Corwin wrote several books, which include Trivializing America; plus many essays, letters, articles and plays.
Later career
During the 1990s, Corwin returned to radio drama, producing a series of radio plays for National Public Radio. In 1993, Corwin was finally inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame after a long career. And in 2001, NPR aired six new plays by Corwin under the title More By Corwin. He also lectured at USC as a visiting professor http://www.usc.edu/about/people/corwin.html and was also on the Advisory Board of the National Audio Theatre FestivalNational Audio Theatre Festival
The National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. is a US-based organization sponsoring a yearly, five-day workshop on radio drama, voiceover and the audio arts, as well as other special training. Participants take classes on subjects such as voiceover and voice acting, audio engineering, Foley and...
. Corwin celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2010. Corwin died at the age of 101 on October 18, 2011.
"Golden Age" works in radio drama
Corwin wrote and produced over 100 programs during the golden age of radio. Notable programs include:- The Plot to Overthrow Christmas - December 25, 1938
- They Fly through the Air with the Greatest of Ease - February 19, 1939
- Spoon River Anthology - March, 1939
- Descent of the Gods - August 3, 1940
- Mary and the Fairy - August 31, 1940
- Psalm for a Dark Year - November 9, 1940
- We Hold These Truths - December 15, 1941
- America at War (series) - February 14, 1942
- The Lonesome Train - March 21, 1944
- Untitled - May 30, 1944
- Home For the 4th - July 4, 1944
- El Capitan and the Corporal - July 25, 1944
- On a Note of Triumph - May 8, 1945
- The Undecided Molecule - July 17, 1945
- 14 August - August 14, 1945
- God and Uranium - August 19, 1945
- Hollywood Fights Back - October 26, 1947
- Could Be - September 8, 1949
- Document A/777 - March 26, 1950
Later works in radio drama
In recent years National Public Radio commissioned a number of new plays by Corwin; the series was called More By Corwin.Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
.
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in America, in the form of an imaginary dialogue between Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
and Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
; the work is based on their writings. This play featured Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. was an American actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. Bridges is best known for his role of Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt, the most-popular syndicated American TV series in 1958...
, Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
and Corwin's friend William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
. Shatner appeared in a number of Corwin productions.
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written...
, author of Don Quixote. This production featured Ed Asner, Charles Durning, Samantha Eggar and William Shatner.
Hume Cronyn
Hume Blake Cronyn, OC was a Canadian actor of stage and screen, who enjoyed a long career, often appearing professionally alongside his second wife, Jessica Tandy.-Early life:...
and Jessica Tandy
Jessica Tandy
Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy was an English-American stage and film actress.She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films...
, Phil Proctor, and William Shatner.
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...
; co-produced with Dan Gediman
Dan Gediman
Dan Gediman is an American radio producer and performing songwriter. He is the executive producer of the public radio series This I Believe and co-editor, with Jay Allison, of the books This I Believe and This I Believe II: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women...
.
Published works
A selected listing of books by Corwin, excluding collections of his radio dramas:- So Say the Wise: A Community Of Modern Mind—New York: George Sully Company, 1929 — A compendium of quotations, concentrating on current personalities. Compiled by Corwin and Hazel Cooley.
- Holes in a Stained Glass Window—Secaucus, NJ: L. Stuart, 1978 — Collection of Corwin's Essays, Articles and Poetry. Contains both Prayer for the 70s and Jerusalem Printout
- Trivializing America—Secaucus, NJ: Lyle Stuart, 1983 — A best-selling critique of the failings of contemporary American culture
- Norman Corwin's Letters/Edited by Jack Langguth—New York: Barricade Books Inc., 1994—Compilation of letters written throughout Corwin's career.
Addendum: The Plot to Overthrow Christmas (Opera; music by Walter Scharf; libretto by Norman Corwin) was written in 1960; sole performance in 2000 at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. The opera exists in manuscript form only. Composer and Librettest unable to agree on terms for further use. Walter Scharf died in 2003.
Sources
Listen to
External links
- "Norman Corwin, R.I.P.," by Terry Teachout, including links to mp3 files of airchecks of On a Note of Triumph and The Plot to Overthrow Christmas
- Norman Corwin's official site
- Norman Corwin Collection at the American Radio ArchiveAmerican Radio ArchiveThe American Radio Archive, established in 1984 by the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation, contains manuscripts, sound recordings, scripts, books, photographs and other materials that vividly reflect the history of radio and radio broadcasting...
located at the Thousand Oaks Library - Norman Corwin Papers at Syracuse University Special Collections Research Center
- Recordings of Norman Corwin's productions
- Corwin's USC faculty page
- Internet Broadway Database on Corwin
- J. Michael StraczynskiJ. Michael StraczynskiJoseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
on Corwin: Who is Norman Corwin?, JMS on Corwin 1, JMS on Corwin 2, JMS on Corwin 3, JMS on how he met Corwin - The Poet Laureate of Radio: An Interview with Norman Corwin read Leonard Maltin's review of this interview DVD of Corwin:
- The Effort to Honor Norman Corwin with The Congressional Gold Medal