We haven't heard "Lest We Forget" in a while and the July 4th holiday seems like a good time to revisit the series.

What could be more American and patriotic than Superman?  Or, at least, an actor associated with the Superman radio series ...

Program 8 of Series B of this public service series produced by the Institute for Democratic Education in New York and syndicated in the late 1940s is a little drama called "Chain Reaction".  It stars Jackson Beck as a reporter investigating the story of a nuclear scientist who saved others in an act of heroism.  Beck, of course, is the announcer on radio's long-running "Adventures of Superman" program.

The show was captured from an original vinyl Orthacoustic transcription pressed by NBC/RCA, matrix number ND7-MM-6161.

“Lest We Forget:  The American Dream”, was a quarter-hour dramatic show produced by the Institute for Democratic Education, New York and syndicated in the late 1940s as part of an effort to combat prejudice.

Series B, Program 7 features "Paul Lukas" in "One Small Voice".  A young woman applies for a job and is told that "certain nationalities" aren't welcome at the company.

The show was digitized from an original vinyl Orthacoustic transcription pressed by NBC/RCA, matrix number ND7-MM-6093.

The "Lest We Forget" series, "The American Dream", was a well-done little quarter-hour dramatic show produced by the Institute for Democratic Education, New York and syndicated in the late 1940s.

Series B, Program 6 is "Hey, Cabbie!" with Sam Levene.  The drama looks at a cab driver that's being pressured to move out of his neighborhood.

The show was digitized from original vinyl Orthacoustic transcription pressed by NBC/RCA, matrix number ND6-MM-114

Here's another entry in the series "Lest We Forget", a quarter hour dramatic series syndicated by the Institute for Democratic Education in the late 1940s and early 50s to inform the public about issues around prejudice.

The show was packaged in different series, this one, Series B, was dubbed "The American Dream".  Program 5 is "Sheriff Matt Blake" and stars Ralph Bellamy as the title character, confronting a lynch mob on the verge of killing an innocent Mexican-American.

The mp3 was transferred from original vinyl Orthacoustic transcription pressed by NBC/RCA, matrix number ND7-MM-5298

Now let's take another look at "Lest We Forget", a series syndicated by the Institute for Democratic Education in the late 1940s and early 50s to combat prejudice.  Although they might seem a little heavy-handed, the shows are well written and produced and are an interesting snap shot of community service programming of the time.

Program 2 of series B features Mercury Theater regular Everett Sloane in "Blow That Whistle".  The drama is about a mailman who, against his better judgment, is drawn into "American First" group that harasses immigrants in the local community.

The show was transferred from an original vinyl Orthacoustic transcription pressed by NBC/RCA, matrix number ND7-MM-5851.

"Lest We Forget" is a new series I'll be posting on the blog periodically.  It actually consists of serveral series syndicated by the Institute for Democratic Education in New York in the late 40s and early 50s to combat prejudice.  Each series in the "Lest We Forget" umbrella has it's own title and center around particular themes.

"Lest We Forget - The American Dream" consists of stories about Americans pursuing education, business or other fields and how they sometimes can be the victims of prejudice.  Series B, Program 1 is "Face to Face" and stars Helen Hayes in a story about a school teacher who must decide what to do when her kids at the school pick up disparaging remarks made by one of the parents.

The show starts out with a wonderful bit of period business - one of the kids at school brought mercury from a broken thermometer for "show and tell".  Of course, back then, the hazards of mercury weren't really known and it wasn't unusual for kids to handle mercury in science class.  I still recall our teacher bringing mercury to class in the mid 1970s.  Today, of course, this would result in a lock-down of the school and the arrival of a team from the EPA in hazmat suits.

The show was transferred from an original vinyl Orthacoustic transcription pressed by NBC/RCA, matrix number ND7-MM-5988.