Although I have just recently turned 40 I am very much a child of a different generation.  While my birth year was right at the cusp of the 60's era that is so widely praised as an enlightened time, my love for entertainment that predated that era by 20 years is opening my eyes to the fact that the golden age of hollywood was exactly that.  It also has proven yet again that the era that began with woodstock has been an insipid 40 plus years of self-important dross masquerading as entertainment (there have been some diamonds in the rough but they have been few and far between).

The entertainment that was produced in the 30s, 40s, and 50s was quality stuff with some clinkers mixed in.  But the funny thing is even the clinkers are more entertaining than what Hollywood produces now.  I especially love old-time radio shows.  These were from that wonderful era before the idiot box invaded every household and virtually stole the imagination muscle from generations of young minds.  What is especially wonderful about OTR (shorthand for old-time radio) is that it is widely available on the web as downloadable MP3 files that can be played on any MP3 player or burned onto a cd and played in your car if you like.  And the lessons that can be learned from them are various.  The one I learned today, or rather had reaffirmed for me today, came while I was doing some work around my house while listening to one of these shows. 

The show in question was a radio dramatization of The Philadelphia Story.  The four main stars from the movie, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart (the serving as a lieutenant in the Air Force), Katherine Hepburn and Ruth Hussey all reprised their roles and the announcer was Cecil B. DeMille.  The show was presented as part of the Victory Theatre sponsored by Lux and was sprinkled with ads extolling the virtues of investing in war bonds to support the US prosecution of WWII.  While the show was shortened to one hour (the movie was two hours) the entertainment was quality as it was presented free on the radio by four major stars.  The involvement of a major studio head made it even more impressive.  But it was the end of the show that really caught my attention.

At the conclusion, Cecil B. DeMille presented the four stars including a very respectful correction of his introduction of Jimmy Stewart as Lieutenant Stewart.  Each star then took a turn at the microphone and spoke eloquently about the need for all Americans to come together and support the war effort.  The most forceful was Miss Hepburn who asked mothers to imagine themselves in the place of mothers in Nazi conquered countries.  You could hear the patriotism in her voice and inspired.

Today we are treated to a drunken Danny DeVito bashing the president on The View and then being apologized for by Rosie O'Donnell and Barbra Walters.  We also get to read about George Clooney, Sean Penn and Johnny Depp giving interviews to foreign newspapers criticizing our country and our government.
How did Hollywood fall so hard? 

Charlton Heston is suffering from Alzheimers and Glenn Ford passed recently.  These two men represented the Golden Age of Hollywood.  As these last remaining true stars ascend to a greater reward we should always remember when Hollywood sparkled like the gold it was rather than be blinded by the glare of the shoddy product we are subjected to now.