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Americans All, Immigrants All

An Artistic Triumph in Broadcasting and a celebration of American Cultural Diversity in the pre-WWII Period.

Americans All Immigrants All

24 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 11 hours, 3054 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
12 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from February 25, 1939:

"Orientals In United States"



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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Sometimes it can be hard to pin down just who deserves the credit (or blame) for a radio broadcast, especially a successful one. In 1938, the Department of Interior, the Office of Education, CBS, WNYC, the Service Bureau for Inter-Cultural Education, and the Works Progress Administration came together to produce twenty-six half-hour episodes titled Americans All – Immigrants All.

The programs broadcast over the CBS network on Sunday afternoons between November 1938 and May 1939, then rebroadcast over WNYC in June 1939. According to Radio Guide Weekly, Washington was 'deluged' with congratulatory correspondence about the show. AA-IA took a generally lofty tone but was "not one whit less entertaining because of their solid educational content.

Some of the best written and produced, most artistically compelling productions in all of Old Time Radio was the result of Government and Commercial Network cooperation. This is partially due to the Networks trying to fulfill their mandate to 'serve the public interest' but also reflects the artistic desire to create something good for society. Examples include Corwin's We Hold These Truths and On a Note of Triumph, the atomic educational series The Fifth Horseman, as well as countless War Loan Related programing.

The American Melting Pot has had much greater success integrating along ethnic lines rather than racial ones. People of English, Italian, Irish, Slavic, Germanic, Gallic, Polish, or Spanish extraction may all appear to be different when they first immigrate, but it takes less than a generation for accents to disappear. When they are all dressing more or less the same and eating essentially the same food, differences disappear even more quickly. Even in cases of inter-marriage (which would have been a taboo subject in 1938), racial differences can take generations to fully blend.

This is not to say that AA-IA completely discounts people of color. Some episodes celebrate the contributions of 'Negroes' and 'Orientals'. The injustices done to these peoples are not completely ignored, but they are not emphasized as in modern presentations. Also, these programs seem to be voiced by all-white actors.

  • Americans All Immigrants All"The Negro in America" broadcast on December 18, 1938. It acknowledges the practice of slavery but only lightly touches upon the horrors of that "peculiar institution". The "Jim Crow" tyrannies of the Reconstruction Period are barely mentioned and implied to be the fault of the Negro by 'not being prepared to govern themselves with freedom'.
  • "Orientals In the United States", broadcast on February 26, 1939, treats the Asia race somewhat better, acknowledging the contributions of Chinese Labor on the railroads and other major projects, and touches upon the injustice of the Chinese Immigration Exclusion Acts, and how they led to the import of Japanese Laborers (and their later exclusion). The Asian influence in gardening and landscaping is mentioned. It is interesting to contrast the representation of the Japanese in this program barely two years before the Internment of the Nissei and American citizens in the West.

Although Americans All – Immigrants All might seem less enlightened by the today's standards, the program's message is still a hopeful one.

For more WPA recordings, see also: Former Slave Interviews and WPA Concerts.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    24 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 11 hours, 3054 min
    24 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 11 hours, 3054 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 24 shows – total playtime 11 hours, 50 minutes
    2. Aaia 381120 Our English Heritage.mp3
    3. Aaia 381127 Our Hispanic Heritage.mp3
    4. Aaia 381204 Scotchscotchirish And Welsh.mp3
    5. Aaia 381211 Winning Of Freedom.mp3
    6. Aaia 381218 Negro In America.mp3
    7. Aaia 381225 French Speaking Peoples.mp3
    8. Aaia 390108 Irish In United States.mp3
    9. Aaia 390115 Germans In United States.mp3
    10. Aaia 390122 Scandinavians In United States.mp3
    11. Aaia 390129 Closing Frontiers.mp3
    12. Aaia 390205 Jews In United States.mp3
    13. Aaia 390212 Slavs In United States Part One.mp3
    14. Aaia 390219 Slavs In United States Part Two.mp3
    15. Aaia 390226 Orientals In United States.mp3
    16. Aaia 390305 Italians In United States.mp3
    17. Aaia 390312 Near Eastern Peoples.mp3
    18. Aaia 390319 Immigrants From Smaller Countries.mp3
    19. Aaia 390326 Contributions In Industry.mp3
    20. Aaia 390402 Contributions In Science.mp3
    21. Aaia 390409 Contributions In Arts And Crafts.mp3
    22. Aaia 390416 Social Progress.mp3
    23. Aaia 390423 A New England Town.mp3
    24. Aaia 390430 An Industrial City.mp3
    25. Aaia 390507 Grand Finale.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    24 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 11 hours, 3054 min
    24 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    339 MB – total playtime 11 hours, 50 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 24 shows – 339 MB – total playtime 11 hours, 50 minutes
    2. Aaia 381120 Our English Heritage.mp3
    3. Aaia 381127 Our Hispanic Heritage.mp3
    4. Aaia 381204 Scotchscotchirish And Welsh.mp3
    5. Aaia 381211 Winning Of Freedom.mp3
    6. Aaia 381218 Negro In America.mp3
    7. Aaia 381225 French Speaking Peoples.mp3
    8. Aaia 390108 Irish In United States.mp3
    9. Aaia 390115 Germans In United States.mp3
    10. Aaia 390122 Scandinavians In United States.mp3
    11. Aaia 390129 Closing Frontiers.mp3
    12. Aaia 390205 Jews In United States.mp3
    13. Aaia 390212 Slavs In United States Part One.mp3
    14. Aaia 390219 Slavs In United States Part Two.mp3
    15. Aaia 390226 Orientals In United States.mp3
    16. Aaia 390305 Italians In United States.mp3
    17. Aaia 390312 Near Eastern Peoples.mp3
    18. Aaia 390319 Immigrants From Smaller Countries.mp3
    19. Aaia 390326 Contributions In Industry.mp3
    20. Aaia 390402 Contributions In Science.mp3
    21. Aaia 390409 Contributions In Arts And Crafts.mp3
    22. Aaia 390416 Social Progress.mp3
    23. Aaia 390423 A New England Town.mp3
    24. Aaia 390430 An Industrial City.mp3
    25. Aaia 390507 Grand Finale.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    24 recordings on 12 Audio CDs. Total playtime 11 hours, 50 min
    24 recordings on 12 Audio CDs
    total playtime 11 hours, 50 min

    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A001

    1. Aaia 381120 Our English Heritage
    2. Aaia 381127 Our Hispanic Heritage

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A002

    1. Aaia 381204 Scotchscotchirish And Welsh
    2. Aaia 381211 Winning Of Freedom

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A003

    1. Aaia 381218 Negro In America
    2. Aaia 381225 French Speaking Peoples

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A004

    1. Aaia 390108 Irish In United States
    2. Aaia 390115 Germans In United States

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A005

    1. Aaia 390122 Scandinavians In United States
    2. Aaia 390129 Closing Frontiers

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A006

    1. Aaia 390205 Jews In United States
    2. Aaia 390212 Slavs In United States Part One

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A007

    1. Aaia 390219 Slavs In United States Part Two
    2. Aaia 390226 Orientals In United States

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A008

    1. Aaia 390305 Italians In United States
    2. Aaia 390312 Near Eastern Peoples

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A009

    1. Aaia 390319 Immigrants From Smaller Countries
    2. Aaia 390326 Contributions In Industry

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A010

    1. Aaia 390402 Contributions In Science
    2. Aaia 390409 Contributions In Arts And Crafts

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A011

    1. Aaia 390416 Social Progress
    2. Aaia 390423 A New England Town

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Americans All Immigrants All Disc A012

    1. Aaia 390430 An Industrial City
    2. Aaia 390507 Grand Finale

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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