FTV 149 Shakespeare: This was a Man (Part 1 of 3)
This week on From the Vault, we begin a three-part series on probably one of the most ambitious works in the Pacifica Radio Archives. In 1964, on the 400th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, KPFK- Los Angeles producers Ruth Hirschman and Lee Whiting, in collaboration with John Monteverdi, presented a comprehensive program exploring the personal life, work and legacy of William Shakespeare called William Shakespeare, This Was A Man. This program was awarded the 1965 Ohio State Award for Broadcast Journalism — and thanks to a Preservation and Access Project grant award from the GRAMMY Foundation, we now can listen again to one of the earliest documentaries ever produced for public radio. We also like to remember that this program was edited on reel to reel tape using razor blades and splicing tape; the complex edits you can hear are truly a tribute to the craft of early radio production!
During the presentation of Part One this week, we’ll hear Paul Robeson reciting a scene from Shakespeare’s Othello given in 1965, at his last major public appearance at a salute to him given by Freedomways Magazine. We’ll also hear 18 year-old Pheobe Singer as Shakespeare’s Juliet, and next week we’ll talk to Phoebe about her love of Shakespeare along with her actor parents Haunani Singer and Marc Singer, who is a teacher of Shakespeare for actors.
From the Vault is presented as part of the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project.
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