[Ranch style houses and Gothic architecture]
Sunday, October 17, 1954
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The sounds of a city and a nation are captured through nearly a century of transformations, tribulations, and triumphs.
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The actual date of this episode is 1954-10-16. For technical reasons, it shows up incorrectly above.
This episode is from the WNYC archives. It may contain language which is no longer politically or socially appropriate.
Seldes opens with a reference to the Mario Lanza scandal. Lanza, a well known singer, was paid $40,000 to perform on a television show and it was apparent that the sound track was pre-recorded. The network first denied that the performance was not live, but it eventually emerged that the recording was years old. Seldes discusses this scandal and gives him opinion on the sanctity of live shows.
He goes on to discuss "The Green Curtain" - a film set in a jungle but most likely filmed on a sound stage. This is an example of the value of non-live programming. He does not like any show that pretends to be spontaneous.
Seldes discusses "high brow" taste and the views of Leonard Lyons. He notes that he passionately hates Ranch-style houses - the most popular architecture in the United States. He notes that his house is Gothic and extraordinarily beautiful.
Finally he talks about virtue.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 71492
Municipal archives id: LT3113
Hosted by:
Gilbert Seldes
About The Lively Arts
Gilbert Seldes discusses big-thinking issues in art from his characteristically populist perspective.
Any views, findings, conclusions, recommendations expressed in this web resource do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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