Norman Corwin
Norman Corwin with cherished typewriter, 1973
Born	May 3, 1910 (1910-05-03) (age 97) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Occupation	Writer and professor

Norman Lewis Corwin (born May 3, 1910) is an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest success was in the writing and directing of radio drama during the 1930s and 1940s. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 568 pixelsFull resolution (1302 × 924 pixel, file size: 173 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photographed by myself, User:Arrowcatcher, with Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic film camera and electronic flash at Norman Corwins Wellworth Ave. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Massachusetts. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Settled 1630 Incorporated (city) 1822 Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ...

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 to Orson Welles and William Robson, and an inspiration to other later radio/TV writers such as Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry and Norman Lear. This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Rodman Edward Rod Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, most famous for his science fiction anthology television series, The Twilight Zone. ... Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American scriptwriter and producer. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

He is the son of Samuel and Rose Corwin and was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Corwin was a major figure in during the Golden Age of Radio. During the 1930s and 1940s he was a writer, 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 is currently a lecturer at the University of Southern California. Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Settled 1630 Incorporated (city) 1822 Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... Old-Time Radio (OTR) or The Golden Age of Radio is a term used to refer to radio programs that were broadcast during the 1920s through the late 1950s (with some outlying programs produced earlier and later) in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada and... The Trojan Shrine, better known as Tommy Trojan located in the center of University of Southern California campus. ...

Corwin has won the One World Award, two Peabody Medals, 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 Corwin received an Honorary Doctorate from Lincoln College. Corwin was inducted into the 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. The George Foster Peabody Awards, more commonly referred to as the Peabody Awards, are annual international awards given for excellence in radio and television broadcasting. ... An Emmy Award. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award is an American award that honors excellence in broadcast journalism. ... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ... Lust for Life is a 1956 film by Norman Corwin adapted from a biographical novel of the life of Vincent Van Gogh, by writer Irving Stone, first published in 1934. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... // History of the college Lincoln College in Illinois was established in 1865 because central Illinois needed a place to earn a post-secondary education. ... // The National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum, located in the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, Illinois, is a museum dedicated to recognizing those who have contributed to the development of the radio medium throughout its history in the United States. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...

Biography

Marriage and children

Corwin was married in 1947 to actress Katherine Locke. They had two adopted children. Katherine Locke died in 1995. Katherine Locke (June 24, 1910 - September 12, 1995) was a Broadway star actress in the late 1930s. ...

Religious views

Corwin is Jewish, and his parents observed Judaism. (His father, Sam Corwin, attended holiday services until his death at 112). 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 Judaism, 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). For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest denomination of American Jews and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th-century Germany. ...

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 began his career as a newspaper journalist, working for the Greenfield Recorder and the Springfield Republican, and soon began to read news over WBZA, a radio station in Massachusetts. In 1936 Corwin moved to New York City and created a program for independent station WQXR. In 1938, he began working for the CBS radio network. Before long, CBS scheduled Norman Corwin's Words Without Music, using a writer's name in a program title for the first time. On this series aired two of his more famous works, The Plot to Overthrow Christmas, a fantasy in rhyme, and They Fly Through The Air, his impassioned reaction to the Spanish Civil War. CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ... It has been suggested that Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War be merged into this article or section. ...

In 1941 he 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.

His We Hold These Truths was first broadcast in December 15, 1941, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the United States Bill of Rights. Many radio and movie stars of the day were featured in this production, including an epilogue by American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. National Public Radio sponsored a new version of this program in 1991, for the bicentennial of the Bill of Rights. is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Image of the United States Bill of Rights from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... “NPR” redirects here. ... An anniversary is a day that commemorates an event that occurred on the same day of the year some time in the past. ...

His most famous work is On a Note of Triumph, first broadcast on VE Day, May 8, 1945. This work was a celebration of the Allied victory in Europe. According to Corwin, he was on a train "somewhere near Albuquerque" when news of the end of the war came to him. He had been planning to produce "on a Note of Triumph" as a morale booster for the men overseas. He grew concerned that since the war ended, perhaps the network would no longer wish to air it. Corwin called his station and expressed concern. Apparently, the head and founder of CBS radio, Mr. William Paley got a message to Corwin on the train .... "the President says, 'now more than ever' " and so, with Roosevelt's insistence that it continue, the program went on and with an audience of 60 million listeners became one of the most famous ever produced on radio.^[1] is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

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. Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22, 1920) is an American literary, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer best known for The Martian Chronicles, a 1950 book which has been described both as a short story collection and a novel, and his 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. ... The Martian Chronicles is a 1950 science fiction bebes novel by Ray Bradbury that chronicles the colonization of Mars by humans fleeing from a troubled Earth, and the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists. ...

Middle career

Corwin wrote a number of motion picture screenplays, including Lust for Life, which starred a young Kirk Douglas, and several books. In the early 1970s he produced and hosted the television show Norman Corwin Presents. Lust for Life is a 1956 film about the life of the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, based on the 1934 novel by Irving Stone and adapted by Norman Corwin. ... Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch Demsky December 9, 1916) is an iconic American actor and film producer known for his gravelly voice and his recurring roles as the kinds of characters Douglas himself once described as sons of bitches. He is also father to Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas. ...

He authored several books, most notably Trivializing America. He also authored a number of articles and plays.

Later career

During the 1990s, Corwin returned to radio drama, producing a series of radio plays for [National Public Radio]. He currently lectures at USC as a visiting professor.[1]

Works

"Golden Age" works in radio drama

Corwin wrote and produced well over 100 programs during the golden age of radio. This is a listing of some of his most notable programs.

• 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, 1940
• 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.

• Our Lady Of The Freedoms, And Some Of Her Friends - A play about the Statue of Liberty.

• No Love Lost - A lively debate about the nature of democracy 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.

• The Writer With The Lame Left Hand - Based on the life story of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote. This production featured Ed Asner, Charles Durning, Samantha Eggar and William Shatner.

• The Curse Of 589 is a comedy about a physicist (William Shatner) who comes across an honest-to-goodness real life fairy, with a working magic wand.

• The Secretariat - A play on the meaning of prayer. This production featured Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, Phil Proctor, and William Shatner.

• 50 Years after 14 August - A reflection on the end of World War II.

Corwin is currently a lecturer at the University of Southern California. Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde), known more commonly as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté), is a large statue that was presented to the United States by France in 1886. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757–July 12, 1804) was an Army officer, lawyer, Founding Father, American politician, leading statesman, financier and political theorist. ... This article discusses Aaron Burr (1756-1836), the American politician. ... Bridges in The Sound of Fury (1950) Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. ... John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001), better known as Jack Lemmon, was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor and comedian. ... Martin Landau (born June 20, 1931) is an Academy Award-winning American film and television actor. ... William Alan Shatner (born on March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor who gained fame for playing James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven of the subsequent movies. ... Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (IPA: in modern Spanish; September 29, 1547 – April 23, 1616) was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. ... (IPA: , but see spelling and pronunciation below), fully titled (The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha) is an early novel written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Jessie Alice Tandy (June 7, 1909 – September 11, 1994) was a noted Academy Award-winning English/American theatre, film and TV actress. ... Philip Proctor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

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 - written 1960, only performance 2000 Brigham Young University. The opera exists in manuscript form only. Composer and Librettest unable to agree on terms for further use. Scharf died in 2003.

References

See also

Golden Age of Radio Old-Time Radio (OTR) or The Golden Age of Radio is a term used to refer to radio programs that were broadcast during the 1920s through the late 1950s (with some outlying programs produced earlier and later) in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada and...

Listen to

• On a Note of Triumph" excerpt: "Prayer"

External links

• Norman Corwin's official site
• Norman Corwin Collection at the American Radio Archive located at the Thousand Oaks Library
• Recordings of Norman Corwin's productions
• Corwin's USC faculty page
• Norman Corwin at the Internet Movie Database
• Internet Broadway Database on Corwin
• J. Michael Straczynski on Corwin: Who is Norman Corwin?, JMS on Corwin 1, JMS on Corwin 2, JMS on Corwin 3, JMS on how he met Corwin
• A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin at the Internet Movie Database
• The Poet Laureate of Radio: An Interview with Norman Corwin read Leonard Maltin's review of this interview DVD of Corwin: