Goodman Ace

Goodman and Jane Ace

Goodman Ace was born on January 15, he was a prominent American humorist, radio writer, comedian, television writer, and magazine columnist. Known for his low-key, literate sense of humor and sharp commentary on societal trends, Ace became a highly sought-after writer throughout the 1930s to the 1960s. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Latvian Jewish immigrants Harry Aiskowitz and Anna Katzen. Ace developed an interest in writing early on, editing his high school newspaper and adopting the pen name Asa Goodman. His early jobs included working as a roller skating messenger while he studied journalism at Kansas City Polytechnic Institute, where he also wrote a column titled "The Dyspeptic" for the school paper. After his father passed away, Ace supported his family by working various jobs before finally becoming a reporter and columnist for the Kansas City Journal-Post. His personal life included a significant relationship with his high school sweetheart, Jane Epstein; they attended an Al Jolson concert on their first date, facilitated by Ace’s press pass, and were married six months later in 1922.

In 1930, Goodman Ace began working at radio station KMBC, initially reading Sunday comics and later hosting "Ace Goes to the Movies." The idea originated from an editor seeking to boost the newspaper's circulation by having Ace, already covering local theater, read comics. He suggested a film review show to earn extra income. An unexpected airtime gap led to an impromptu chat with his wife Jane about a bridge game, resulting in a new domestic comedy show, "Easy Aces." It evolved from focused bridge humor to broader comedic situations involving Jane's malapropisms. Running from 1930 to 1945, "Easy Aces" became a beloved yet understated success in radio for its witty conversational style and literary quality. While never a ratings giant, it maintained a loyal following among radio insiders and adapted to film with the release of "Dumb Luck" in 1935. Ace also contributed to other shows and served on the "Committee of 25" during WWII, influencing music selections for the War Department's songbook series.

In 1945, Ace began writing for The Danny Kaye Show after previously filling in for Kaye during his performances for troops. He resigned when the show moved to Hollywood. Ace assessed his scripts based on the number of cigars he smoked while writing, with fewer cigars indicating better prospects for the show. After a legal incident in 1940 regarding character names, he decided to have performers use their real names. In 1948, he created a new version of the show called mr. ace and JANE, which lasted only one season. Despite a pilot featuring Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams being discussed in 1956, it is unclear if it was produced. The Aces returned to radio with NBC's Monitor and participated in commercials, including those for NBC's Startime. Ace was also humorously misquoted in 1951 regarding the play I Am a Camera.

Ace critiqued television in a 1953 letter to Groucho Marx, calling it a "clever contraction" of "Terrible Vaudeville," yet he was open to experimentation. Alongside Jane Ace, he adapted their radio show Easy Aces for television in December 1949, airing on the DuMont network until mid-June 1950. Despite retaining their witty dynamic from radio, the show failed to attract a comparable audience and effectively ended the Aces' careers in performance. Subsequently, Jane Ace largely retired, while Goodman shifted to writing. Ace also created a notable radio show, CBS Was There, which blended absurdity with historical re-creations narrated by CBS News reporters. However, he struggled for recognition, as credit went to CBS executive Desmond Taylor, despite the show's lasting impact, particularly on television with memorable introductions narrated by Walter Cronkite.

Goodman Ace passed away in March 1982, eight years after his wife, and they are both interred at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Raytown, a suburb of Kansas City. Highlighting Ace's views on comedy, obituarist David Bird of The New York Times reported that Ace believed success in comedy relied on collaboration between writer and performer, not solely on individual talent. This notion was illustrated by an anecdote where, in response to a relative's desperate request for money, Ace humorously suggested a lower amount along with a more dangerous plan. After being dismissed from his role as head of CBS's comedy workshop in the late 1940s, Ace responded to a sympathetic vice president's remark about the network's lack of comedy understanding with his own witticism, indicating that such understanding was already presumed. In a playful nod to an epitaph poll by Saturday Review, he quipped that he would not want to be dug up just for such recognition, though it is noted that Easy Aces was later inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1990, despite Ace's self-deprecating suggestion being overlooked.

The Archers

The Archers is a British radio soap opera aired on BBC Radio 4 since 1951, often described as "an everyday story of country folk" and currently recognized as "a contemporary drama in a rural setting." It is the longest-running drama in the world, with over 20,000 episodes. The show began with five pilot episodes on 29 May 1950, and its first nationally broadcast episode was on New Year's Day 1951. As a significant part of British popular culture, it boasts more than five million listeners, making it the most popular non-news program on Radio 4, and it has also set records for online listening.

Initially created to educate farmers post-World War II, The Archers gained widespread popularity, reaching nine million listeners by 1953. The storyline unfolds in the fictional village of Ambridge, located in the equally fictional county of Borsetshire, which is based on real locations in England, notably between Worcestershire and Warwickshire. Ambridge is thought to be inspired by various villages, with public locations like The Bull pub and St Stephen's church resembling real-life venues. Other fictional villages nearby include Penny Hassett, Loxley Barrett, and Darrington, with the county town being Borchester. Occasionally, characters explore areas beyond Ambridge and references include significant UK cities and international locations, highlighting its cultural reach and relevance.

The actors of "The Archers" are not on retainers and typically contribute to a few episodes monthly. Each week involves around 20-30 speaking characters from a total cast of approximately 60. Due to their involvement in various other projects, cast members often have extended absences. For example, Tamsin Greig, who portrays Debbie Aldridge, has a busy career in television, resulting in infrequent visits to Ambridge as she manages a farm in Hungary. Similarly, Felicity Jones left her role as Emma Carter to focus on her studies and pursue opportunities in television and film.

Additionally, several actors hold other jobs outside their acting roles. Charlotte Connor (Susan Carter) works full-time as a senior research psychologist near the BBC, allowing her to balance both responsibilities. Graham Blockey, who played Robert Snell until his passing in 2022, maintained a full-time career as a general practitioner while keeping his role secret from patients until retirement in 2017. Felicity Finch (Ruth Archer) serves as a BBC journalist, reporting from various locations, including Afghanistan. Ian Pepperell (Roy Tucker), who died in December 2023, managed a pub in the New Forest. Overall, the diverse commitments of the cast illustrate their multifaceted careers beyond the show.

A five-episode pilot series of "The Archers" began on Whit Monday, 29 May 1950, created by Godfrey Baseley, and initially broadcasted to the English Midlands on the Regional Home Service as a farming-themed show akin to "Dick Barton." Due to its success, the BBC commissioned a longer national run, starting from 1 January 1951, with five 15-minute episodes broadcast each week initially on the BBC Light Programme and later on the BBC Home Service (now Radio 4). The format evolved over time, leading to six 12½-minute episodes in 1998 and the introduction of early afternoon repeats in December 1964.

The original narrative focused on the lives of three farmers: Dan Archer, who farmed efficiently but was financially constrained; Walter Gabriel, farming ineffectively; and George Fairbrother, a wealthy businessman farming at a loss for tax advantages. "The Archers" was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to inform farmers and smallholders during a period of postwar rationing and food shortages. It garnered significant acclaim, winning the National Radio Awards' 'Most Entertaining Programme of the Year' jointly with "Take It from Here" in 1954 and outright in 1955, reaching a peak audience of 20 million that year.

Despite a decline in radio listening owing to the rise of television, "The Archers" maintained 11 million listeners in the late 1950s and expanded its reach to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. However, by the mid-1970s, its audience dropped to fewer than three million, leading the BBC Radio Four Review Board to contemplate its cancellation due to a perceived stagnation in radio drama. Programme chief Jock Gallagher described this period as the serial's "dog days."

In response to declining popularity, significant editorial reforms were implemented, including the introduction of women writers for the first time in 1975, which contributed to a revitalized style and content. Critics in the 1980s noted an overall improvement in script quality, direction, and acting, indicating a regeneration of the series. Julie Burchill observed a shift in female character portrayals, moving away from traditional roles to more complex narratives involving post-natal depression and alcoholism. By the mid-1980s, the programme was recognized for achieving some of the best production standards on radio.

Tony Shryane MBE served as the producer of "The Archers" from January 1, 1951, to January 19, 1979, while Vanessa Whitburn held the position of editor from 1992 until 2013. During Whitburn's brief service leave from March to July 2012, John Yorke, a former executive producer of "EastEnders," stepped in as acting editor. His involvement raised concerns among fans and commentators regarding the potential shift in the program's values, with accusations that characters were being portrayed unrealistically to create conflict. Yorke, however, maintained that his only condition for taking the role was to preserve the integrity of the show as it was.

Following Whitburn's departure, Sean O'Connor took over as editor in September 2013, followed by Huw Kennair-Jones in September 2016. Notably, O'Connor remained involved in overseeing the Helen and Rob storyline until its completion. In October 2017, Kennair-Jones announced his exit to join ITV as a commissioning editor, highlighting a concern that recent editorial changes were leading to a perception that editing "The Archers" was merely a stepping stone for higher roles in television. Alison Hindell, head of Audio Drama at the BBC until October 2018, served as acting editor before and after Kennair-Jones's tenure. She then transitioned into the role of commissioning editor for drama and fiction, while Jeremy Howe assumed editing responsibilities for "The Archers" in late August 2018.

Since 2007, "The Archers" has expanded its reach by becoming available as a podcast. Since Easter Sunday in 1998, the show has been broadcast six times a week from Sunday to Friday at around 19:03, immediately following the news summary, with episodes repeated the next day at 14:02, except for the Friday evening episode, which is rescheduled to Saturday at 14:45 starting April 6, 2024. The entire week’s episodes are also re-broadcast unabridged in a Sunday morning omnibus at 10:00, and on Remembrance Sunday, the omnibus begins at the earlier time of 09:15. In March 2024, the BBC announced plans to adjust the Sunday omnibus start time to 11:00.

On two separate instances, special 'final' episodes of the radio drama The Archers were created specifically for international broadcasters who had previously aired the program but could no longer sustain their broadcasting. The first instance occurred in 1969, aimed at stations in Canada, Kenya, and Hong Kong. The second instance took place in 1982, triggered by escalating costs that forced Radio New Zealand to discontinue the series; therefore, a concluding episode was crafted and produced to serve as a finale for the series, which aired in September of that year.

Willard Waterman

Willard Lewis Waterman was born on August 29, 1914 and worked on TV and radio, remembered for replacing Harold Peary as the title character of The Great Gildersleeve at the height of that show's popularity.

He attended the University of Wisconsin, where he joined Theta Chi, acted in student plays, and was a friend of Uta Hagen. His growing interest in theater put an end to his original plan to be an engineer, and he gained experience in radio at the university's station, WHA.

Waterman began his radio career at WIBA in Madison, singing in a quartet that performed "musical interludes between programs,"and came to NBC in Chicago in early 1936.

In 1950, Waterman took over the role of Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve on The Great Gildersleeve after Harold Peary was unable to secure an ownership stake in the show from Kraft Cheese. Peary left NBC for CBS due to better financial options amidst high taxes but ultimately Kraft moved the show to CBS and hired Waterman as his successor.

Peary and Waterman, who had a pre-existing friendship from their radio jobs, worked together on The Great Gildersleeve from 1950 to 1957, with Waterman mimicking Peary's voice without adopting his trademark laugh. During this time, Waterman also played Mr. Merriweather in The Halls of Ivy and had previously starred in a short-lived comedy, Those Websters, in 1945.

He had radio roles between the mid-1930s and 1950 on such shows as Chicago Theater of the Air (variety) and Harold Teen (comedy), plus four soap operas: Girl Alone, The Guiding Light, Lonely Women, The Road of Life and Kay Fairchild, Stepmother.

In his later career, Waterman took on various supporting roles in films and TV shows, including a brief stint in the adaptation of The Great Gildersleeve, as well as appearances in Vacation Playhouse, Lawman, My Favorite Martian, Bat Masterson, and The Eve Arden Show, among others. Notably, he played Mr. Quigley in Dennis the Menace and appeared five times as Mac Maginnis in The Real McCoys from 1957 to 1959. 

After 1973, he nearly retired from acting but made a comeback in 1980 with a radio commercial for Sony, which earned him a Clio Award.

In 1937, Waterman wed Mary Anna Theleen, a secretary at Nash Motors. He lived in Chicago and New York City before relocating to the San Fernando Valley in California in 1945. After 1980, he settled in Burlingame, California, near one of his daughters. 

Waterman passed away from bone marrow disease on February 2, 1995, at his home in Burlingame.