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The Quick and The Dead

Starring Bob Hope and produced by Fred Friendly, this old time radio show dramatically presents the science and horrors of Atomic War.

Quick and Dead

4 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 1 hours, 1574 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
2 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from July 06, 1950:

"Episode 1"



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

Duck and CoverThe time is 1950. America is still flushed with the victory of World War Two, but as the Atomic Age has dawned, the future is not as secure as it should be. Less than a year ago the Soviets have detonated their own atomic device, and there is a fresh war brewing in Korea. Radio broadcasters through the end of WWII and the beginning of the Cold War produced a large amount of propaganda programs that in their way furthered the defense of the nation.

One of network efforts would be The Quick and the Dead. News producer Fred Friendly produced the project and it has been reported that part of Friendly's agenda was to present the horrors of Atomic War insuch way that there would be a public outcry demanding that the use of Atomic Weapons in Korea would never be considered. However, the series leaned heavily on the expertise of William Laurence, one of the very few science and technology reporters selected by the Army to document the highly secret Manhattan Project. Although highly respected at the time,Laurence has since been criticized for sanitizing and even glamorizing the harsh realities of atomic warfare. The confluence of these two viewpoints resulted in a documentary that remains rather impartial to the  use of nuclear weapons.

Bob Hope

The series features Bob Hope in the role of a taxpayer who realizes that a large portion of what he pays the government is going to finance these nuclear ambitions, and wants to know more about them. Bob Hope is an interesting choice for the role. As a well respected and recognizable comedian, his investigation becomes Everyman learning more about Atomic science, both the horrific weapons and the promise of Atomic Power and Science. Hope is also a bit of a darling of the Military Industrial Complex thanks to his selfless work on behalf of the troops and the war bond drives.

Producer Friendly effectively mixes the conversation between Laurence and Hope with "Clips". Both actual and dramatized recording of the events in the development of the Atomic Age will be used to tell the story. These include a dramatization of Laurence witnessing the first Atomic Bomb test in the desert of New Mexico, Fermi's early research with the Atomic Pile in the squash courts at the University of Chicago, and Einstein's letter to President Roosevelt warning of possible Nazi progress towards Hitler's bomb. Also featured in the series are interviews with Col. Paul Tibbets, pilot of the B-29 Enola Gay, which dropped the Bomb on Hiroshima, Robert Oppenheimer, "father" of the Manhattan Project, General Leslie Groves, the Army's general in charge of the logistics and security of the Manhattan Project, and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, David Lilienthal.

Although the field of Nuclear Science, in both peaceful and military applications has grown exponentially in the last sixty years, the four part series remains a useful and entertaining primer of not only the Atomic Age, but the promise and the threats of Nuclear Power.

Fred Friendly

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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.



    4 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 1 hours, 1574 min
    4 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 1 hours, 1574 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 4 shows – total playtime 1 hours, 26 minutes
    2. Quick And Dead 500706 Episode 1.mp3
    3. Quick And Dead 500713 Episode 2.mp3
    4. Quick And Dead 500720 Episode 3.mp3
    5. Quick And Dead 500727 Episode 4.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    4 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 1 hours, 1574 min
    4 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    39 MB – total playtime 1 hours, 26 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 4 shows – 39 MB – total playtime 1 hours, 26 minutes
    2. Quick And Dead 500706 Episode 1.mp3
    3. Quick And Dead 500713 Episode 2.mp3
    4. Quick And Dead 500720 Episode 3.mp3
    5. Quick And Dead 500727 Episode 4.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



    4 recordings on 2 Audio CDs. Total playtime 1 hours, 26 min
    4 recordings on 2 Audio CDs
    total playtime 1 hours, 26 min

    Quick and Dead Disc A001

    1. Quick And Dead 500706 Episode 1
    2. Quick And Dead 500713 Episode 2
    3. Quick And Dead 500720 Episode 3

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Quick and Dead Disc A002

    1. Quick And Dead 500727 Episode 4

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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